FL@33 Workshops – Year 2 and 3: Personal Projects and the Power of Three. ECV Bordeaux, 12–16 February 2018, Monday–Thursday, 9:00–13:00 ((14:00–18:00)), Friday morning ((afternoon)), workshop exhibition and presentation. Recommended links, videos and book: please see [end of] of this brief. PLEASE ALSO NOTE: FL@33 lecture and tombola / raffle (at the end of the talk), Monday evening, 27 February 2017, 18:30–approximately 20:00+.
___ Portfolio sessions / Q&A – discussing your and/or our work and/or life after college I suggested to offer you the opportunity to discuss students’ work and/or our studio work, application do’s and don’ts and/or life after college. We only have approximately one hour per day for this however – if you are interested – so please do try to organise as a group and prepare your questions and presentations accordingly. If you are interested please do let me know on the day BEFORE 17:00. Monday–Thursday evening 12–15 February 2018 Monday–Thursday, 17:00–18:00 (when the college closes)

AIM: This evolving FL@33 workshop was developed to encourage experimentation, appreciation of process but also to help students to embrace failure and provoke ‘happy accidents’. The workshop aims to help students find a voice and add more personality and emotion to their work as graphic designers and visual communicators.
___ This 5-day experience encourages students to develop a sense of authorship and create – and most importantly continue to create – their own self-initiated projects, even after their graduation and into their professional lives.
___ Students are asked to take the opportunity to continue to develop ideas, work on footage and collections that were already started, while others are helped to develop starting points and ideas that are close to their heart.

Head / Heart / Hand – What is the ‘power of three’? Agathe and I studied at the Royal College of Art (RCA) in London. During our studies we first heard Jon Wozencroft mention the Power of Three guideline in a private conversation before one of his Sound Seminars we used to have there every week. This Power of Three was to become – not a rule or a philosophy – but a guideline how FL@33 has been trying since to operate and produce projects. The idea behind the Power of Three is that head, heart and hand – intellect, emotion and skills – are present in equal measures.
___ It was only years later that we learned that the original quote was by Professor Richard Guyatt (1914–2007) who was a British designer, academic and rector at the RCA between 1978 and 1981. Guyatt's timeless vision was that every graphic designer should have a balance of head, heart and hand in his/her work as thematic starting points.
___ If there is only one thing you take with you from this workshop please let it be this guideline – it's amazing!

Workshop briefing: Year 2 and 3 — Create a series of postcards (minimum 8) and a ‘making of’ documentation in form of a poster, brochure, leaflet or fanzine (postcard-sized when folded). Additional assignment for year 3 (and voluntarily for super-speedy year 2 students who like an extra challenge): Please also also create a packaging solution for your postcard set and documentation (for example a banderole, envelope, slipcase, box,...).
___ Do come prepared! Please read the complete brief and think about it before the workshop. Please also check out the links at the end of the brief – and the books if you can. What do you enjoy doing? What challenge would you like to take on for this workshop? Please prepare a 5min presentation

DAY 1 ASSIGNMENT—FL@33 WORKSHOP DAY 1
THE POWER OF THREE: HEAD
Concept generation. Power of Three. Seek discomfort. Document your process and progress.

Please refer to list of recommended movie clips, links and most importantly – the books.

THREE POSSIBLE STARTING POINTS
To help you get started please select the following three elements:
— one personal everyday observation,
— one personal everyday object and also
— something you collect or are fascinated by / passionate about.

After your 5 minute presentation we will together work, combine and develop your ideas and starting points on day one. We will also discuss which documenation format might suit you best and I will bring paper folding examples for you to look at before you decide what you want to do.
___ Think creatively in the meantime whether or not these three suggested starting points are useful for you and if so whether they could be combined in a philosophical or concrete fashion. In any case please use wit, humour and/or appropriate aesthetics to tackle this project. Challenge yourself and experiment. Please let your style and personality shine through.
___ Most importantly: do NOT be boring and do NOT ‘play it safe’. Use the opportunity to dive in and challenge yourself!
___ It will be up to you to translate your choice into a fascinating, communicative and overall appealing presentation while keeping the Power of Three in mind.

DAY 2 ASSIGNMENT—FL@33 WORKSHOP DAY 2
THE POWER OF THREE: HEART
Embrace failure. Add some heart. Document your process and progress.
___ Please try to embed more emotion and personality in your project.
___ You may start experimenting with actual production already – but only when you are ready with concept generation and you are satisfied with your level of authorship.

DAY 3 ASSIGNMENT—FL@33 WORKSHOP DAY 3
THE POWER OF THREE: HAND
Make. Create. Build. Experiment. Discover. Experiment more. Fail and experiment even more. Don’t forget to document your process and progress.
___ If you did not start already please do now begin to experiment and fine-tune your vision while developing the actual piece. There is still time for U-turns, changes and tweaks.

DAY 4 ASSIGNMENT—FL@33 WORKSHOP DAY 4
THE POWER OF THREE
Make it a success now, it’s time. Wrap it up and do continue to document your process and progress.
___ Decide how important the documentation will likely be in your final presentation. Sometimes making-ofs end up being a core-element in projects. Compromise or don’t – but find a way today to make your project a success for tomorrow’s exhibition and presentation.
___ Double and triple-check whether you achieved an acceptable balance between intellect, emotion and skills. If not – adjust, tweak and modify accordingly.
___ Some of you will be selected to present their workshop results. Please do therefore all work on a well-prepared 2–4min verbal presentation for tomorrow that showcases your workshop experience by presenting your documentation and your final piece.

Please ensure to address the following points in your presentation:
— What was your starting point?
— Explain your process and how you challenged yourself.
— What was the most frustrating aspect of your project and what was the most satisfying one?
— Where there any ‘happy accidents’?

DAY 4 ASSIGNMENT—FL@33 WORKSHOP DAY 5
EXHIBITION AND FINAL CRITS
Apologies that not all of you will have time to present today. Come prepared. Students will be picked on the day.
Good luck and thank you!
Enjoy! 8)

PLEASE WATCH
—
Learn From Failure by Tim Brown (CEO, IDEO), 1:39
—
On the Fear of Failure by Milton Glaser, 7:26
—
Seek Discomfort by Stefan Sagmeister, 0:55
exhibit from Sagmeister’s The Happy Show exhibition. The exhibition forms part of the research for The Happy Film by Stefan Sagmeister

BOOK RECOMMENDATION
—
Parfaites imperfections by Erik Kessels
(French translation)
A copy is available at the college. Please ask Matthieu Renard. Please read it and give it to the next student.
—
Amazon France 9.95 €
—
Librairie Mollat 9,95 €
—
Failed It! by Erik Kessels
(Original English version)
£ 6.95
—
Postcard / Cartes Postales by FL@33

LINKS
—
FL@33
http://flat33.com
A few of the many varyingly complex FL@33 examples of mundane observations and objects that turned into the stars of a project:
—
Trans-form (many different observations of tower cranes)
—
8min 20sec (observation, technique, set of rules that can be applied to different footage).
—
Bzzzpeek.com (currently still requires Flash plugin –new version hopefully in the near future...)
—
Picture hook faces (more)
—
Shadows
—
Singing Pasta
—
Chinface animation
—
Autobahn custom typeface
...

Daniel Eatock
—
eatock.com
Examples (but please do check out his portfolio in more detail)
eatock.com/participate/lens-touch/
—
eatock.com/project/camera-straps
—
eatock.com/participate/no-photo
—
eatock.com/project/trees
—
eatock.com/projects/closed-loops
...
some of Daniel Eatock’s postcard-related projects:
Back Formations, Back Compositions and Postcards 2