Collaborative Client Project 1

Summary of the brief

 

At the start of this project, there were a range of briefs that we could choose from which we would work on with students on the other pathways. Unfortunately, the briefs given to us did not motivate me due to the briefs being more aimed towards the CAD aspect of design. Fortunately, we were allowed to submit our own briefs if we had a client project that we were working on. This gave me and two of my peers the opportunity to work on our new 3D printing business, ZD Design and print. As this is not a project for an external client, it meant that we had full creative control over our designs and our work towards the project. Our brief was to update our website, expand our product catalogue and conduct research into competitor companies, profit margins and expenditures. On this project, there were two designers and one CAD student. My role as a designer in this project was to update and improve the business website, conduct research into competitors, design band-style t-shirts and create a brand guidelines document. 

 

What went well

 

Throughout the semester, many aspects of the project were successful without many challenges. One aspect of the project that went well was the communication between the group. Clear communication helps to ensure that everyone on the team understands their roles and responsibilities, the goals of the team, and the steps needed to achieve them. This helps to minimise misunderstandings and confusion, enabling the team to work more efficiently and effectively (Marisetty, 2023). It also allows the team to brainstorm ideas together rather than having separate ideas which may not match the other aspects of the project. At each stage of the project, each member of the team was consistent with communicating ideas and solutions to the rest of the group. The way we chose to communicate was through using Trello which allowed us to not only document notes on the project but to also upload finished pieces of work that may be useful to other members of the team. An example of this is when a new logo design was created. When updating the website, I needed to change the logo design to make sure the website was up-to-date which meant having access to the new logo design which was designed by another member of the team. Rather than having the member send everyone else the logo individually, they were able to put the file on the trello board where everyone could download the file without the risk of losing their copy. This helped our project to be successful as it meant that if someone was facing a challenge on a task, the other team members were able to help by finding a solution to their problem in order to make sure that everyone was able to complete their tasks. Another reason why communication helped this project to be successful is that by communicating to each other, the team were able to motivate each other and provide constructive criticism to help improve s member’s work. A different aspect of the project that went well was the website design. At the start of the project, the website had a basic UI design and layout. As part of the brief, we tasked ourselves with updating and improving the website to make sure that it was fitting with our brand identity and that it looked more appealing when customers would visit the website. By the end of the project, the website colour palette matches with our brand colours, using the correct hex codes to ensure that the colours are consistent throughout the brand. One more aspect of the project that was successful was merchandise designs. Before the designing stage, we conducted research into different types of merchandise that companies sell to promote their brand and our results showed that band-style t-shirts were the most popular style. With this in mind, I began drawing some rough designs, taking inspiration from bands such as AC/DC, Queen, Metallica and Foo Fighters. To link the inspiration to our designs, I researched into the licensing of the bands’ fonts and found out that the fonts are under a creative commons licence which means that they are available for the public to use. This led us to using AC/DC’s and Queen’s fonts in our designs. 

 

What challenges did you face and how did you overcome those challenges

 

Over the 16 weeks of the project, challenges were not a common occurrence however, there were still some challenges that I needed to overcome. The first challenge that I was faced with was updating the main logo. When I first presented the main logo that we had to the rest of the cohort of design students, we were notified that the characters in the logo look similar to avatars used by a well-known social media platform. One suggestion that was given to me was to use AI to create cartoon avatars which would be copyright protected for our logo. However, when trying to generate AI cartoon drawings, the results were closer to 3D avatars or designs that do not match the style of the logo. The solution to this challenge was to find an outline sketch of a male body to use as a base for the characters which I could then trace over the outline and create an updated design using this new body. To maintain a sense of symmetry, I was able to mirror one character to make sure that both avatars were not facing the same way. Another challenge that I faced throughout the project was the time frame of the project. The time frame for the project was 15 weeks however, due to submitting our own brief, we were not able to begin working on the project until the brief was approved which took two weeks to happen. This meant that our team only had 13 weeks to complete 15 weeks worth of tasks before the deadline. Our solution to this challenge was to assess our tasks that were outlined in the brief and cut down tasks to ensure that each task will be completed with prototypes or final products. By cutting down the weight of some of our tasks, it meant that as a team, we were able to accomplish the tasks set out on the brief successfully. 

 

Time management

 

Time management is important in a team project which includes a client. Time management skills help you reduce stress and prioritise your time. Effective time management clarifies your goals and prioritises your most important tasks. As a result, you have more time to achieve bigger and better results (The 10 most important benefits of time management). When dealing with a project with a large workload, time management was key to making sure that every task was completed. Due to my tasks being linked together, I was able to organise my tasks into a scale of most importance. When working on the website, I completed each task then added the finished product to the website before starting the next task. By organising my tasks in this way, it allowed me to make sure that every task was uploaded and active on the website before the project deadline. Cutting down the workload in some of the tasks also allowed me to make sure that I had sufficient time to complete each task to the best of my ability. 

 

Bibliography

The 10 most important benefits of time management (no date) The 10 most important benefits of time management | Knowledge. Available at: https://www.bakkerelkhuizen.com/knowledge/the-10-most-important-benefits-of-time-management/#:~:text=Time%20management%20skills%20help%20you,day%20and%20increase%20your%20performance. (Accessed: 03 January 2024). 

Marisetty, N. (2023) The missing piece: How communication completes the teamwork puzzle, The Power of Communication in Teamwork: Unlocking Success. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/missing-piece-how-communication-completes-teamwork-puzzle-marisetty/ (Accessed: 02 January 2024).