This is my final year of the four year graphic design program at Vancouver Island University. One of the fourth year classes is called Final Project - an entire semester devoted to one single project. This is meant to give us an opportunity to find a problem that truly means something to us and flush out if not a solution at least an improvement.

Our proposals for the project are due next week, and I thought I'd post my progress here.

The problem(s):

The Earth is getting smaller. I don't mean it's literally shrinking, but the population is exploding at such an astonishing rate that it is taking a bigger toll on the Earth with each passing second. It is only logical that we are going to exhaust our resources at some point, unless we are actively either sustaining or replenishing.

It is rare to find someone who knows where the things come from that fill their homes, their stomachs, and their lives. Most people have, if anything, a rudimentary understanding of where the stuff that they interact with on a daily basis actually comes from.

Our society is losing touch with what is important in life. They are becoming too attached to things and too disassociated from relationships. People are becoming focused on acquiring material possessions as a measure of self-worth, but they have no idea where these things come from.

The solution:

There isn't any one solution to a problem such as this. But there are steps we can take as individuals to improve upon the world. By living simply, we can take ourselves out of the rat race. Buy less, spend less, lower expenses mean less work and more play. To take it one step further, move into a tiny home. Tiny houses ranging from 100-200 square feet are taking the world by storm. There is a generation of people who want to help the environment, gain their independence, and show their detachment from and ultimately their disapproval of the madness that is broadcast on the news every hour. Moving into a tiny house, off the grid, free of city bills and restrictions, can be an attractive solution to many. Don't believe me? Just go to Pinterest and search "tiny homes."

I'm going to research, explore, promote, design, and focus on the tiny house moment. I'm not entirely sure where it will lead me yet, but my dream involves a poster/ad campaign, branding stuff, some explorations into Google Sketch-Up and architecture, and a whole lot of simple thinking.