503 - Display Wizard - Initial Ideas

In the last blogpost I was able to gather some pretty detailed research into LCA and also reasoning as to why Leeds is if not the new design hub of the North. I will keep reflecting back to this research upon idea generation and I also plan to gather more of a first hand insight into the college, through speaking to current students and my coursemates - open ended styled question & answer for the more detailed personal responses I will receive. 

Main Strengths to focus on 
- specialised art college with professional practising creatives as lecturers/tutors
- Almost endless array of creative courses we offer
- high quality state of the art facilities
- whole module dedicated to integrating you into industry for after your degree
- amount of contact time in the studio compared to other unis

- heavily student populated city
- very creative orientated city
- compact city, not too big (walkable)
- so much creative opportunity from professionals
- huge amounts of events to get involved in - art exhibitions, social groups, professional talks
- nightlife which never sleeps
- huge amount of arts/culture 

Leeds as a creative hub - 
Phil Dean, partner, Thompson Brand Partners:

There’s something about the small scale of the city and the proximity of urban to rural that inspires ideas. Unlike much larger cities, the compact nature of Leeds acts as a cultural Petri dish and cultivates ideas.

Leeds epitomises the can do attitude of the North and this permeates all aspects of the city, including its cultural output. Like many cities in the North, Leeds has been transformed in the past ten years into a truly sophisticated city with all the trappings of a modern city underpinned by the unique Leeds attitude: a combination of sheer bloody mindedness and creativity.

Of course, many cities would claim they could deliver this – but Leeds has plenty of examples of this in action. If I was putting together the Leeds bid for UK City of Culture, I’d be lifting the lid on the city’s diverse cultural scene and shining the spotlight on some of the most creative and inspiring work in the UK.

Design in Leeds has a rich heritage and to this day, the design scene in the city is as strong as ever, constantly changing and diversifying. From successful international design companies like Elmwood to design collectives like Nous Vous, Leeds has it all. Our reputation as grounded but highly creative rightly attracts talent and clients from all over the UK.

The digital sector in Leeds is growing apace with some of the most innovative thinkers in the country plying their trade in the city. At the very cutting edge of digital inspiration are digital agencies like Numiko, madebypi and fuse8, that’s just the tip of the digital iceberg.

Our vibrant creative industries are a vital component in the city’s success and unlike other cities, they are valued and significant contributors to the growth of the city.There’s also a groundswell of highly creative art and cultural fusion happening in the city right now with artists, photographers, sculptors, writers, film makers all collaborating on projects and engaging with the wider population. It’s these collaborations that are building a real sense of cultural boldness.

Leeds 2023 - Leeds is bidding to become European Capital of Culture 2023, celebrating the exceptional, experimental and diverse cultural landscape of our city and its communities. 

- could consider representing this somehow into the banners?!

















Initial Ideas/concepts/areas of research 



Above are my main initial concepts to consider. 
- I took obvious inspiration from the mosaic concept which already plays such a strong role in the colleges identity and ethos - this fed into this idea of connection and how holistically we stand for something much greater - a collective of specialised creatives - bet environment to learn these fundamental skills for industry in.
- I picked up on the whole Northern Pride and patriotism since I've been living up North, gives a much stronger sense of belonging. Also how Leeds is growing in terms of its design/artistic reputation in the UK - Leeds 2023.

I started to think about how I could different approach this idea of connectedness with the mosaic in mind:

- Obvious response being the mosaic - representing an image/idea
- Eyes - "Up North, we've got an eye for it" - "come see the creative world from our perspective"
- Electric Motherboard / wires 
"re-wired ready industry"
- Magnets 
"attract the placement thats right for you", 
- Star constellations 
"It's not all written in the stars, but we'll help secure your creative fate"

- Trees/ branching out/ strengthen your roots (routes!?)
- DNA - "build on your creative/molecular structure"
- Knots / tied rope - "fasten up your future"
- Sacred Geometry?? - interconnected patterns 
- Connect 4 Idea?! Word Search?! - more interactive but recognisable

Feedback: 
- After discussing my possible directions in a tutorial with Simon he was particularly drawn to the possible outcomes of a DNA inspired response - he felt this was the least 'cliche' and thought visual experimentation could end up quite broad and sleek. He also liked the metaphors behind my 'Trees' concept with the ideas of 'branching out with LCA' and "strengthening your 'roots' into industry"
- After chatting with Elliott he was most keen on the 'eyes' concept and how I can really push the idea of northern pride and featuring us the students as the main source of the poster...

- After a more detailed developmental chat within a crit group we built around incorporating the concept of the mosaic into each of these ideas. I thought about how I could create the various themed ideas through smaller images of students work & faces!? - playing on this mosaic identity, partnered with the clever references to various themes - dna, trees, eyes, magnets, etc...