MS awareness

I have contacted the MS Trust in regards to using our exhibition as a means to raise awareness for MS. This is a copy of the email that I sent:

Dear Sir / Madam

I am writing to you on behalf of 3^rd year undergraduate design students at Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford. From 30^th April to 4^th  May 2012 we will be arranging and hosting an exhibition “Retro Revolution” of our works at the university. As this coincides with MS Awareness week we would be honoured if you would be able to provide us with any information and products in order for us to raise awareness during this time. The exhibition will be supported by in-kind donations and outside funding. 

The Retro Revolution Exhibition is a culmination of works from students studying:

·        Computer Aided Visualisation

·        Multimedia, Animation and the Web

·        Sustainable Design and Innovation

and is expected to draw in a large audience both through invitation and walk-in. The exhibition is open to everyone. There is no charge for anyone to attend the exhibition as a spectator.

As a previous nurse I was made aware of MS, then in my 2^nd year as a design student we were commissioned to design a logo for a local charity ‘CHARMS’. This raised my awareness further and I would love to be able to pass this awareness onto others.

Respectfully

Sponsorship letter

This is the basic sponsorship request letter which will be sent out. It can be tailored to individual companies if necessary.

Dear 

We the 3^rd year undergraduate computing and technology design students of Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, invite you to sponsor, in part, our annual exhibition “Retro Revolution”, which will run from 30^th April 2012 to 4^th May 2012.

The Retro Revolution Exhibition is a culmination of works from students studying:

·         Computer Aided Visualisation
·         Multimedia, Animation and the Web
·         Sustainable Design and Innovation
and is expected to draw in a large audience both through invitation and walk-in. There is no charge for anyone to attend the exhibition as a spectator.

The exhibition is an occasion for the students to display a selection of their works over the past 3 years to both businesses and the public alike. Images of the works are to be printed and displayed on A1 boards. Memorabilia will guide the retro theme from the 1980’s. Interactive material and refreshments will also be available.

 
In response to your sponsorship, either in-kind through donated goods and services or financially, your business will have the opportunity to have your logo displayed at the exhibition, inclusion in printed materials, as well as press release mention in local media.

You will also be recognised as a supporter through our exhibition website http://aru-exhibit2012.site11.com/index.html although the site is currently under development.

Respectfully

Theme change

It has now come back to us from a small group of the whole class that the theme will now just be "retro" and can therefore incorporate any item from the past ranging from polaroid cameras (mainly used in 1960's) to rubik's cube (related to 1980's). I think this makes the choices too diverse and can be too confusing as a theme. Also the colour theme from each era is different, which would take away from the continuity possible with a more precise era for the theme.

Promotional items

The promotional items and attractions should run alongside the theme of "80's retro", although we do need to be careful of the overall cost and keeping things simple so as not to overpower the display. Some of the best items would be interactive ones that could be taken away as a souvenir such as:

• rubik's cube keyring - available at:Adams Discount Store. These are 0.79p each, however the website advertises a wholesale discount if more than 10 are ordered.
• pac man - the anniversary of pac man is on 22nd May, although this is after the exhibition there are free online games available.

Establishment of props

The props need to go with the chosen theme of "80's retro". This could include things such as:

• rubik's cube
• pac-man
• walkman's
• sliding puzzles
• boombox
• maze game

Organisation of exhibition group

We need to organise the groups tasks better as a group and not as individuals. I have been allocated the task of approaching companies for financial and in-kind sponsorship, however some individuals are approaching companies requesting discounts etc., which is encroaching on what I need to do. I don't think this comes across as being very professional, particularly if a company is approached asking two different things. Either we're asking for sponsorship (financial or in-kind) or we're asking for a discount.

We also need to work as a group to devise a standard letter template requesting help from outside companies so that we're all on the same page. I suggested to the group that we needed a name for our exhibition before we could write to companies as this would be an easier way to identify ourselves. A small group of people went off to decide this and came up with the name "retro resolution". The name works well with the final chosen them of "retro".

