MMAM（FTP） Coursework Module Assignment One Tutor’s Report, 24 October 2023

MMAM ( FTP ) Coursework Module: Assignment One Tutor’s Report, 24 October 2023

Brief: Devise the logo for a fictional start-up company. This should take the form of a 2D graphic or a 3D model, plus one short multimedia (film/sound/animation/graphics) promotional presentation suitable for playing on a screen in the company’s foyer.

Overview: For their first assignment I devised a brief that would allow students to utilise familiar materials, while extending their diverse skillsets into unfamiliar mediums. All approached it with unbridled enthusiasm and submitted well within the deadline. For their 2D logo, oil or acrylic on canvas was discouraged in favour of mediums popular in today’s commercial world. Photography, computer graphics and illustration were all used.

Jemisha Badhuri

Jem devised a logo for a charity that clears litter from shorelines, especially plastic detritus that can entrap sea animals. She submitted an 18-inch foyer ornament of her logo in clay, which she textured by hand. It combined human hands with waves from the sea. The impression was of humanity embracing the animals and ecosystems of the oceans. For the multimedia part, Jem devised an innovative soundscape, also intended for use in the charity’s reception area. This she made using audio clips of ocean noises, inventively mixed to create a soothing, calming air, all the more impressive because sound was not part of Jem’s BA . Apparently she took a course in sound electronics over the summer. Her commitment and enthusiasm paid off. Grade: B+

Patrick Bright

This is Patrick’s first experience of formal art education. His logo was for his own art-supplies shop, which currently doesn’t have one, beyond its name in block capitals. He used pencil on paper for his 2D design and sketched a hand holding a pencil, and sketching another hand on paper. It was competently drawn. While this felt too detailed for a logo, during group discussion a ‘sketch of a hand sketching a hand’ proved a hot topic and evoked the circular nature of life and art. Patrick spoke about the similarly circular nature of selling art materials – to people who will sell what they make with them. His CGI clip was less successful and froze at the same place every time, until we gave up. Patrick explained that his shop assistant Joy, hasn’t mastered FlowHand 11 yet. Grade: C

Jonathan Danners

Jonathan achieved a B grade in his Art A-level, thirteen years ago. This was his last experience of creating work for himself, and I’m afraid it showed. His logo, for an engineering start-up, was a red 3D model of a disjointed cube, constructed, origami-style, from strong card and mounted on a metal rod, set in a black resin base. His intention was that as the model turned, the perspective would also change and include one angle that showed the disparate elements as a perfect cube. His stop-motion clip sought to demonstrate this. Unfortunately, at no angle does this happen. In discussion with the group, Jonathan was forced to admit that what he planned for the piece had not been realised. His boosted grade reflects the courage and ambition he showed in tackling this deceptively simple design. Grade: D

Alyson Lang

What can I say about Alyson Lang that wasn’t said at the ART Emerging Talent Awards in 2013? The fact that she has chosen our course to improve her skills and build her business is a testimony to our reputation as an industry-focused art-education provider. Her logo was for a sustainable fast-food retailer. It blended images of a burger and a globe – but she had applied colour by mixing acrylic paint with specialist solvent to attain a smooth, professional finish. Her animated clip was equally outstanding, and featured endangered animals handing a sustainable vegan burger to the viewer. Grade: A

Ludya Parak

Ludya works freelance as a graphic designer. However, her attendance so far has been patchy. This assignment was accompanied by a special-consideration form, to indicate that personal matters have prevented her fulfilling the project to the best of her abilities. Her 3D logo for a paddleboarding company was achieved using a simple piece of wood in the approximate shape of a paddleboard, topped by a stylised figure in dynamic pose, with an oar. It transpired that these items had not been made, but salvaged from her sons’ toy box. Her social-media promo clip blended still-shots of paddleboarders enjoying the sport. Her clip lacked imagination. However, it presented the company’s product accurately and was aspirational. Grade: C

Cameron Wesley

Cameron is taking this MA to help balance the stress of his full-time job in financial marketing, which he says he’s gone part-time to do. For his assignment he used FlowHand 11 to devise a 2D logo for a financial-services company aimed at young graduates. It looks more like a restaurant logo, but in discussion with the group he explained that this disconnect was entirely deliberate. The logo is pitched for a generation uninterested in the products offered by financial-service providers. For his social-media promo he adapted comedy footage obtained from the archives of a company he worked for, which, although entertaining, was not in the spirit of the assignment or the course. Grade: C–

Doodle message group MMAM ( FTP ), 24 October 2023:

Jem Badhuri

Phew! Apart from the fire, that went really well.

