The Communication Survival Project Studio Project One Documentation Shreya Chakravarty PGDPD Graphic Design Semester 2 Batch 2011
THE COMMUNICATION SURVIVAL GUIDE Studio One Project A documentation
A Project By Shreya Chakravarty PGDPD Graphic Design Semester 2 Batch 2011 Guided By Rupesh Vyas
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THE COMMUNICATION SURVIVAL GUIDE Studio One Project A documentation
Typset in Fontin Sans Printed on 130 GSM Matt Cover on 240 GSM Sun White At Chaap Prints, Ahmedabad Cover Maran Photography Written and published by Shreya Chakravarty All Rights Reserved.
THE COMMUNICATION SURVIVAL GUIDE Contents
1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Understanding the Topic 8 1.2 Problem Identification 12 1.3 Proposed Solution 15
2. RESEARCH 2.1 At Communication Level 18 2.2 At User Level 26
3. DATA COLLECTION & CONTENT BUILDING 3.1 Language Format and Pre-requisites 34 3.2 Building and Selection Content 36 3.3 Icons and Colours 40 3.4 Decision of Language 44
4. EXPLORATIONS AND PROTOTYPES 4.1 Exploring Sizes and Formats 4.2 Executing Prototypes and working on feedback
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5. FINAL PROTOTYPE 5.1 The Final Prototype 62 5.2 Costing 67
6. FUTURE OF THE PROJECT
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7. PROJECT EXTRAS 7.1 The Blog 74 7.2 Project Diaries 76
8. PROJECT EXPERIENCES AND LEARNINGS
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9. REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY 82 10. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 83
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1.INTRODUCTION 1.1 Understanding the Topic 1.2 Problem Identification 1.3 Proposed Solution
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1.1 Understanding the TOPIC The brief was to create a publication on the given theme after discussion with faculty, classmates and a guide.
It was important that we all understood what exactly we were supposed to do. The theme that we all were supposed to work around was supposed to be decided by all of us in unison, and we could take the project any way we liked. But it was important that we come to a topic that we all decided on and agreed to.
Brainstorming -Level 1: AS A class After discussion within classmates and on the basis of votes, the theme ‘Travel and Environment’ was decided upon. A full brainstorming session was conducted with classmates that gave everyone an insight into what all could actually be looked at. A thorough session of the topic, what all it could relate to and what all was considered a part of it. Problems were thought of in our own minds, written down for clarity and then discussed further. There was also a segregation of topics, details within them as well as possible outcomes for the same. A world of words was in front of us, we needed to just pick up a topic and work towards it.
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Brainstorming -Level 2: SELF After getting a relatively fair idea of what all could be looked at within this vast topic, I took a couple of topics within topics and brainstormed within that framework. Some ideas that came into my mind, I decided to write them down and chart out exactly what could be done with them. Since I had a lot of prospective topics in mind, my guide advised me to give each of them.
Following the card system, where I detailed out what would be possible and keeping practical considerations in mind, as suggested by my guide, a choice was made.
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1. Brainstorming with the class
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2, 3,& 4. Segregations of the topic, with the class 5, 6, & 7. The card system with details
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8. Brainstorming and charting out main themes for myself
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1.2 PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION Identification of the problem, the need for addressing it and how to do the same.
A traveller is constantly learning. We as humans and then as Indians are always traveling, for leisure, for a break, for a new job, an interview or just for a getaway. More often that not, while traveling to a new place within India, there are language issues that crop up. There isn’t usually a universal language spoken while a traveller travels, and hence communication becomes a big problem and people get cheated, feel alienated and not a part of the place. Communication is often felt to be a toll to get through, and to feel part of the place, a language only helps. When one travels, often a language becomes a barrier to communicate with people and to a good traveling experience. Languages are complex codes that are used to communicate. A local language is primarily spoken by people who live in a particular area and follow a culture. It’s just the basics that sometime is required to get around in a place, know the culture and the general atmosphere of the city.
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HOW to address this ?
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A problem of this nature can be solved with an intervention that is not forced, and is a suggestion of sorts that helps one to simply understand how the language looks and sounds for someone who is entirely new to it.
9. Problem Identification - Looking at it objectively
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1.3 PROPOSED SOLUTION What is the proposed solution and who it is addressed to.
