Process Instructions (time required: 2 to 4hours over 1 week period):
Imagine you’ve been hired by a small independent toy company as part of the advanced concepts group. The C-suite is interested in whimsical designers like Lisa Frank or Paul Frank for collaboration (feel free to suggest a different designer). You are asked to propose a new product for tweens. They want to see a 3-panel ad mockup of your creation to be featured in a teen humor magazine, such as Archie or Mad Magazine. Think up a novel toy or product that will be the hot cool toy or accessory like Furby, Tamagotchi, or Silly Bandz. The ad will require 3 comic frames and your preliminary idea concept thumbnails. There is potential to earn an extra homework token (see below).
Hint: Space this project out over a few days. Do the steps in 30 minute increments. You’ll do your best work if you let your subconscious mind think about each step overnight. Sketch quickly and loosely until you get to the final ad layout. Before creating your final visual, use thumbnails to think on paper. As you sketch, remember to use your knowledge of visual perception to make things clearly legible, draw the eye to help the reader follow the cognitive thread. The point of this homework is to show off your knowledge of visual forms: flowcharts, Venn diagrams, text-image juxtaposition, and narrative transitions.
Rhetorical Situation:
- Purpose: Pitch a creative new product using a short comic strip
- Audience: Tweens (ages 9-12)
- Context: Comic book advertisement with 3+ panels, featuring one “glamour” shot of your product.
- Token bonus: The company also wants your research notes. Show your design process by including the Venn diagram and flowchart described in step 2 and 3.
Part 1: Brainstorming steps to identify the idea (spend no more than 30 minutes on each step):
- Think up of a few products you would have been interested in when you were a big kid (middle-to-early high school age). This could be a commodity (e.g. food, clothes, toys), or an advertisement for a cause (e.g. joining an anti-smoking, anti-bullying organization). Research by performing an image search for “comic advertisements.”
- Use a Venn diagram to identify the common traits between two or more products from step 1 above. List all common features from these products that appealed to a teenager. Come up with a few ideas using this list. You may have a few product concepts at this point. Sketch these quickly in thumbnail form. Talk to a friend or two about these ideas by showing them your ideation thumbnails. Note down their feedback.
- Create a flow-chart describing how to use your product. Describe the order of the actions to use your product. (You are not required to have this flow-chart in your final design, this is just for your own research or the token attempt.)
- Identify 3 or more reasons the product would be interesting to the audience. See step 2 for ideas. Shorten this advertising copy as much as possible. Remember, less is more when it comes to text in comics.
Part 2 Visualize the idea (45 minutes).
Sketch some preliminary thumbnails of the story considering:
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- What moments and transitions will evoke excitement and curiosity? Consider changing the timing to speed things up or slow things down.
- What views are useful to show? Perhaps a perspective or frontal view of the product in different states (closed, partially open, being worn, in active play, etc) can be interesting. Perhaps frame a person’s face or hands using the product?
- Think about the different textual juxtapositions that may get a kid to part with their allowance.
- Think about the layout to showcase your product. Would one large panel make the product more appealing? Would many panels convince people your toy is terrific? What colors and line styles are appealing? How will their eyes be drawn through the story to completely read the visual?
Part 3 Create the final ad (after taking a well-deserved break)
- Finally, create a final iteration. This final version must be clean and neatly done. Be professional. Perhaps try inking your work digitally.
- Draw the final comic layout with at least 3 frames. Remember to add “believable” information, such as a cutout form for kids to fill out and mail.
- Post the following 3 images of your personal comic strip in your blog – your early product ideation thumbnails, the preliminary ad layout, and your final comic ad.
In your 250+ word reflection, write about your design process. What makes your idea interesting and why? How did following the process steps work for you?
Fill out this checklist after you have completed your assignment and posted it in your Portfolio Blog. Remember to orient your images correctly. Note, if you don’t check all the items in the checklist, your submission will not be completed.