Brief Analysis – Looking At Project Frameworks and How Professionals Draft Them: Part 1

Lindsay Applications and Interactions, Inspiration, Self Reflection 0 Comments

Introduction

The first week of this module is about analysing project briefs – what will the project entail and the intended process to execute it. As very well described in the introductory video of this week, aims, objectives and audiences are all key elements that need to be clear prior to setting into working on any project, whether self-initiated or for a client. These above-mentioned points, along with brief development is what we would be looking at in this upcoming week.

Having an overview of what a project constitutes is very important as it will make it easier to execute the best version of it as one initially intended. Also, a typical project brief, if created properly, offers a clear picture to any stakeholder involved as well as make them understand what their role is in the project.

From the Lectures

The lecture consisted of a series of talking heads, where they were asked two questions, namely:

How do you identify the subject of a self-initiated project?
How do you structure and plan the production of a self-initiated project?

What I have noticed with the answers is that although all the designers came from different backgrounds and had different life experiences, their answers were still relatively similar. When asked about how to they get ideas for self-initiated projects, all of them said that personal life experience was their main inspiration. Some it was out of necessity – they needed to build a portfolio, whereas others were inspired by the need to change their current lifestyle. The two answers that appealed to me the most were those from Hey Studio and Frost Collective. I liked how they turned their current situation around and used a self-initiated project as a form of outlet. In addition, when it came to Hey Studio, I also like the fact that they allocated time within their work week just to generate new ideas for self-initiated projects.

On a completely different note, the answers to the second question varied a bit. As the studios specialised in different field of design, it is expected that their processes varied from one another. Offshore Studio mentioned that they have a number of recurring themes that they like to work within as well a ‘to-do’ list of project ideas. However, they also iterated that commercial work is important as it is what brings in the money. This same point was mentioned by Hey Studios. On the other hand, Vince Frost (Frost Collective) and the Sam Bompas and Harry Parr (Bompas and Parr), being a larger design studio, mentioned that at times, a project manager comes in handy, depening on the funds and scale of the projects, as well as that a project should be planned in phses. Not just self-initiated projects, but also client projects.

When it came to Werkflow, it as an interesting take on their project. The Sovereign videogame project started off as a graphic novel that evolved into a videogame. That said, their answer was from a different perspective – they shed light on the importance of bridging disciplines as well as ideas to create an even better project.

Following Up

Following up on the lectures, I thought of writing both questions in Google and see what result came up in the results. Found some interesting articles in relation to this week’s topic, both when it comes on how to generate ideas for new projects as well as tips and process on how to go about it. As already mentioned the first question in the lecture was: How do you identify the subject of a self-initiated project?

The first article was published by &Walsh on their official website. Coincidently, this was also shared by one of the tutors of this module. The article was split into six main sections. These were:

Coming Up With Ideas
What Can You Do About It
Create A Plan
Set Rules
Develop A Unique Style
Get Noticed

Many valid points were mentioned in this article. It is common knowledge that people struggle a lot with generating solid ideas at times. As exciting as it may sound, having the liberty of working on ‘anything’ can be overwhelming. The idea of asking ‘Why’ and creating a ‘shit list’ of things that bother you, as they described it, can definitely bring about some interesting ideas by answering the questions that you initially had been asking in the first place.

Another important point was that about time management. When dealing with a client, it is easier, because the constraints and requirements are set, and this includes a completion date. However, with self-initiated projects, one needs to be stricter. Self-initiated projects do require a certain level of discipline, as one can easily get carried away, be it procrastination or even overworking. Milestones and parameters are even more important in self-initiated projects. It makes the project easier to manage and well as assess the feasibility of a project. In addition to the above, having a unique style in your work will definitely get your project noticed. In a competitive world such as this, it can be difficult. However, setting unusual constraints when it comes to generating ideas can definitely result in some unique ideas.

Another interesting article I found was on the Smashing Magazine website. The topics mentioned in the article are similar to that in the And Walsh article, however it also discusses a step-by-step approach on how to go about a self-initiated project. One interesting point in this article was the importance of separating essentials from the enhancements. It is quite easy to get carried away with the flashy enhancements that may not matter in the grand scheme of things. Such things tend to curb momentum, but separating the individual tasks and prioritising them accordingly can prevent this from happening.

In the next blog post, I will be writing about an interesting website called The Digital Project Manager. I found it by Googling the second question. There is a lot interesting content it that would surely be useful in this upcoming week.

Bibliography

Walsh, J., 2019. [online] Andwalsh.com. Available at: <https://andwalsh.com/articles/all/creating-self-initiated-projects/> [Accessed 20 September 2020].
Yablonski, J., 2016. A Guide To Personal Side Projects — Smashing Magazine. [online] Smashing Magazine. Available at: <https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2016/05/a-guide-to-personal-side-projects/> [Accessed 20 September 2020].