The solution that was thought of was to develop and design a Language Guide that caters to just the basic requirements in a given language, in a format that is comfortable with him to not get confused. To be able to figure how the particular language may sound and eventually help in a usual traveller scenario. It’s important to note that this is just a way to help people, it’s not an imposition of any sort.
Who is it addressed to? For anyone who likes to learn new languages and wants to know more about the language of a place.
WHAT Is it? It’s not a language guide or tutorial, it’s an attempt to get someone comfortable with the communication system that is usually followed in a place with respect to its language. It is aimed at introducing someone to just the basics required to communicate the necessary. It’s aimed to sensitise a traveller, introduce him to a new language and help them get through situations.
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2.RESEARCH 2.1 Communication Level 2.2 User Level
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2.1 THE COMMUNICATION LEVEL Looking at communication, how it functions, the Indian context of communication and language in India. Building scenarios at the same level to understand language needs.
Communication is derived from the Latin word “communis”, meaning to share. Communication requires a sender, a message, and a recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender’s intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast distances in time and space. The communication process is complete once the receiver has understood the message of the sender. The beauty of communication lies in the fact that one usually understands the environment and scenario of the conversation happening, irrespective of the fact it being visual or vocal. By the mere tone and voice modulation it’s comprehensible to any listener/ viewer the generic idea of the communication.
The Indian context of communication We Indians as a race are warm, friendly and like to talk. We believe in being heard and also listening patiently. We live in a society that cares, sometimes a little too much. This concern reflects in the way we speak, the diversity we have in our cultures, languages and everyday living.
Languages in India India is a country of languages. With English and Hindi, there are 22 official languages and almost 325 recognised spoken languages. Languages are also a sort of divider within the geographical boundaries of the country. There are overlaps of languages and a mix of them too.
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There is a huge North and South language divide, often causing inconveniences to both parties when traveling. Most Indians speak a language belonging either to the Indo-European (ca. 74%), the Dravidian (ca. 24%), the Austroasiatic (Munda) (ca. 1.2%), or the Tibeto-Burman (ca. 0.6%) families, with some languages of the Himalayas still unclassified. The SIL (Summer Institute of Linguistics) Ethnologue lists 415 living languages for India. The Indian constitution recognizes 22 languages as of now. But, almost each of these 22 languages, include different dialects or variations of that language. Besides these 22 languages, there are other languages which are recognized by the central government, but not as official languages. There are other languages which aren’t recognized by the central government. Some of the current State boundaries in India were based on the boundaries of the main Indian languages as recognized by the Indian constitution.Most of the main Indian languages have different dialects and variations, sometimes very different from each other. Hindi has more than 10 variations. The Hindi spoken in Rajasthan is different from the Hindi spoken in Bihar or the Hindi of Himachal Pradesh. Sometimes the different variations of a language are considered as separate languages with their own literature.
Hindi, the language is completely different from some of its dialects.
Looking at scenarios After brainstorming over why people travel, what are the reasons for one to travel within the boundaries of the country. My guide advised me to take up atleast two scenarios and build a traveller’s communication need around them. There were mainly four scenarios I was looking at. These were to cater to a generic travel scenario and how one would react. The specifications were of the traveller.There were four kinds of travellers I was looking at, with different purposes of travel. They were: 1. A Regular Leisure Traveller 2. A Business Traveller 3. A Job Seeker/ New Student 4. Someone who has just moved to a new place. I analysed every scenario carefully, to understand what the reaction of the traveller will be at that particular point. It was essential that I do this scenario building keeping in mind that I may not always hold true but in a usual situation, this is how they would take things forward and move ahead. I looked at the basic requirement and level of conversation.
