Group Design Concepts Presentation Assignment

 

Instructions: Organize into groups of 3 or 4. Then choose a pair of design principles and elements from the list (see OAKS groups). I have the principles and elements paired up in a random fashion.  They have no relationships with each other. Pairing them is simply a way to get all of them covered.

After researching and studying them, you will create a compelling presentation to share your findings and designs with the class.

Guidelines/Rules

The Presentation: If you use slides, the presentation must not be text-heavy. Therefore, do not use the traditional bullet-point style. They are visually boring and the presenter might make the mistake of reading from the screen. Peruse this article to discover some ways to avoid killing the audience by bullet points.

Here are some additional guidelines and rules for preparing and delivering your presentation:

  • When showing imagery of your design principle or element, use some of your own. They can be from a past assignment, or you can create them just for this special presentation to us. This makes it more personalized and highly original.
  • Add variety to your presentation with handouts, writing on board, verbal explanations, etc.
  • If you do use slides, minimize the number, and avoid having a slide for everything that you say. Don't allow the slides to becomes a crutch.
  • Remember that your presentation should be graphics-rich and not dominated by text.  As I stressed earlier, too much text becomes a crutch and might encourage reading from the screen.
  • Be more organic with your images.  In other words, don’t copy ALL of your images from the internet.  They may not be copyright-free anyway.  So surprise us with more unexpected and not-yet-seen imagery.  For instance, if you wanted to display a road sign as a symbol of color or lines, why not take a photo of one from a familiar street corner rather than copy/paste the staid material from the web.  Or if you want a picture of a flower, why not snap a photo.  These are just two simple examples. Think! Think! Think! Create! Create! Create!!!

Content

As for the content, your goal is three-fold:  define, show examples, and inspire. Thus,

  1. Inform the audience of the meanings of the principle and the element.
  2. Provide visual examples, which can come from the design world in general as well as Processing sketches.  However, you must include some of your own sketches or other designs.
  3. Your presentation should inspire application of the principle and element. The oral and visual information that you provide should be so compelling, that your audience will garner ideas and be inspired to apply them in their own designs.
  4. Please keep in mind that your examples should mostly relate to digital media, graphic design, fine art, and maybe photography. Avoid having too many examples from lesser related areas. The audience should be left with a “can do” feeling.

 

More on Delivery & Submissions:

Delivery: The time limit is 7 minutes for the presentation and about 5 minutes Q&A.  In your quick introduction of team members, include an interesting or fun fact about each person. (Make it blend into your blurb; don’t say “A fun fact about John is…”) You don’t have to feel obligated to have each person share in the delivery of the presentation.  I will assume that each person made a significant contribution no matter who’s up front. 

You must moderate the 3-5-minute question and answer period in an interesting way. Some suggestions are:  A) ask the audience questions, B) revisit a slide for more explanation C) suggest a question for the exam. Please don't neglect the very important part of moderating a discussion, as it will count into your grade.

 

Final Submission: Write a 1-2 page summary, including two possible test questions. Your summary can and should contain a few images, but please do not submit any slideshows to me. You may submit it in the OAKS group drop box.

About the Grade:

This will count as a regular assignment.