“ The grid system is an aid, not a guarantee. It permits a number of possible uses and each designer can look for a solution appropriate to his personal style. But one must learn how to use the grid; it is an art that requires practice. ” Josef Müller-Brockmann.
The grid system in graphic design is a way of organizing content on a page, using any combination of margins, guides, rows and columns. It is commonly seen in newspaper and magazine layout with columns of text and images. Basically, When starting a project or even just practicing, try using a grid system to help position the elements of your design on the page. Grid can easily basic on line to line; columns to columns, also can be as complex as you wish. However, breaking out of the grid can lead to the most interesting layout design but it could confuse your audience viewing points. Therefore, I have creative very simple design of grid to start with, and then began to add more line and columns to make it interesting, then I realise my grid start losing the focus point. So I have decided to stick with my simple grid design with this project.
Design a set of stamps as means of encouraging consumers to make positive environmental changes and educate future generations with regards to energy conservation, low impact transport, zero carbon housing, and reducing water over consumption.
POSTAGE STAMPS BRIEF B WORLD WITH FUTURE
Much of the Royal Mail stamp programme commemorates the past – anniversaries of events and achievements, as well as birth dates of great individuals throughout history. This design brief is about looking forward; to making sure that our future is bright and that the resources of the planet are used responsibly. According to research by WWF, globally, people are using about 25% more natural resources than the planet can replace. In the UK, we consume three times our fair share of the earth’s natural resources. To continue on that path is not sustainable. The goal is to produce stamps that change the mindsets of the consumer to undertake practical activities for the future and think of innovative ways to optimise energy and reduce waste in our day –to- day lives. The mantra to employ should be reduce, then reuse and only then recycle. Explore aspects such as energy conservation low impact transport, ecofriendly products, zero-carbon housing, reducing water over-consumption, and educating the next generation for a stronger future. Use the stamp as a means of encouraging consumers to make changes from today onward.
I have chosen to design a set of stamp of Brief B – World with a Future as I think this is very meaningful project. We are facing the biggest issue of the world which is global warming. Before I started this project I have asked myself few question to encourage me to find the light in this brief and make sure what would be my final outcome. Questions: 1: Who is the target audience? And why? Children over 6+, they are starting learn new things and try to understand how does the world works in reality, this wil be the best opportunity to educate the right knowledge of save the world with every little green.
CONTEXT
2: What is the important message you are going to show? Encouraging people to make positive environmental change and educate future generation. 3R – Reduce / Reuse / Recycle. 3: How are you going to educate future generation? I will show them about the problems of environment we have at the moment, also teach them how they can do things to change and save the world in positive way. 4: Where are you going to start this project? I will started of researching the local enrolment company and government activities, also will go out and see what damaged have we done in this generation, and what government have done to reduce the problems. 5: Why do we need to save the world? We all living in the same planet – the world and we all facing different pollutions and problem in the same time, so we must find a better solution to reduce the problems right now also start to educate the future generation to help stopping the issue we have. This is our own responsibility of this issue that we are facing.
Research into News I research into different type of news paper or internet report about the pollution of London in 2011, to start with this project we need to find out that what is the main issue we are facing at the moment, then we need to find a position solution to deal with it.
The most powerful and easy solution to reduce the air pollution in London would be taking public transport such as Train, Tram, Tube, and Bus or on foot instead driving your own vehicle everyday. First of all, if you take public transport instead of driving will help you to save time as low risk to stuck in traffic and spend less money in petrol and gas. Mainly, it will decrease daily air pollution. Which is very beneficial for environment, our nature and us.
UK households produced 30.5 million tonnes of waste in 2003/04, of which 17% was collected for recycling (source: defra.gov.uk). This figure is still quite low compared to some of our neighbouring EU countries, some recycling over 50% of their waste. There is still a great deal of waste which could be recycled that ends up in landfill sites which is harmful to the environment. - 24 million tonnes of aluminium is produced annually, 51,000 tonnes of which ends up as packaging in the UK. - Each UK family uses an average of 500 glass bottles and jars annually. - Recycled paper produces 73% less air pollution than if it was made from raw materials. - 12.5 million tonnes of paper and cardboard are used annually in the UK. - 275,000 tonnes of plastic are used each year in the UK, that’s about 15 million bottles per day.
I have designed a set of stamps that remind people of we are facing a huge environment issue that we need to deal with it positively together. Those stamp show what solution choice we have and what can we do, also educate our audience how to important recycle is to our environment, and beneficial to us.
