• MYP
  • Introduction
  • overview
  • design cycle
    • Introduction
    • investigate
    • design
    • plan
    • create
    • evaluate
  • AoI
  • assessment
  • descriptors
• curriculum
  • Grade 6
    • welcome
    • time is ticking
    • safety first
    • pet food
  • Grade 7
    • overview
    • logo
    • toy
    • animation
  • Grade 8
    • overview
    • T-shirt
    • Game Design
    • catapult
  • Grade 9
    • overview
    • poster
    • flash
  • Grade 10
    • overview
    • open project
    • reason
• resources
  • colour
  • design notes
    • elements
    • principles
    • brainstorming
    • the client
    • images
  • glossary
  • research
  • planning tips
    • Gantt chart
    • Basics
    • links
  • Grade
    • Grade 6
    • Grade 7
    • Grade 8
    • Grade 9
    • Grade 10
• software
  • Dreamweaver
  • flash
  • Illustrator
  • InDesign
  • Photoshop
  • Premier
  • ProDesktop
  • Reason
• gallery
  • Grade 6
  • Grade 7
  • Grade 8
  • Grade 9
  • Grade 10

Investigate: Information Getting / Getting to the message

The problem / challenge:
Your client is putting on a very important performance for the school. They will meet with you to explain their needs.

What follows are 10 guiding tasks which we feel would be a useful way for you to complete your first Grade 9 / MYP Year 4 project. These are designed to help you with your investigation report. You should not include our written questions in your report. You do not need to answer all the questions or even follow the order given. If you believe you can formulate your own logical steps to complete a successful investigation, then feel free! You will need to do this in Grade 10 anyway. However, you must try to provide your client with a successful product and should look at the final rubric here and make sure you have done all you need to achieve a 6. Good Luck!

A. Identify the problem to be solved Knowing and preparing your Client Good design follows a process. This starts with a discussion between you and your client. The first time you meet with your client is very important. It is in this interview that you find out your client's needs. Our School community needs to advertise and encourage students to attend, an up and coming school event. Your teacher will assign a school production or event to the whole class. Task 1: Project Interview: Knowledge of your client's needs is essential for successful design Interview your client to find out their requirements and any ideas they may have. During the project interview remember to: listen! Write down the important details only - not an essay Who needs the information, Why? The single, unique and focused message the audience should walk away with after looking at your poster. What should the audience do after they read your poster - buy a ticket? Join the band? Will the audience get the information somewhere else? - Will people be given further information through the OLC, e-mail etc? Any deadlines Any information that must be included (logo, dates, etc) Ask if you do not understand anything. Through the project interview, you need to develop a very good understanding of the problem that needs to be tackled Task 2:Life Society and the environment Evaluate the importance of the problem for life, society and/or the environment.(Explain why you have chosen your final problem, discussing its importance AND include a range of solutions, explaining why you have chosen your final design brief) You also need to Identify and explain how you will take into account the specific needs of your client Task 3: Write a clear design brief. The design brief is your response to the challenge, showing how you intend to solve the problem you have been presented with. To write a design brief create a summary of the Problem and the appropriate Response as ONE short paragraph. The Problem / Challenge - Through the project interview, you should have developed a very good understanding of the problem that needs to be tackled. Describes the main problem to be solved in your own words. Response - (The Designer's Task / What the successful design will do) - What you as a designer must create and what the successful design must achieve. This will be a poster! But do you know how big it should be? Does your client want tickets? A banner? A programme? anything else? Write this down as the final part of your design brief

Look at the task specific rubric below to check your progress. Available here for download   MYP RUBRIC TASK SPECIFIC CLARIFICATION 0   The student does not reach a standard described by any of the descriptors given below 1-2 The student states the problem The student states the design challenge and develops a design brief. The student investigates typography and existing posters, collecting information from sources. The student lists some design specifications. 3-4 The student describes the problem, mentioning its relevance The student describes the design problem based on a client interview, mentioning its relevance to our school community. The student investigates typography, existing posters and principles of design. They select and analyse information from some - at least 2 types and at least 4 individual, acknowledged sources using the MLA format and footnotes where appropriate. The student describes a test to evaluate the final poster against the design specification. 5-6 The student explains the problem, discussing its relevance. The student explains the needs of the client and develops a clear design brief, discussing its relevance to our school community. The student critically investigates typography, design principles, possible software applications and techniques, existing posters and the value of posters with respect to achieving the goal as described in their design brief. They evaluate information from a broad range - at least 3 types and at least 5 individual, appropriate and acknowledged sources using the MLA format and footnotes where appropriate. The student describes at least one detailed method for appropriate testing of their designs. They also create at least 2 tests for their final poster. All testing is done in order  to evaluate their designs against the design specification. Definitions: Describe- To give a detailed account. Discuss: To give an account including, where possible, a range of arguments for and against, the relative importance of various factors and comparisons of alternative hypotheses. Design brief: The student’s response to the challenge, showing how they intend to solve the problem they have been presented with. This will guide their investigation as they work to develop a more detailed design specification Evaluate: To assess the implications and limitations; make judgments about the value of ideas, works, solutions or methods in relation to selected criteria. Explain To give a clear account including causes and reasons or mechanisms

B. Develop the design brief

Task 3: Develop relevant guiding questions -

Develop relevant guiding questions, these research questions should be based on software, techniques and the evaluation of similar existing posters that will help you design an effective poster.

