Mandala Brief : What I need to do

Research:

Target audience 

• what books are already out there?
• how can I make my publication stand out?
• how can I appeal to a wide range of people?
• I want to try attract a wide audience which doesn't exactly focus on spiritual people but those who like craft and design. The mandala doesn't have to be spiritual. it has beautiful aesthetic qualities and the process of making them is very therapeutic. This is an important aspect of it.

Visual Research

• Exsisting Mandalas
• Different Cultures
• Different Meanings
• Crafting kits

 Publication Research

• Existing Mandala books
• DIY Kits
• Format

Practical Response:

• Design the Content of the Book
• Laser Cut Pages
• Design Colouring pages
• Make Book
• Make Box

What Have I done so Far

So far I have researched into the cultural aspect of mandalas and how to create them. My project is much more focussed now. Rather than looking at the broad topic of sacred geometry I have decided to put all my focus on mandalas. Althought they have spiritual and religeous connotations. I believe that the art of producing one can be fun and theraputic for all. It takes a good bit of concentration to produce one and lots of hard work and precision. There are many ways you can create the mandala but the main focus is that it all revolves around a central point. The circle represents unity and oneness, there is something really mesmerizing about the circle that can draw you in. Your mandala is supposed to say something about the way you are feeling and the things that are going on in your life.

I have spent a good day drawing my own mandalas using a compass and ruler. I found that this was rather dificult to start with and my mandalas started out fairly simple, but once I got the hang of things the mandalas progressed and became more complex introducing more shapes and styles. I found that the process was really enjoyable and got my brain working in geometric terms. I found the more I produced the easier it was for me to work out what I was gonna draw next and how the mandala could progress. 

I have planned the basic content of my book but I will need to finalize everything I will include and work out how I will produce the publication and exactly what will go in it. I have quite a few different ideas of how the user can produce mandalas in various ways. I think having a variety of options will make the publication more appealing.