Shiv mistry research by shiv mistry

BRAND GUIDELINES FOR EUTHANASIA

BREAKDOWN A BREAKDOWN OF MY PROJECT, AND ITS INTENDED PERCEPTION

Project subject style This project is designing for the topic of euthanasia as a whole and aims to create an awareness of euthanasia through an unconventional format using brand guidlines, by teaching about the process and sensitivity of its nature.

Project style This project follows the same ideals as James Langdon’s ‘A School for Design Fiction’ which teaches about reading objects, environments and messages. It asserts storytelling as the primary function of design.

“A design fiction represents a designed object that materially, functionally, or conceptually cannot presently be realised.” In short my project is about designing for something which does not exist as a material object.

4-9

ESSENTIAL RESEARCH

10-15

BRAND GUIDELINE CONTENT

16-31

DESIGN FOR LOGOS

32-43

DESIGN FOR TYPOGRAPHY

44-48

DESIGN FOR COLOUR + TYPOGRAPHY

49-54

FINAL OUTCOME

ESSENTIAL RESEARCH ANALYSING CONTROVERSIAL AND EXISTING EUTHANASIA BASED DESIGN PROJECTS

BRANDING A SERVICE AN ANALYSIS OF A BRANDED EUTHANASIA SERVICE

www.behance.net/gallery/14302281/EVD

This project is branding a euthanasia service, focusing mainly of web design. The logo is the particular reason I referenced this project as it cleverly uses a heart shape as a representation of life and manipulates it simply to almost abruptly terminate the shape, reffering to ending life so suddenly by the process of euthanasia.

playful logo

a neutral positive balance

black and white imagery

The colours are also very neutral keeping to mostly black and white, but refercing green as a pick me up colour that has positive associations.

DIGNITAS IDENTITY AN ANALYSIS OF A A RE-BRANDED DIGNITAS CLINIC FOR ASSITED SUICIDE www.behance.net/gallery/14621235/Dignitas

This project focuses on promoting a UK based branch of the Swiss euthanasia clnics called DIGNITAS. I have highlighted this project for its use of neutral and free image representations, using both a clock and a pencil to symbolise the freedom and right to end your life with dignity. I want to feature a common symbol of freedom in my final logo to bring the connection of a neutral perspective to my project.

I N T E R V I E W WITH DAVID

What are you personal views about euthanasia?

How do you feel about the recent Belgian law alleviating age restrictions?

How do you feel the British society would react if the charity was successful?

“I am a strong believer that people should be able to end their own lives and should not be restricted. If we start restricting peoples wishes on how they end their life, this could lead to restrictions on other topics and eventually we fall into the domino effect whereby we are being told what we can and cannot do, going back to ideals that certain societies would not want to see happen. It is a process that should not concern those who are not taking part, as with most activites in the life of a free person.”

“Again I have to be blunt and say that this is of concern to those who take part in the process and nobody else. I know this seems a little off however I have kids myself and for me if they were sufffering from an incurable illness and couldn’t stand to live everyday this way then I would consider it. I know there is an issue with knowledge about death on the childs behalf however I cannot judge until I am in the situation myself and neither should anybody else.”

“This charity has a very strong grounding and support from many people and from this I can say that I feel it would be recieved quite well. There would obviously be those who are naturally against it and try to counter our efforts, which is the case we experience at the moment daily, however I feel the service would help people out which I don’t see as a bad thing. If the demand is there then why not try and please.”

How has the branding of the company affected the image and credibility?

KEY POINTS

“Our branding is naturally very straight to the point and peaceful in terms of colour application. It has served us well so far and keepin things very neutral is also key when approaching such as sensitive subject area.”

- Keep it neutral - Wide interest in the topic - Be blunt if possible - See a positive side always

TARGET AUDIENCE CONSIDERING WHO MY PROJECT IS AIMED AT AND WHY

HEALTH SERVICES + CHARITIES AND ORGANISATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH EUTHANASIA The brand guideline book that will result, will enable such organisations to consider how to approach this sensitive topic in a very neutral and relaxed manner in their brand, be it existing and adapting or starting a new brand

GENERAL OPINION SURVEY WEEK ONE : Peer group opinions about euthanasia:

Euthanasia is a very sensitive subject that needs careful consideration when approach or designing for a target audience. For the purpose of this project I will be aiming my design at designers and organsiations and also will be trying to educate those who are not well informed about euthanasia, on the topic.

