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[foodbyjeddy]

Reflection

I was quite uncertain about what this semester would entail, especially after the fact that it wasn’t too clear what exactly our main project was. As a result, our group ended up changing what we were doing multiple times. I guess this is all a part of the creative process and even though it is frustrating at times, it allows us to solve problems and adapt our ideas, which usually ends up improving them. 

I noticed that this semester across the board, there was much more of an emphasis on group projects and presentations. While I was daunted by this at first, I came to realise that this is exactly what it will be like in a real world studio environment. I realised that things like public speaking and collaborating with others are skills that are just as important as being creative in the design world and I believe that working in a group has definitely improved my communication and design skills. I was lucky to be working with a group of motivated, creative people and this project over the course of the semester definitely strengthened our friendships, both in our own group and across the whole cohort.

Of course, I felt many of the assignments we were given didn’t actually feel like assignments. The “Meet in a Nice Restaurant” task for example, was so enjoyable that it didn’t feel like work at all and all my friends at other universities couldn’t believe that something of that nature could be classified as research. Others didn’t feel like they were related to design, at first. From the first mention of our brief being centred on food, to the soup kitchens to the end of semester picnic, it almost felt like we were taking a cooking class rather than a communication design degree. Of course, these assignments expanded my mind to what communication design truly is. It is more than graphic design, it is about collaboration, problem solving, planning and resolution, and the depth that these food-based projects took us into with these was really valuable and worthwhile.

The specialist streams I felt were a bit vague in terms of what they were based around, but I ended up enjoying them and I believe they set me up well for next year. I felt that they gave a good idea of our role as a designer working for a client, since we worked with someone else as well as an established company. I was given a greater understanding of my role as a designer and developed a greater sense of empathy for clients.

The end of semester event was a really unique way to assess us and it was really enjoyable. I couldn’t help feeling really proud of myself, my group and my entire cohort, because we managed to create something amazing, we managed to feed 100 people! It was the perfect way to open my eyes to the fact that design is so much more than being creative. I felt satisfied that what I achieved was both complex in a sense of all the planning that went into it, but so simple because of the fact that at its core, we were sharing a meal that we prepared.

[foodbyjeddy]

Attempting some Interviews

After realising that Above arrows are going to be too difficult to set up and things like stations may make the event too complex, we shifted our focus to sustainability. Like all good design practice, our food project should have a good emphasis on our impact on the environment.

We decided that an infographic would be a great way to celebrate the sellers at the Victoria Market, with information about what they grow, where it comes from and a back story about the people in the business. To get this information we decided, rather than going straight to the internet, we would go out to the market to see if we could interview the sellers for ourselves.

We came up with some questions:

Where does the fruit come from?

How is it transported?

How did you get into selling fruit?

What do you like about the Victoria Market?

What do you do with the leftovers?

Unfortunately, despite Jasper’s polite and non-intrusive attempts to interview at least five different people, we were unable to gain an interview, even though we came at a time when it wasn’t incredibly busy. From this, we realised we had to change tactics if we wanted to create something for the project.

We could have gone online to find out some more about the sellers, but the information didn’t seem as authentic as we would have liked. Since this was meant to be about knowing exactly where the food has come from, we wanted to have those conversations and because that was now impossible for us, we turned to making a buyers’ guide for the project.

[foodbyjeddy]

Food is a Journey

I felt that a lack of a clear goal in mind allowed us to be creative to an extent, but after a few weeks with no real sense of direction I began to become uninspired. Luckily, Andy gave us a bit more insight to exactly what we were doing.

The soup kitchen inspired us to create a similar event that would occur at the end of the semester, but on a much larger scale. We came up with some simple rules about the soup kitchen and how it would be run, taking into account things like preparation, food sourcing and clean up. Elana came up with some great ideas about sustainability and how we might ethically source ingredients, such as using ‘Odd Bunch’ Ingredients purchased from Woolworths, making compost and working with Greening RMIT.

There were also other things that came out of this discussion. Whilst the project is based around food, it should not be the only component of the event. For example, there could be activities, live music, games and creative processes that happen alongside it. Going back to our meeting in a nice restaurant, we realised that the journey to a place is just as important as the destination itself. At the same time, we acknowledged that food is a journey and an incredibly complex one at that. This is one of the conversations we had with Andy, about the fact that food has to be grown, picked, transported, processed, sold and prepared all before it is eaten. We decided that this is something that generally people overlook. At that moment, the idea of PROGRESSION became the driving force behind our idea.

It was nice to finally have a ‘clear sense of purpose’ as said by Gordon Matta-Clark and this brainstorming really helped us as a group move forward.

