SPACE TARGET MARKETS
Once you have the space decided you need to start working out who is using the area already, and who could be using the area after your redesign. Do they match up, are they drastically different.
Is it more of a night-time space used by kids?
Is it used by shoppers with prams and babies?
Is it full of dogs and their walkers?
Is it used by old people in the day to sit in the sun and chat?
Does it have a different weekend market?
Especially relevant in Sydney is the ethnic influence, does your spaces' suburb have one; eg: Italians in Haberfield, Vietnamese in Parramatta, Jewish people in Bondi, Lebanese in Auburn, Chinese in Chatswood or Ashfield. This could help you make your design especially relevant.
You’re trying to identify the target market – the people who use it regularly as well as any shops or businesses. Remember when you were re-designing North Sydney and you spoke to park users; you want to do this again because they are a big part of the people you are designing your work for.
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PDF PRESENTATION
This is your first visual presentation to the client so it’s important you make a good first impression. Albert Mehrabian, a psychologist who focused on how people react to information found that 55% of what is taken in is visual, 38% vocal and only 7% text. So text heavy presentations are out.
Remember what we will be looking for here and what clients will be expecting from you in the future is professionalism. This means that they will want a clear structure to the presentation, understandable images and finally…a first-class idea. So lets break that down:
Structure
1//Splash Page: It’s good to start off with a slide that can stay up there for some time, you never know when the client might want to ask you a random question, or you might have to wait until the clients group is all there before starting, either way it’s good to have something up there for them to look at.
This splash page should be something that sums up the project. Don’t give anything away, but you should take this time to get the client in the right frame of mind for what you’re about to present.
Think of this as working in much the same way a splash page on a website works; intrigues, sets up mood and leaves a good first impression.
2//Introduction slides: Lead the client in slowly (not too slowly) – go over the problem again, show them that you understand what they need to achieve. You may be restating the obvious here so use your common sense to know when you might be overstating.
Like a comedian you need to keep your eye on the audience and judge their reaction. If they look bored then speed this bit up, if they look interested then go into more detail.
3//Research: Talk about what you found out and from what source. This can always be a real eye opener for the client, you may have found out stuff that they didn’t know. Make sure you credit your sources and make sure you keep everything target specific, not too many tangents.
4//The Idea: Start with a bang, this is it, this is what you’ve been paid for, so start this part with an image that will really knock their socks off.
Explain what you are proposing, show your concept drawings, and discuss each aspect so the client fully understands. This might be spread over a few slides where you can go into each little detail and describe how each thing works.
5//Conclusion: Restate all the benefits and show them why they were right to choose your team to work with them on this job.
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CONCEPT DRAWINGS
Using pencil drawings is fine if they look professional. If they don't then use something else that will look better. How obvious is that?!!
Trace buildings that already exist, take photos of the area and trace them. Scan in your photos or drawings and vectorise them. Scan in your drawings in as bitmap and colour them. Add plants, trees, people, dogs... to make it seem more life like. Trace them or stylise them.
No-one is expecting you to be an A-grade free hand penciler. That's an artist and they go to art school. As a designer you can use all the tricks you can think of, cheat, copy, steal, so you can get your idea looking as good as it can be.
Why would you want to show your idea any other way?
The client is interested in the idea and that's what you need to show - in its best possible light.
Lets look at some examples:
These two are great examples of how a quick trace from a photo and some new elements can give a great idea of what the finished product might look like.
This next one is a little bit more freestyle but works just as well. Introducing some of your own drawing style is a good way to stand out from the competition.
We are not expecting this - although having said that, if you love using Maya or similar programs - feel free - as long as you meet the deadline and show clearly what you are proposing.
I think we can all do better than the one below. This is a great production drawing for you to work out what is going where but not good enough to impress a client.
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ALSO DONT FORGET
At the end of your presentation of North Sydney you need to show us where you intend to redesign next. We'll need to know why and where.
The why is your groups opinion, but make sure you can back it up with an intelligent argument. The where you can show through Google maps or your own photography - perhaps both. Whichever way you decide to show it, make sure you can give a convincing message as to why this space needs to be redesigned.
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TIPS ON FINDING YOUR SPACE
1. Find somewhere which is reasonably easy for the WHOLE team to get to. It's no good choosing on in Manly when the team lives in the Eastern burbs.
2. Try and find somewhere which is not a public park – it could be a T junction in Newtown or an underused carpark behind shops. Open your eyes to public spaces that are not being used correctly.
3. Once you find a potential space look around and see who is using it or who could potentially use it. What sort of target market are they - is it one you want to work on?
Good luck!
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INSPIRATION & EXTRAS
Each week I throw up things I find that relate to what we've been discussing or working on that week. Sometimes it might be things that relate to your major assessment and sometimes just stuff I thought was worth seeing. If you find something you think we should be showing or something we just have to see let us know in class or throw an email over to me at matt@billyblue.com.au and I'll get it up here or on the Bluni inspiration site.
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