- Good reason / intention - Reasonable age - Terminally ill - Choice is a human right - Better to end suffering than prolong pain

BRAND DESIGN AGENCIES + INDIVIDUAL BRAND ARTWORKERS The guidelines will teach new designers, new to the topic, about what to consider when designing for euthanasia and about how each design stage relates to euthanasia

typical imagery associated euthansia, shows the need to take care in design

deeper understanding and awareness needed

TO INFORM DESIGNERS + EDUCATE THOSE INTERESTED

EUTHANASIA IMAGES THE MOST PROMINENT IMAGES ASSOCIATED WITH AN EXPERIENCE OF ASSISTED SUICIDE

These images are, for me, the most prominent and key images that represent an experience of a euthanasia clinic, gathered from research and insight into the topic.

4 Bottle of Nembutal : The drug that patients drink to end their life

Bed : The final holding of the patients life

4 Hand : The patient can use their hands to drink the drug if they are able

Straw : The patient can use this to drink the drug if they are physcially unable to use their hands

For me the most interesting image is the bottle because it is very neutral but has a distinctive shape that can be recognisable if used. The hand is also something which is neutral and can be worked with.

BRAND GUIDELINE CONTENT LOOKING INTO THE CONTENT OF EXISITING BRAND GUIDLINES AND GENERATING A THEME AND LAYOUT FOR THE BRAND GUIDELINE BOOK

SKYPE CASE STUDY ANALYSING THE SKYPE BRAND GUIDELINE BOOK IN TERMS OF LAYOUT AND CONTENT USAGE issuu.com/bondo/docs/skype_brand_book_-_look

For me, Skype has a very successful brand guideline book, portraying the brand as playful and fun yet using the same tone to inform designers of the restrictions. The content is very extensive due to the large nature of the brand and has provided me with various content ideas for me to apply to my guideline book.

typeface is bold and large in appearance adding to the appeal of the books nature

detailed content list giving a broad range of options

the doâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ts category allows the brand to enforce limitations of the brand look and feel, maintaining the brands consistency.

strong and clear hierachy in the layout of the brand guideline book

JAMIE OLIVER ANALYSING THE JAMIE OLIVER BRAND GUIDELINES IN TERMS OF COLOUR APPLICATION AND CONTENT issuu.com/bellfrog/docs/jamie-oliver-frv-brand-guidelines

colour palette is very diverse and strong

The layout of these brand guidelines is very simple and considerate, going into enough detail to inform a designer on how to use the brand image. It is similar to Skype however not as extensive and there is a particular focus on the do’s and don’ts.

I will look to use a simple and minimalistic colour themes based along black and white, considering the nature of the topic being death is very sensitive and colour can appear opinionated when applied in various contexts. do’s and don’ts follow theme layout of cmyk and pantone values is clear and concise

emphasising the type, making it clear

LAYOUT INSPIRATION LOOKING AT VARIOUS PROJECTS TO BE INSPIRED FOR A LAYOUT FOR THE BRAND GUIDELINE BOOK behance.net

Analysing these various pre-existing brand guideline layouts has shown me what I want to consider and what I want to avoid:

- maximum use of white space around all the brand assets and body copy - clear hierachy, possibly boxed out

1 - Large, bold lettering can indicate categories for euthanasia logo, typeface etc

2 - Grid layout could be used for multiple pictures or brand assets

- copy on separate page to images, if possible in all case

3 - Typical brand guideline layout and assest consideration, showing letter forms of typeface

- light text to make assets stand out - small book size A5 landscape to compliment long nature of the word ‘euthanasia’

- complicated graphics and page furniture to keep purity of topic and not to appear inconsiderate toward death - unecessary imagery - colour usage

4 - Showing only a few typeface characters could suggest an unconventional nature: euthanasia

5 - Showing more than one element on a page spread is efficient but not detailed

5 - Do’s and Don’ts used sparingly on the page to create an additional sense of space

