wednesday 2/16 Have interview set up with mother at Sheffield, set up mother & child moment survey.
friday 2/18 Develop two concepts and prototypes of possible design solutions informed by research, and look into interviewing women at other women’s shelters like Rosebrooks, or Re-start.
wednesday 2/23 Have both concepts tested, and pick one. Record in process book.
Process book presentation
friday 2/25 Studio time, work day. (work on mood boards).
monday 2/28 senior show submissions due mood boards, w/visuals/comparables/consumer.
wednesday 3/2 Start to develop the actual artifact w/identity.
friday 3/4 midterm presentation
wednesday 3/9 Have at least 3 conceptual options ready to develop for artifact identity, and get feedback from people that you interviewed.
friday 3/11 Studio time, work day.
spring break
wednesday 3/23 Look into resources to actually have the artifact developed or implemented if possible.
Studio Work Day.
friday 3/25 Studio time, work day. (work on identity).
wednesday 3/30 Studio time, work day.
Process book presentation.
friday 4/1 Have final identity figured out.
Studio Work Day.
wednesday 4/6 Studio time, work day. (work on final mock-up)
Process book presentation.
friday 4/8 Have final artifact mocked up, work on presentation (not keynote, senior show appropriate.)
Studio Work Day.
wednesday 4/13 first preliminary presentation
friday 4/15 Work on presentation and artifact. (order artifact if needed via blurb).
Studio Work Day.
wednesday 4/20 second preliminary presentation
friday 4/22 Last possible day to order a blurb book. work on presentation.
Studio Work Day.
wednesday 4/27 final presentation
friday 2/29 production of senior show
Showing posts with label Senior Degree Project. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Senior Degree Project. Show all posts
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Visiting Sheffield Place
I was able to go and visit Sheffield Place on Friday after school. I met with David Hanzlick who is the vice president of development & marketing. He has been with Sheffield Place for 7 months, and he was able to give me a tour & answered a lot of my questions. I won't lie in saying that I was a little skeptical of the area that Sheffield Place resides in. All of the windows in the stores around the shelter have bars on them, and the shelter itself has a large iron gate surrounding the lot. The building itself is historic, and about 3 stories high. Its a beautiful building. It used to be an old YMCA, one that only men could attend. They converted the building to a woman's shelter back in 1991. Each floor can house about three families, contains one kitchen that those three families can share, and they have laundry on each floor as well.
One of the shelters most fantastic features (in my opinion) is the large child's room that they have in the basement. There are animals painted on the walls, a plethora of books & toys, as well as a mother & child's therapy room. The room is divided into two parts. On one side a therapist will sit behind glass and observe a mother & child. They will place an earpiece in the mothers ear, and directly tell her how to interact with her child in a healthy way. Hanzlick was telling me that the main cause of un-healthy interaction between mother & child stems from the mother's own upbringing.
At Sheffeild they beleive in a 7 step process that at minimum will last for 6 months. It is meant to get the mothers back on their feet, and is geared toward self-sufficiency. Self sufficiency consists of gaining job skills, going to school or going through training, maintaining permanent housing, and acquiring good parenting skills. Hanzlick said that 100% of the mothers have been diagnosed with a mental health issue. He also told me that 20,000 people in Kansas City alone will experience homelessness, 1 in 50 children are homeless, and that 1 in 5 children are living in poverty. On average each family will stay for two years, but are always able to come back to get a therapy session or a health check-up at there in house clinic. The track record for the Shelter is astounding, Hanzlick told me that 90% of the women who have come through the program had been successful in becoming self-sufficient after their stay.
After the tour I was able to sit down with Hanzlick, and tell him about my ideas. He was extremely nice about everything, and seemed interested. I asked him what his thoughts were regarding my "goal-oriented planner", and his initial response was that a lot of these woman can't read or write very well. He told me that most of them have made it up to the 11th grade, and had eventually dropped out of high-school. I was stunned at that fact, because I hadn't even thought of the idea that these women might not be able to read. As the conversation went on, I started to ask about the idea of a campaign to spread awareness. I told him the end goal would be to get donations. He then got up and handed me a tri-fold mailer that they had an ad agency design in order to get money donations. He told me that as much as they liked it, he couldn't see them doing it again due to budget issues.
I have decided to come up with a new direction, but I am still trying to answer the same question. How can graphic design help single mothers either in poverty or low-income situations? I am slightly torn at this point, and am debating on whether or not I want to keep my project as realistic as possible. Do I want to do something cutting edge that is completely hypothetical with no budget? Or do I want to keep my project realistically consistent with Sheffield Places budget, and have it potentially be implemented?
As our conversation went on, he mentioned a few things to me that could most definitely be a new lead for my project. He told me that their 20th anniversary was coming up, and they have been collecting 20 stories from mothers who had gone through the Sheffield house. I saw this as an opportunity for a story book, that would house these women's lives. It could potentially be an incredible keepsake for the shelter as well as evidence to how successful their program is. The content alone with the stories could make for a compelling project.
