Statement of intent - Speaking from Experience.

What is the problem?

The problem I have chosen is not only something I suffered from during the first few weeks of the course, but on and off throughout the entire year - Creative block. This is one of the most frustrating and stressful issues I've had so far, and if it goes on too long can potentially result in the failure of a module. Not something you need hanging over you when your bogged down with work, as well as the usual feelings of unease after moving to a new city.

What am I going to do about it?

Well the cure for any kind of creative block is inspiration, this can come in many forms, it could be something someone says or does. It could be a photo, a book, a memory, a song... anything. To narrow down ways in which I can feed this inspiration to my audience, I must first consider who that audience is! The new first years, graphic designers, my class 8 months ago. I have no way of actually interacting and gathering information from the new kids, so I have to work with what I already know. The most obvious pieces of inspiration, and the most useful, would be things related to what they are about to experience. So pieces of graphic design from all areas of the industry would be the most sensible solution to this problem.

Areas to include:

1. Typography
2. Package Design
3. Illustration
4. Colour
5. Photography
6. Hand crafting
7. Mixed media
8. Digital - information graphics
9. Book binding
10. Collage

How am I going to do it?

Taking into account everything I have just talked about, and the feedback I've had already, I figure the best way to resolve this problem is in the form of a calendar. As creative block can strike at any time I feel a calendar would be the best resolution, as this would follow the passage of time, and the user would feel a sense of security knowing that there was a piece to inspire for every day of the year. I would like to base the calendar on the module year plan for 2009/10 as well if it is possible but I'm still waiting to see if I can do this. If it I possible, I will organise the pieces to go in the calendar according to the module or brief the new students will be working on.

The calendar will also function as a book, so whoever uses it can either tear off each page as they go through, or keep the whole thing in tact and refer to it as and when they need to.

I will collect the pieces of design for the calendar with the help of my peers through surveys and questionnaires. This will make sure that there is a good mix of different design, and the finished piece will not be limited to what I find inspiring, as this obviously differs for everyone.
My main focuses will be on the collection of images, the bind, and the layout of the calendar. For the layout I will draw on knowledge already gained from type and grid sessions, as the collection and sorting of the images will take such a long time, I need a grid that can used to replicate each page, though still allow room for the alteration of individual pages should I need it.

On a final note, I would like to take this opportunity to find out what I failed to in my elective, is it harder to produce a piece of design that is sustainable? Does it cost more money and time? Exactly how feasible is it be be a sustainable designer? These are questions I would like to answer for my personal development.