Despite the different languages and dialects, most of the official languages speakers have developed a standard of speaking language which has become the accepted style of speaking for that language. Sometimes, like in the case of
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10. Indian Languages and their distribution
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11. Deatling out how travellers communicate 12. Languages, regions and kinds of travellers 13. The elements of Indian communication - wrt language
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14. The four scenarios
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15, & 16. The scenarios in detail
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Scenario 1 REGULAR TRAVELLER Arrives • Directions • Money
• Local transport • Directions • Basic Phrases • About Food • Finding a place to eat • Money • Local Numbers • Money • Numbers • Local transport • Directions
Scenario 2 BUSINESS TRAVELLER Arrives • Directions • Money
• Greetings • Gestures • Local Words • Information • Money • Directions • Greetings • Gestures Digitised Scenario 1 - Regular Lesiure Traveller Digitised Scenario 2 - Business Traveller
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Scenario 3 JOB SEEKER/ INTERVIEW WITH INSTITUTE Arrives Needs to get to the place
• Directions • Money
Catches local transport
• Bus Routes • Numbers
Interview
• Greetings
Food
• Directions • Money
Back to travel
• Directions • Public Transport
Scenario 4 JUST MOVED TO A NEW PLACE Arrives • Needs Help
• Greetings • Directions • Address • Money • Numbers • Local Transport • Numbers • Directions • Greetings • Gestures • Money • Everyday phrases Digitalised Scenario 3 - Job Seeker/ Interview with Institute Digitalised Scenario 4 - Just moved to a new city
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2.2 USER LEVEL Getting to know a potential user, existing users of similar publications. Visual referencing and the mechanics of how exactly this works.
I felt that it is extremely important to understand a user and anyone in general to whom something needs to be communicated as well as someone who is trying to communicate something. To understand my potential users better, I tried to focus and observe everyday patterns and ways of communication. I looked at body language, gestures and verbal communication. I also tried to understand how much one uses a local language to get things across and how much a foreign language is used.
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17. User Study Inferences
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Speaking to people, travellers and potential users To understand the scenario better, I decided to talk to people who travel on a regular basis, for any given purpose. I decided to talk to people and get their feedback the same way. At a primary level, getting information is very useful and one can be direct as well in asking the questions. I spoke to students, young people who work, employees of the Government and private agencies as well as leisure travellers. My questions were all based on travel and how one reacts to communication issues while traveling. Some of the questions included the basics things like how do people communicate, what problems do they face, how much of homework do they do before they leave. Some of the inferences, after speaking to different travellers across various contexts, gathered were as follows: • People don’t use language guides as much and they believe in asking. • Most travellers need help with money, and tend to get cheated with transport related issues.
After drawing the conclusions after my user survey, I can come to my inferences in the form that could be stated as:
How does an Indian traveller communicate? It could be said that the average Indian traveller usually follows these processes to communicate: • Asks around • Finds a local companion • Does a research about the place • Uses gestures • Tries to explain something with the help of people around These inferences are generic inferences made by me, and hold no particular reasoning or finding as final or judgmental.
REFERENCING PUBLICATIONS To understand what’s being done in this field, I started actively looking at the print media as well as online media. In the publication section, there were three basic kinds that I found: 1. The Language Guide, where one can learn how to speak a new language, an entire in-depth understanding learning. 2. The Travel Guides, that along with giving tips of travel, help here and there with a few basic phrases about a language 3. Phrase books that cater to specific topics for phrases in a particular language. eg: Lonely Planet Phrasebooks, Rupa Connect Series for Indian Languages.
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All these publications are in done in various formats and sizes and are quite easy to use, but can be heavily loaded with information at some points. Most of them cater to foreign languages, although a couple of Indian languages are catered to. There are websites that offer similar guidance for travellers to new places , through PDFs and online translations and transliterations. There are also travel blogs that help people to get to know a place better. They serve as personal platforms for people to share, socialize and comment on others’ travel experiences, problems and one-off solutions. There are also applications available for mobiles/ iPods that serve as language guides and phrase books. iTunes has an application called Language Translator. The android operating system also offers a variety of language based guide.
Visual Referencing I decided to simulatenously look at the kinds of publications done in a similar manner on the topic as well as formats of other kinds of publications, but those that would be similar to my end product. Looking at different formats of various publications done across topics ranging from travel guides: • Your Language Companion • Rupa Connect Series • Locus Travel Cards
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Possible Outcomes (MEDIA) At first various possible outcomes of this project were thought of, in terms of media and application. These were: • A guide in physical format • An e-book • An application for a smart phone • A voice based application. After much discussion with my guide, I decided to go ahead with the guide in a physical format. I felt that there was a need for this, because a lot of times, it’s better to refer to a physical form of data, thats allows easy accessibility and navigation for the information.
How WOULD THIS IDEALLY FUNCTION? What needed to be figured out next was that how exactIy the publication could be accessible, how would one figure out the format in terms of sources and destinations. After much discussion and thinking, it was figured that if you are a traveller to a new place, you pick up this guide at your destination. It works on a source-destination format. So basically you pick up the guide at the place you start from (since you know where you are headed ) or you can pick it up once you arrive at your destination and use it there.