Benefit of Recycle - Up to 60% of the rubbish that ends up in the dustbin could be recycled. - The unreleased energy contained in the average dustbin each year could power a television for 5,000 hours. - The largest lake in the Britain could be filled with rubbish from the UK in 8 months. - On average, 16% of the money you spend on a product pays for the packaging, which ultimately ends up as rubbish. - As much as 50% of waste in the average dustbin could be composted. - Up to 80% of a vehicle can be recycled. - 9 out of 10 people would recycle more if it were made easier.
Research into Wasted water issue. As the globe’s temperature rises and the earth’s weather patterns go haywire, water is quickly becoming a hot topic in the US and elsewhere. Floods are sweeping through new areas, while others are drying out faster than ever. We’ve long had the luxury of holding a cavalier attitude about the water we use, and more often than not that attitude has led us to unnecessary waste and pollution of our water. Surprising facts on wasted water: 1. Americans now use 127 percent more water than we did in 1950. 2. About 95 percent of the water entering our homes goes down the drain. 3. Running the tap while brushing your teeth can waste 4 gallons of water. 4. Older toilets can use 3 gallons of clean water with every flush, while new toilets use as little as 1 gallon.
Save Water; Save Nature
Save Water; Save Money
Save Water; Save Future
My first stamp designed was unsuccessful as it is low content and very basic message that I can bring it into our audience, so I have create the second stage of Stamp project which inspired by the Tree of Life Web Project. The Tree of Life Web Project is a collection of information about biodiversity compiled collaboratively by hundreds of expert and amateur contributors. Its goal is to contain a page with pictures, text, and other information for every species and for each group of organisms, living or extinct. Connections between Tree of Life web pages follow phylogenetic branching patterns between groups of organisms. My concept is very simple and straight forward to delivery my message to my audience, which is what many animal in the world are live with tress and how would they be if they live without tress. There are so many animals live in trees as a safe place away from predators on the ground. Such as owl, monkey, snake, brides and squirrel etc.
Tree of Lives I took two type of animal as my design object, which are Woodpecker and squirrel as they are cute and easy to sketch also they are well done tress living animals.
These design shown they will be homeless with tress, just like us cannot live without roof on our house. People shouldn’t be too selfish and over hunt tree just for our own good, animals need tress as much as we need it. It maybe takes one day to hunt down one tree but it could take ten year to grow a healthy tree; one tree maybe not enough to build us a house but one tree defiantly can let ten animal family to live together. We should rethink about it before we hunt down the next tree.
This retake unit given me a chance to think carefully what kind of work will suitable for me to design and help me to build up my jobseeking portfolio. I am very enjoying the second stage of stamp design, which is really enjoyable and allowed me to express my imagination throw the illustration design. I didn’t spend too much time on re design my first stamp creation, as I do not think there is much point tried to cover up my failure. I rather do something better and looking forward positively then look bad and feel guilty. However, I do not have enough time to finished a new set of stamp but hopefully my audience can see my concept about tree of life where I am trying to go to and understanding what I am trying to explain to people.
Design a medical device or product for carrying medicine whose portability promotes compliance and enhances the life of the patient. Background
MOBILE MEDICINE
The rapid growth of personal medical devices and the need to take prescribed and preventative medication is transforming the health care industry. More and more people take medication as part of their daily lives as outpatients or monitor and treat their own symptoms with personal medical devices such as blood glucose monitors, insulin pumps, adrenaline injectors and many others. Despite these factors, non-compliance is still a major issue and there can be a perceived stigma around using personal medical devices or taking medication outside the home or personal space. Yet, for many people, it is an urgent and often life-saving necessity to carry medical devices and dispense medication on a regular basis. In addition, in developing countries in particular, there is often an acute need to carry one’s medicine because of more urgent medicine conditions or it may not be safe to leave medication at home or in the workplace.
I really think this is a very interesting brief that design something or products to make it easier for people to carry their medication. I personally had issue bring medicine around in school when I was young, so I definitely know how it feel that it could make some people quite comfortable. I have target that who will be my forces audience, how easily they can use it and would they use my designs at all. So I have targeted my audience is everyone who need to carry their medicine all the times or anytime, so my design have to suitable for any gender and generation.
