Hi,Long time, no post. We are all fine and Ashley is well. Just turned 16 years and now studying towards a certificate in professional cookery at a tertiary institute in New Zealand.
I'm in the second year of my study (second semester) towards a bachelors in visual imaging and this has kept me busy, majoring in photography, minoring in graphic design. As always with any degree there are written elements to the program but with this degree they take a more visual form. With the advances of technology, we have become a more visual orientated audience. Arrival of the internet (flash web sites etc) and cell phone text/pxt and other technological advances has made people less inclined to want to sit and read. As a photographer/designer, and studying thus far, everything product wise or work wise is pitched to creating beautiful images or designs that convey signifiers in your work. In other words, a picture is literally supposed to say a thousand words and get the message across in a speedier way.
This semester I have four papers. Photography, Graphic Design, Image Analysis and Visual Imaging. Incorporated within the Visual Imaging paper is one assignment which involves the creativity of a visual "product" for a client/clients. After brainstorming, although I could have come up with a photographical assignment, due to all the skills learned in year one (the degree for the most part is digital based design and now photography is completely digital) I couldnt really find anything that I felt passionate about enough to base my VI project on this Semester.
Woke up at 5am this morning with a brain wave and grabbed my visual diary and started writing copious notes and mind mapping. My idea though a little crazy was that I could create an interractive PDF for children or parents with rare congenital conditions. Obviously it's a product but whether I could sell this idea to my lecturer is quite a different matter as rare generally translates to, not that many people purchasing such a product, and for me I would work it as a non-profit thing, but from our Visual Imaging paper in semester two, we had to sell that project as a money spinner. At the same time, I am mindful that with rare genetic conditions, spending time developing something does not always equate to a money spinning venture, but could do if I justified to said lecturer that "this is just one aspect or condition that I am addressing - there are 100's and 1000's mre out there.
Most books and articles that I have read regarding CAH have been written by medical establishment as a taster for the parent and the child, i.e. Warnes book published some time ago. As I have not been around the forums lately I am unaware of any other materials, but I DO know that my degree has taken me off into a different direction being visual based - one is more inclined to convey a message visually. I.e. diagrams which when waved over reveal other images or illustrations etc. The training in year one was inclusive of making highly visual, interractive PDF's.
In doing my project, we need a client to pitch the product or work to as a means to receive feedback. I.e. They look over the work, and feedback into the project and guide it in the right direction. Obviously as I am studying the first project I address goes free and unpaid, but will be made with quality and with a professional approach gearing me for my third year when most papers involve self study and work.
Such PDF could have photographic images, drawings, vector'd images etc. At this stage I am not sure of who my audience will be. The parent, the child or both.
I'm just wondering who my work would be pitched to as an organisation first and who would be my client? Obviously the end product is pitched to parents, but initially there needs to be a body or group that are willing to work with such a project, give feedback and vet the whole project from A-Z.
Such a PDF I would eventually make freely available but I think part of the brief is asking us to sell the idea to lecturers as not just a viable resource or product but also that it would personally benefit us financially. As we all know in the case of CAH or any rare condition , if your going to produce something, it has to be for love in 99% of the cases and not money.
There you go, that was my crazy idea. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I would like to spend this semester making a product that literally benefits others visually. Obviously more mind mapping and "logical" thought needs to go into it and feedback with my lecturer. I'd love to do something in a way that it has not been done i.e. highly visual not written. From experience of late, if it is written, unless it has some highly visual aspect in it, or is short and too the point grabbing the reader by the .... well ya know...in the first paragraph, (unless it is highly relevant to that person) it is not doing it's job appararently. :) (This is the visual me theorizing and moaning about the advances in technology being such that no one wants to sit and read a book or get out there and do it anymore - we have essentially become less patient, need to know now...i.e. shortened down txt lingo, images, animations etc, quick one liner emails, advertising needs to have the message in the first few seconds or our attention wanes etc etc.
