MFA THESIS PROJECT BY CHUN WEN TAI
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis Written and Design by Chun Wen Tai Graduate student of the Academy of Art University 79 New Montgomery street, San Francisco, California, USA No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Text copyright© 2014 by BLINK® Chun Wen Tai Cover and Illustration by Chun Wen Tai Character design and Illustration by Chao Chieh Hung Find out more about BLINK® at: www.blinkeyehealth.org View more work by Chun Wen Tai at: www.chunwentai.com Printed and bound in the United States of America
TABLE OF CONTENTS
00
Foreword Page. 05
01
Background
02
Research
Page. 06-17
Page. 18-31
03
Exploration Page. 32-57
04
Design Solution Page. 58-105
FOREWORD
I was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan where the prevalence of myopia rates in children is reaching 80%. I have had myopia since I was 8. I was -200 degrees at that time. Now, I am -1300 degrees and also have glaucoma and floaters. When I take off my glasses, I am almost blind. I started to question why my eyes had gotten increasingly worse since childhood. Much of my experience with vision problems is the result of having been treated for nearsightedness since I was young. But I never really researched why I am so nearsighted. When I moved to San Francisco, California, for my master degree, I saw that not many people wear glasses over here. And the most interesting thing happened when I went back to Taiwan. During my eye exam, the optician found that my degree of myopia had slightly decreased. So I did some research and found out that children who spend more time outdoors decrease their chances of developing myopia. Furthermore, children who are given regular eye exams may avoid conditions like myopia because signs can be recognized early enough to correct whatever was causing them problems.. This finding is shocking to me. I wish my parents knew this when I was a child so I wouldn’t have to suffer the many complications of being heavily nearsighted. I decided to use my skills as a graphic designer to improve eye health education and bring raise awareness about vision problems in children at a parents’ group. I want to help more people understand how to take care of their, and their children’s, eyes.
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Background
BACKGROUND
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
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Background
WHAT IS MYOPIA?
Also known as nearsightedness, myopia is a very common problem that makes it hard to see things across the room and far away. Usually, myopia occurs because the eyeball grows too long during childhood. But there are other causes, too. Myopia is not just an issue for developing countries, it’s a worldwide problem. There are more people who have myopia in the United States. The research shows a prevalence of myopia in 70 million Americans; that’s over 25 percent of all adult Americans.¹ Nearsightedness tends to worsen with age, developing into high myopia, which is a risk factor for such serious problems as retinal detachment, glaucoma, early-onset cataracts, and blindness.
My·op·ic /mahy-op-ik/ [noun] Pertaining to or having myopia; nearsighted. My·o·pi·a /mahy-oh-pee-uh/ [noun] A condition of the eye in which parallel rays are focused in front of the retina, objects being seen distinctly only when near to the eye; nearsightedness (opposed to hyperopia).
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
Over 25 % of the U.S population or about 70 million Americans are myopic
1 in every 3 1. http://cureresearch.com/m/myopia/stats-country_printer.htm
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Background
HOW DO MYOPIC EYES WORK?
Myopia occurs when the eyeball is too long, relative to the focusing power of the cornea and lens of the eye. This causes light rays to focus at a point in front of the retina, rather than directly on its surface.
Eye anatomy Lens A transparent disc that focuses light Retina Senses light Optical Nerve Sends electric impulses that the brain interprets as vision 20/20 vision
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
Can not focus on retina Myopic vision
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CAUSES OF MYOPIA?
Even though the tendency to develop nearsightedness may be inherited, its actual development can be affected by how people use their eyes. Individuals who spend considerable time reading, working at a computer, or doing other intense, close-up visual work are more likely to develop nearsightedness.
E
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
COMMON SYMPTOMS Here are some common issues associate with Myopia
Difficulty seeing distant objects clearly, but able to see well for close-up tasks, such as reading and computer use. Squinting Eye strain Headaches Feeling fatigued when playing sports Being unable to see the chalkboard at school Feeling fatigued when playing sports Children commonly complain of not being able to see the board at school.
Treatment Glasses, contact lenses, or refractive surgery can correct nearsightedness. With myopia, your prescription for glasses or contact lenses is a negative number, such as -3.00. The higher the number, the stronger your lenses will be. The prescription helps the eye refocus light on the retina, clearing up the vision issues.
