1
Alice Pomfret Ba Graphic Design Level 5. Visual Systems Journey Book.
2
3
4
5
6
7
> After being set the brief our group created a brainstorm of initial ideas. We then decided to go away and explore different avenues we were personally interested in. I wanted to explore the people within AUB and how they act as an ‘accessory’ to the university. After the brainstorming session I then collected primary research by creating a questionnaire. I undertook this research to find out more about the students of AUB and how they feel whilst within the university. From asking the questionnaire. I also found out that many students only visit their course building, canteen and the library. -Relaxed. -Calm. -Creative.
8
9
‘We need to focus on something...’ > After a couple of days of doing our personal projects we then joined together and had a group discussion. We each pitched our own ideas and findings and then decided on a route to go down. We decided to focus on emotions and the ‘Vibe’ of AUB. After we decided on a subject to focus on we then decided how we would take the data. We came up with the system of using sound frequency, heart-rate and audio to gain a picture of the vibe within the rooms.
10
11
12
13
Research & Reflection > After we decided what we were focusing on I then went and done further research on emotions, what they were and how they can affect day to day life. I then looked at the use of colour and emotions within art. We also had a tutorial with Alice and decided we should focus and narrow down our data collection. We decided to focus on taking: - Heart-rate - How are you feeling? - Photograph.
14
15
Data Collection > First of all we asked people how they felt in different places around the university. We then collected the most common answers and formulated a questionnaire from that, coming up with Neutral, Negative and Positive emotions.
16
17
heartrates within library
heartrates within canteen
84BPM
78.5 BPM 75.8 BPM heartrates within studio
18
library
‘You need to make it visual..’ After we collected the data we were a bit stuck, we found it hard to visualise the numbers we had received. Due to this is held us back a couple of days. I then used the numbers to determine the radius of a circle, from this you can visually see the heart-rates within each room, I then added colour to the circles to determine which circles represented which emotion.
canteen
studio
19
20
21
22
23
Data Experimentation. > We then focused on the shapes which our data created, we used the system of using the heart rate values to determine the radius of the circle. After this we then created a 3d object using Adobe Illustrator. We then wanted to create a 3D shape to represent each mood by entering the values and having a random shape being created. We soon learnt that this was near impossible in our time frame.
24
25
Tutorial & Final Decision. > Initially we wanted to create an object which would define the emotions. We felt this was a near impossible task so we decided on creating something which would evoke or create emotions. Following our tutorial we decided to use fabric and a fan to create movement. We formulated the fan to go faster/slower based on the heartrate values. We also added colours to the lights to further implement emotions within the final outcome.
26
27
28
29
Development > If we were to improve this project we came up with the idea of using the shadows to project onto a wall. This would use the colours from the emotions emitted from the person. Obviously this is a very technical idea and would need further research and planning to be made viable.
30
31
Evaluation.
32
When starting the project I was excited about the idea of focusing and learning more about the creative process however during the project I found it hard to follow the process, as it was completely different to how I have worked before. Saying this I enjoyed the challenge and I feel it allowed my group and I to explore different avenues that we may of disregarded. This project definitely showed that exploration of ideas is more important than jumping to outcomes. In this project I wanted to focus on improving my research, seeing as this is what held back my grades last year. I pushed myself to take primary research via questionnaires and observations. I found primary research very helpful as it allowed me to see what was happening at the current time and gave a more honest view of the data I wanted to collect. Our group also took primary research prior to collecting our data; this meant that when we were collecting the data for our outcome we could tailor it to the students within the university. During the project our group had a
habit of disregarding ideas before fully exploring them, this held us back as we couldn’t experiment with different ideas, which could of provided a more interesting outcome. In the next project I am hoping to experiment more as I find experimenting helpful when it comes to thinking of ideas. Personally I feel that our group didn’t collaborate as well as we could have done. We had a lot of strong personalities within the group, which lead to communication issues. I felt overpowered and mildly trapped within the group as I felt I couldn’t express my views, thoughts or opinions, as they would instantly be disregarded. This led us to pursuing one idea. This is what held us back from creating an interesting outcome from our data. Working within the group was a big learning curve for me, towards the end of the project I was finding my voice a little more and becoming more confident with expressing my opinion. This project enabled me to further improve my photographic skills. I
prefer working in a photographic way and working within the photography studio was enjoyable for me. It allowed me to experiment with lighting and different techniques that were helpful. I also learnt a few different video techniques on Adobe After Effects. In regards to our final outcome, I feel like we are a long way away from having a working piece, which has the effect we want it to. We needed to explore emotions and what provokes them to then produce an outcome that reflected the mood of AUB. If I was to do this project again I would focus more on collecting data that was relevant to what we wanted to focus on. I feel like this was a major flaw in our project, as people within my group got distracted with the technical aspect of collecting data rather than focusing on data that was relevant. Personally on the next project I need to work on collaboration with other peers, and being confident in
pitching my ideas. I also need to push myself to do further experimentations and research which could lead to interesting outcomes. Overall this project was a great learning curve for me and I enjoyed the challenge.
