AGDA Education: The Big Project by David Whitbread (AGDA ACT member)

15th August, 2011

AGDA ACT member David Whitbread writes about how important big challenge projects are in graphic design education. 

The Big Project

In graphic design studies, to cover off the skills and techniques and personal organisation required for professional success, it is essential that there be some experience with great big hairy audacious projects... (I can't recall who described them that way but seem to recall it might be Tom Peters or Seth Godin...)

It is also useful for each semester to have a focal point - a challenge to students that is so 'big' that it leapfrogs them beyond the next level. Certainly you need a project like this during each year of a course.

But the structure of many courses does not comfortably allow it. It is a brave academic who commits so much time and effort to such a project. If your students have four concurrent subjects each semester, for example, should you use all your subject for one project? Maybe it's better to fiddle about with a bunch of projects worth 15% and 20%. After all, what if someone bombed out on a big project? How unfair...

Yet, the reality is that students usually really want this experience - and you usually have numerous marking points or aspects that easily subdivide such a project, so ultimately success can be graded.

So, yes, make your unit the big project to provide a focus for their semester and propel them forward.

Can such a project be too big? too complex? or seek too much development?

In my experience, such projects are catalysts for student engagement and for massive achievement by the student body. The nature of such a challenge is so enticing and so invigorating that it creates its own velocity. In many cases, students will take it further than teachers expect it to go.

It is also an opportunity to discuss project and time management techniques, particularly chunking, staging, scheduling, presentations, reporting and review stages. All professional design realities.

So, nuh-uh, it is hard to make it too big.

What sort of projects are we talking about here?

They can be individual projects (often better to ensure each student's learning) or group projects (teach project management and collaboration in a more realistic way).

Virtually any subject can provide the basis for a large project.

My first realisation of the power of such projects was years ago at the Canberra Institute of Technical and Further Education (CIT) in a graphic design history class. To provide a resource for all the students, I created an online template that each student had to fill with their own research on an assigned graphic design style. Once completed, I collated them and bound them into a comprehensive overview of world design history from 1850 for each student. (Incidentally, I know that more than 20 years later, some of those students still have that resource.)

Then, when I was at the University of Canberra, I witnessed a number of these brilliant projects across various units over ten years. (I will name the lead staff member on each project.)

Illustration lecturer Julie Bradley had a massive project she ran collaboratively with the creative writing course lecturer where illustration students were paired with writing students and created an original, fully illustrated and bound children's book - from go to whoa in one semester. This was always exhibited publicly at its conclusion - and guest judges from national publishing houses invited to provide feedback.

We ran a first year design research and history project across all design disciplines where 270 students divided into 90 small groups of three researched an assigned influential designer from their discipline. They could research and/or contact the designers but had to create a three-dimensional display with a matching brochure for a public exhibition celebrating notable world designers. (Just had to find 90 metres of wall space for the exhibition...!)

And to bed down computer production techniques, Computing lecturer Philippa Hayes created a project based on weekend newspaper magazine inserts. Students individually needed to create grids, templates, style sheets, images and feature article spreads, contents lists, columns and advertisements for a full 16-page magazine. (Did I mention big projects can be a challenge to mark? But, like this one, they can be so valuable.)

In professional studies, I had students create a collection of resources and specifications including paper samples; order form, contract and tender samples; printing quotes; artwork specifications for different processes; typeface sources; local and specialist suppliers of print, paper, hardware and software; tips and tricks... all the resources needed to be indexed and annotated to make the information searchable and presented in either a physical or an electronic form. This was a collation and information management project and could effectively become the basis of a professional studio resource. Some students used it as the means to prepare for launching their own business by assembling material for localities where they were planning to start their freelancing business on completion of their degree.

In print production, in addition to research projects, the practical project was an A2 calendar poster that featured design, presentation rough and artwork production and specification. It needed to include diecuts, thermography, foil stamping, CMYK and Pantone artwork, spot varnish or lamination. Obviously the creation of imagery and typography that are going to be suitable for such reproduction techniques is a complex design task - not to mention faking the comprehensive visual with a combination of computer and hand techniques - and requires understanding of the effect of the techniques, as well as their requirements and specification for accurate reproduction. (Incidentally the theme given to help the design process was either to illustrate the elements of earth, air, fire and water or the seasons.)

Final year Graphic Design lecturer Mary-Jane Taylor negotiated an individual major work with each student in the graduating class. It needed to be a project that would engage them for a full semester, demonstrate their individual strengths and be a stand-out portfolio piece. It was devised and approved in the semester preceding the actual unit. Students would do corporate identity projects with extensive applications; full annual reports and other publications; create products, brand and package them and create advertisements and promotional items.

David Whitbread is the author of The Design Manual and tweets @thedesignmanual
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