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Background
MYOPIA IN CHILDREN The most common vision problem
Myopia, or nearsightedness, is often diagnosed in children between 8 and 12 years of age and may worsen during the teen years. Little change may occur between ages 20 to 40, but myopia can worsen with age. People whose parents have myopia are more prone to the condition. Myopia is not just an issue for developing countries; it’s a worldwide problem. Myopic eyes may develop high myopia, a risk factor for such serious problems as retinal detachment, glaucoma, earlyonset cataracts, and blindness. Ophthalmologists point out that nearsightedness prevention should be addressed early in life because myopia is often diagnosed in children. In order to prevent or slow the occurrence of myopia, people need to have clear and accurate information about it.
2. Facts About Myopia, National Institutes of Health (NIH)
66%
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
In the early 1970s, only 25% of Americans were nearsighted. Today the prevalence of myopia in the U.S is about 42%. Myopic population increased 66% in past 30 years. 2
25%
42%
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Background
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
“ My goal is to foster better eye health for children and ultimately reduce the prevalence of myopia.�
The eye is not only the most beautiful, but also the most important sensory organ of the human body; four-fifths of all the impressions on the senses come from the eye. Moreover, the eyes make an essential contribution to the facial expression making contact with other people. Therefore, they are an indispensible means of communication. Vision is an essential part of everyday life, influencing how human of all ages learn, communicate, work, play, and interact with the world.
This is pretty much how I see this world without glasses
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Research
RESEARCH
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
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Research
“Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.„ —ALBERT SZENT-GYORGYI, PHYSIOLOGIST
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
RESEARCH In order to create an effective design solution to increase educational outreach , research was required to better understand current views, trends, and education regarding eye health overall. In the beginning, my research was more focusing on online exploration and searching articles for statistics about vision problems and myopia in children. The next stage involved researching how best to communicate with my target audience and related groups, such as ophthalmologists, pediatricians, and educators. This led me to evolve my solution in a usercenter direction, creating a varied path to achieve my goal.
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Research
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
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Research
TARGET AUDIENCE
At an early stage, I set my target audience as children age between 5 and 8 because my research told me that we need to address eye health related behaviors early in life. Moreover, children aged 8 to 12 are at a high risk of having vision problem like myopia. But after interviewing many parents, doctors, and educators, I found out that parents play a very important role in the responsibility of eye health for children aged 5to 8. Therefore, parents who have children between 5 and 8 years old became my primary audience, bumping their children down to become my secondary audience. I also included the medical and school communities as a tertiary audience because they can directly influence parents and children.
My primary audiences are U.S. parents with children between ages 5 and 8. Secondary audiences are their children. And the tertiary audiences are medical communities ad educators.
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
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Research
KEY INSIGHTS Vision problems in children Vision problems in children are getting worse. Myopia in children is an urgent issue that needs to be brought up more so than any other eye health issue.
The myth Myopia is not determined by genetic factors alone. Habits, lifestyles, and the environment also play significant roles.
The impoetance of eye exams Comprehensive eye exams are important to children from when they are born. Eye exams are key to diagnosing and treating vision problems before they worsen. But almost half of parents in the United States don’t bring their children in for comprehensive eye exams.
Spend time outdoors Children are spending much less time on outdoor activities. But time spent outdoors, focusing on more distant objects, can decrease the likelihood of vision problems like myopia.
Online observations I did much research on eye health in children. My sources came from different medical organizations and their findings. This led me to the following key insights about where I can best step in to solve the problem.
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
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Research
KEY INSIGHTS OF THE AUDIENCES
20
4
8
In-depth interview In order to learn more about my target audiences, from parents to children, and a medical group to educators, and understand their needs in vision health care, I decided to interview some of them one-on-one. I spent half an hour asking each subject 30 questions about different aspects of eye health. Through this, I found out the following key insights.
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
Parents The parents’ awareness of eye health care varies, and most learn about eye health care from their pediatricians. Most of the parents didn’t know how to foster their children’s eye health. Most of pediatricians prioritized the children’s overall physical and mental development over eye health. The parents wanted easy guidance on eye health care. A step-by-step guide will be good for them. The relationship between children and parents needs to be redefined. Parents need to spend more time on their children’s eye health. (For example, children can’t play outside without proper supervision.)
Children Most of children don’t know what to do to protect their eye health. School is not teaching them what to do to help their eye health. Some children mentioned that there are many classmates have eye problem in school. They all love to play outside but depends on thier parents’s time table. Some children mentioned their parents don’t have time to take them out, only weekend they can go outside play.Children loves to watch TV, most of this age they watching TV after school and some play ipad.
doctors and tearchers Raise awareness of children’s eye health care is a really important part of helping prevent the onset of myopia. And educate parents on eye health care first so they can help their children take care of their eyes on a daily basis. In order to prevent children from developing myopia, we need to address eye health education while they’re young. Correcting many misconceptions on myopia and eye health is really important for eye health education. If schools teach children about taking care of their eyes, it will further benefit the children. Schools don’t have any eye health education for children. Most schools focus on body development more than eye development. Schools only do eye examinations once a year and have outdoor activities twice a day for 1 hour each time.