Cameron Wesley

Alyson, if you want a job in advertising, call me. We need disruptors.

Ludya Parak

Alyson, you are brutal. But I love you.

Alyson Lang

Hate constructive-criticism bullshit. It’s just shit. I only did what the piece inspired me to do.

Cameron Wesley

Literally setting someone’s work alight. Go, girl!

Patrick Bright

Jonathan, are you OK?

Jonathan Danners

Fast work with the extinguisher, Patrick.

Patrick Bright

Could see the whole place going up.

Jem Badhuri

I wouldn’t know how to put a fire out.

Patrick Bright

That’s thirty years surrounded by paper, aerosols and flammable liquids in the shop.

Jem Badhuri

If Jonathan makes his model again, he could improve his grade.

Patrick Bright

Good point. It’s worth asking Gela.

Jem Badhuri

Ludya, did I hear right – you used your little boy’s broken cricket bat and doll for your 3D logo?

Ludya Parak

Yep, and pics from his paddleboard class on Saturday. Stoked to get a C.

Jem Badhuri

Is that allowed? We’re meant to make our artwork, surely?

Ludya Parak

Salvage is carbon-neutral and takes waste out of the environment. Gela should be encouraging us to recycle and reuse *way* more than we are.

Alyson Lang

Agreed. Anyone else struggling to work in the space given to us in that studio? I propose those of us who work in 3D should move into the cutting room. Might start a petition.

Doodle message group [Private] Jem and Jonathan, 24 October 2023:

Jem Badhuri

Hi Jonathan. You must be smouldering as madly as the remains of your model. It happened so fast I didn’t realise until it was over. I’ve tried to warn Gela there’s something off about Alyson. Most artists have a sensitivity about them. She just doesn’t. I can’t explain any better than that. Still, what you were saying about science, engineering and art being very close to each other could potentially be interesting. It’s a shame you didn’t remotely realise your idea. If nothing else, it proves you were right not to take a course in engineering! If you ask Gela about resubmitting your assignment, please can you let me know? By the way, my offer of a tutorial in working with clay still stands.

Doodle message group [Private] Jem and Patrick, 24 October 2023:

Jem Badhuri

If Jonathan gets to improve his grade, then we all should.

Patrick Bright

But Alyson setting fire to Jonathan’s paper model – right there in the studio. And those terrible things she said about it. Outrageous.

Jem Badhuri

Well, from what Gela implied, she only gave him a D because he at least had an idea, even if he couldn’t actually create it. Reading between the lines, she thought his piece was a straight E.

Patrick Bright

We’re supposed to support each other, surely.

Jem Badhuri

I can’t believe Alyson got an A. No one gets an A in their first assignment.

Patrick Bright

To be fair, her idea was a tricky one to pull off and the result was brilliant.

Jem Badhuri

My opinion: Gela thinks Alyson’s presence is a good advert for the course. That woman could get away with murder.

To: Gela Nathaniel

From: Griff Technician (Maintenance)

Date: 25 October 2023

Subject: Fire damage

Dear Mrs Nathaniel,

It has been brought to my attention that a fire occurred in the MA studio yesterday.

Apparently, a wastepaper bin full of ash sludge and extinguishant had been left for the technicians to discover and dispose of. On further investigation, we saw a fire extinguisher had been deployed, but placed back on its stand as if nothing had happened. There were no Incident Forms waiting for me this morning, so I would appreciate if you could complete one, explaining in detail the exact circumstances of how the fire came to start and be put out. I take it no one was injured and the alarms were not triggered.

Griff

To: Griff Technician (Maintenance)

From: Gela Nathaniel

Date: 25 October 2023

Subject: Re: Fire damage

Sorry Griff! Yes, we had a small fire during the MMAM ( FTP ) session. One of our students made a cardboard model and, as part of his presentation, used a lighter to illuminate it. Before I could stop him, the inevitable happened.