PLACEMENT OF THE PUBLICATION The publication could be placed in such a way that it allows free flowing audience. From a railway station kiosk, to an on- flight jacket, an online version that could be downloaded when you book a ticket, the publication will have to be made available in a variety of media so that more and more people could use it.
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18, 19, & 20. Your English Language Companion
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21. (L to R) French To Go, a folded paper publication for learning basic French Locus Cards for Bandra and Kemps Corner, illustrated guides for travellers 22. Teach for India - A tri-fold brochure
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23. Rupa Connect Series (Malayalam) - a publication for helping traveling to learn a new Indian language 24. Inside pages of Rupa Connect Series (Malayalam) 25. The RGB 2012 handbook
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3. DATA COLLECTION & BUILDING CONTENT
3.1 Language Format & Pre-requisites 3.2 Content Building & Selection 3.3 Icons and Colours 3.4 Language Decision
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3.1 LANGUAGE FORMAT & PRE- REQUISITES The format of the language and setting some pre-requisites for the final publication.
After the research and scenario building, the next step for me was to collect the data as well as develop content simultaneously. It was understood that data collection and content development were two processes that could go on simultaneously along with putting the data on to paper. It was important that I also look at formats and layouts while I do this.
LOOKING AT A FORMAT It was important for the publication I was building on to follow a particular format, since I was catering to language, its basics and communication. There were a couple of things to be kept in mind: a) It has to be structured in a way that there is an easy translation. b) At no point, should the reader feel forced, or loaded with information. The question of confusion shouldn’t arise in his mind. c) The format of the language should be in such a way that he is able to naviagte without much confusion.
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Setting pre- requisites:
THE FORMAT
If there is a transliteration, it’s important to have a base language. Keeping my audience as a regular traveller/ businessman/student, the assumption is first made that of English, and then further of the second language. So a person who knows and reads atleast two of the given languages.
The format allows one to read in all three languages, along with the local script. It designed in such a way that either can be looked at, followed and then used.
What also needs to be understood is that it is difficult to teach someone a new language. Pronunciation is something that cannot be controlled. It’s just an introduction, not a forced way. The grammar in the transliteration also cannot be controlled, i.e., phonetically, especially for the local language.
This format was finalised after user testing.
Hence it is essential for a reader/ user to understand that something like a Communication Guide would only be able to help him to some extent to communicate in a new language.
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3.2 BUILDING & SELECTING CONTENT The decisions of data and content.
I initially started the content building exercise with forming various categories and writing the words and phrases that came under that heading. After that I referred to my scenarios and looked at what all came from there. After combining the two, I recategorised all the words and built a larger repository of words around these. My guide also asked me to come up with a whole repository of words, phrases, sentences, anything that would relate to travel and communication, in multiple languages simulatenously. This would enable me to futher choose what I wanted to use, based on the scenarios I had looked and the user study that I had done. After the collection of the data, i.e., words and phrases, in different languages, it was time to figure out what made sense and what was needed and what wasn’t.
Selection of content- how basic is basic It was extremely important for me to decide how basic was basic. A lot of my content was context based, so it was essential that I try and cater to the optimum level of different situations and be able to justify that this was the basic requirement and need, essential for survival.
NUMBERS AS THE FOCUS While collecting, building and selecting data, it was noticed a lot of things were connected broadly to the category ‘Numbers’ and this was something my guide said that could be the focus of the
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entire publication. Numbers in varied and many contexts would enable one to get a lot of information yet not confuse him too much. It was also decided to build further on the Numbers categories and look at it through the different contexts of Weight, Time, Money & Denomination and Identification. The process of building the content and data ended with the focus being on the category of numbers, followed by other categories.
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26. Building content across various categories 27.Detailing out the content
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SOME LIMITATIONS One of the few limitations that the project posed during the data collection and content building, was the point that even if someone talks a few words in a local language, they will face the problem of being talked to again in the same and they may not be able to get the point. Also, if they asked a question, they wouldn’t know what to expect back as the answer.
For the second point, it could be possible that the guide provided probable answers within the given categories and hence could be controlled. This could be done in a Question-Answer format if required.
THE FINAL DATA
The possible solution to the first point was the fact that the traveller must expect something of that nature to happen, but try and communicate that he knows just the basics and not the entire language. This could be done by the simple usage of ‘ I dont know Bangla.’
