Ambient ® Ambient ® Ambient ® Ambient ® Ambient ® Ambient ® Ambient ® Ambient ® Ambient ® Ambient ®
Contents 01 Pro 03 Music format to split? and mood 11 B 15 Music USBs 21 Alterna psychology 29 Pills packaging 37 Box format psychology 41 Exp 43 Photoshoot
oject reasoning 07 How 09 Music Brain states 17 Drugs atives 27 Colour
33 Branding 39 Shape periments 49 References
As anxiety and depression are a major issue in many people’s life, any project that could help manage and deal with it on a daily basis is worthwhile. Even though there is circumstantial evidence proving the calming benefits of ambient music, packaging it into an artefact or set of artefacts that are desirable, informative and attractive has not been done - unfortunately, the public are missing out. Linking the imagery, visual cues and typography on the packaging to the music is the most important component to the project, allowing the users to have a proper representation of the music/ medicine before listening.
Project Reasoning
2016 Music Report Vinyl: 5% Digital: 45% Streaming:19% CD: Dying
music format
vinyl
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digital cd
As a musical medium, the vinyl record initialised the trend of easily bought and played, physical music. This eventually led on to the CD, which became ubiquitous, appearing in most households. The CD is a fantastic physical form, allowing for the music, a method of beautifully displaying artwork, and also accompanying booklets if needed. The number of CDs has been declining rapidly, with vinyl records taking the CD’s place. Digital media has boomed, totalling 49% of the market, with all physical media at 39% (IFPI, 2016). With this in mind, it made sense to travel down a digital route for music format, but keeping in mind the importance of the physical and the tactile elements.
How to split? From the preliminary research, the benefits of ambient and calming music for wellbeing were well and truly discovered: 9.7% of people in Britain will suffer from mixed depression or anxiety (Bassil, 2015), which is a large statistical number of people (approximately 6.2 million). With treatment for these disorders tending to be symptomatic, listening to music can be an immediate remedy to help. Ambient music actually pushes the brain into the “ambient mode�, allowing the listener to be immersed in the calm soundscapes of the music, whilst still being conscious and grounded in the real environment (Jaaniste, 2007).
With this research in mind, it was assumed that each ‘medicine’ would be attributed to one of these ailments. However, attributing a (truly) non-medical product to a specific medical condition could be stigmatic. Instead of marketing each ‘medicine’ as ‘for anxiety’/’for depression’, etc, a better way needed to be thought of to authentically split each genre up. Using mental issues or disorders as a method of categorisation wouldn’t work. By looking further into the effects of music on the brain, the scientific function behind music affecting the brain could be used, and assist with splitting the genres of music for an easy method of classification.
Music affects mood With mental disorders ruled out, the next step was to find a suitable alternative to splitting and arranging the music.
Listening to positive, uplifting music stimulates brain circuits and can By bringing it back a level, release Oxytocin, different music affects providing that “warm mood, emotion, and can and fuzzy feeling� that increase the serotonin can sometimes come levels in the brain from favourite music. (Goldstein, 2016). Memory, especially in the case of Alzheimer’s patients, can be stimulated via certain familiar songs from the past. Alternating between loud volumes and silence can help with attention, pushing the listener to anticipate the upcoming music and engaging with the task at hand (Goldstein, 2016).
Relaxation, visualisation, creativity. A more relaxed state allows an increase in awareness, expanding creative thinking and reducing stress.
Alertness, concentration, cognition. A sharp and focused mind allows for quick connections and efficient problem solving.
Meditation, intuition memory. Almost, but not quite sleep area. Inspiration on the edge of subconsciousness, great for super-learning.
Detached awareness, healing, sleep. Associated with deep sleep and regeneration, delta is the brainwave of the subconsciousnes.
Brain States
alpha beta theta delta Musical rhythm and vibrations affects the brain and the state of mind. By adjusting the bpm and melodic frequency of music, the brain can sync to adjust, changing brainwaves and thereby changing emotions. Every brain is unique, but the frequency of brainwaves has been documented and split into four distinct brain states.
Genres
trip hop electronic chill/lounge soundscapes With the four brain states being solidified as a method of categorising the music, the next step was to attribute a genre music to each of them. The genre and mood of the music will influence the colours and shaped involved in the design, allowing for a visual representation of the music.
Similar + different
With the only fundamental set part to the artefact so far being a USB, the forms it could take could vary. To keep it relevant to medicine, the design needed to have a pharmaceutical form, how that form would be was undecided. It’s also important to note that the USB had to be hidden inside a designed artefact rather than leaving it naked.
