YCN: Hostelworld – Campaign Targeting Students: Evaluation

Evaluation

As my first big competition brief, the design was somewhat unsure on how to approach such a commercial project. However, the topic and intended message on self-development was one that I agreed with and thus was interested in promoting. This in-turn shaped the brief to place weight on its methods of communication. It was refreshing to look at a brief where you are an expert on the target audience as you and those around you are the audience. This sort of bottom-up, grassroots design, is effective and ensures human-centred design outcomes. 

The Hostelworld project was therefore a great outlet to re-explore campaign design. The broad spectrum of enquiry, focused research, and clearly established brief, meant the design had substantial contextual weight, and a strong message to communicate.

The freedom to produce whatever deemed necessary, meant the design need not over-complicate but solve the problem at hand. This was hard at first when ideas were plentiful and scattered, however after ample time for development and refinement, and with peer critique, the design was able to focus its concept and solution. 

Travel is useful, educational, fun and its now super affordable. Many people think travelling is so out of reach for them, and the design needed to communicate it doesn't have to be. The use of primary research was imperative to the progression of this project. Acquiring solid, first-hand facts provided an authority to the design that could not be disputed. 

The variety of outputs meant I was able to explore design for screen and design for print, both conceptually and through printing production methods. Various methods were used for the design solutions, utilising different formats across different softwares. All the elements supported one another in communicating one design solution - a campaign. Rallying people to get involved with something that is going to help them grow was a definite stimulus for this project. Previously, campaign design has been my most successful, so this was a great reminder of ways to appeal to a wide audience through visual literacy. 

The mutually beneficial relationship the campaign entailed was the aspect that made the concept successful. The design felt like it was more for the students, to encourage them to get out there, rather than to promote Hostelworld, which it did in the end anyway. Finally, the submission was smooth and fast due to the organisation of the brief, keeping all the elements in labelled folders exported in the intended format.