The selection of the final was done from the repository I had already built, this included all the data in various languages and under various categories and through different contexts. Although it was taken into consideration that data could be changed as I went along, the base for it was set. Hence after building the repository, I had to follow the process of elimination based on the question of How Basic is Basic.
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28. Building content across various categories 29. Problem Areas
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30. Looking at various contexts 31. Numbers in various languages 32. Categorising content across categories
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3.3 ICONS AND COLOURS Looking at building icons for the publication and colour categorisation.
Before the process of designing the drafts began, I felt it was important that the publication have a system sort of approach to it, in terms of the way it would be approached. There were two basic elements that I was keen to have:
1. COLOUR CODING Since the publication was to be based across categories and followed almost a basic system approach, one of the solutions to this could be a colour categorisation. This would enable every category of information to have a specific colour that would differentiate it from the others. This colour could be used all across the category according to different requirements of the content. The final colours I used for the various categories were decided upon the hierarchy and keeping the basic colours in mind as well as the reaction and association of the colours. I looked at signages and wall art to give me a reference.
2. BUILDING ICONS Along with the translation and the transliteration, it was important that the publication be supported with icons or pictograms that support the specific category of information. This would enable the reader to feel more connected to the content and comprehend the category better. It would be a better support for the information that the reader will be going through.
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33, 34, & 35. Wall paintings on a street in Chennai 36. Wall painting in Kolkata
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The process of building icons
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FINAL SET OF ICONS
Greetings
GREETINGS The icon represents the traditional Namaste used to greet people in India, in most parts of the country. It’s a universal sign of a formal hello. The colour red was chosen keeping in mind that it is the first category, hence the association of and combined with the symbol of namaste, the icon looks more traditional and ethnic.
Asking Questions
Directions
GETTING AROUND The category of getting around, has two sub-categories under it, the asking questions and directions. The icons are based on the idea of a question mark and the different directions that one can take. The orange colour was taken keeping the significance of it in Indian culture.
NUMBERS - CATEGORIES The category of numbers has various sub-headings under it, so each of them has its separate icon. The colour blue was chosen, keeping in mind that majority of the publication will be of numbers, hence the colours should be soothing. It was also seen that blue is one of the colours used in signage universally. Each category has an attribute based representation that would convey its meaning.
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Essentials
ESSENTIALS The icon for essentials was an attempt to get an attribute of attention and emergency. The green was chosen keeping in mind the importance of essentials.
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3.4 SELECTING A LANGUAGE The selection of language for the final publication.
While collecting data and building content, I worked on multiple langauges, so that I could understand how the language sounded and felt in terms of its usage. I also wanted to sensitise my own self and try and build skills that could enable me to learn new languages. This helped me a lot, as I could figure out the term for one word in more than two languages and at some point even control its pronunciation and learn it. But for the final publication, it was important that I initially work on a language with which I am particularly comfortable, atleast in the speaking sense. Since I have a working knowledge of English and Hindi,the local language I picked, would fit in my criteria pretty well. My mother tongue is Bangla, so it was decided between my guide and me to start with Bangla and then move on to other languages like Tamil, Gujarati etc. My focus on Tamil was because I had an earlier experience with the same and felt that it was a language rather difficult for someone new to learn. My current base is in Gujarat, hence the choice of Gujarati for a third one.
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37. A road sign board in Bangla in Kolkata 38. A shop signboard in Ahmedabad 39. A wall painted street in Chennai
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Building the content in various languages
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4. EXPLORATIONS & PROTOTYPES
4.1 Exploring Sizes and Formats 4.2 Executing Prototypes and Working on feedback
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4.1 EXPLORING SIZES AND FORMATS Looking at various possible sizes and formats for the publication.
For my content to fit into a physical publication format, it was important that I explored various sizes and formats. I decided to hand-write parts of my content to test how the format may or may not work. 1. The Piano Fold A single sheet that is folded simultaneously. Usually seen in brochures and flyers. 2. The Foldable Map Format A single sheet that is folded continuously and opens out to reveal complete information. Usually seen as maps. 3. The Booklet Format The information is placed in an orderely manner of continous pages.
Each of these fomats were carefully looked at, tested in terms of the content and user reaction. After discussion with my guide I made the decision of going ahead with the booklet format. This was because it would be the better manner in which information could be presented and accessed by a user, and be navigated comfortably.
