Collaborative Design

For this project, you will work with colleagues to develop a template for a brochure or fact sheet that can be used to provide information about a current issue, problem, tool, or other matter for a specific audience and purpose. For example, you might address a problem in health, science, or engineering; describe a particular piece of software or app for a computer or hand-held device; provide information about an aspect of internet privacy and safety; you may think of something else.

The objectives for this assignment include:

demonstrating effective collaboration with co-workers

attending to the needs of audience

following and creating style guides

creating a template using styles

integrating textual, visual, and document design elements

The deliverables for this assignment will include a finished brochure and a styled template that someone else could use. The template should be easily updated. When you submit your final work, you will include a short transmittal memo (no more than one page) and style sheet (no more than one page) that provides any important information needed to use the materials you provide.

You'll work in teams of 3 preferably, though 4 is acceptable. Keep in mind the challenges of working with other people at a distance.

Considerations for this project:

Collaborate effectively. Everyone in your work-group must pull his or her weight. You may or may not want to put one person in charge; either way, think about how to manage tasks, particularly in the distance environment. Use collaborative tools (track changes in Word, tools in Google docs, Dropbox, a wiki, a blog, group space on Blackboard --ask me to set it up--or other options).

Make sure to take your audiences' needs and preferences into account as you design the brochure.

Organizations create style guides to manage their identities and images and so that any materials representing the organization are consistent in maintaining the appropriate image. You'll need to consider what needs to be included in the style information.

Keep multiple audiences in mind.

Make decisions about graphics--we have to be concerned with copyright issues. You may be able to find suitable royalty-free material on the web and you can create graphics.