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A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
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Exploration
EXPLORATION
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
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Exploration
VISUAL RESEARCH
Visual research helped me figure out what kind of visual direction is best suited to eye health educational outreach and will also effectively influence my audience.
Set up the style Health: bright, happy, vivid, and lively. Children aspect: Illustrations, a monster, and colors. Simplistic information for parents: an infographic and an icon.
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Exploration
SCHEMATIC DEVELOPMENT
Combining all of my research, I planned out a system to help me reach my objective. In order to fully solve the problems regarding education on eye health, I set up three directions to approach my goal. First is the home, which includes daily activities and is where much time is spent.. Second is the medical center where pediatricians and eye specialists can provide information to parents and children directly. Last, but not least, is the school yard, which is a place of learning and studying. This structure will cover all of these areas to effectively deliver my information. The schematic stage is where the concept and brainstorming materials were developed.
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
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Exploration
Naming Terms related to eye health: I wanted the name to link to eye health, while also having a “cute� feel. Therefore, I played around with words related to our eyes.
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
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Exploration
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
BLINK
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Exploration
LOGO EXPLORATION I decided to call this project BLINK®. The name contains a function of our eyes that also results in temporary rest for our eyes. The final mark was developed from the name BLINK®. I took the letter B and combined it with eyes to create the logo, which also makes it more child-oriented, linking my project to children’s eye health.
B Letter B
Two eye balls
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
Final mark
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Exploration
2x
2x
3x
x
x 2x
2x
Logo structure The primary logo structure. There should always be at least 2x amount of space around the logo at all times. This will help make logo usage consistent.
2x
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
2x
2x
2x
2x
When there is not enough vertical space available for the primary stacked logo. Then the horizontal logo should be used.
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Exploration
BRAND COLOR
The colors of BLINK速 represent a fun and healthy feeling. Blue creates a healthy look and feel. Orange and yellow add a happy and playful feel.
Primary color
Secondary color
HEX #BFE3DC
HEX #32404D
HEX #F5DE33
HEX #F26633
HEX #42ADAC
HEX #F0F2CB
R
64
R
243
R
189
R
51
R
247
R
210
G
174
G
245
G
227
G
65
G
226
G
94
B
173
B
203
B
220
B
78
B
52
B
50
C
70
C
5
C
25
C
80
C
5
C
10
M
10
M
0
M
0
M
60
M
5
M
75
Y
35
Y
25
Y
15
Y
50
Y
90
Y
90
K
0
K
0
K
0
K
40
K
0
K
5
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
Colors use in illustration
HEX
RGB
CMYK
#C96E28
203/111/140
16/65/100/4
#22AB4B
33/171/75
80/4/100/0
#72BD44
114/191/68
60/0/100/0
#C3D62F
196/216/46
28/0/100/0
#127582
18/1117/131
87/40/41/10
#158A99
21/136/154
83/31/34/3
#78BFDE
120/191/224
50/9/5/0
#D979B1
219/122/177
10/64/0/0
#B3996D
181/156/110
30/35/64/2
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Exploration
TYPEFACE
There are three different typefaces in BLINKŽ. For parents, I use Gotham Narrow for the primary fonts and Homestead for the secondary. For children, I use Gotham Rounded to create a playful feel. It’s big and bold to help children read it clearly, making it good for their eyes.
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
Gotham Narrow for parents
ABCDEFGHIJKLM
1234567890
NOPQRSTUVWXYZ
,.?!^$%#*&/+-@
ab cd e fg h i j k lm nopqrstuvwxyz Gotham Rounded for children
ABCDEFGHIJKLM
1234567890
NOPQRSTUVWXYZ
,.?!^$%#*&/+-@
abcdefghijklm nopqrstuvwxyz Homestead secondary typeface for parents
ABCDEFGHIJKLM NOPQRSTUVWXYZ
1234567890 ,.?!^$%#*&/+-@
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Exploration
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
ILLUSTRATION EXPLORATION The illustrative look and feel is more of a graphic aspect. I did a lot of flat design illustration to build up a simple and easily understood graphic. It is fun and cute for children, while giving the parents simple, quick information.
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Exploration
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT For the character, I created a goofy monster to get the children’s attention. I did a lot research on different kinds of monsters and characters and also asked my illustrator friends to create this monster for me.