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40. Foldable format exploration 41, 42, & 43. The Piano Fold exploration 44, & 45. The book format
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4.2 EXECUTING PROTOTYPES & WORKING ON FEEDBACK Quick prototyping and further enhancement of them based on feedback.
The execution was the next step. My guide has asked me to do this proactively while I selected and built the content. So I tried a couple of drafts initially to figure out what category could go where and how exactly would it fit. A skeleton structure was built initially, without the final information present but just as a category and probable information slot. I worked further in a three draft step, where I refined my execution based on the feedback I got from each draft. This was a process that worked well in my case, as with every draft I was at the liberty to add more information as well as look at other aspects as well. This step also involved the decision of the format of the language, which I had already worked on earlier.
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Draft 1: Basic layout - spacing and placement
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The first draft was designed to see how the content would fit in across different pages, what goes where, in what order and overall skeleton of the publication. The feedback recieved was to look at the basics of typography of the entire publication, layouting within it, looking at the hierarchy of the information, navigation within the publication, overall feeling spacing and the detailing of the icons and how they are placed. 46
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46. Draft 1- Cover 47. Draft 1- Numbers page 48. Draft 1- Greetings page. With suggested changes 49. Draft 1- Angular view
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Draft 2: Looking at details The second draft was designed based on similar lines with respect to size and basic layouting and placement of the content. The aspects of typography, backgrounds, colours, spacing were the main ones that were looked into. The feedback that was given was to look at navigation in the entire publication with respect to page numbers, how a user will recieve it, and the hierarchy of the content within the publication. 51
50. Draft 2 - Cover 51. Draft 2 - Introduction page
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52. Draft 2- Inside pages 53. Looking at the navigation in the publication
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Draft 3: Building and enhancing the experience of a user To involve the users’ experience and built it, by giving him something that he may like to look forward to, something that will make him open the book and sift through the pages. I decided to add the rounded cut effect. A lot of times, the pages in a publication get folded and rounded at the edges. To counter this problem and add an element that would give the guide a little more appeal, I decided to give the guide a rounded cut at the two ends of the paper. From the production point of view, I figured that some printing places and presses offer this rounded cut.
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My guide advised me to look at ways that would create more interest from the user point of view of looking through and further owning the publication. 54
54. Draft 3 - Cover Page 55. Draft 3 - Numbers page - detailing 56. Draft 3 - Getting Around - detailing 48
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57. Draft 3 - Interior pages - detailing 58. Draft 3 - Introduction page - detailing The draft dealt also had rounded corners
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Looking at covers
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Since a publication is primarily judged by the way the cover looks and what it communicates,it was important for me to build a cover that would be enough to tell the reader what he chose. There were a lot of things to be kept in mind: • The hierarchy of information • Functionality vs. Aesthetics • The idea of whats inside to be conveyed without too much content. 59
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59. - 61 . Initial explorations of the cover.
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62. - 68. Cover Option Explorations 69. Final Cover
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5. FINAL PROTOTYPE 5.1 The Final Prototype 5.2 Costing
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5.1 FINAL PROTOTYPE The final and working guide.
The final prototype of the guide was built after refining all the earlier drafts, selecting a final cover and looking at printing as well. The first final prototype is of the Bangla language with English and Hindi transliterations. Specifications of the final prototype: Size is 105 mm x 148mm (closed) Printed on 130 gsm matt sheet Cover of 300 gsm matt paper Laminate finish on the cover The publication is side-stapled and perfect bound, and finished with rounded edges on one side.
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70. The Bangla Communication Survival Guide (Front) The front cover has an icon that indicated the language that the guide is in. The cover also highlights the state of the local language and where it actually is. The cover also indicates the various categories of information available in the guide.
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71. The Bangla Communication Survival Guide (Back) The back cover explains how the guide works. It reinforces the various categories of information that is available in the publication.
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72.The first spread of the publication 73.The introduction page, that explains something about the language 74.The How It Works Page and the Contents 75.The Greetings Page 76.The Numbers Page (Money and Denominations)
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77. The Numbers Page (Counting) 78. The Getting Around Page 79. Some Essentials Page 80. Notes Spread 81. Last spread of the publication
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5.2 COSTING The costing for the publication*.