Luckily, another of our students was quick to grab the nearest fire extinguisher and it was all over in seconds. The fire was tiny. No one was injured and it didn’t even trip the smoke detectors, as you noticed. I’ll complete an Incident Form and, rest assured, it won’t happen again.

Thank you for clearing away the detritus.

Gela

To: Gela Nathaniel

From: Griff Technician (Maintenance)

Date: 25 October 2023

Subject: Re: Fire damage

I know the model you mean as I helped the gentleman with his resin base. I also saw the bin post-conflagration – it was swimming with ash. The fire must’ve destroyed far more than just that little paper cube on a stick. I am pleased to say that, thanks to our fast work, a new fire extinguisher has been installed to replace the spent one.

Attached is a copy of the studio regulations. If you could circulate this to your group, no one will be in any doubt that naked flames are not allowed anywhere near the art studio at any time. I look forward to receiving your Incident Report today.

Griff

To: Gela Nathaniel

From: Jemisha Badhuri

Date: 25 October 2023

Subject: Grades

Dear Gela,

About our grades. Has Jonathan asked to resubmit Assignment One? If so, and you agree, will he be re-marked and his grade potentially changed?

I was given a B+. I understand early grades are deliberately low, so we are inspired to work harder. However, I too would like the opportunity to resubmit my project with a view to improving my grade and therefore my potential for a higher final result.

If Jonathan has that chance, then it’s only fair the rest of us do.

Jem

Doodle message group [Private] Jem and Patrick, 25 October 2023:

Jem Badhuri

In all the excitement of the fire, I forgot to ask you about Cameron. I heard you chatting to him – what’s he like?

Patrick Bright

Oh, nice enough. Suited and booted, in a corporate way. Maybe not who you’d expect on a course like this. He hinted at having problems and being advised by his therapist to pursue a hobby to help him relax. I didn’t want to say, but signing up to a full-time Masters degree perhaps wasn’t what that therapist had in mind.

Jem Badhuri

What sort of problems?

Patrick Bright

Oh, well it would be rude to ask.

Jem Badhuri

Not to worry. I’ll send him a private message.

Patrick Bright

No, Jem, please don’t. He told me in confidence and it’s personal information.

To: MMAM ( FTP )

From: Gela Nathaniel

Date: 25 October 2023

Subject: Assignments Two and Three

Dear all,

Further to the fire incident yesterday, Griff has asked me to circulate the studio policy document, attached. As I said in our very first session, giving and receiving criticism is a vital part of this course. Assignment One was as much about how you responded to others’ work as it was about your own creative vision. This brings me to your second assignment.

Assignment Two

Your portfolio will sell your work, but you must sell you . Write an introduction to you, both as an artist and as a person. Imagine they are the first few paragraphs of a speculative email to a prospective employer (300–450 words). Deadline: 3 November 2023.

This assignment comprises the brief essay above PLUS an interviewstyle presentation on Tuesday 7 November, during which the rest of the group will form the panel. Convince us you are the person to hire.

Please send your completed essays to my email address by the end of next week. As this assignment does not require practical work, it will run alongside Assignment Three, due in three weeks.

Assignment Three

Use digital software to devise a multimedia campaign of posters, print advertising and social media. The brand or product may be that from Assignment One, a different fictional brand or an existing popular brand. Create two elements for submission. Deadline: 17 November 2023.

The studio and its equipment are at your disposal, likewise the technicians, who can help and advise you. If you have any questions or queries, just ask.

Best wishes,

Gela

Doodle message group MMAM ( FTP ), 25 October 2023:

Ludya Parak

Shit! Writing assignment.

Cameron Wesley

Total ’mare.

Patrick Bright

There goes the weekend!

Jem Badhuri

And I’m at a wedding too.

Ludya Parak

Has anyone got a spare user log-in for FlowHand 11? Pretty please.

Jem Badhuri

Gela said we need to buy our own.

Ludya Parak

It’s ￡300.

Patrick Bright

I can’t make head or tail of it.

Ludya Parak

You can log in with the same activation code on two devices at once. Is anyone using theirs on one device? I can log in on my laptop. It won’t make any difference to you.

Patrick Bright

Oh, in that case no problem. What’s an activation code?

