a creative project communication Framework

Senior capstone project by Mark Moran

academy for creative media | university of hawai'i west o'ahu

Design

What is it? Design is taking everything built in the Discovery phase and giving it character, a presentation and a visual language. It is where you craft the look of whatever you are building for your client.

The parts of Design

Design includes everything from initial mood boards and style guides to explore colors, typefaces, and imagery, through sketches, wireframes, high-fidelity mockups and initial interactive prototypes.

Modes of Communication

Communication across the framework has been broken into 3 primary types and 9 sub-types as follows:

Data Transmission

Discussion and Skill Training

Information Repositories

The intersection

The design process involves two main processes: the delivery of designs to the client, and feedback on those designs back to the creative. As such, each process has a primary method that works best, as well as additional implementations that assist in keeping the process smooth.

Design Delivery

Primary Method: Email + Video Walkthrough

Backup Method: Project Portal

When sending designs it is important to provide context for your creative work. Sending an email with a link to a central repository for your designs, such as a project portal website, along with a short (5 minutes or less) walkthrough video allows the client to easily grasp the concept and review the designs on their own time. 

Client Feedback

Primary Method: In-Person Meeting or Teleconference

Backup Method: Audio / Video Recording

Clients desire to feel heard and understood when providing feedback so in-person meetings or teleconferences are the preferred method to receive their design feedback. In addition an audio or video recording posted to your project portal allows both yourself and the client to review previous conversations.

The results of research

This section talks about how the research surveys sent to clients and creatives contributes to the formation of the above framework for the Design phase. 

Research limitations

This will talk about any limitations on the research as it relates to design (optional)

The Framework In action

This section will provide specific examples of how teach part of the design phase can be conducted with the modes of communication specified in the table above.

Initial Concepts

Concept Sketches + Style Guide

A description of how these methods of communication are used in these parts of the process.

Hierarchical Design

Wireframing + Mockups

A description of how these methods of communication are used in these parts of the process.

User Interface Design

Interactive Prototypes

A description of how these methods of communication are used in these parts of the process.

A Creative Media Case Study

This section will talk about the ACM website project and how it demonstrates the process in action.

Case Study Background

The background on the case study and specifically how it was approached during the spring 2020 semester with a “before” and “after” communication methodological approach.

The Design Process

Talk about the elements of the process that are relevant to this case study.

Client Survey Results

Share the results of the survey for the ACM website client and how they demonstrate the framework for this phase.