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
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Exploration
Other monster character for future use.
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
Final character: Blinky
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Design Solution
DESIGN SOLUTION
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
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Design Solution
CHILDREN’S EYE HEALTH PROGRAM A different concept to solving eye health problems BLINK® provides a way to understand eye health in children and methods to educate children on eye health care. We hope to help you bring better vision to your children from now on. The program includes information for parents, resources for teachers, and fun, interactive product for kids. BLINK® distributes educational kits to schools and child care centers. We also designed Blinky™, the Bluetooth monster, to further help you and your children. This product contains important information on common eye diseases and disorders, alongside warning signs for both children and parents. Most importantly, we work with Eye Health Medical Group, a nonprofit organization, to give you trusted and reliable information on eye health care.
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
Parents
Kids
Medical group
Home
School
Flyer poster
Blinky
Educational kit
A scheme of BLINK速 eye health program
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Design Solution
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Design Solution
BLINKY™ PRODUCTS
Blinky™ the bluetooth monster When kids are playing with their digital devices or watching TV, Blinky lets them know when their time is up so parents don’t have to. We help children use their eyes wisely by playing with Blinky, their Bluetooth monster.
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Design Solution
EYE HEALTH GUIDE FOR PARENTS The parents wanted easy guidance on eye health care Eye Health Guide is designed for Parents includes step-bystep guidelines to help parents understand eye health, as well as the BLINK速 program.
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
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Design Solution
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
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BLINKY FROM THE BLURRY PLANET
Children love monsters With the children’s book, Blinky from the Blurry Planet, I want to increase basic education on children’s eye health. This story will also help children interact more with the Blinky, the Bluetooth monster.
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A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
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A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
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BLINK APPLICATION
Simplistic, activities, healthy vision The Blink application is designed for parents to track their children’s activities that affect their eyes. Blinky was created to provide parents with a simple way to monitor their children’s activities while at home.
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
Plug in Current Time Status
Status
Personal Account
Timeline
plug out
Children's detail daily actitivies
Personal info setting.
Connect to Blink
Messages Typing messages and send to devices
Learn how to..
Setting
Stickers
Statistics Chart to show children's actitivies in day, week and month
voice Recording voice memo and send to Blink
Blinky
Devices Pair up
disconnect
Connect the Discnnect new sticker the sticker
body Giving command on different movement or facial expression
TV
Computer
Setting the time to turn off TV
Setting the time to change to sleep mode
Wirefram of the application
Status Checking the rest sticker's status
Others Setting the time to lock tablet or more devices
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A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
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A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
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BLINK application
Design Solution
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
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BLINK INSTRUCTIONS GUIDE
Step by step instructions This instructions guide is designed for parents to understand how to use Blinky. From the product specs to the step by step instructions. It also gives parents information where to download application and rest of details.
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
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WEBSITE
Interactive experience BLINK’s® website aims to help parents and educators learn more about eye health. They can also purchase products that we design, such as Blinky™ and the educational kit. The website allows parents to connect their accounts with their children’s to see the overall dashboard on their children’s activities with Blinky, the Bluetooth monster.
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
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A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
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A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
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EYE HEALTH EDUCATION FLASH CARDS
Schools are the place for education This education tool contains three different environments to give children an overall lesson on keeping good vision and eye health. I use images to explain what they need to know in order to help them to understand their eyes and common vision problems.
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
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MEDICAL GROUP FLYERS
Working with specialists BLINK® works with Eye Health Medical Group to raise awareness for children’s vision problems, especially concerning myopia. Therefore, with the help of Eye Health Medical Group, I hope to better promote awareness of eye health issues in children. I created a flyer to give away to parents when they visit their pediatricians or eye doctors. Parents can get a glance at the BLINK® program and learn basic information about eye health.
A Graduate Graphic Design Thesis by Chun Wen Tai
E
ACKNOWLEDGEMWNT
To my family an friends Thanks all the people for supporting and helping me complete BLINK. Thanks my family and friends for supporting me all these four years. You guys help me go through the frustration when I have doubts. and share my happi-ness when I complete many though tasks. Mom, dad, vivian, Chi Chi, Aj, Yen, Sean, Michelle, Wei, Paul, Carlie, KD, and all my friends who helped and supported me in this journey. I love you all.
To instructors And thank you Michele Ronsen for helping me go through all the concepts and ideas for complete this project. Mary Scott, Phil Hamlett, Carolina De Bartolo, Bob Slote, Ariel Grey, thank you all for pushing me when I almost give up.