He had also mentioned the idea of a "creative wall" for the children. They wanted to do something special with the kids of Sheffield Place by having a child decorate a tile & put it up on the wall. I also thought that their was potential here for design, and it made me start to think of the interaction between the mother & child. What better to help a mother, but to give them an activity of some kind to do with their child. This could give them a memory that they would never lose, and could potentially bring them closer to their children.
At the end of our conversation I felt slightly defeated, because I had assumed so much. It was incredibly constructive for my process however, because this will better inform my project. I can now start to experiment with ideas that are more likely to succeed. I also asked if I might be able to sit down with one of the mothers, and have a conversation. He told me that he would have to okay it with their case-manager first, so I am hoping that I can talk to one of the mothers.
One of the shelters most fantastic features (in my opinion) is the large child's room that they have in the basement. There are animals painted on the walls, a plethora of books & toys, as well as a mother & child's therapy room. The room is divided into two parts. On one side a therapist will sit behind glass and observe a mother & child. They will place an earpiece in the mothers ear, and directly tell her how to interact with her child in a healthy way. Hanzlick was telling me that the main cause of un-healthy interaction between mother & child stems from the mother's own upbringing.
At Sheffeild they beleive in a 7 step process that at minimum will last for 6 months. It is meant to get the mothers back on their feet, and is geared toward self-sufficiency. Self sufficiency consists of gaining job skills, going to school or going through training, maintaining permanent housing, and acquiring good parenting skills. Hanzlick said that 100% of the mothers have been diagnosed with a mental health issue. He also told me that 20,000 people in Kansas City alone will experience homelessness, 1 in 50 children are homeless, and that 1 in 5 children are living in poverty. On average each family will stay for two years, but are always able to come back to get a therapy session or a health check-up at there in house clinic. The track record for the Shelter is astounding, Hanzlick told me that 90% of the women who have come through the program had been successful in becoming self-sufficient after their stay.
After the tour I was able to sit down with Hanzlick, and tell him about my ideas. He was extremely nice about everything, and seemed interested. I asked him what his thoughts were regarding my "goal-oriented planner", and his initial response was that a lot of these woman can't read or write very well. He told me that most of them have made it up to the 11th grade, and had eventually dropped out of high-school. I was stunned at that fact, because I hadn't even thought of the idea that these women might not be able to read. As the conversation went on, I started to ask about the idea of a campaign to spread awareness. I told him the end goal would be to get donations. He then got up and handed me a tri-fold mailer that they had an ad agency design in order to get money donations. He told me that as much as they liked it, he couldn't see them doing it again due to budget issues.
I have decided to come up with a new direction, but I am still trying to answer the same question. How can graphic design help single mothers either in poverty or low-income situations? I am slightly torn at this point, and am debating on whether or not I want to keep my project as realistic as possible. Do I want to do something cutting edge that is completely hypothetical with no budget? Or do I want to keep my project realistically consistent with Sheffield Places budget, and have it potentially be implemented?
As our conversation went on, he mentioned a few things to me that could most definitely be a new lead for my project. He told me that their 20th anniversary was coming up, and they have been collecting 20 stories from mothers who had gone through the Sheffield house. I saw this as an opportunity for a story book, that would house these women's lives. It could potentially be an incredible keepsake for the shelter as well as evidence to how successful their program is. The content alone with the stories could make for a compelling project.
He had also mentioned the idea of a "creative wall" for the children. They wanted to do something special with the kids of Sheffield Place by having a child decorate a tile & put it up on the wall. I also thought that their was potential here for design, and it made me start to think of the interaction between the mother & child. What better to help a mother, but to give them an activity of some kind to do with their child. This could give them a memory that they would never lose, and could potentially bring them closer to their children.
At the end of our conversation I felt slightly defeated, because I had assumed so much. It was incredibly constructive for my process however, because this will better inform my project. I can now start to experiment with ideas that are more likely to succeed. I also asked if I might be able to sit down with one of the mothers, and have a conversation. He told me that he would have to okay it with their case-manager first, so I am hoping that I can talk to one of the mothers.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Some Assumptions & Experiments
Here is a list of my assumptions about single mothers in poverty or low income situations.
ASSUMPTIONS:
*They don't have frequent access to the internet.
*They don't plan ahead of time. They live from moment to moment.
*Single mothers are constantly on the move, and do not have a permanent place of residence.
*If they have family, that is who they get money from or residential help.
*Most of them have not finished high school or college.
*Single moms might have long term goals for themselves and their children, but they aren't inspired to achieve them.
*They are usually the victim of some kind of domestic abuse, violence, trauma, or mental health issues.
*They won't go, or can't go, and get regular health check ups for themselves or their children on a regular basis.
*They tend to focus more on their kids, and not enough on themselves. They sacrifice a lot for their children.
*Most single moms don't have contact with the father of their child or have not heard from him.
*Most of these women are younger, probably between the ages of 15-25.
I am not quite sure how to experiment with these assumptions yet. A survey could be an answer, but I think that actually talking to a single mother in poverty will be more beneficial. Through these assumptions though I see a lot of potential for some kind of planning device that focus's on goals. I also thought of something that a mother could write her thoughts into. Even something that could reveal to her geographically where certain organizations were that could aid to her situation. Here is a list of "experiments" that I could pursue in the upcoming weeks.
