Unit 3 - Explore and Develop Ideas

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Introduction
Artists, designers and craftspeople research, explore and develop ideas to match a brief. They may use information from primary sources (such as the things and people they see around them) and from secondary sources (such as books and the Internet). Using their research, they can then experiment and create and communicate their ideas.

To complete Unit 3 of your BTEC First Diploma, you need to produce a project proposal and present a final idea that communicates the main features effectively. You can choose the form of your brief to suit your chosen design specialism, for example printed artwork, a multimedia presentation, design drawings, swatches and a sample or scale-model. You'll find it useful to consider how practising artists and designers explore and develop ideas to meet the needs of their clients' briefs.

Exploring the brief
When it is exploring a brief for a new brand, design agency Elmwood believes that it's important to get beneath the surface of the initial brief.

Elmwood creates brands with Authentic Attitude. We have to be truthful - we won't make things up about a business. But we have to get to the heart of it to learn what makes each of our clients unique. Only one brand can be the cheapest, everyone else has to provide something different and it's the difference that we always try to find.

Photographer Monty Rakusen also recognises the importance of exploring ideas with his clients as this example shows.

Before a shoot, I have detailed discussions with the client to determine what the job is about. We talk about the style of the pictures and the client will have prepared visuals.
... I'm working [on a] ... project related to social housing, for a company that renovates houses for elderly people. They're far removed from the stereotype of builders - they really want to help people so I have a lot of sympathy for them. We've talked about style and what they are trying to communicate - it's all inspirational and very natural. I'm working with real people, not models.

Try this

• Look at some famous advertising campaigns that you believe have captured the essence of a product and service and explain how the images in the advertisements work. What do the photographs, words, visuals, etc. tell you about the product or service? Create a portfolio about your chosen campaign in which you show examples and explain your reasoning.
• Work with some of your classmates to develop a brief to rebrand your school or college. The establishment needs a new logo and slogan, a new uniform and an identity that can be used on advertising and promotional material. The brief needs to be detailed enough to give to a designer so that they know what you are looking for in the new brand.
  

Using primary sources
Designers may talk to people to get their ideas or get out onto the streets to explore contemporary trends. At Elmwood they recognise the importance of understanding the audience for a product and finding what will work in the marketplace.

After an initial meeting, our team carries out a lot of research. For instance, if the client is a department store with outlets all over the country, we'll visit stores in Leeds, London, Birmingham and Glasgow to see if the reality of the business matches what the client thinks is happening. If the client paints a picture of a fantastic business but that's not what the team sees, we'll examine the existing situation and consider how the company can progress to get from where it is now to where it wants to be.

Ian Thompson, who specialises in brand development, says:

The main thing we focus on is the market for the particular job. We ask questions: Who is going to be looking at this, how do we need to respond, how do we want them to think, how do we want them to feel? People sometimes accuse us of manipulating how people think, feel and behave but I don't believe that our business can lead to huge behavioural shifts.  People will do what they do. Our business is about anticipating what their needs and preferences are, so that a client delivers what is appropriate to them. We tap into a market that behaves in a certain way and make sure that the client's product or service fits with that market.

Try this

• Write a profile of you're your target audience for your school or college rebranding project. Who do you want to respond to this brand? Will the designs you develop be influenced by the type of audience you anticipate?
• Test your ideas for your school or college's new brand by interviewing teachers and students to assess their response to it. Develop an interview format that will allow you to record and quantify your results. How will the feedback change your initial brief?

Using secondary sources
At Elmwood, secondary source research is very important in developing a brief.

We also carry out desk research and use lots of secondary sources, and feedback from staff. We work with trends forecasters like Futurelab; we share information on their projects and in return they share information about what the next big thing is going to be. This helps us when we go back to a client, because we can often discuss trends that they haven't even thought about.

Ian Loseby also uses secondary sources such as books and the Internet to explore ideas.

I look through general design references and pick out the elements that help my vision. Do I want big letters on this? Do I want photographs? Do I want a knock back or foreground thing? Sometimes I'll see something small that will make a massive impact. The client might think they'll get impact by using fluorescent colours and golds but it might be just a single word that creates a stunning effect.

Try this

• Find appropriate secondary research sources that will help you to explore and develop your brief. These could include examples of other designers' work that you find exciting and inspirational, and Internet sites that help you develop your themes. Make a list of secondary sources, then talk to other students and compare them. Can they offer you some more ideas?

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