• 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

Design: Developing the Design

"The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas" Linus Pauling

1. Generate several feasible designs that meet the design specification

A. Brainstorm some design ideas and choose an appropriate method to record your ideas. Look at the notes below for some inspiration.

More is better - it is important to keep ideas flowing - good, bad, boring. Brainstorming is a storm of ideas to be caught, examined, twisted and analysed - but you need plenty of ideas for this to work

Extremes and Opposites
Try and look at the problem from different sides. If you think it should be black, try white. Should small type become enormous? Can it be said in picture rather than words?

"A reverse side always has a reverse side" - Japanese Proverb

B. Write the actual text that must be included (thid should be written down in your design specification)

C. Ideas into Solutions: Create at least three COMPLETELY different ideas for the page layout.

Your poster must be 100% original. You can use the internet and books for help. BUT YOUR FINAL POSTER MUST BE YOUR OWN WORK. 100% YOUR OWN.

• You should include the actual text and where it would go. You can use any software or draw by hand
  

Evaluate the designs against the design specification

Evaluate your designs / fonts and colour combinations against your design specification, identifying the pros and cons of each design.

Select one design and justify its choice.

A. Elimination. Developing a single design and justify your choice.

Create one ‘dummy’ of your poster and justify the final layout / graphics / fonts / colour combinations.

• Out of your three (or more) designs, eliminate ideas that
  • do not work against your design specification
  • are taken from somebody else
  • are a mix of bad ideas
• You may decide that one of your original designs was just right as it is or you may now feel that the fonts of one idea were really good but you may prefer the graphics of another.
• Decide on a final layout.
• Explore further possibilities for font styles, colours and variations on images. Should they be darker? should the background be blurred? Do you need to enlarge, reduce or crop some photographs?

B. Selling your ideas:Write a pitch for your design. (what you will say to your client)

"We start with the reader's reaction and design backwards," John Coy, designer

You need to write a paragraph outlining what you will say to your client. You will then have to talk with your client and try and convince them that your idea is a fantastic one. You can not start to make the product without your client's signature of approval. This is called 'signing off' Use the following notes to help you:

• First define a hierarchy of information - you should tell your client what their eyes should see/read first
• Define the message you want the audience to walk away with
• Communicate with conviction - believe in your ideas
• Try different angles of delivery - you could take on the role of a 6 year old child and explain what you will do, feel when you see the product, or you could explain your ideas through the eyes of the teacher in the class.
• Do not try to communicate too many ideas at once
• Do not try to combine unconnected ideas
• Do not 'soft sell' - you must really push and believe in your ideas

C. You now need to present you final dummy to your client for approval.

Look for the following reactions:

• "Aha" Is your client intrigued and does he/she like your concept? An earlier louder "aha" is better than a quiet, later one.
• "Got it" Do they understand what you are doing

Leave your client wanting more, don't present everything in full detail, this is only a draft of what you are going to do

Take notes at this meeting

D. Make adjustments

Your client will probably give you lots of information and may ask you to change a few things. Maybe they liked one bit a lot but felt less confident of another part.

Make any changes and see your client again. You will probably have three chances to see your client before signing off. See below.

E. Signing off: You now need to present you final dummy to your client for approval.

Hopefully your client will sign your design and give you the approval to start making it! If not go back to question 8!

F. Now use the results of your tests to Justify your design

Check the MYP Rubric

Check the MYP Rubric below and here.

Resources

Dancing people