due wednesday sept 11 – research summary & problem / question statement
audience: staff of metropolitan energy center
purpose / content: demonstrate in visual and written form your interest in a specific problem space and a basic understanding of the issues faced by the organization. essentially you are framing a particular issue, in the form of a statement or a question, followed by a bit of research that justifies the need to work on this area.
frame as a question, like “what if X?” or “how can graphic design do X"?” [more exploratory, open-ended possibilities] OR as a problem – “client X has difficulty communicating their value to the public over social media" [more solutions-oriented, which tends to narrow the possibilities for better or worse].
tightly defined is better than loosely defined, but "tight" does not mean small; it means there is a clear focus. ideas that address systems-level issues can also be tightly defined.
it's okay to say why you're interested in your issue, but focus the writing on the problem and not on you.
in terms of summarizing research, use any and all info at your disposal. you basically want to show that you've already started to do your homework. it shows investment and energy for the project.
do not brainstorm nor propose solutions. this is a problem statement, not a solution statement.
media: horizontal or vertical 8.5x11 printable pdf file [can be exported from keynote]. something emailable that they can read on screen easily or print out to share.
presentation: each student will have a max of 8 minutes total – 4 to present and 4 for feedback.
deliverable: email me a pdf before noon on wednesday sept 11. filename "lastname_firstname-problemStatement.pdf"