Design Projects for the CQUniversity UniStart Project 2012 - Book Report/Review Example

?DESIGN BRIEF: CQ UniStart Project I. Introduction This report outlines the effects of the three design projects attached: brochure, calendar, logo and a poster flyer for CQUniversity in connection with the 2012 CQUniversity UniStart Project. It is divided into three sections. The first explains the background of the projects, which is primarily about the UniStart Project event. It provides the rationale for the project as well as its objectives. The second section discusses each individual design: the motivations behind design elements and the capacity of each project in achieving their respective goals. The last section cites the final words and concluding concepts. II. Background: UniStart Project 2012 According to Dabner and Swann (2006), a way to ensure an effective design outcome is a clear understanding of its purpose. (p88) This is true both for this designer and for the intended readers of this report. For the former, this consideration dictated the use of design elements such as fonts, colour scheme, images and layout, among others. For the latter, an understanding of the objective and a clear design objective would help in making sense of what the designer wanted to accomplish. The UniStart Project is an annual university event that aims to help students from disadvantaged high schools. The outreach program is designed to provide assistance to students in order to gain entry to the university. For this purpose, several information disseminations initiatives are being staged that involve 31 cluster high schools and 107 cluster primary schools. As outlined by the school, UniStart’s ultimate goal is to inform students that university is accessible to anyone, anywhere, anytime and to assist them to make informed career choices and access emotional and financial support during high school and at university. For the commissioned brochure, calendar, logo and a poster flyer design projects, the intended audience include: 1. High school students who are in year 7/8 in low socio-economic status; 2. Parents who are unfamiliar with university as an option for their children; 3. School officials such as teachers, guidance counselors and other staffs that are influential in the students’ and the parents’ decisions since they are capable of supporting and promoting choice for students. III. OUTLINE AND DESCRIPTION OF PROJECTS Brochure This is primarily intended for parents of high students. It informs them about the UniStart Project and about CQUniversity. Since the purpose is to inform, it is rich in content, with the layout and design elements tailored to highlight information being provided. Hence, design considerations are limited to thematic elements such as the colour scheme and proprietary images in order to break the monotony of the texts. I have chosen green and lighter shades of it as specified in the client brief. The images used depict students enjoying the university on the cover and the UniStart logo on the back cover. The design is simple and straightforward: The content is provided concisely, systematically and authoritatively. It includes descriptions of concepts and other elements that would make the content credible and persuasive. Three important information are clearly presented. The first is the introduction of the program. Next, the identification of the reader’s profile was provided, establishing the relationship. And, finally, the benefits were provided. The contact details are prominently placed in the cover as the brochure intends for parents to participate. All the design elements are expected to collectively entice parents to consider participating in addition to functioning as a standout resource that could easily be accessed. Calendar The calendar will be distributed to schools and their staffs, with the aim of reinforcing the UniStart Project. The calendar is a logical choice because it will be in use throughout the year and could not simply be discarded as in the case of a brochure. It does not easily outlive its usefulness. In addition, it is expected to be ubiquitous considering its function. The exposure of the program for its intended audience is maximized. It also cleverly reminds people about dates and how UniStart should figure in their school days. To fully capitalize on this tool, a brief overview of UniStart Project is prominently placed in the layout so as the reader is constantly reminded as they go about checking dates and making their schedules. The calendar was originally divided using different colours for each season but I decided on a simpler design. Instead, small rings with light green in the background were used, darker green for single days and navy blue two signify the days of the week. The designer attempted to make the presentation clear but still eye catching. I used 50% opaque white text box for the text again. There is black drop shadow on CQ University logo and the UniStart logo. Again, the theme of the entire UniStart Project design is present, the green colour scheme in addition to the important details such as what UniStart is all about and UniStart contact information. This is in keeping with the principle explained by Berry and Parasuraman (1991) that constancy in an integrated design initiative reinforces its potency. (p27) Logo The UniStart logo is important in the wider objective of establishing “branding” for the initiative. The fundamental aim is to inform and such goal have to be reinforced by elements that could easily be identified and retained in the memory. It is for this purpose that the UniStart logo was designed. The design considerations were: 1. UniStart should be a seamless one-word catchphrase but retaining and clearly stating the fundamental concepts involved, which is all about beginnings and university life. 2. The logo should evoke identification and belongingness, hence, should be comely and appropriate to the target audience. 