- more than 3 stage hierachy

GENERATING A LAYOUT LOOKING AT CREATING A SIMPLE, REFINED LAYOUT WITH NO FUSS

I experimented with very complicated layouts, drawing them out physically and identifying unecessary use of page furniture to create a very engaging yet sterile layout to keep the nature of the project consistent by being minimal and simple throughout.

final, minimalistic layout follwing 3 stage hierachy and keeping visuals large

This exercise taught me a lot about how to keep layout simple and the best way was to physically draw it out. For the final layout I chose to create a three stage hierachy meaning that the title is followed by explanatory text which is then followed by the body copy relating to the images, of which I positioned on a separate page to keep large maintaining a good visual throughout.

GUIDELINE CONTENT CHOOSING WHAT TO PUT INTO THE FINAL BRAND GUIDELINE BOOK AND WHY brand.ucla.edu/brand/digital/logo/

LOGO LOGO EXPLANATION LOGO SPACING

From the gathered research, the logo element is the basis/main focus

LOGO POSITIONING DO’S AND DON’TS

I have taken the most relevant aspects and including them

TYPEFACE PRIMARY + APPLICATION SECONDARY+ APPLICATION

I have chosen a primary and secondary for application purposes

STRAPLINE

COLOURS

PHOTOS

EXPLANATION POSITIONING

EXPLANATION

EXPLANATION CATEGORIES STOCK IMAGES + LOGO

Strapline positioning is important to ensure the brand is represented correctly

The colour palette, although basic, will be relevant to understand the neutral theme

I feel that the analysis of exisitng brand guidlines and looking at layout inspiration has allowed me to narrow down the key components that a brand guideline book should feature and consist of.

Brand application is important and will be done through stock photography application

UCLA guidelines are very detailed and inspired me to included logo spacing

Each element has been chosen due to the representation it has with the topic of euthanasia which will be explained on each page within the brand guideline book e.g. logo spacing replicating the personal space and freedom of a person ending their life through euthanasia.

DESIGN FOR LOGOS ANALYSING EXSITING LOGO THEMES AND DESIGNING THEMED EUTHANASIA LOGOS

SYMBOLISM EXPLORING SYMBOLS OF LIFE DEATH AND THE ASSOCIATION WITH EUTHANASIA

atoms are a neutral representation of life but too complicated to the eye

Life:

these symbols represent a common association of an outlook on how life can be represented. I chose to explore these as they are very stereotypical and were something I wanted to avoid using as a representation of euthanasia.

Death:

these symbols are what can be associated with death, a more negative outlook. Again I wanted to avoid the use of such symbols to keep a neutral perspective.

an attractive and clear symbol of freedom

Freedom:

these symbols give more of a positive outlook on death in the sense that they provide a more neutral perspective, ideal for the intentions of my logo.

REAL CASES WATCHING REAL CASES WHERE INDIVIDUALS HAVE ENDED THEIR LIVES THROUGH SPECIAL CLINICS

click on images to watch videos

1 : Woman dying of pancreatic cancer and ended her life in the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland.

2: Man suffering from paralysis and was in endless pain, ended his life at a Dignitas clinic.

3: A billionaire suffering from an incurable illness travelled to Switzerland with his wife to end his life.

4: A TED talk analysing peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perception of death and the events leading up to it.

Themes generated: last wishes + happiness

Themes generated: suffering + pain + alleviation

Themes generated: freedom + peace + legal

Themes generated: consideration of others + communication

INSPIRING WORDS WORDS TAKEN FROM REAL CASES OF EUTHANASIA ABROAD TO HELP GENERATE IDEAS FOR LOGOS

IRRATIONAL

TEARS

BREATHE

EXIT

CHOICE

SWITZERLAND

DIZZY

FEAR

OPTIONS

SOUL

ASLEEP

LIGHT

BED

CLOUDS

JOURNEY

LIFE

LAST WISHES

STRAW

ELIXIR

The research so far has provided me with a lot of key words to help me generate ideas for logos. The videos really helped narrow down the experiences of ending a life through the process of a clinic and enabled me to understand the emotions that are associated with such a sensitive topic.

