The Brief

Main project:

You will choose to develop an opinion or point of view on one of two issues:

• Bankers bonuses and executive pay
• The evictions of the traveller community at Dale Farm, Basildon, Essex

You will need to research the subject of your news item in depth. Research, by the way, means more than ‘Google’ or ‘Google Image’! The issues of this brief have been debated for many years and the discussion around ethics and responsibility in design can possibly be traced far more easily through library research. We also recommend ‘primary research’, which means: taking your own photographs, drawing, interviews/ sound recordings etc. in response to your chosen subject.

Having established your opinion, produce a piece of work to deliver your statement. 

This is not a journalistic exercise though, nor is it an essay. You are asked to operate visually, meaning you will express your response to the article chosen in a piece of design work.
 
Additional Advice:
“Statement” does not necessarily mean expressing a point of view in a black and white fashion. Whilst some subjects seem to demand a clear message, in other cases you may be more effective by provoking a debate through posing a question to your audience. Ambiguity therefore is an acceptable strategy - if applied wisely and deliberately that is! The news items given to you were chosen in such a fashion that those students who do not wish to operate as ‘visual - social engineers’ have plenty of alternative opportunities to reflect and respond to the issues central to this particular brief.

By the way: To practice “authorship”, which is at the heart of this project, you may opt to adopt a point of view that is not genuinely your own. It can be a lot of fun to take on an ‘alter ego’ for the purpose of this brief, which pronounces different, maybe even opposite beliefs to the ones you normally hold.

Decide on the most effective way to communicate. As you develop your idea, make sure you define the audience for what you want to say at the same time, plus the context/ medium. This year we are asking you to produce a screen based outcome for this unit. This can mean still or moving image. You can use existing skills or apply new knowledge learnt in the workshops that accompany this unit.