33
34
35
36
37
>Dr Jan Weiner gave us a lecture on Dementia, how it affects the person and how it affects their ability to wayfind. Dr Weiner also gave us a lecture on how the human brain works whilst way-finding. These lectures were immensely helpful as they allowed us to get a deeper understanding of the user we were designing for.
38
39
> Main Findings. Singing increases brain activity and improves confidence, makes the patients proud. Barbara, dementia patient which gets very confused, change is scary for her. Affects upon family are massive. Lose use of memory. Multi-sensory activities are beneficial to patients. Depression may occur due to loneliness.
40
41
Visual Research. >When undertaking research I looked into traditional way-finding, and how to differentiate places within the building. I also looked at using visual colours, at the beginning I was really interested into the use of colour however research showed that it was hard for patients to decipher between some colours.
42
43
Kind Reminders Idea. >After some initial research and brainstorming we came up with the idea of ‘Kind Reminders.’ This idea focused on subconsciously leading the patients around corners/decision points. This would be done by placing an encouraging saying/quote onto the wall which they would have to turn left/right to see the end of. We also looked at using typography from the era 1950’s onwards. This would make the sentences more relatable and friendly as it would be familiar to them . Phrases would involve: - “You Can Do It.” - “You’re Halfway There.”
‘Too broad, we need to focus.’ >After the initial idea we then went back to the drawing board and really tried to focus on key points of dementia. We then made another brainstorm with ideas following our research. - Light Up Box. - Lines on the wall to follow. - Handrails. -Lights to guide the patient. After this we decided to focus on way-finding for the morning routine, initially looking at doing it visually however we decided to also look at involving the other senses. This allowed us to think of the idea of using music.
44
45
46
47
Final Idea Concept. >After a big brainstorming session we decided to use the crazy idea of creating a playlist/ radio. We wanted to focus on songs from the era 1950’s-1970’s. We felt this would be most effective as the patients will have fond memories and nostalgia from this time. This led us onto the idea of also using radio advertisements from the same time. This would be where the patients would receive triggers to undergo certain tasks in their morning routine. We wanted to create something which was subtle yet effective for the user. We also didn’t want to scare the user with new technology which they weren’t familiar with.
48
49
Making of the radio & playlist. > For our final piece we created a 3minute sound clip which would give a taster as to what the morning soundtrack may involve. I made this soundtrack using Adobe After Effects, it was a great learning cove for me as i had never used After Effects for sound before. We wanted to display something which would house the music we wanted to play during the exhibition. We decided to make a radio out of wood. We used this template which would allow the wood to bend around the corners of the radio. This was then used in the exhibition.
50
51
Process
Our Findings When conducting our initial research we looked into the
definition of both way-finding and dementia. Firstly we focused on looking at how we could find an efficient way to navigate the
dementia patients around the care home. We saw this as a near impossible task so we decided to
concentrate our research on the patients morning routine. After this
we looked at ways to visually guide them through their routine however we felt it would make their room cluttered and confusing. This led us to using sound to subtly direct the patient around their morning routine. Further using familiar songs and advertisements to prompt them in their daily routine.