SUFFER

RIGHT

COMA

a neutral perspective

FREE

very neutral in relation to death

CHOICE

giving a sense of dignity

LIGHT

seeing a neutral but positive side

ELIXIR

seeing euthanasia as unconventional

TRAPPED The four words above provided me with a starting point as themes of inspiration that stood out to be represented in my intial stages of designing a logo.

PEACE

PRESENT

PAST

GIFT

UNWRAP

ZZZZZZ

TANG YAU HOONG INSPIRING IDEAS FOR NEGATIVE SPACE WITHIN LOGO USAGE

tangyauhoong.com

the use of duotone highlights the negative space more clearly

I have looked to Tang Yau Hoong as a reference because he cleverly uses negative space in simple imagery to create a more meaningful message. The concept of negative space is relevant in itself to the issue of death because it is very black and white and euthanasia can be considered as something which exists in between the subject of life and death. def: the space around and between the subject of an image

LIFE

stronger image with background, middleground and foreground

manipulating brand imagery impacts the intended message

EUTHANASIA

DEATH

I want my logo to be represented by the use of negative space because this technique will give the logo more of an unsual and interesting appeal, which I feel is important when dealing with the topic of euthanasia, a rather negative topic.

NOMA BAR FURTHER INSPIRATION FOR NEGATIVE SPACE USAGE WITHIN LOGO USAGE www.dutchuncle.co.uk/noma-bar/

giving a double meaning whilst retaining icon shape For me, Noma Bar covers more controversial topics and does so using negative space in a way similar to Tang Yau Hoong, relevant to euthanasia as a topic.

emotive symbolism and strong colours = more powerful message

sinister use of negative space to show infertility treatments

This particular piece cleverly highlights the use of negative space by using a bright colour against a rather dull green, highlighting the syringe, refferring to infertility treaments and miracle babies, another controversial topic.

EXPERIMENTING QUICK EXPERIEMENTATION OF NEGATIVE SPACE LOGOS AND SYMBOLISM

symbolising freedom with birds and positivity with the light bulb shape

grim reaper and euthanasia drug bottle

By experimenting and creating logos for various themes, life, death and freedom, I was able to visualise what would work strongest. However the most appealing style for me was the simple lines, seen in the designs aimed at displaying freedom.

death and suffocation with the face and pillow

LIFE + DEATH using a door vector to symbolise freedom

using a gradient to â&#x20AC;&#x153;shut out the lightâ&#x20AC;?

FREEDOM simple spiral to show light at the end of the tunnel

archway showing light keeping simple

With this being said my eye focuses on the hollow nature of the bottle within the experiments which for me provides a strong but neutral image of an association of euthanasia.

LOGO INSPIRATION AN ANALYSIS OF LOGOS CENTERED AROUND THE GENERAL TOPIC OF LIFE AND DEATH

Blunt

Sensitive

Playful

These exisiting logos have helped me to narrow down what styles and themes are common and reoccurring in life and death situations. With the categories mentioned, I want to find a balance between sensitive and playful for my logo combining soft imagery in a clever and playful manner.

Sensitive

my logo

Playful

BOTTLE, E + SPACE AN INITAL IDEA INTO USING A BOTTLE VECTOR AND THE LETTER E IN A NEGATIVE SPACE LOGO

quick, initial bottle vector of Nembutal

typeface :

Having decided that the bottle would be my main focus for the logo, I did a quick experiement on a idea that came to mind which was to use the letter E, which represents the word Euthanasia, as an image of the bottle label within the vectorised bottle of Nembutal drug.

typeface : Bauhaus 93

typeface : abeatbykai using the letter E to create negative space label

I chose to work with the Bauhaus typeface because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s version of the letter E was more suited to looking like a bottle label.

I thought the idea was strong but at this stage was unsure how to pursue the use of the bottle in this fashion.

DEATH IN CONTEXT EXPLORING SHADOW ART AS A FORMAT OF EXPERIEMENTATION INTO VISUALISING DEATH

This early stage of experimentation enabled me to explore the concept of death more. With this exercise I intended to show how the concept of a spirit that has left a body once dead, can be shown through design, with the final format being a shadow.

spirit

body

shadow format is seperate from original cut out, replicating the relationship between a spirit and dead body

It did indicate to me that although this was only a conceptual idea, I understood that death can be very complicated and keeping it simple is a strong approach.

