The document provides guidance for creating a display board for "Design Fest 2014". It outlines the required components of the display board and trade show booth. The display board must include sections on the project title, abstract, mission/vision statements, goals, background research, results, and future plans. Guidance is provided on layout, design, and visual elements. Students are advised to include samples of their work, tell their story in a logical manner, and "sell themselves" at the trade show.

1. unit 3 – “Design Fest” display boards

2. 
Prompt: You have been awarded a premium space at Design Fest 2014
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Display Booths must include the following:
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A three-fold display board
A table, chair and a table cloth
Promotional items:
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Flyers and handouts
Business cards
Display Boards include the following:
(some illustrators/designers have decided to base their backboards on traditional tradeshow boards)
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Project title
Abstract: brief background information about you the artist
Question:
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Accomplishments
Achievements
Awards
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Your artistic process
Step by step on what you do
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Media
Subject matter
Programs/software
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Qualifications
Knowledge and Skills
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Mission statement
Vision statement
Goals
Sales pitch (why should they hire you?)
Additional information
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Projects planned for the future
Events planned for the future
Background Research:
Materials
Procedure
Results
Conclusion
Future Directions

3. 
Plan for the “Design Fest”
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Erect a stand-alone presentation board. On the board, you can show how clients can benefit by using your services.
Be creative and make it stand out. Include pictures and be sure your company name and logo.
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Organization and Neatness are key!
Create a catchy title for the tradeshow event itself, not just your company name!
Outline each section of the presentation – use graphics and images to tell your story
Be prepared!
Have plenty of trade show giveaways, such as business cards, brochures, pens, magnets, and anything else that has
your company name and/or logo on it. And be sure to use display racks for showing your flyers, specials, brochures,
and such.

4. 
Design Fest is a Tradeshow
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A trade fair (trade show, trade exhibition or
expo) is an exhibition organized so that
companies in a specific industry can
showcase and demonstrate their latest
products, service, study activities of rivals and
examine recent market trends and
opportunities.
History
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Modern trade fairs follow in the tradition of
trade fairs established in late medieval
Europe, in the era of merchant capitalism.
In this era, produce and craft producers
visited towns for trading fairs, to sell and
showcase products.
From the late eighteenth century, Industrial
Exhibitions in Europe and North America
became more common reflecting the
technological dynamism of the industrial
revolution.
In the 21st century, with the rapid
industrialization of Asia, trade shows and
exhibitions are now commonplace
throughout the Asian continent, with China
dominating the exhibitions industry in
Asia, accounting for more than 55 per cent of
all space sold in the region in 2011.

5. The “Do’s” of a Good Display/Presentation
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Your display
board should:
 2-Ply White
Project Board 36"
x 48“
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Study examples of
winning displays.
However….Be original!
•

For any drawings or
written text, start with
pencil, not pen.
Sketch a rough layout
on a piece of paper
before pasting up
your display.
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Come up with a
catchy title and
display it prominently.
Leave yourself plenty
of time.
•
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Include all required
categories and
content on your
display.
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▪ Board Material:
Corrugated
▪ a smooth surface
perfect for
paints, adhesives
and markers
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Gather all of your
material and organize
it into categories.
If you forgot to
photograph each
step of your
procedure, consider
re-staging it now for
documentation.
(Some are better than
none!)
Consult a book or
website about
graphic design. See
how professionals use
a grid format with
columns and rows for
effective layouts.
•
Arrange items from
left to right, from top
to bottom.
Use black or dark
colors for type.
•
Make type large
enough to read from
four feet away: As a
general rule, use 24 pt
type for headings, 16
pt type for text blocks.
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Choose a simple font
that is easy to read.
You may want one
font for headings and
another for body
text, but make sure
they are both easy to
read.
•
Use subheads and
bullet points rather
than long paragraphs
of dense text.
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Write descriptive
captions for photos.
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Proofread and
double- and triplecheck all text before
sticking it on your
display board.
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Avoid clutter.
Tell the story of your
artworkl n a
logical, easy-to-read
manner.
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Space elements
evenly across your
layout, to achieve a
balanced, consistent
look.
Draw attention to the
most interesting parts
of your project with
color and graphics.
Visitors and judges will
zero in on this first

