The creative activities undertaken throughout the 03>04>05 project unfolded progressively over a sequence of prescribed process stages:

Stage 1 - 'Gathering'
(Weeks 1 and 2)

From the outset, individuals were placed into small online 'creative teams' with each including at least five distanced participants. Each team member was asked to produce a series of photographic visual responses or 'waves' that initially acted as personal creative introductions between the participants. Throughout this stage of the project, activities were set to ensure a vibrant social and communication network was formed using the Omnium 'creative studio' software's synchronous (live) and asynchronous (recorded) messaging and chat areas.

By individually capturing and producing their series of photographic images at a specifically appointed and synchronised time, participants were able to 'gather' visual data to be re-worked throughout the remaining six weeks of the project.

Outcomes - on completion of stage 1, each team submitted their individual unaltered photographic 'series'.

NB. Participants observed a unifying 'Omnium Time' for gathering their images that ensured that all data was collected at the same global moment.

Stage 2 - 'Identifying'
(Week 3)

Following the initial and individualised 'gathering' stage, the project evolved into more collaborative stages where emphasis was placed on each design team 'identifying', via discussions and dialogue, points of contact, commonality, difference and overlapping interests arising from the images from stage 1.

During this stage of the project, the brief and specifically written and associated readings began to offer advice and starting points for each team to identify a course of collective and creative direction to follow.

Outcomes - on completion of the second stage, each team submitted a written rationale for their intended direction in response to Stage 2 of the brief.

Stage 3 - 'Distilling' (Week 4)

During the 'distilling' stage each team continued to discuss their intended creative direction and collaborative working process. During this stage, the brief further unfolded, requiring team members to pass their digital image files between each other for further amendments. Teams used the collaborative nature of the Omnium software interface to easily download each others files, rework them and then re-submit them for further work to be carried out. The collaborative nature of this part of the brief also required design teams to manage themselves through synchronous and asynchronous discussions and deal with issues such as differing time-zones, skill levels and perhaps language or cultural issues.

Outcomes - Each group was required to distil their imagery to suit their own visual communication aims, identified from their interpretation of the brief, and arrive at submissions derived from those they had at the start of this phase.

Stage 4 - 'Abstracting'
(Week 5)

Throughout the 'abstracting' stage, teams were encouraged to consider the 'essence' of what had formed into a collective response to the brief. Again, supporting written readings encouraged teams to further refine their work by passing files around the world to abstract them into more resolved outcomes. At this stage the teams had accomplished this process to a point where there was a strong dialogue of critque and suggestion. Criteria established by each team, to define and self-evaluate their intent regarding the messages each of their works aimed to communicate.

Outcomes - Each group required to abstract their imagery to further suit their own collective visual communication aims, and arrived at new submissions derived from those they had at the start of this phase.

Stage 5 - 'Resolving'
(Week 6)

The final resolving stage required participants within each team to reflect upon the entire six-week creative process and ultimately produce and submit one (1) final work tilted: 03>04>04. The final piece was intended to visually communicate an essence of the group, their individual and collective ideas, their backgrounds, origins, discoveries, feelings, etc; ultimately portraying their experiences and existence throughout the Creative Waves project. The final graphic work was intended as a reflective and collective overview, from the individual beginning of the project (March 05) to the collaborative ending (April 05).

Outcome - Each team was required to abstract their imagery and submit one (1) final collaborative work titled: 03>04>04.

Find out more details about the 03>04>05 project in the 'FAQ' area