Acetaminophen Adderall Alprazolam Amitriptyline Amlodipine Amoxicillin Ativan Atorvastatin Azithromycin Cannabis. Ciprofloxacin Citalopram Clindamycin Clonaze-
pam Cocaine. Codeine Crack. Cyclobenzaprine Cymbalta Doxycycline Ecstasy Gabapentin Heroin. Hydrochlorothiazide Ibuprofen Lexapro Lisinopril Loratadine Lorazepam Losartan
Lyrica Mandrax Meloxicam Metformin Methamphetamine Metoprolol Naproxen Omeprazole Oxycodone Pantoprazole Prednisone Tramadol Trazodone Viagra Wellbutrin Xanax Zoloft
Common drugs Looking at USB pill forms that are recognisable to convey the appropriate mood and emotions inside. There was an attempt to make this a social commentary on the purveyance of drugs as aids, and by filling it with ‘music’, could achieve a similar outcome than with the actual pharmaceutical. The chosen pill USB shapes were different enough to be easily visually picked out by shape, but also similar enough to fit in the same outer box packaging size.
tablets renders (blend into background colour)
didn’t fit and why Testing the pills in the form of CAD modelling showed that the forms were too chunky, especially when taking into account the USB will be inside somewhere, and this object will be sticking out of a computer. The main issue was that although similar, they weren’t cohesive and didn’t appear to be part of the same brand. On top of this, there would need to be a lot of machining and workshop time to produce to a good quality, which would increase costs spectacularly, as well as taking plenty of time.
Alternati
ives
After looking at possible options for pill shaped USBs and seeing that none of the tablet-type forms could work, one pill in particular stood out. The pill itself comprises of two halves - a hollow section filled with balls (the medicine), and a solid, coloured section encasing everything. Including this type of design style into the USB pill format could allow for coherence throughout, but changing up colours or materials could allow for the individual differences needed.
Texture The Adderall-type pill differs from the other tablettype pills, in the way that it contains a hollow, which can be filled with stuff objects, colours, anything can be filled inside. The potential is great, and could better represent the moods and brain states that had previously been chosen.
For some of the brain states, it turned out to be an obvious choice which texture to put, i.e. Delta waves (sleep, healing) could be small, cotton wool balls that represent softness and sleep. The issues arose when trying to find small objects to firmly represent the other brain states, without making a loose, meaningless connection.
A major issue is that the texture inside the hollows of each pill would not be felt by the hands. It would be a tactile medium, but locked away behind transparent plastic. As a visual stimulus, it would still work, but there is a potential to cause confusion with people using the USB’s who think that these textures are meant to be touched.
Solid To avoid making spontaneous, loose connections to fill in the hollows for ‘texture’, the idea was scrapped and replaced with simple, coloured balls. This allowed for all of the pills together to be fully cohesive when viewed as a whole, but also retain their individuality. To refer to each brain state, the colours, shapes and patterns would be carefully considered, using colour and shape psychology methods, to ensure correct classification.
Colour Psychology beta Alertness, concentration, cognition Reds and oranges. Evokes: Playfulness, energy, vibrancy.
theta
Meditation, intuition memory. Blues. Evokes: Healing, soothing, relaxing.
With the mood of each brain state locked down, it was a relatively straightforward process to assign a divisive colour to each. This allows for visual confirmation of each pill, instead of having to listen to it to understand.
alpha Relaxation, visualisation, creativity. Yellows. Evokes: Happiness, friendliness, creativeness.
delta
Detached awareness, healing, sleep Purples. Evokes: Intuition, spirituality, calmness.
Pills Constructing and building the pills involved a lot more effort and planning than initially thought. To achieve the hollow effect filled with balls inside initially involved complex boring and cutting away at material, but the final outcome would be too large (approx. double the size in the image). With some searching, small cases were discovered that were hollow, small and thin enough, allowing balls to fit inside in a much smaller profile than previously. To differentiate between each pill, the hollow was filled with different coloured balls, while the opposite end cap was sprayed the same colour. The USB was mounted inside, and removing the solid, coloured cap allows access for the user inside. To truly give it the aesthetic of a pill, transfers on the side of each pill show the type/mood (alpha, beta, theta, delta) and the length of the music as the dosage.
Foil packaging To further improve the experience of opening and using these musical USB pills, there needed to be another interaction instead of having them loose inside an outer box. Taking direct inspiration from medication and how pills are packaged, it made sense to incorporate a form of foil packaging for the pills to be in. As an extra interaction point, the pills are inside the plastic outer packaging, sealed in with a foil coating. When the pill/music needs to be used, it’s popped out from the packaging, giving it a single use, discovering feel. Of course, the pill can still be kept in the packaging inside the box, but this adds another level of tactile and physical interaction with the music.
