A GOOD STORY = A GOOD PRESENTATION
It is that time of the year when we all rush to take 1000’s of prints for our juries. The process work, pre-design work, concept generation, previous semester work (too much?)
…all to impress and convince a 15 min design jury. I know, it got me worried too! But, sit back, take a deep breath.
You probably don’t need to burn your pockets for all these prints. And you don’t have to fall into the trap of ‘bringing 100 sheets’ to the jury, or ‘mastering a fancy software’ to have the best presentation.
Yes, a decent presentation does depend upon how you can combine all of your pre-design research, design process
…and the final design but that does not mean heading into it before having clarity of thought.
We have discussed more about ‘clarity of thought’ in our online course, recordings of which are available for you to see – Final Design Presentation Online Course
But this article is not about that. It’s about how to write a good story before you present to the world. Now you might wonder what writing a ‘story’ has to do with presentation. Well, it’s simple. Let me break it down for you. A good presentation board is like a good movie!
So, all you have to do is imagine your presentation board like a visual storytelling piece. Writing a story for your presentation board will not only help you achieve clarity of thought but also give your presentation board a good flow, a definite start to end and a hint towards the components (drawings).
So let’s breakdown the steps to write a good story. Imagine yourself writing a one. How would you start? You will build/set a pleasant scene that establishes what your movie is all about. You will slowly write scenarios, integrate protagonists that makes for the significant chunk of the film and leads towards a good climax.
If you use this analogy for writing a good story for your project, you’ll find that it broadly breaks down into 4 parts. All these parts have a varying percentage (both in terms of content and importance), which further helps you to storyboard your final sheets. We’ll talk more about storyboarding in the next blog post.
But for now, let’s get back to those 4 parts.
Look at the image above. Any design project of yours can be divided into these four essential parts which will help you write your story.
1. The design brief, problems and the site constraints
This part, although small, is an integral part for you to introduce the design project to your juror. Just like the introduction of a movie or preface of a book, this part becomes an essential component in your final sheet! To know what more goes in here, you can buy the recorded version of this course here – Final Design Presentation Online Course
2. The Design Approach and Conceptualization
Most of us try to glorify this part, or find our concepts from our final design. Best is to make some confusing sketches that helps us get away from the question, “What was your approach towards the design?”
Well, not really. BAD MOVE!
And it won’t emerge out of thin air either!
It is not just one sketch but a series of steps that takes you towards your final design.
Needless to say, this should also include your studies from case studies and site analysis or pre-design data – something which most of us miss out. So, again in terms of content, it might be lesser in percentage, but it is important enough to make or break your case in front of the juror. So make sure, you are aware of what you include here.
3. The design details and drawings
Pretty Basic. The significant chunk which makes up for 50% of the content in your final sheets.
But! Most of us fail to connect our final drawings with our concept and design process. A pretty basic mistake to piss off your juror. So, never jump to final drawings or details.
Always include what we call ‘design generation drawings’ or commonly known as ‘design evolution diagrams’.
These are, of course, more evolved than your concept drawings but not as final and pretty as your main plans/sections. The final drawings, AKA the fact-checking drawings, act as proof of whether they inform of your design process/thinking or not. So, a lot of us get this comment, “Everything is okay, but I don’t see your concept in your drawings.” Why? Well, you figure out!
4. The final form or the ultimate expression
This is what I call the climax of your story! Now, you can relate it with a fully rendered 3D or a nicely photoshopped graphic. But my views differ here. While we work pretty hard to make overwhelming drawings or a walkthrough or a densely rendered 3D with realistic skies, all it achieves is a few batting eyes and nothing more. And I am not even sure why we are jealous here?
Understand that your juror (sane one) is not looking for awesome 3Ds, but one detailed drawing that explains it all. One illustration (can be anything – from perspectives to isometrics, cut section axonometric (LITERALLY ANYTHING) that can sum up the first three parts.
Once you achieve this, trust us, you’ll have a pretty good climax to impress your juror with.
Well, this was just one part that goes into making an excellent final presentation board. More such tricks and tips can help you achieve a good hold over final presentation – visual and verbal.
Some of them include designing a customised drawing palette, storyboarding your sheets and going back to your design brief.
Remember, it is never a linear process! The more you go back and forth, the stronger your pitch towards the juror is.
To know what more goes into making of a good presentation, you can check out one of our popular courses – Final Design Presentation Online Course
*We are offering a 60% discount on our Recorded Online Course Version for all are viewers who are social distancing and sitting at home!*
Written By – Shreya Khandekar
Images provided by – Anuj Kale
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