CONTEXT
I came up with two different ideas; first of all we always need to take medicine by looking different times and we often seems to forget take our medicine on time as we all living in this crazy city life style. However, I do believe people no matter who ages, they at least have one mobile on hand. So mobile phone alarm would be our best time reminder. I have design a medicine phone case for everyone (I used iPhone in this case for my design), which is very easy to carry, simple to use, and we can make sure we will take our medicine on time. Secondly, I think very carefully of what do people do when they are taking medicine? Of course it will be drinking will go with medicine need. So I have design a special medicine Flask that you can put your medicine in the bottom of the flask. I was thinking what if people really do not have mobile phone then my first design will be useless, in comparison the Flask maybe a bit more useful then the mobile phone case. Also flask is very economic and affordable. My designs are very useful and cover different generation and gender audience. Also they are very simple, easy and no confusion to use.
Companies Research - Retail Companies
L’OREAL Loreal is the biggest cosmetic retail company in world wide and non-stop expending their business. They always delivery the best quality service but the lower price to product to customer, that is why I am very desperate willing to work with them. First of all, because they are very large company so it means I will have higher chance and opportunity to get in, as I know the company already that they always have training course for their employee to improve their skin and develop to better levels.
Millivres Proler Group Millivres Proler Group is the largest gay company in retails industry, they provide so many work experience and job opportunity as I know it from my friend who are currently working with them, as not that many people would like to work in this kind of industry so there are even more chance I can get into it as I very open minded person. However, I need to be very knowledgeable of their customer taste and movement, which I hardly know anything about it and this, is my weakness point. But hopefully I can make up my skill and technique to prove in can stand a chance to work for them.
Qualifications
I have done some photo shoot project before which I did not really think it could be useful for my future career use. However photography are very important for what kind of job I am looking for as I would love to work in retail industry, because they are non stop expending and always needed new blood to develop their company marketing.
I experience the use of light and colour in last projects and I used Tim Walker photoshoot technique to create some interest story line and story lighting effect that help to show off the shape of feminine body and clearly show off the location setting. Although I was basic on Tim Walker style but I did put into my thought and time make it to my own style, I have done all the hair, make up and style each model in different set. It is very important for designer to understand the concept of the shoot and the basic knowledge of the use of light and camera set up. I do believe most of the company wanted to get the minimum staff to work with but getting the biggest result, which I have retails, fashion and art background would really help me to get a better chance to work for them.
I have experience and given a example of poster design that shown I may have the skill and quality to work for retail companies that I was searching for. However, my poster are not as good the original L’Oreal design, but I just want to prove the point that I have potential to work for them and willing everyone can give me a chance to learn and develop my skill.
Goal
Bussiness Plan to get a better job I am working for Kiehl’s L’Oreal as part time job at the moment, but I am planning to become a full timer which contract 5 days a week, as I really want to work with L’Oreal which I explained why I wanted to work with them in my previous pages. However, I will also study part time Luxury Branding Managements course in university as well as I am planning to become a part of the marketing team member in L’Oreal, which they needed people who have business and marketing; retails; art and design; fashion and creative background. At the moment, I know that I am not good enough for any company as a PR, but I am willing to learn and try to become what they needed and looking for. Although I already have a job but I want to get a better job and process to become higher position, I always aim high in my plan and try to achieve as much as possible, as I am loving the reward felling deep inside my soul. I personally believe knowledge is power, and power can get your wish and needed.
References www.kiehls.co.uk (Accessed 10th March 2012) www.loreal.jobs/ (Accessed 10th March 2012) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grid (Accessed 7th March 2012) http://tolweb.org/tree/home.pages/abouttol.html (Accessed 7th March 2012) http://www.water-guide.org.uk/ (Accessed March 2012) http://www.recycling-guide.org.uk/ (Accessed March 2012) http://www.electricity-guide.org.uk/ (Accessed March 2012)
Evaluation and Conclusion I am very thankful and happy that I have given the second chance for my submission. I do very enjoy every moment of it although it takes longer then I expect. However, I start to realise something need to hard work to get and university degree is in my top list. Maybe I start late, but hope it is not too late to realise that I was a complete fool. I understand better about the meaning of External Positioning, which really help me to guide myself to clearly career direction and explain and shown what do I need and do to get any job position in the future. My cover design was used one of my stamp design to recreate a cover as I was stuck in cover design for so long, so I just used the squirrel drawing as my cover in the end. Cover can be anything, as long as it’s your design and shown people what is your style of works, it is really simple as that. In this whole project, only one thing that I have done and I am not happy with is the Mobile Medicine brief which I am running out of time and do not have chance to do anything about it at all, as I think I should focus on my time management better. However, I honestly feel more positive of my future than I was before in last term as I was upset and so negative last term as I had non stop issue with my family, but Sallyanne teach me how to turn my negativity into positive energy which I need to thank her so much for doing this to me. I am very please of all my support I had from my tutors.