COMU2120 Media Design Research Assignment Brief | Queensland

COMU2120 Media design brief

Type: Research
Weight: 30 per cent
Length: 1,000 words
Format: Document uploaded to Blackboard.

Each student should research a social issue from a media design perspective and develop a project brief.

The brief should include:

• A summary of the issue; 
• Description of the communities, individuals and organisations involved and/or impacted; 
• Overview of how the issue is currently and has previously been communicated; 
• Opportunities for media design, including engagement.

The brief should be based on evidence collected through primary and secondary research. It should include evidence from existing documents and media artefacts as well as original material gathered via interviews, observations and analysis of data. Any claims made or ideas proposed in the brief should be supported by evidence.

This might include:

• Quotations from an interview or document; 
• Photographs of a location or event; 
• Images of professional campaigns or grassroots initiatives; 
• Statistics or findings from a report.

Original research

Original research refers to primary evidence collected by you. You must demonstrate that you have conducted original research.

To do so, the brief should include:

• Original interview quotes from at least one source;
• Original photographs, including captions and/or detailed notes from an observation, including timeline, location diagram, and observed action;
• Original analysis of secondary data from multiple sources.

This means you have drawn conclusions from multiple pieces of evidence, such as existing media, industry reports, academic papers, statistics, etc.

Structure

The brief should be written in a way that enables it to be understood without reference to additional material such as anything in the appendix or accessed via a link.

Your brief should be organised this way:

Issue summary: what is the issue you aim to address? 
Why is it important?  
Current situation: How is the issue currently communicated? 
Include screen shots or examples here as needed. Ensure they are properly referenced.
People and place: Who are the publics and how are they involved or impacted? 
What are the relevant places?
Opportunities: What are some novel or new ways to communicate about this issue. Consider story angles and/or messages? 
Identify some of the ways you could engage people with this issue. Cite relevant facts and evidence to support your ideas.

References: List of cited sources in APA style. Appendix: Appendices should include:  

• A list of primary sources not covered by in the reference list eg: interviews or observations. List the names, position, date and location of interviews and observations;
• Additional primary or secondary research, such as extended interview transcripts; detailed observations; additional photographs; statistics or data sets.
• Each appendix should start on a new page

Structure

• Reference in APA style;
• 1,000 words, not including appendices or references;
• There is 10 per cent leeway on the total word count.
• Please do not use embedded hyperlinks: Blackboard strips these out.
• Students must read and comply with the Risk Assessment for SCA Student Projects. The assessment is available on Blackboard.

Tip

This assignment is the start of a process and it is likely you will need to do more research as your ideas progress. You may need to speak to more people, consult more documents and observe other situations. Your ideas may also change. This is fine. At this stage we want to see that you have made a start and have a plan to progress. Workshops are a chance to discuss your project as it evolves.