Week 1: Introduction and Assignment 1
You will be designing for the same client through the semester (with a little twist at the end). Your client is a fictional character inspired by the life and work of a real „famous“ person born between the 15th and 18th centuries. You will build this fictional character based on the traits of an existing person but recontextualizing their work and life to the early 21st century.
You can come up with exciting and funny stories that will give you clues on what the branding for your client will be. For instance, Ludwig van Beethoven, composer, and pianist, in the 21st century, would probably be a famous DJ resident in one of Ibiza‘s biggest club, an Instagram influencer, or maybe an acclaimed phonoaudiologist battling children‘s auditive issues at a highly reputed medical center in Germany.
It is up to you who your client will be, consider that somehow your character conducts a business, sells a product, or provides a service. While we have three assignments, the work on the logo
itself continues through the 13 weeks, with different iterations and
improvements.
Some suggestions, but feel free to come up with your own:
1. Nikola Tesla: inventor, engineer, and futurist
2. Katsushika Hokusai: printmaker and artist
3. Lizzie Magie: game designer and writer
4. Lisa del Giocondo: noblewoman
5. Catherine the Great: empress, stateswoman, and patron of the
arts
6. Queen Nzinga: queen and diplomat
7. Blackbeard: pirate
8. Simon Bolivar: a military and political leader
9. Peggy Shippen: spy
Brief for Assignment 1
In this first assignment, you will create the identity of your client. You will start by conducting research about your character’s inspiration and later making a design brief. This brief must include:
• Information about the business your character conducts
• The target audience and industry
• Values that will be assigned to your character’s brand, their products, or services.
Activities
1. Introduction: Course structure, objectives, and rules.
2. Description of the semester’s assignments.
3. Assignment 1 Briefing
4. Start thinking about your client. Research and inspiration
Homework
1. Who is your client? Be prepared to present your client’s inspiration and story briefly. Who is she/he? What does she/he do? What traits are you bringing to your 21st client?
2. Research. Create the design brief: business, audience, industry, and product/ service