INSPIRATION A MEETING WITH A LOGO DESIGNER FROM FIREDOG CREATIVE TO AID MY PROCESS WITH THE LOGO

I met up with Alessandro Lingua, a logo designer for digital brand design agency Firedog Creative, where I spent 2 months during the live projects term as an intern. He gave me extremely useful feedback and the main point in logo design was to keep it as simple as possible.

the hand puts the bottle into context

he suggested keeping it simple like this logo

I showed him the bottle idea and he agreed that this was a strong representation of euthanasia. He also suggested it would be nice to put the bottle in to context by showing a hand.

HAND MODELLING EXPLORING THE WAY A HAND NATURALLY GRIPS A BOTTLE TO FORM A LOGO

two fingers to make the E

straight 3 fingers

To understand how a hand looks comfortable and natural holding an object in the flesh, I used a hand model to create a variety of different angluar and non-angular position with their hand a bottle and glas of similar porportions and shapes. This helped me to understand what to look for and what to start creating as a solid idea based around the bottle of Nembutal and a patients hand.

angular fingers tilted down

image

vector

BOTTLE + HAND REPLICATING THE WAY A HAND NATURALLY GRIPS A BOTTLE TO FORM A LOGO

manipulating the hand to make it appear as the letter E + setting it in negative space to appear separate

Taking the idea of using a bottle, I experimented with how the human hand could be manipulated to show an E shape with the fingers in a comfortable fashion, being as natural as possible.

Initially I experimented with my own hand and a glass of similar characteristics of the nembutal drug bottle which proved difficult, but gave me a indication of the angle and coverage that the hand would need to take to look comfortable enough to work naturally.

8-15 ยบ

LOGO SETTING EXPLORING HOW BEST TO REPRESENT THE FINAL LOGO

1 - Keeping the bottle straight to conform to a logo which is easy to see and more natural in appearance

2 - Tilted the bottle at a slight angle to suggest movement in the form of drinking or sipping

3- Placing the logo in a soft, rounded shape for easier application and more unity in appearance

TILT 19 Âş

Experimenting with the way a logo is positioned was necessary because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s final representative format alters the meaning of the logo. I initally wanted to tilt the logo however I found out the it would prove difficult to work with in terms of application and decided to stick with a straight format.

The straight format works well, is easy on the eye and allowed me to work with it better in terms of application. It also emphasises the E shape from the hands more.

FINGER EVOLUTION LOOKING AT THE REASONS BEHIND THE MAIN LOGO CHANGES

1 - Using the three fingers, I kept the middle one shorter than the others to emphasise the ‘E’ shape more. I also kept the thin finger nails and the curves around the bottle which made the hand look more hand-like.

The final logo went through a lot of changes both big and on a smaller scale, however I am happy with the final version as I feel it represents the topic of euthanasia in a neutral manner and I feel it appears inquisitive, giving the target audience a reason to find out more about the topic.

2 - I decided that, with advice from peers and tutors, to keep all the fingers the same length as it looked more natural and still like an ‘E’. At this stage I kept the finger nails and hand curves that go around the bottle.

+ ‘E’ EUTHANASIA

3 - My final logo is more simplsitic as a reccommendation from Catherine made me see how much more applicable this is, removing the finger nails and the hand curves, which still conveys my intentions of an ‘E’.

My intentions for the logo is for it to represent all of the above which I feel it does clearly and cleverly with the use of negative space.

DESIGN FOR TYPOGRAPHY EXPLORING THE MEANING AND VALUE OF TYPEFACES AND PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE FOR THE BRAND GUIDELINE BOOK

TYPE ADVICE A MEETING WITH PAUL MCNEIL ABOUT THE MEANING AND HOW TO CHOOSE APPROPRIATE TYPEFACES

clinical typefaces

Semiotics

what does it do.........