The costing of the final publication is done for a four colour digital job. This is not a costing for mass production For pages of the publication Back to Back A3 sheets : 2 Cost of one A3 digital print (back to back): Rs 35/For cover page Back to back print on A3 Rs 35/Binding and cutting Charges: Rs 30/Total : Rs 70 + 35 + 30 = Rs 135/Final Cost: Rs 135/-
* This is not a costing for mass production
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6. FUTURE OF
THE PROJECT
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LOOKING AHEAD What can be taken forward.
Since the project is designed in such a way that it is modular, it can be taken forward in terms of developing it in various languages (Indian and Foreign). It can also be made into a Survival Kit, where other collaterals are made a part of it, such as maps, travel guides for local sight-seeing, food guides, other interesting yet essential items. Currently the proposal is for the publication to be developed in Gujarati for distribution and use within the NID campus so that it can help new students to get comfortable with the language and use it with the locals.
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82, 83, & 84. Working files of the Gujarati guide. 85. A street wall painted in Gujarati in Ahmedabad.
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7. PROJECT EXTRAS 7.1 The Blog 7.2 Project Diaries
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7.1 The BLOG Developing a blog on the web forum to share the project and its development.
To document and showcase my progess on the project, I decided to have a public blog that would help me, my peers, and people who want to see how the project is coming along. The blog was designed in way that is informal yet informative. I looked to write and document major stages, processes and experiences within the blog. The Communication Survival Project is available on thecommunicationsurvivalproject.blogspot.com
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86. The Blog header 87. The Blog
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7.2 PROJECT DIARIES Developing a special notebook for the project.
To make the project more exciting on a personal level and give it some exclusiveness, I decided to bind a book that would be only for the project and its notes. Selecting an A4 size (open) ,section binding for the pages, and hard bound for the cover, the diary was thick and strong for further use. For the cover, I chose an old poster (courtesy the Indian Type Foundry) that showed almost exactly what the project was all about. The cover made the entire diary a rather grand affair. The binding was hand done entirely with the help of the staff at the Printing Labs, NID.
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88. The inside pages of the diary 89. Close up of the Diary 90 & 91. The two diaries made for the project
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8. PROJECT EXPERIENCES & LEARNINGS
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EXPERIENCE + LEARNING What I learnt through the experiences of this project.
The Communication Survival Project was one of the experiences where everyday was a new learning. At every point of the project I felt I learnt something new and could apply my learning at some point, irrespective of the fact of it being in the project or not. Through my research, I learnt a lot about languages, cultures, mannerisms and overall reaction of people to communication. I learnt new languages (the basics), how they look and how they sound. This was one of the best experiences throughout the entire project. On the skill level, I learnt a lot of basics as well as details of layouting, spacing and typography. I learnt a lot from my guide, Rupesh Vyas, through his experiences in information and communication design.
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9. REFERENCES & BIBLIOGRAPHY
BOOKS • The Lonely Planet Series • World Wise-What to know before you go • Travellers Survival Kit: India - John & Colette Leak. • Your Language Companion- Indian Languages - Jitendra Desai • Diary of 16 Indian Languages- Vishwanath Dinkar Narvane • The WayFinding HandBook WEBLIOGRAPHY & ONLINE PROJECTS http://thenounproject.com http://sourceforge.net/projects/visuallingua/ http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2011/6/6/student-spotlight-trip-kit.html http://www.behance.net/gallery/World-Gesture-Guide-/805042
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10. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Rupesh Vyas Project Guide
Faculty & staff of Graphic Design, the Print & IT Labs for technical help and guidance
Mausami Deb & Prema Ramesh
Translation and Local Language Script writing
Mani Maran, Vidhi Agarwal & Akash Raj Halankar Photographs Courtesy
Sweety Taur & Shayar Kamaljagruti Transliteration and Grammar check
Roshini Pochont for copy editing and extra support
Akshan, Manasi, Lovepreet, Jishnu, Rhishikesh, Athira Anupriya, Jasleen, Rahul, Jaimeen, Kaustav, Harish, Neer, Abhijeet, Amar, Moutrisha, Vandana & Boopathy For support, encouragement and feedback
Neha and Priyanka for spreading this cause
MaBa, Dee, Dada & the entire extended family for being there
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THE COMMUNICATION SUVIVAL GUIDE Studio One Project A documentation
View the entire documentation on the blog available on
The Communication Survival Project The documentation of a project that aims to build a guide to cater to your basic language and communication requirements while travelling to a new place.