6. The “Don’t’s” of a Good Display/Presentation
•
•
Your display
board should:
 2-Ply White
Project Board 36"
x 48“
▪ Board Material:
Corrugated
▪ a smooth surface
perfect for
paints, adhesives
and markers
DON’T forget to spell-check and
proofread!
•

DON’T leave your display until the
last minute.
DON’T write or draw directly on the
board.
•
DON’T fancy fonts that are hard to
read.
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DON’T use too many different fonts
on one page.
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DON’T make continuous use of all
caps.
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DON’T use large amounts of
centered text.
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DON’T display photos without
captions.
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DON’T go crazy with colors. A few
bright colors are good to
accentuate key elements and add
pizzazz. But stick to a handful and
keep it professional.
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DONT: Overdo it with 20 different
colors. Color schemes usually use 3 to
four main colors and a couple of
neutral accent colors.
•
DON’T cover every inch of your
display; remember to leave some
breathing room (what graphic
designers call “white space”)
between blocks of text and graphics.
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DON’T use white school glue to stick
thin paper to your board, or it may
ripple.
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DON’T be afraid to get creative.
Design is not dull; it’s dynamic!
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DON’T glue any 3-D objects to the
display board at home.
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DONT: Just place boxes everywhere.
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DONT: Write one paragraph per
page that is 1,000+ words long.
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DONT: Go on and on (and on) about
nothing.
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DONT: Make everything on your
page an image.
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DON’T list an unprofessional e-mail
address, such as
“lovenut@abc.com” or
“sassyncrazy@xyz.com.”
•
DON’T overlook the little things..

7. Part 1 of your Display Board:
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Project title
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This should be more than your company or logo. It
is: “Project X” brought you by “Company Y”
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Examples:
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The New Epcot Center brought you by the Disney
Corporation
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What makes you unique? What makes you stand
out as a designer?
Design Questions
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What do you know? What do you do? How do
you do it?
Vision statement
How do you serve the needs of your customers?
What will you do for me if I hire you?
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What is your image – the image you want to
portray?
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Your biography in a nutshell – keep this brief and
purposeful.
If you like cats – great – but does this really help
you sell yourself as an artist?
Who are your customers? What are your products
and services?
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Abstract
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Why are you a business and not just a hobbyist?
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The New 52 brought to you by DC Comics
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Part 2 of your Display Board:
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Mission statement
What are your underlying philosophies? What are
your values?
Goals
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Where do you want to be when graduate
college?
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Where do you want to be in ten years?

8. Part 3 of your Display Board:
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Background Research
Part 4 of your Display Board:
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Results
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Accomplishments: List any accomplishments
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Qualifications: What makes you a good
candidate? What qualities do you have?
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Achievements: List any achievements
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Knowledge and Skills: What do you know what to
do and how do you know how to do it?
Awards: List any awards
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What do you know about your field? What
research have you done?
Subject matter: What content do you make?
Why?
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Programs/software: Which programs do you
know? How long have you used each program?
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Sales pitch (why should they hire you?): Give us a
reason to pick you out of everyone else out there
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Media: What is your preferred media(s)? Why?
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Conclusion
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Materials
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Additional information: Include any other
information that makes you the best of the best
Future Directions

Projects planned for the future: List projects you
plan on doing – including preliminary sketches or
thumbnails
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Events planned for the future: List any events you
plan to attend to help promote yourself
Procedure

Your artistic process: How do you plan? How do
you get inspiration?

Step by step on what you do: take digital pictures
or record steps of you making a piece

9. 
Peer Review:
 Share your thumbnails
with your peers
 Choose the best
thumbnail
 Make changes based
on peer suggestions
 Get instructor
approval of your
design

10. 
Create Your Display
Board:
 Include all the
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components (see above
slides)
Include samples of
artworks and designs
Keep it professional
Prepare for a “mock
presentation” to a
“mock board of
reviewers”
Sell yourself!