Brand Ambian Ambium Ambient ÂŽ Ambixan Ambiene Ambience Ambiyene Ambicillin Ambiexine Ambiin
Most medical products are sold under a trade name/brand, e.g. Diazepam is sold as Valium/ But to the general public, they’re synonymous. To further build on the medical side to this project, using simply ‘music’ wouldn’t do. As the music revolves around the effects of ambient music, a play on the word ‘ambient’ was a good starting point for a brand name. After research into common drug suffixes and looking at trying to make a medical sounding name (Ambien is already a drug brand in the US), the best option turned out to just be the word ‘Ambient’. No messing about, just pushing across the meaning in the best and most obvious way as possible.
Type The type of the outer packaging is important to truly capture the clinical and sterile feeling of a medical product. Most, if not all medicine packaging is sans-serif - clean and black text. To ensure that the design echoes this mentality, three of the most well known typefaces were investigated to find which was the most applicable. Even though it’s famous for being commonly used, Helvetica was used in this case for its Black Oblique font (Ambient Ž) which injects a little personality into the notoriously sterile font.
Box format
The ultimate goal of this project is to have a piece of packaging that would not look out of place in a medicine cabinet, yet look fitting on a shelf too. To do this, current medicine packaging was investigated (both prescription and over the counter) to see what common features there are. While there are some funky methods of packaging, the majority of medicine products are simply boxed or in tubs. As there’s only one pill in each box and tubs are used for tens to hundreds of pills, the logical conclusion is to use a box. The primary features on a box are the header text with the brand name and medicine type, along with a pattern, or form of artwork. Whereas these appear to be random and meaningless, this project will have thought behind the patterns.
Shape Psychology beta Alertness, concentration, cognition Squares/angles. Evokes: Strength, power, reliability
theta
Meditation, intuition memory. Soft curves. Evokes: Happiness, pleasure, generosity
The colours of the brain states were sorted, but for the patterns there needed to be recurring shapes throughout. Combining the colours previously and the new shapes should provide a design that echoes well the contents of the packaging.
alpha Relaxation, visualisation, creativity. Angular. Evokes: Energy, dynamic, lively
delta
Detached awareness, healing, sleep Circles. Evokes: Care, affection, compassion.
Experiments Trial experiments into patterns for outer packaging, including the shapes and colours that were researched previously. None of these patterns were used, the reason for this being either too abstract, or too little going on. While the type throughout the box sterile and cold, the pattern is an opportunity for a more fun and illustrative piece of design to take place. While making these patterns, it became apparent that there were many similarities between each of the chosen brain states. A good example is between ‘alpha’ and ‘beta’, where the orange merges into yellow. While an accident, this does make sense as both brain states do merge from one to another.
5
0 1 7 3 5 3
1 tab 46 mins
5 0 4 9 0 1 >
Affix dispensing label here
Affix dispensing label here
This tablet will help relieve symptoms of: Anxiety Stress from daily working life Bad life choices Helping with learning difficulties Sleep deprivation Relaxation Stiffness on the dance floor Poor music taste
To open: Push tablet through foil, then tip tablet out. Store in original packaging.
00000002
Expiry Date:
07/2016
Batch No:
00000001
Expiry Date:
07/2016
The other ingredients are: dedication, inspiration, sucrose, creativeness, passion, caffeine, raw talent, sleepless nights, Titanium Dioxide (E171).
What is in this medicine: The active ingredient is: a 68 year old man with a synth.
Best served chilled
Doses: Adults and children over 12 years: Use once, twice daily or as recommended by student. Consume preferably after wine or similar. Children under 12 years: Definitely recommended Do not take anything else containing audio while taking this medicine.
Ambient 39 minute audio tablets Each tablet contains 39 minutes digital audio Tablets for aural use. Please read the information leaflet before taking this medicine
1 tab 39 mins
Batch No:
The other ingredients are: dedication, inspiration, sucrose, creativeness, passion, caffeine, raw talent, sleepless nights, Titanium Dioxide (E171).
What is in this medicine: The active ingredient is: a 68 year old man with a synth.
Best served chilled
This tablet will help relieve symptoms of: Anxiety Stress from daily working life Bad life choices Helping with learning difficulties Sleep deprivation Relaxation Stiffness on the dance floor Poor music taste
1
Doses: Adults and children over 12 years: Use once, twice daily or as recommended by student. Consume preferably after wine or similar. Children under 12 years: Definitely recommended Do not take anything else containing audio while taking this medicine.
Ambient ®
alpha
For cognition, visualization and creativity.
To open: Push tablet through foil, then tip tablet out. Store in original packaging.
Ambient ®
beta 1 tab | 39 mins
Ambient ® PL/MA Holder: Made in Brunel Brunel University, Uxbridge London, UB8 3PH
PL 531/8008
Ambient 46 minute audio tablets Each tablet contains 46 minutes digital audio Tablets for aural use. Please read the information leaflet before taking this medicine
beta
1 tab 39 mins
5 0 4 9 0 2 >
Ambient ®
0 1 7 3 5 3
1 tab 46 mins
Ambient ®
beta
For stimulation, alertness and concentration.