[foodbyjeddy]

Case Study: Mai Ueda

Out of all the case studies we looked at during the first part of the semester, this is one of the ones I found more intriguing. The video of Mai Ueda’s tea ceremony in New York was done with a mix of artistic beauty and casual ease. It was a perfect way to introduce us to how we might organise our own event.

At this stage it is still unclear what exactly we are doing. But this video gave us an insight into appreciating something as simple as sharing a meal. I know that in Japan, tea ceremonies are quite an important part of culture. Since food is such a huge part of our culture, perhaps we need to slow down and appreciate how, where and what we eat and who we eat with.

I thought the lack of music in the video drew my attention straight to the food, which was quite clever. The entire video was incredibly relaxing to look at. In fact, the second time I watched it in my own time (by myself) I felt tingling sensations as I watched the slow hand movements and heard the gentle clinking of bowls and soft spoken voices.

Even though the food (or tea) was ultimately the main focus of this piece, the setting was tranquil and slightly childish which created a sense of fun and relaxation. I felt a sense of acceptance among all involved in this while watching the video. The wrestling ring was unusual in a sense that it is something I don’t usually associate with food, but it definitely made the occasion unique.

[nana-dekoko]

19.10.16… SPEAKERS AND PROJECTOR TRIALS 📢🎥

Team: Brenda, Marianne, Mira  After we were notified/decided that we won’t be having any buskers to perform on the day, our team had to look for other alternatives. (Unfortunately, we won’t be having any buskers to come in and perform due to several issues). After some discussions, we decided that we will borrow some of Yasin’s music (a busker we interviewed) and also play the interview video I am currently editing. (We were originally going to have a busker to do a short speech on the issue) Of course, we were extremely frustrated, pissed and stressed out (haha) as we had to find other alternatives three days before the event. However, when I think about it now and reflect back, this was a highly valuable experience for us in the future as accidents do happen and that we should always have a Plan B ready no matter how confident we are. However, with all this happening in such a busy week, I think our team moved on and worked together at a relatively fast pace. One of the most important lesson I learnt from this mistake was; no matter how confident and dedicated you are to the idea, if things doesn’t work you have to move on quickly and think of another solution rather than sticking on and being attached to the old idea. I think this is why Andy has always emphasized that ideas should be left ‘open and wide’ for complex problems.  We borrowed the equipments at the Audio and Visual Equipment loans in building 8 Level 7. This was my first time using this service, so this experience may be handy in the future. As seen in the previous video, the setting of the projectors were highly important. We played the video on to different surfaces to see which was the best and most legible. We then summarized the outcome to re-mix with the projector team. After discussing with them, they have decided will be having an extra projector on the day! :) We also contacted the installation team as they have proposed they will be installing works on the walls, so we had to make sure which part they will be using to avoid clash with our video!  We booked all the equipments we need for Friday from 9:00am-2:00pm.

[nana-dekoko]

15.10.16... Sticker design process + preparation! ☺︎

Team: Marianne, Brenda and Mira

Brenda was working on the sticker designs tonight as we discussed the design process together through Facebook. The above images show a very quick prototype sketch I did during our conversation. I found that Facebook was rather a very convenient way of communicating as we were able to take photos directly from the app. This was a very important tool for both of us as I live far from the city, and it was quite difficult to catch up in our own busy schedules.  We basically communicated using sketches and tones of screenshots to suggest ideas/opinions and at the end, we got there. I find that using images (including drawings and examples) was a much smoother way to communicate the idea, especially if you’re working distant to each other.

We really wanted to incorporate the QR code, as they are quick & easy, rather than having someone to actually type in the link directly to their phone. (I don’t think people will be bothered to be honest). However, we did also include the link as not 100% of the visitors will have a QR code-scanner app. Our major aim was to spread the awareness of the banning of amplified busking so we wanted to make sure everyone has access to the website that contained valuable resources including our interview videos with buskers.

Before we printed out the finals, I printed the sticker design at home (at actual size) and scanned it with several devices to see wether it actually detected the QR code. (I have also sent it to few of my friends too, just to make sure!) 

(Image: cutting out 100 stickers as a team, to prepare for the event on Friday.) During our design process, we realized we needed the link to the website. As there was not much time, I called out for help on the ComDesign First years Facebook page to find the website team. Not long after, Lucy from the Digital Narrative team (who I was looking for!) commented me straight away, which was extremely helpful. The Digital Narrative team kindly published the website for us to hold the link right away after I requested, so that helped a lot! Again, Facebook was an extremely helpful tool as the ComDesign First year community page has develop quite a lot, and everyone there is always willing to help out. This is probably one of the most used tool to communicate with some of my team members and also other teams. 

(Image: Asking for help on the ComDesign First year Facebook page)