52
53
Influences We found a group called ‘Singing for the brain’ organised by the Alzheimers Society. This is a group where dementia victims meet to sing songs from their past, this often helps the cognitive part of their memory allowing them to remember the songs. We also found out that dementia patients have flashbacks of themselves from their younger years. Due to this we wanted to focus on music and advertisements from the time period between 1950 -1960, as we feel it would be most familiar and effective to them.
54
55
Evaluation Having a lecture with Dr Jan Weiner was very useful as it put our brief into context; it allowed me to come up with a scenario in which my outcome would be placed. It also allowed me to get a greater understanding of dementia and how it affects day-today life. During the project we were unable to gather primary research, this is something I wish we had done, even if it was visiting a care home or asking some questions to someone with dementia.
56
My research was very useful as it enabled our group to focus our outcome towards a specific route mainly focusing on ‘singing for the brain.’ In our project we explored a couple of avenues looking at visual stimulation via cues and the use of typography within signage and whether we could of related it back to a certain era. After these ideas we then focused on the idea of using sound as a stimulant as we felt it was less intrusive on the patient. During our project we wanted to focus and make a conscious effort to keep the patient as happy as possible, we done this by taking into account their daily struggles and their needs, for example they have no wish to use fancy technology to guide them around a care home.
I believe the strengths of the project occurred when we started to look at different sensory ways to way find, I also feel that focusing on way finding for the morning routine was beneficial to us as it allowed us to come up with a more direct and fitting outcome. I believe our outcome was appropriate for the user as it was a subtle way to guide them through their daily routine however during the feedback sessions we did get some comments saying that the older generation may not welcome noise/sound into their room. During this project I learnt how to collaborate more as a team, this was particularly enjoyable for me as we all mucked in and had a go, making it more of a team effort. I would of really liked to extend the project coming up with a more focused outcome that is suitable for the audience. I would be interested in taking this project further to see whether our outcome is actually viable and whether it could benefit some dementia patients. Overall I believe our group has worked well together, we were able to voice our opinions and ideas no matter how silly and for this it really put me at ease.
57
58
59
60
61
> We took a visit to Walker Agency to get briefed on the Eurolines Brief. They essentially wanted us to come up with an advertising campaign which would improve brand awareness and image of the brand.
62
63
> I created an initial brainstorm on my first thoughts after receiving the brief. To begin with i wanted to focus on the ‘home’ aspect, seeing as their main users are people born in a foreign country but are working in England.
64
65
66
67
Research into competitors. > We then looked into Eurolines main competitors and how they differ. The main difference we found was that Eurolines allowed late/impulsive travelers to travel by being able to book on the day. We also found out that Eurolines is a lot cheaper than its competitors especially when traveling to Paris.
68
69
> After researching we then started brainstorming ideas. We wanted something which would be original, different and initially liked the thought of a spontaneous one off event. We also looked at what a campaign was and how we could integrate this into our work. On the left is some ideas which we had at the beginning, we then thought back to the competitors and had an idea regarding the hassles of flying.
70
71
Hassles of Flying. > We listed the hassles of flying and also asked people what annoys them the most when flying. After this we then created a series of posters/ advertisements highlighting the hassles with flying and how a coach might be better.
72
73
Mockup Posters. > We designed some initial posters based on the subject of ‘hassles of flying.’ We wanted mainly target people who fly, seeing as it was their main competitor. After this we had a change of tack and decided to rethink our project outcome.
74
75
Change of Direction. > After creating the posters we weren’t too enthused about the direction the project was going in. Due to this we then had another brainstorming session and this is where we came up with the idea of creating a campaign/ adventure for the brand. We also came up with the idea of using You Tubers Ben Brown and Louis Cole as they have a great following.
76
77
Final Idea. >We will challenge 2 You Tube vloggers (Ben Brown and Louis Cole) to travel to as many cities/ destinations as possible with the money and time span given. The 2 You Tubers will battle against each other to find out who will connect the most through Europe. In order to leave the city, they must find someone or something who shares the same name as them. To validate this, they must upload the selfie using the hash-tag #Twinning #Twinning offers free publicity for Eurolines to millions of You Tube viewers, of whom are the target audience. There are further opportunities to expand the campaign through the You Tuber’s social medias: Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/ Snapchat (Geo-filters) Paid advertisements could
Advertisement Mockups. >Our idea is a European challenge however the campaign will be held over social network sites. We set up these mock-ups for the clients so they could see in situ how the competition would run. We created mock ups for Facebook Pages, You Tube Pages/Adverts, Twitter pages and also an instagram feed.
