Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you today? I hope you're feeling great.

My name is Ms. Afzal, and I'll be your art teacher for this lesson.

I'm very pleased about that.

I'll tell you why.

Because today we're exploring design.

Okay, we are not just exploring, we are cultivating a unique design concept.

That's the title of our lesson.

I wonder that what that makes you think of.

And I'm interested to find out what are your inspirations? What's gonna be going into your unique design concept? Our lesson comes from the unit of work, "Finding your artistic voice: an introduction to the creative process".

So we are going to be getting very creative and hands-on today, and I hope that you've got some ideas bubbling away perhaps, and some enthusiasm and curiosity.

With that combination, I think you're all set to begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can generate unique design concepts that reflect my identity, interests, and influences.

We have some keywords in our lesson.

Let's explore each of them.

Concept, originality, and visual identity.

So what do these words mean? Well, concept is a central idea or theme that drives the visual direction and message of a design.

Originality, the quality of being new, unique, or different from others' work.

And visual identity, a collection of visual elements.

For example, colour, imagery, typography that express a designer's or brand's personality.

These are our keywords, concept, originality, and visual identity.

Let's look out for them and listen out for them.

They'll be coming up in our lesson today.

Today's lesson is called "Cultivating a unique design concept", and it consists of two learning cycles.

First of all, exploring design concepts, and next, originality and uniqueness in design.

Let's begin by exploring design concepts.

And let's take a little skip into the future to have a look at what outcomes for today's lesson could include.

Wow, take a look at this design concept.

Very, very intriguing.

Pause the video and share with someone what are your impressions of this design concept of this outcome.

Thanks for sharing your impressions.

So what makes a brand memorable or feel different from another one? Pause the video and share with somebody.

Thanks for sharing your ideas.

And we can see a coffee cup there featuring a brand logo.

Pause here and show someone, what do you feel are some of the most memorable brands that you know? Thanks for sharing some memorable brands.

I wonder if you came up with some of the same ones.

In graphic design, cultivating a unique design concept is crucial to standing out.

A concept is a central idea or theme that drives the visual direction and message of a design.

Design concepts act as a bridge between ideas and visual communication.

And we can see someone is developing a graphic design project there on the screen.

Concepts can be developed in different ways.

They should consider style, message, and mood.

By incorporating your interests, influences, or identity into the design process, You can build a personal design voice, which is unique and shows originality.

And someone is sketching ideas for a design on the screen.

Concepts help to direct the entire design process.

So we begin with ideas and concepts, and then that could lead to mood board creation, some draughts, and then a final design.

Let's have a check for understanding.

What is a design concept? Is it A, a finished product ready for print? B, a colour palette used in design.

C, a central idea that guides a design.

D, the software used to create a design.

Pause the video while you decide which of these is a design concept.

Well done if you selected answer C.

Indeed, a central idea that guides a design is a design concept.

Concepts and design are important because they help to develop purpose and meaning, make work more personal, communicate ideas more clearly, and we can see a digital graphic design concept board there on the screen.

Hmm, take a look at this album cover.

Looking at this design, what do you think the concept behind this music album cover might suggest? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Here's Alex.

"I see geometric shapes and lines like data visualised into graphics.

There's also light colour gradients.

These elements could be a good fit for calm electronic music." And Aisha, "There are lots of cool colours, with a sunrise light emerging.

This makes me think that the concept might be around ambient music that is relaxing and chilled." I wonder if you had ideas like these.

Pause the video and share with someone.

Do you know any other album covers that have a strong concept in their design? Thanks for sharing.

I quite like some of the album covers of one of my favourite artists prints.

A strong design concept isn't just about appearance.

It reflects a deeper idea or message you want to communicate.

What you choose to incorporate should connect to your personal identity, interests, and influences.

Designing in this way helps you to develop authenticity and originality, helping to make your work stand out and feel personal.

Designers working with clearly defined concepts include Sharmadean Reid is a multidisciplinary designer who develops brand campaigns and female-empowered contemporary designs.

Jeffrey Veregge combines traditional Coast Salish themes with pop culture and science fiction references to create unique designs.

And Aries Moross uses vibrant, energetic graphic designs that celebrate identity, youth, and queer culture.

And we can see a hand drawing of a space design on the screen there.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Why is originality important in graphic design? Is it A, it ensures your work prints clearly? B, it makes your work stand out and feel personal.

C, it guarantees professional success, or D, it saves time during the creative process.

Pause here while you decide why originality is important in graphic design.

Well done if you selected answer C.

Indeed, originality is important in graphic design, because it makes your work stand out and feel personal.

And now, it's time for your first task.

I would like you to create a mind map of you as a designer.

I'd like you to include what are some of your hobbies and interests? What emotions or themes are you keen to explore? And what are your visual preferences? So pause here while you create a mind map of you as a designer.

I'll see you when you're finished.

All right, it's great to back with you.

How did you get on with that task of creating a mind map of you as a designer? You might have created something like this.

So here's Jacob with himself at the centre.

And Jacob's preference is for bold colours, clean aesthetics.

Listen's to sports, video games, anime, and clothing.

Family and friends, nature and hiking.

He prefers block typefaces and eye-catching typography, and he's into having fun, excitement, energy, and play.

So this is Jacob as a designer.

I hope you enjoyed creating your mind map showing you as a designer.

