Reflection: the FCP process

As my first summative project is drawing to a close, I want to reflect on this strange lil thing that I have come to know as the FCP triangle.

I probably should have written a blog about this at an earlier date, but in all honesty to begin with it made very little sense to me, as did most of the course. But as I'm beginning to get a grip with things (and please notice the major exaggeration of 'beginning') I feel like I've finally got some sort of understanding of the basic four processes within my very largely underestimated course.

Okay so, the big fat bottom of this FCP triangle is namely, 'Context'. As with most things in life, they don't really work unless you do a significant bulk amount of research into it. Plan your steps, collect your influences and inspirations, let someone else's idea carry you somewhere. As boring as it sounds, research actually makes you a better intellect.

You generally do better at life if you know your shit.

If you're gonna stand in front of, say, 1000 people and pitch your super cool idea that changes life as we know it, you wanna do it with confidence no? Research is actually also kinda fun. I've learnt things that I know I wouldn't have learnt otherwise because I didn't even realise they were a thing. If that makes any sense. It's also just good to have as general knowledge (super good if you wanna look smart in front of your flat mates or even a potential boyf) Everything, in theory, has to have a context. It comes from somewhere, something has happened at some point for it's existence to be recognised and it's actually weirdly fun to join the dots.

The second section of the FCP triangle is called 'Big Idea'. which is fairly self explanatory. At this point you're taking everything you've learnt about other people and the amazing stuff they've done or produced, and turning it into your own thing. Using inspo from the world around you is SO SO important. It not only keeps you in the loop with the general going-ons of the world, but it also just makes everything a bit more exciting: you're taking a step further than everyone else. In essence, you're using the successful elements of other people's research/work/lives and moulding this into your own idea, whatever this may be. At first, I struggled with this part of the triangle: having done creative courses all of my life, you would think I would have found this part mega easy. What I struggled with was incorporating the business-y stuff (that I don't think I even like) into it. All of a sudden I have to consider my target audience, their archetypes, the language of persuasion, which in hindsight is pretty logical, but to me it was very inconvenient at first.

The third part of the triangle is 'Creative Concept'. In all honesty, this still kinda blends into one for me with the Big Idea. In theory, the creative concept is your interpretation of your previous big ideas. So this is where it starts to get fun and things can get mega visual. You get to be arty for the sake of being arty, to fully harness the benefits of being a visual communication student, of sorts. So you've done your research, you've got your own idea and now you can start to test this out in different ways, visually, practically, whatever you like. It's just room for definition, for the planning of how to get the most out of your chosen concept. This is kinda like the light at the end of the tunnel, almost.

WELL DONE, you've managed to survive to the end. At this point you most definitely onto a winner, your idea has come two whole stages on and you're feeling pretty damn confident. Good feeling yeah? I failed to realise that it was so easy until my first summative brief (even though the project itself is v far from easy) It's weird that a course I never really knew existed until 12 months ago, coming to uni and actually trying to get to grips with it, and then actually following these steps and having a project that logically makes sense.

Much like the first part of the triangle, you could impress flat mates, friends, potential boyfs with this way of thinking. Outfit deciding for example, the BANE of my life. You could initially do your research, from past experience, from people's opinions of your clothes or what kind of look you're going for, this being Context. For the Big Idea you could experiment with your clothes, look for inspiration online, even do a cheeky missguided haul (nobody would have to know). At the Creative Concept you can finalise these ideas and finally pick the outfit that's gonna make you look knowledgeable, sassy, desirable and most of all, confident. Then, execute the hell out of that outfit and make them fall in love with you.

Literally, apply this theory to some of your biggest struggles in life and it might just help you out.