Jem Badhuri

It’s tricky at first, but well worth the money, IMHO . FlowHand is *the* design software. Gela said we must have our own copy of the latest version if we want to be taken seriously as professionals.

Ludya Parak

That’s a pile of poop. I’m already a design professional, FFS . I work on ProDrawX all the time. But they changed the accessibility protocols. Gela won’t be able to open my files in FH11.

Patrick Bright

Might ask you for a few lessons, Jem.

Cameron Wesley

Our designers use it at work. I’ll get you a code.

Ludya Parak

Cheers, Cameron. Owe you a drink.

Jem Badhuri

We should all have our own legitimate copy for the course.

Doodle message group [Private] Patrick and Ludya, 25 October 2023:

Patrick Bright

I know Jem can be a bit much, but she doesn’t mean any harm. She’s a lovely girl who probably spends too much time with her parents. Let’s make allowances and not snap at her.

Ludya Parak

If everyone puts up with her, how will she learn?

Doodle message group [Private] Patrick and Jem, 25 October 2023:

Patrick Bright

Hope Ludya didn’t upset you, Jem. She can be a bit short with everyone. It’s her personal style. She doesn’t mean it.

Jem Badhuri

Thanks, Patrick! I don’t let other people upset me. Can I tell you something in confidence?

Patrick Bright

Go on.

Jem Badhuri

Something strange happened this morning. Dad had a meeting, so he dropped me off early. When I tried the studio door it was unlocked. That usually means Alyson has been there overnight and is clearing up, but I didn’t hear her music. She always has her phone blasting out old tunes. I was making a cup of tea when there was a noise from the stockroom corridor. Someone moving, but secretly, like they didn’t want me to hear. It wasn’t Alyson – she always thunders out to say hello. This was someone else.

Patrick Bright

One of the technicians?

Jem Badhuri

I shouted ‘hi’ and popped my head in, but there was no one there. The room was empty. I know they didn’t come past me, so they must’ve slipped out of the rear door and escaped before I arrived.

Patrick Bright

Very strange!

Jem Badhuri

The weird thing is, Alyson breezed in half an hour later. She said she’d been talking to the department head about fitting a keypad. I said I’d heard someone else in the studio and she said it was probably her leaving for the meeting.

Patrick Bright

There you go. Mystery solved!

Jem Badhuri

No, Patrick. Mystery deepens. It wasn’t Alyson I heard. She leaves a smell of cigarettes behind her wherever she goes. The person I almost caught left behind a smell of alcohol.

Doodle message group [Private] Hannah and Jem, 31 October 2023:

Hannah O’Donnell

Hi Jem, Gela has asked me to contact you about the time you arrive at the studio now. You seem to be getting earlier and earlier? We’d rather you arrived at 9.30 a.m. with everyone else, as whichever technician is on the early rota has to work across both studios and can’t keep an eye out for you. Students shouldn’t really work alone in the media-arts building, least of all a young woman.

Jem Badhuri

My dad drops me off early if he has meetings in London. There’s no other way I can get here. Anyway I like to sort out my little corner before everyone else arrives. Alyson’s a woman and she stays in the studio all night on her own. Although she isn’t exactly young.

Hannah O’Donnell

The department feels a greater responsibility to you as you are so much younger than the rest of the group. You can wait in the Aviator café or the memorial garden?

Doodle message group MMAM ( FTP ), 2 November 2023:

Jonathan Danners

How is everyone dividing their time between the two assignments? When I’m trying to work on one, I find myself worrying about the other.

Jem Badhuri

I know what you mean. I wrote my personal essay first, as it has to be in first. Now I can concentrate on the multimedia campaign.

Ludya Parak

Haven’t started either.

Jem Badhuri

But the essay is due in tomorrow.

Ludya Parak

I’ll do it this evening. So long as I get it in by midnight, that’s ‘before tomorrow’ right?

Patrick Bright

Finished my personal introduction. So cringey writing about myself!

Jonathan Danners

How personal do you get? On the one hand, it’s a job interview; on the other, well, my life experiences are why I’m pursuing this career change.

Patrick Bright

Get personal. I have.

Cameron Wesley

Business is all about who you know – and who knows you. Show them *you*.

Alyson Lang

Not doing the essay. I have anxiety over writing things.

Alyson Lang

And before anyone asks, Gela is fine with that.