Pause here and share with someone nearby your mind maps of you as designers, and see if there are any similarities or differences.

And perhaps, we'll just help you get to know another designer a little better.

Thanks for sharing with each other.

And now, we're onto our next learning cycle, originality and uniqueness in design.

What shapes and informs you as a designer comes from many different influences.

Your interests, your culture, music you're into, experiences you've had, the media you take in, and your identity.

And we can see some designers collaborating on a project.

Using a mind map based on your interests can help to shape a unique design concept.

Laura, "I enjoy reading fantasy novels.

I could design a book cover or an illustrative typeface from this." And Andeep, "I like playing classic board games and could redesign the box packaging or logos for them." Based on your mind map, you might discover ideas, concepts, and visuals which reflect your personality.

Visual identity refers to a collection of visual elements such as colour, imagery, symbols, and typography.

These visual elements express a designers or brand's personality.

Pause the video here.

Can you think of a designer or a particular brand that has specific colours, imagery, symbols, or typography? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing about a designer or a brand that stands out for you.

Think about which visual elements best represent aspects of your interests and influences.

This will help you to identify a visual identity that you could work with.

So pause here while you consider which visual elements best represent aspects of your interests and influences.

Thanks for considering this.

Many artists and designers demonstrate originality and a distinct visual identity in their works.

Vanessa Zuniga Tinizaray specialises in creating experimental typography through pattern, shape, and motion graphics.

Ryan Hudson-Peralta uses his experience of disability to create accessibility minded designs that prioritise user experiences across platforms. And we can see an image of someone holding a smartphone in front of their face.

It's quite an interesting image.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which of these best reflects a visual identity? Is it A, a designer signature? B, the tools used to draw? C, a list of tasks for a project.

Or D, consistent use of symbols, colours, and fonts.

Pause here while you decide which of these best reflects a visual identity.

Well done if you selected answer D.

Indeed, consistent use of symbols, colours, and fonts reflects a visual identity.

To expand on your ideas and develop them towards an original design, you might create a concept board, and we can see a collection of ideas and concepts there in front of us.

Really, really fascinating.

A concept board is a collection of visual elements that captured a feeling and direction of your concept.

They are different to a mood board, as mood boards are more broad and work with inspiration in a general sense.

They're also different from a final design, as a concept board helps with planning, develop originality, and a clear visual identity.

So we can see a web design concept board there for a landing page of a website.

An effective concept board should include colour palettes, style references, symbols, materials, techniques, and processes, a short written or audio summary of the design concept, drawings or sketches, which visually explain the design.

We can see some design elements on the screen there.

Once you've created your concept board, refer back to your mind map.

This will help you to see if a visual identity, which reflects your originality and personality has been successfully generated.

Jacob's original mind map included bold colours, clean aesthetics, sports, video games, anime, clothing, family and friends, nature, hiking, block typefaces, fun, excitement, energy, and play.

A fantastic combination.

His concept board should include a colour palette, symbols, shapes, style influences, and techniques to reflect his identity and influences.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which of the following would be a good starting point for a unique design concept? A, identifying themes from your life or interests.

B, finding a template and filling it in.

C, choosing the same style as your friend.

D, picking a random image to copy.

Pause here while you decide which of these would be a good starting point for unique design concept.

Well done if you selected answer A.

Indeed, identifying themes from your life or interests would be a good starting point for a unique design concept.

And now, it's time for your next task.

I would like you to create a concept board based on an idea cultivated from the mind map that you made in the previous task.

So using your mind map, choose one or two key themes.

Build a concept board using images, colours, sketches, and a short written or audio-recorded memo explaining the concept of your project.

So pause here while you have a go at this task of creating a concept board based on your idea, cultivated from the mind map you made in the previous task.

I'll see you when you're finished.

All right, it's great to be back with you.

So how did you get on with that task of creating a concept board based on an idea cultivated from your previously created mind map? You might have created a concept board like this.

Let's take a look at Jacob's.

So he's gone for a complimentary colour palette, with the turquoise, the peach, black, and white.

He's chosen a clean, minimal, modern look.

He's gone for a dynamic, energetic, aesthetic, and it's all about running and sports.

Pause the video and share with someone, how does this concept board relate to Jacob's previously created mind map? What does this show us about his interests and preferences? Thanks for sharing.

And now, let's hear from Jacob.

"I used my love of sports, bold colours, block typefaces, and a feeling of energy to develop the concept behind this digitally designed trainer shoe for athletes." Fantastic, I wonder if you picked up on some of those things as well from Jacob's mind map.

And now, I'd like you to share with each other your concept board, and see if you can relate your concept boards back to your mind maps.

And can you see how you have each used your preferences and interests to create your concept board? Pause here while you do this.

Thanks for having a go at that.

In our lesson, cultivating a unique design concept, we've covered the following.

Design concepts reflect personal identity, values, and influences.

A unique design concept begins with self-reflection and considering visual choices to incorporate originality.

Mind maps and concept boards can be used to generate a distinct visual identity.

Well done, everyone, for joining in with this lesson.

I love finding out about who you are and what influences you, what your values are, what your interests are, and then from there, taking all of that into cultivating your unique design concept.

And bringing this concept to life through your concept forward.

I hope you've enjoyed this lesson, and perhaps finding out a little bit more about yourself and about others as well.

I'm looking forward to seeing you at another art lesson soon.

Until then, stay creative.