Obey - Workshop with Catherine

This is the work we did in a workshop with Catherine where we learned about the process of creating ideas.  This has probably been the most useful of all the workshops because it has played a major role in our project.  We were given the task to create a campaign for The London Underground to produce work that promoted the message "Obey."  The idea was to make commuters pay attention to the rules to make traveling a more pleasant experience for everyone.  This is the current poster campaign:

The class was separated into 3 groups.  2 of which would be given advice by Catherine after each step.  The other would have to work on their own.  The 2 groups who received help were observed by other people who wrote down how we went about getting ideas, how we worked together and whether the way we worked was effective.  My group was one of the ones that was receiving help from Catherine which I have to say made it much easier, because I know that I tend to rush ahead of myself.  So being reined back after each step helped me prioritise what needed to be done at that point.  I wasn't always thinking of what happens next.

We had to follow the design process of:

Reverse

Exaggerate

Distort

Wishful Thinking

This allows your ideas to branch off into completely unexpected ways.  It's a great way t start thinking outside of the box.  Out of our initial brainstorm we had to pick the dominant ideas and put them through this process.  We ended up coming up with a holographic poster idea.  I came up with the idea of using the Underground symbol as part of the word Obey because this clearly communicated who the poster was for and the message at the same time.  I really liked the idea because the holographic nature of the posters would have made them more interactive for commuters.

We then had to design a web page for a client which was aimed at housewives and the message was buy less.  We went for the idea of clothes trading because it was original, an upcoming trend amongst women but mainly because it would open up a new social life for the stereotypical housewife.  I also think this spin on the message doesn't patronise the housewife which some other ideas could have, you don't want the target audience to feel stupid.  I really liked this idea.  We were given a sheet of images that we had to incorporate into the design.  We went for a tape measure because it fitted nicely with the idea of fashion.