"Students need to independently formulate questions when investigating a problem. These research questions should be based on the nature and type of materials, the tools, techniques and equipment and whether there are similar existing products. They should also identify and take into account the specific needs of users. IBO"

Discuss - explain why each question is important and how they will help you with the project

Task 4: design principles, applications and technique-

Analyse the principles of design . Analyse different fonts, colour combinations, fonts.

 

Task 5: Looking Beyond Your Client -Analyse some existing posters

1. Read the notes here on poster design. There are plenty of tips here, use them! Summarize your findings. Find other sources of information and add them. You could use a table like the one below:
   
   

   Principles	What makes a successful Poster?
   The Role of the Poster:
   The Purpose of the Poster:
   The Characteristics of the Poster:
   Design Qualities of the Poster:
   Colour in the Poster-:
   Lettering for Posters:

   
   
2. Analyse some existing posters
   • Find at least Five posters on the same or similar subject to the one you are trying to create.
   • Make copies (screen grabs, photographs, cut out from magazines etc.) Look here for past work from Grade 9.Comment on the good / bad / features that you could use.
   • Use the principles of design in your descriptions.
   • Who are the posters designed for? How do you know? Are they successful?

You may wish to use a table like this:

Poster by Catherine, 2008
Who is the poster designed for?
Balance
Proximity
Alignment
Repetition
Contrast
White Space
Good Points
Bad Points
Feature you may use for your Poster
Does the poster meet the needs of its Audience?

Task 6: Software

3. Evaluate possible software packages - What is the best software to use? Why?

Task 7: Who looks at posters anyway?

• Evaluate the usefulness / requirements of posters with respect to achieving the goal as described in your  design brief

Time for a survey

Design a questionnaire to investigate what attracts pupils to Posters around the school. The questions should try to answer the two questions below. Complete the questionnaire by asking fellow pupils from different grades.

1. How successful are posters at promoting events at our school? You will need to use research to back up your claims.

• Are students more likely to go to events that are advertised using posters? How do you know?

1. What do you need to do to make your poster as effective as possible?

• Where should it be put?
• When should you put it up?
• What about fonts, photographs, graphics and colour?
• Is a certain style going to be the most effective? How do you know?

C: Investigate

Task 8 Processing the information / Creating a Design Specification:

'Why is it that I get my best ideas in the morning when I'm shaving?' - Albert Einstein

• Reorganize information to help you see it in a new light: Simplify and reorganize all the information. Remove the question numbers and make it your own work. You might even try to set out your work using a DTP program like Adobe InDesign (or Publisher).
• Now it is time to create a Design Specification. Click here for further information. It should include the information below. It is best written as a list in bullet form. Each sentence should start with: It will.......

Task 8 : Devise Tests for your designs and final poster.

"For a student to achieve the higher descriptor of this criterion (5-6), he/she has to describe a minimum of 3 detailed tests such as conducting a survey to potential users (a sample questionnaire could be provided), observation and recording of actual product testing by the intended users and evaluating the product against the list of the design specification and using it as a checklist to determine the success of the product." IBO, 2006

Explained how you will evaluate each of your designs against the specification.

• Describe at least 1 test that you will use to evaluate your poster ideas during the Design Stage. This test MUST REFER TO YOUR DESIGN SPECIFICATION
• Create a questionnaire to be used during the design stage in order to survey your potential audience - give a sample.
• Describe at least 2 tests that you will use to evaluate your final product. This test will allow you to decide if you have met the challenge outlined in your design brief. These tests MUST REFER TO YOUR DESIGN SPECIFICATION. These can be check lists/surveys/observations. Example here
• Look at the simplified rubric below to check your progress. Available here for download

Glossary (From IBO, 2006)

Analyse

To identify parts and relationships, and interpret information to reach a conclusion.

Appropriate Quality

This is the best product/solution that the student can produce, taking into account the resources available, the skills and techniques they have used, their educational development, how the product/solution addresses the identified need, and aspects of safety and ergonomics.

Describe

To give a detailed account.

Design brief

The student’s response to the challenge, showing how they intend to solve the problem they have been presented with. This will guide their investigation as they work to develop a more detailed design specification

Design Specification:

A detailed description of the conditions, requirements and restrictions with which a design must comply. This is a precise and accurate list of facts such as conditions, dimensions, materials, process and methods that are important for the designer and for the user. All appropriate solutions will need to comply with the design specification.

Discuss

To give an account including, where possible, a range of arguments for and against, the relative importance of various factors and comparisons of alternative hypotheses.

Evaluate

To assess the implications and limitations; make judgments about the value of ideas, works, solutions or methods in relation to selected criteria.

Explain

To give a clear account including causes and reasons or mechanisms

Justify (This is not an IB definition).

To explain why or prove that a particular action is necessary or reasonable