P2- Event & Experience Design

Visual Communication in Space & Time




















Visual Communication as a Choreographed Spatial Experience

This objective of this design project is to explore the idea of visual communication as an event and an experience. Most of us are familiar with the concept of "user experience" in the design of web sites and mobile apps, but designers have been creating experiences in physical space for hundreds, even thousands of years. The painted paleolithic caves of prehistoric Europe, as well as Michaelanglo's Sistine Chapel ceiling murals and the rituals choreographed within them, could be considered early event/experiential design.

Event/Experience Design

The basic project is to choose an event, ranging from retail to educational, motivational to entertaining, then create a sequenced, informational and physical experience over a minimum of three days which introduces, communicates and delivers particular benefits and a desired outcome to a defined audience.

Events, experiences and spaces could include restaurants, shopping centers, libraries, schools,  museums, visitors centers, sports centers, entertainment venues, etc. Your particular project might include the creative development of a new type of informative experience. The underlying requirement of the project is that the event/experience must be informative, beneficial, physical and visual within a designated space or place or a finite span of time.

Group Project

This project will be a two-person design project. Each group member is responsible for the success of the group as a whole and will receive two grades for the final project – an individual grade and a group project grade. The student groups are as follows:

Design Team 1 - Jamie & Aleesha
Design Team 2 - Meagan & Riley
Design Team 3 - Laura & Tiffany

Leon will be excused from this project as he will be working independently on another in-depth web project in class.

You will name and create an identity and positioning statement for your student design group.
All design process, solutions and collateral will be referenced to your design team, the the underlined student acting as the person on the project responsible for the team’s blog postings.

Project Schedule

The tentative time span for the project is 8 weeks with the final design and presentation tentatively due Tuesday, April 11th

T                                                             TH
                                                                F-9      Project Launch
F-14    Work in Class                              F-16    Work in Class
F-21    Work in Class                              F-23    Work in Class
F-28    Work in Class                              M-2     Work in Class
M-7     Work in Class                             M-9     Work in Class
M-14   Work in Class                             M-16   Spring Break
M-21   Spring Break                               M-23   Work in Class
M-28  Work in Class                              M-30   Work in Class
A-4     Work in Class                              A-6     Work in Class
A-11- Final Project Binder/ Bog Post/Presentations Due                                                      

Project Design Components

This project will include, but is not limited to:

Activity Research, Concept Development, Ideation, Sketching, Identity Design, Branding, Architectural Design, Market Research, Spatial Planning, Floor Plan Development, 3D Modeling, Architectural Projections/Rendering, Signage, Information Graphics, Marketing and Sales Collateral, Exhibition Design, Furniture Design, Interior Design, etc.

Design Software

This project may require the use of a variety of design-related software including, but not limited to Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Sketch, InVision, Muse, SketchUp, Maya, etc.

A class-period will be spent introducing you to SketchUp software early during the project.

Project Launch

Choose a name for your design team, then design a quick identity and write a short positioning statement. A visual presentation of your rough team identity and positioning statement, and a description your proposed event/experience (including a preliminary rough design brief identifying the sender, message, audience, and objective, as well as an image board visually expressing the activity) is due on your blog the beginning of class, Tuesday, February 14.