Paul mentioned that the way in which a typeface appears is important to provoke or intend a certain style and message

Bauhaus 93 Helvectica Neue

Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s advice was extremely helpful in allowing me to progress with my project. Having proposed two logo layouts he suggested that each layout style sent out different messages and that I should consider two styles of typeface, one for each layout.

logo + name Audience

who are you aiming it at.........

Target audience is also crucial as it determines the theme of the typeface chosen and affects the overall looka and feel

logo name

Intention

what do you want it to say.........

A lot can be said through a typeface and the choice between serif and sans serif can create different moods due to line curvature and straight edge variation

Didot Bodoni

With the bottle euthanasia logo (1), Paul suggested I use a more modern typeface and experiement with those listed and this is a more typical layout for a logo today. With the logo layout using the lightbulb (2), Paul told me to consider exploring older typefaces with serifs to generate a more dated look and feel.

dated typefaces

TYPE EXERCISE GATHERING PEER OPINIONS ON THE FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS THAT CAME TO MIND WITH TYPEFACES

typeface: Solari

typeface: Make My Day

conveys: airport, sterile, broken, documentary

conveys: childish, playful, creeky, tilted

typeface: Line

typeface: Trunkmill

conveys: plain, loose, jagged, uneven

conveys: bold, statement, chunky, joined, harsh

This class exercise really helped me understand more about typefaces. Taking the feedback from Paul McNeil, I collated a range of typeface which collectively had very different characteristics. I then asked my peers in class to tell what each one reminded them of or what words came to mind. (1)

EUTHANASIA 4

(2)

EUTHANASIA 6

typeface: Movie Letters

typeface: ATROX

conveys: alien, uneasy, overhanging, stretched

conveys: sans serif, smooth, loud

From the feeback and an analysis on the typefaces, I found that using a simple typeface such as ATROX (1), conveyed a very strong but minimal message which is ideal for the nature of my project topic being death. A typeface such as Line (2), although simplistic, conveys too many mixed messages due to the complex formation and it is best to avoid it.

ESSENTIALS OF VISUAL COMMUNICATION

COMMUNICATION OF TYPEFACE Bo Bergstrom

This book allowed me to understand what text communicates from a different perspective. In essence it reinforced the points made by Paul McNeil from a more psychological approach. The main point I took from this book is that the design has to be clear in order for the wording to be clear. It also inspired me in terms of layout and typeface content, showing me to consider a variety of weights for chosen typefaces.

key point

good design = clarity and legibility Examples of simple and basic typefaces reinforce the point about clarity and legbility being a result of carefully considered design to show the intended message.

RPS TYPEFACE VISIT AN INSPIRING TRIP TO THE ROYAL PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY

(1)

(2) After the discussion with Paul McNeil, I was inspired to look into how typefaces had been used on medicinal packaging which, for me, is a very strong representation of clinical and sterile design, being very neutral and not showing opinions like branded products.

(3)

(4) The typeface used here really stood out to me as it is very neutral, however it is bold enough to appear serious.

(1) Sans Serif, Thick

(2) Sans Serif, Light

(3) Sans Serif, Medium

(4) Sans Serif, Book

FURTHER TYPE ADVICE MEETING WITH LOGO DESIGNER FOR TYPEFACE SUGGESTIONS

Fruitger LT Std

sharp, spaced out rounded body

Helvetica

flows well, clinical no fuss, strong

Gotham Univers LT Std

loose, airey, complimentary

Meeting with logo designer Alessandro Lingua for a second time to talk about appropriate typefaces was really useful and he suggested and sent me some really neutral typefaces which worked really well with my logo.

Helvetica +

distant, tight, broken flow

Gloriola Std

similar to helvetica, thin-rounded

Verlag

tightened, slim, smooth

Gotham He suggested that I stick to very simple typefaces, choosing a heavy lined typeface for the primary copy and a complimenting lighter lined typeface for all secondary copy. For me the two which worked well from the list he gave me were Helvetica and Gotham because they contrast each other due to their different styles of weight.