5
alpha
Ambient ® PL/MA Holder: Made in Brunel Brunel University, Uxbridge London, UB8 3PH
PL 531/8008
Ambient ®
2
beta
Ambient ®
alpha 1 tab | 46 mins
alpha
5
0 1 7 3 5 3
1 tab 43 mins
5 0 4 9 0 4 >
Affix dispensing label here
Affix dispensing label here
This tablet will help relieve symptoms of: Anxiety Stress from daily working life Bad life choices Helping with learning difficulties Sleep deprivation Relaxation Stiffness on the dance floor Poor music taste
To open: Push tablet through foil, then tip tablet out. Store in original packaging.
00000003
Expiry Date:
07/2016
Batch No:
00000004
Expiry Date:
07/2016
The other ingredients are: dedication, inspiration, sucrose, creativeness, passion, caffeine, raw talent, sleepless nights, Titanium Dioxide (E171).
What is in this medicine: The active ingredient is: a 68 year old man with a synth.
Best served chilled
Doses: Adults and children over 12 years: Use once, twice daily or as recommended by student. Consume preferably after wine or similar. Children under 12 years: Definitely recommended Do not take anything else containing audio while taking this medicine.
Ambient 42 minute audio tablets Each tablet contains 42 minutes digital audio Tablets for aural use. Please read the information leaflet before taking this medicine
1 tab 42 mins
Batch No:
The other ingredients are: dedication, inspiration, sucrose, creativeness, passion, caffeine, raw talent, sleepless nights, Titanium Dioxide (E171).
What is in this medicine: The active ingredient is: a 68 year old man with a synth.
Best served chilled
This tablet will help relieve symptoms of: Anxiety Stress from daily working life Bad life choices Helping with learning difficulties Sleep deprivation Relaxation Stiffness on the dance floor Poor music taste
4
Doses: Adults and children over 12 years: Use once, twice daily or as recommended by student. Consume preferably after wine or similar. Children under 12 years: Definitely recommended Do not take anything else containing audio while taking this medicine.
Ambient ®
delta
For meditation, healing and sleep.
To open: Push tablet through foil, then tip tablet out. Store in original packaging.
Ambient ®
theta 1 tab | 42 mins
Ambient ® PL/MA Holder: Made in Brunel Brunel University, Uxbridge London, UB8 3PH
PL 531/8008
Ambient 43 minute audio tablets Each tablet contains 43 minutes digital audio Tablets for aural use. Please read the information leaflet before taking this medicine
theta
1 tab 42 mins
5 0 4 9 0 3 >
Ambient ®
0 1 7 3 5 3
1 tab 43 mins
Ambient ®
theta
For awareness, intuition and memory.
5
delta
Ambient ® PL/MA Holder: Made in Brunel Brunel University, Uxbridge London, UB8 3PH
PL 531/8008
Ambient ®
3
theta
Ambient ®
delta 1 tab | 43 mins
delta
References Art Therapy. (2015). Color Psychology: The Psychological Effects of Colors. [online] Available at: http://www.arttherapyblog.com/online/color-psychologypsychologica-effects-of-colors/#.WNx1K4UrKUl [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017]. Cvs.com. (2016). Xanax Treatment Drug Uses, Medication Forms. [online] Available at: http://www.cvs.com/drug/xanax/about-drug [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017]. Design-skills.org. (2007). Design Skills | The Psychology and Perceptions of Forms and Shapes. [online] Available at: http://www.design-skills.org/the_ psychology_of_forms.html [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017]. Drugsdetails.com. (2017). How long does Ecstasy stay in your system – Drug Details. [online] Available at: http://drugsdetails.com/how-long-does-ecstasystay-in-your-system/ [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017]. Feng Shui And Beyond. (2014). Color Psychology | Discover the meanings behind colors. [online] Available at: http://www.feng-shui-and-beyond.com/ color-psychology.html [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017]. Goldstein, B. (2017). 4 Surprising Ways That Music Changes Your Brain and Influences Your Mood. [online] Consciouslifestylemag.com. Available at: http://www.consciouslifestylemag.com/music-and-the-brain-affects-mood/ [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017]. Hirst, D. (2012). Enemy - Damien Hirst. [online] Damienhirst.com. Available at: http://www.damienhirst.com/enemy [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017]. LIVESTRONG.COM. (2010). The Effects of a Sleeping Pill Overdose. [online] Available at: http://www.livestrong.com/article/234224-the-effects-of-asleeping-pill-overdose/ [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017]. Staff, C. (2015). 12 colours and the emotions they evoke. [online] Creative Bloq. Available at: http://www.creativebloq.com/web-design/12-colours-andemotions-they-evoke-61515112 [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017]. The Drug Classroom. (2015). Adderall - The Drug Classroom. [online] Available at: https://thedrugclassroom.com/video/adderall/ [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017].