In order for us to work better as an exhibition group it would be more beneficial if we split up into smaller groups and concentrated on different sections within that group. e.g. 2-3 people to work on marketing (sponsorship, advertising etc); 2-3 people to work on the layout plan (floor plan, display boards etc). Each section could then arrange to meet during the week to arrange workload within their discipline so that work can be carried out in time for the next lesson, instead of several people doing the same thing and other things getting left out.

The Theme

As a whole it has finally been decided that our exhibition theme shall be "Retro: The 80's".

This theme doesn't exactly fill my with inspiration or enthusiasm so I think it will actually be quite a challenge personally.

MS Awareness week

The week of our exhibition, 30th April-6thMay, is also MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Awareness week. I am wondering if it would be possible to incorporate this into our exhibit in some way and if this would help towards gaining sponsorships / donations (financial and in-kind) from companies in setting up our exhibition.

I think that this would also show that as a group we are able to consider others whilst still being able to promote ourselves as individuals. I'm sure there are plenty of successful designers who are coping with a disability such as MS within their life.

Group meeting

I have booked a study room again for 14th Feb for all group members in order to go through the presentation.

Meeting 10th Feb

All group members were present and Helen Son was allocated as minute taker.

I used the white board to write up the pros and cons of each idea we had as a group. Ultimately we decided that the most viable idea was that of "film" as this seemed to best incorporate our different courses, and could be fitted out with easily obtainable props such as cameras and studio lighting hired from media at the uni.

We each chose an area of the presentation to research, then all the information was sent to me to prepare the powerpoint slides and basic notes. 

Group meeting

To discuss our group presentation for our chosen theme I booked out a library study room for 10th Feb. I opted for one with a white board for ease of noting things down.

Theme Idea

Cinema
As a lot of our work pertains to the audio-visual field I think that setting up the exhibition as a cinema could be an interesting theme.


Features:
foyer; tickets; refreshments; screenings; colour scheme; use of clapper boards as plaques;

Turner | Barnes | Gallery

The entrance to the gallery leads directly towards the reception desk. The gallery goes round in a U shape to the left of the reception desk. This causes the area immediately to the right to be left out. Even on the way out it is easily missed as the pillar supports and reception desk create a natural path back out the door. This area is also the only part of the gallery flooded with natural light.

Other lighting was by means of flourescent lighting and two small spotlights. This type of lighting proved to be too harsh in the gallery.

The spotlights created an unsightly reflection on the glass of the display cabinet nearby, detracting from the contents within.

  The display cabinets situated away from the glare of the spotlights had a softer look, being only lit by the interior light of the cabinet.

The tree in the centre at the bottom of the U shape helps to guide the onlooker round the display and back out again.

It is not clear whether the chairs situated in the corners are for public use or display purposes only.

The oil painting situated through the opening gives the illusion of the gallery being more spacious.

However when you step throught the opening towards the oil painting it becomes apparent that this is a staff / storage area, which is actually quite unsightly.

Simple white plaques are used to display the painting's information. The only colour is the logo / name of the gallery at the top.

Gallery visit

To help us understand how an exhibition can attract or repel customers we were advised to visit an art gallery / museum / exhibit. As part of the exhibition group we chose to visit the Tate Modern Gallery, however on the scheduled day of the visit I was unable to go due to having to pick an ill daughter up from school that morning. My next opportunity to go to London to visit a gallery was impeded by snow! When the roads cleared and children were well again I decided my best option would be to visit a smaller local gallery. I chose to visit the Turner | Barnes | Gallery, Wells St, Chelmsford. I think this proved to be a better idea than going to a more major gallery as it allowed me to see how a smaller place could utilise their space.

Which group?

The entire class has been split up into 3 different groups:
Exhibition
Graphic
Web
I have chosen to be part of the exhibition group. We will be responsible for the set up of the exhibition, and creating awareness for it by contacting gthe media and relevant companies.