EXPERIMENTS:
*A campaign advertising where mom's can get help that would be housed near places where the homeless are usually found. Large posters, and billboards would be placed around bus stops (public transportation areas), downtown areas, and schools (to target their children). These would potentially advertise places like Sheiffield Place that can directly help a single mom.
*A day planner that is specifically designed for someone who is homeless. It would be goal oriented, as well as practical with relevant information pertaining to all of a mothers needs. For example, one page could be dedicated to the type of groceries she should shop for. These could be given out at a seminar, local church groups, or organizations that are helping single mothers.
*A journal that could house a lot of the mother's goals, and how she is going to achieve them. It seems simple, but would be something that is easily understood and implemented.
*I hate saying this word but a "scrapbook" if I may say could have potential. A mother could document their achievements, and family photos. It could be something that they could keep everything archived in, and could be something they refer back to in order to keep them inspired.
*I could potentially make a video that could spread virally in order to access people who could donate and advocate helping single mothers in poverty. It could house mother's actually telling their story, and how they are being helped to become more self-sufficient. It would give incredible evidence as to where the individuals money is going.
*A book or a catalog that directly focus's on an organization that helps single mothers. It could be a promotional book that basically promotes the company, what they are doing, and how successful they are. It would be well designed, and could potentially give that organization the credit that it deserves.
*On the other hand I could totally go gorilla style with this...I was thinking that maybe baby dolls placed in strollers and put in random spots in the city. They could house some fact about the babies "mother" or the child itself. For example "Over 92% of single mothers who are homeless have experienced severe physical and/or sexual abuse during their lifetime. For 63%, this abuse was perpetrated by an intimate partner." (http://www.familyhomelessness.org/families.php?p=ts) or "I will be three times more likely to develop emotional and behavioral problems in comparison to children who have a home" . This could be coming from the child doll, and could be pretty powerful.
I will probably think of some more ideas...but this is just a start.
ASSUMPTIONS:
*They don't have frequent access to the internet.
*They don't plan ahead of time. They live from moment to moment.
*Single mothers are constantly on the move, and do not have a permanent place of residence.
*If they have family, that is who they get money from or residential help.
*Most of them have not finished high school or college.
*Single moms might have long term goals for themselves and their children, but they aren't inspired to achieve them.
*They are usually the victim of some kind of domestic abuse, violence, trauma, or mental health issues.
*They won't go, or can't go, and get regular health check ups for themselves or their children on a regular basis.
*They tend to focus more on their kids, and not enough on themselves. They sacrifice a lot for their children.
*Most single moms don't have contact with the father of their child or have not heard from him.
*Most of these women are younger, probably between the ages of 15-25.
I am not quite sure how to experiment with these assumptions yet. A survey could be an answer, but I think that actually talking to a single mother in poverty will be more beneficial. Through these assumptions though I see a lot of potential for some kind of planning device that focus's on goals. I also thought of something that a mother could write her thoughts into. Even something that could reveal to her geographically where certain organizations were that could aid to her situation. Here is a list of "experiments" that I could pursue in the upcoming weeks.
EXPERIMENTS:
*A campaign advertising where mom's can get help that would be housed near places where the homeless are usually found. Large posters, and billboards would be placed around bus stops (public transportation areas), downtown areas, and schools (to target their children). These would potentially advertise places like Sheiffield Place that can directly help a single mom.
*A day planner that is specifically designed for someone who is homeless. It would be goal oriented, as well as practical with relevant information pertaining to all of a mothers needs. For example, one page could be dedicated to the type of groceries she should shop for. These could be given out at a seminar, local church groups, or organizations that are helping single mothers.
*A journal that could house a lot of the mother's goals, and how she is going to achieve them. It seems simple, but would be something that is easily understood and implemented.
*I hate saying this word but a "scrapbook" if I may say could have potential. A mother could document their achievements, and family photos. It could be something that they could keep everything archived in, and could be something they refer back to in order to keep them inspired.
*I could potentially make a video that could spread virally in order to access people who could donate and advocate helping single mothers in poverty. It could house mother's actually telling their story, and how they are being helped to become more self-sufficient. It would give incredible evidence as to where the individuals money is going.
*A book or a catalog that directly focus's on an organization that helps single mothers. It could be a promotional book that basically promotes the company, what they are doing, and how successful they are. It would be well designed, and could potentially give that organization the credit that it deserves.
*On the other hand I could totally go gorilla style with this...I was thinking that maybe baby dolls placed in strollers and put in random spots in the city. They could house some fact about the babies "mother" or the child itself. For example "Over 92% of single mothers who are homeless have experienced severe physical and/or sexual abuse during their lifetime. For 63%, this abuse was perpetrated by an intimate partner." (http://www.familyhomelessness.org/families.php?p=ts) or "I will be three times more likely to develop emotional and behavioral problems in comparison to children who have a home" . This could be coming from the child doll, and could be pretty powerful.
I will probably think of some more ideas...but this is just a start.
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