National Dish

Collaboration between Chiba University and Mid Sweden University.

The idea of a collaboration between Mid Sweden University and Chiba University began when participants from a research team from Mid Sweden University visited teachers of the research group at Chiba University during a trip to Japan in November 2007.

The meeting revealed that Mid Sweden University and Chiba University have similar educational focus within graphic design, industrial design and packaging design.
This mutual understanding gave birth to the idea to create an international colllaboration project between the two Universities.

The Project

In June 2008 a team of teachers from Mid Sweden University visited Chiba University and an outline of the project was created.

A design brief was made for the ”National Dish assignment” (see below).

In September 2008 the design assignment was given to the students in Sweden at Mid Sweden University and in Japan at Chiba University.
During one month the students will create design solutions. The creative process is documented weekly on  a website and communication between the the students will be possible.

At the end of September the students will present their design solutions at their Universities. After that a group of teachers and two students from Mid Sweden University will travel to Japan and the students will present the design solutions of their fellow students. This willl take place in Tokyo at JIDPO 2 October.

At the same time the students at Mid Sweden University and Chiba University that are not involved with the presentation will produce an exhibition-website presenting all the students design solutions.
13–14 October Professsor Watanabe and two students will vist Mid Sweden University and present the work of the students from Chiba University.

We look forward to seeing the students results in this very exciting collaboration.

Design Assignment

The National Dish Design

1. Choose a dish that you think represent your country today.
2. Choose an existing brand of a food company and place its logotype on the package that you will design.
3. Create a new package for the national dish that you have chosen, 3-dimensional.
4. Functional limitations are: one portion, carton material, environmental friendly.
5. Create the graphic design on the package.
6. Create an advertisement for the new design concept, use the format of fullpage in a morning newspaper in your country.
7. Hand in a project description with your analysis. Describe the scenario, the strategy and the creative idea.
8. Present everything in a brochure. Free form and size.
9. Hand in your package as a 3-dimensional prototype.