3. It should also be catchy and could easily grab attention. ` For the above purposes, the logo was finally designed. The logo’s colour scheme is crucial in achieving the objectives of the CQUniversity UniStart project. For this purpose, four colours have been selected for the design, which are Green/light-Green and Blue/light Blue. These colours represent the Australian environment. The green present the green mountains and the forest, in addition to representing growth or going beyond what is familiar, yet remaining true to the teachings. The blue colour is reminiscent of the sky and an allusion to the Aboriginal cultures’ understanding of it as a signifier of truth. Also, Lovas and Holloway (2009) maintained that blue and green are two of the most credible colours in marketing. (p159) The logo sports an integrated “uni” and “start” elements but displaying separate identities. This is to ensure that the previously mentioned concepts are clear to the audience. This designer opted to include two important symbolisms that are easily identifiable by students and even parents and the older school staff: the use of “U” and “I” prominently. This way, the reader or the audience can easily identify with the logo and implies a certain close relationship that speaks well about support, which UniStart Project is all about. In addition, it is also a subtle approach in encouraging participation. This is depicted in several possible slogans that one could identify: “You and I”, “You Start”, “I Start” “You and I”. The logo was also designed with all other design elements considered such as the colour scheme and the content. It was depicted to seamlessly blend and complement the other elements. So besides contributing to the “top-of-the mind” aspect of the design, the logo helps the initiative by working with the other materials. Poster Flyer The poster worked within the theme used by the four process colours in the calendar design. There is a bit of emphasis on the logo, with its different width columns for each letter. The columns have gradients of green-white and blue-white. One will also find that the logo is supported by a line that curves ever so slightly following the contour of the texts and with colours matching the columns. This contrasts nicely with the background of the text which is a green-white gradient from top to bottom. Since the ultimate objective of the UniStart Project 2012 is to inform, this designer decided to use a content-heavy poster strategy. According to Mull, Bayless and Jamieson (2005), an effective poster should be singular in its idea and in conceptual design. (p316) The colors and other images should be integrated merely to emphasize the printed message’s legibility. The nature of the initiative is unique and is expected to have no rival post or advertising competing for the readers’ attention. The poster would most probably end in the school board so this was taken into account. The CQUniversity Australia, the UniStart logo and the layout should already suffice to generate attention, so the rest is dominated by the information. This poster is not unlike branding or selling a product so that the intended audience will participate. This is the reason why the information provided was presented in such a way that they resemble the benefits that students can have if they participate. The Uni Experience, filmmaking, career match, circus workshops, and the conservatorium academy – highlighting these activities and initiatives are effective in encouraging participation. These are the come-on characteristics that the target audience will perceive which is analogous to the consumer value in products on sale in the market. Everything was done in scholarly format familiar to both the students and academics alike. The proprietary contact details are also prominent in the layout. IV. Conclusion It is important to underscore that the brochure, calendar, logo and a poster flyer all are crucial in the campaign to make the CQUniversity UniStart Project successful. For this purpose, the design of each of these projects is coordinated. It provides a mantle of authority, system and stability, which should be equated with the initiative especially when the objective is to inform the target audience about how CQUniversity is accessible to anyone, anywhere, anytime. Another important element in each of the design is the focus on content. Each of these projects contains rich texts. However, they are meticulously crafted so that they are comprehensive but not boring. This is ensured by the design elements to break the monotony and help grab attention and the highly structured layout especially in the brochure and the poster. Images are used at the minimum in a conscious effort to depict the materials as commercial advertising tools. References Berry, L and Parasuraman, A 1991, Marketing services: competing through quality. The Free Press, New York. Dabner, D and Swann, A 2006, How to understand and use design and layout. Adams Media, Cincinatti. Lovas, M and Holloway, P 2009, Axis of Influence: How Credibility and Likeability Intersect to Drive Success. Wordclay, New York. Mull, R, Bayless, K and Jamieson, L 2005, Recreational sport management, Volume 1. Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL. Read More