78
79
80
81
Development of Idea. > When the challenge has finished the hashtag can still be used, people can try and copy them setting themselves challenges. Other daily challenges set by Eurolines/the public can be used to grow the campaign. The campaign can also be adapted to fit other/older audiences.
82
83
Evaluation.
84
Evaluation. This project gave me an insight as to how the industry really works, it allowed me to look at how both small and large companies work. By visiting Walker Agency it enabled me to see how laid back they were, this instantly put me at ease. I believe that our idea for the brief was viable and could be put into action in the ‘real world.’ Saying this I also believe it needs some tweaking as the Walker guys mentioned that advertising on social media may be costly, however they seemed to be in disagreement about this. By brainstorming and looking at the brief I feel I understood what was needed to complete the task; I feel I understood the users and the prospect of gaining new user, which is
85 also applicable. I feel this project will be beneficial to future employment as it shows that I can work in a team, with short deadlines for a ‘real’ project. It also shows that I have the capability to come up with different/original ideas rather than designing a poster as a final outcome. I thoroughly enjoyed working to a tight deadline as it meant that the production of work and ideas were all round quicker, it also allowed us to work to a goal and put pressure on us to get it all finished. This project has made me more confident in approaching the industry as I felt it bridged the gap in a comfortable way, which I could then replicate in the future.
Personally I felt the group worked well together, we all came from the same viewpoint and shared enthusiasm with our final outcome. I believe overall our presenting skills were good as we were clear about our idea and how it would be implemented, personally I could improve on slowing down and giving more time to the presentation. Overall I really enjoyed this project, despite it being manic and fast paced.
86
87
88
89
Thursday 5th November 2015. Adobe Creative Meetup. >I was invited to Adobes Creative Meetup, this was a networking event which had a set of speakers. I also had a Behance review with Nick Eagleton the Creative Director of The Partners in London. This night was very helpful as the talks were relevant to my work and Nick helped with my confidence within my work. On this night Nick also offered me an internship with his company ‘The Partners,’ in London.
Evaluation. 90
The unit didn’t start to great as the first project was a bit of a shambles, due to communication and general collaboration issues, however I have taken what i learnt during the first project and tried to improve for the next projects. From then on I started enjoying the projects more, i really enjoyed focusing on the process and how to approach a brief. I also found working with industry/different individuals such as Dr Jan Weiner more motivating as it gave me a purpose to design for someone. Over the process I have learnt a range of new skills, the main one being collaboration and how to work effectively within a group. I also learnt new technical skills when using Adobe After Effects. Another thing I focused on was improving my confidence, this was achieved when I went to the Adobe Creative Meetup event,
meeting Nick was truly inspiring and gave me to confidence to approach other industry companies/individuals. This was also further encouraged during the industry briefs when we had to pitch in-front of Walker Agency. I really enjoyed the Dementia project and designing for a certain user in mind, I feel this project has a lot of positives however I feel it still has a long way to develop and change into something more viable in the commercial world. This can also be said for the mapping project, despite the issues with communication I also feel that we should have done more conclusive data taking which actually represented a certain thing, Martin highlighted this in the critique and I think it is really relevant.
This project has been a massive learning curve for me and i have enjoyed focusing on the idea generation/process rather than distinct design principles. I like the fact that this way of working is unrestrictive and allows me to produce work which would not generally be classed as Graphic Design work.
91
Wednesday 11th November 2015. Fitch Studios, London.
92
93
94
95
Body Text - 9pt. Title Text - 18pt Page Numbers in the middle of every page and in accordance to contents page, set up in the A-master spread. Using Sketches to illustrate my process. Text Boxes to be 5 columns long. Differentiating the chapters by using CMYK on specific chapter page.
96