CORPORATE DIVERSITY LOOKING AT MEDICINAL PACKAGING TYPEFACES BY CIBA GEIGY Lars Muller

The Corporate Diversity book allowed me to grab a sense of how typography is used within recent medicinal packaging. It is kept very clean and simple, using typefaces that a mostly bold and thick with emphasised curvature to the lettering.

sterile look and feel with curvature

CMYK 0/0/0/0 RGB 255/255/255 HEX # FFFFFF

CMYK 100/100/100/100 RGB 0/0/0 HEX # 000000

In terms of typeface colour usage, CIBA Geigy stick to neutral tones using black to make the typeface stand out, allowing the packaging to maintain itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s serious appeal against use of colour.

Fruitger LT Std

Gloriola Std Gloriola Std

Euthanasia

Gotham Gotham

Univers LT Std Univers LT Std

Euthanasia

Verlag Verlag

Helvetica Helvetica

Euthanasia

Euthanasia 39

PRIMARY TYPEFACE REASONING FOR THE CHOSEN PRIMARY TYPEFACE : HELVETICA

Aa Aa Helvetica Bold

Helvetica

clinical curvature and easy to read

flows well and looks comfortable in the word

Euthanasia

bold style works equally well with more word emphasis

Euthanasia

My final decision for the primary typeface after testing went with Helvetica due to it’s common and diversly applicable nature. It reminded me of something very sterile and clinical, relating back to Paul McNeil’s ‘things to look for when choosing type’, perfect for the nature of my project.

delicate and soft, replicating the approach one should take towards euthanasia the topic

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

The typeface is very free and the characters above demonstrate the lack of fuss. The rounded and soft edges compliment the delicate nature of euthanasia the topic and replicate the consideration needed to take when involved in such a matter.

STRAPLINE CHOOSING A STRAPLINE AND SHOWING ITS RELEVANCE

‘it’s your right’

‘go with dignity’

‘be free’

‘it’s in your hands’

it’s in your hands.

This strapline was the result of a lightbulb moment by staring at the created logo. I broke down the logo from visuals and thought about how it could be represented in as few words as possible to keep the consistency with the logo and strapline.

For me, the resulting strapline is an accurrate interpretation of the logo and can be taken as very literal.

LOGO VISUAL

emphasises the freedom and right to end your life with dignity

relating to the brand name Euthanasia starts to piece the hand with the bottle

a literal representational reference to the hand around the bottle in the logo

= STRAPLINE WORDED

SECONDARY TYPEFACE REASONING FOR THE CHOSEN PRIMARY TYPEFACE : GOTHAM

Gotham Medium

Gotham Book

Aa Aa width of curvature mimics Helvetica with own style, complimenting

compliments Helvetica with similar curvature

itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in your hands

Choosing Gotham for the final secondary typeface seemed wise because the nature of this typeface is very easy on the eye and similar to Helvetica in many ways, the main way being the curvature and the way it sits in with the strapline aagainst Helvetica.

complimentary to Helvetica, acting slimmer and youthful

Aa ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

It is evident from the characters above that Gotham is a very free and airey font with a lot of space around it and in terms of euthansia the topic, this is relevant to the dignity and personal free space that patients, who undertake euthanasia as way of ending their life, should feel.

TYPE + LOGO EXPERIMENTING WITH THE POSITIONING OF THE LOGO WITH THE CHOSEN TYPEFACE + LAYOUT

I chose to position the logo in this manner because I felt that the logo, being this size when combined with the brand name, has more room to breathe and frees up the whole brand look and feel. It also looks more balanced giving equal sizing and space to both the logo and brand name.

Euthanasia

relating back to Paul McNeil’’s advice, I changed the format by combining a contemporary typeface with a vintage layout

Euthanasia Euthanasia

Euthanasia

Euthana

Euthanas

I feel the logo and the brand name in Helevtica work well to provide a sterile and neutral look. For me the positioning of the logo is crucial as it conveys different meanings, relating back to the book ‘Essential of Visual Communication’ which states that ‘the eye reads from left to right’. This layout allows the reader to focus on the name and relate it top the logo positioned directly above it.

DESIGN FOR COLOUR + PHOTOGRAPHY LOOKING INTO HOW COLOUR IS ASSOCIATED WITH DEATH AND CHOOSING A RELEVANT COLOUR PALETTE + EXPLORING THE REPRESENTATION OF THEMED STOCK PHOTOGRPAPHY

DEATH + COLOUR EXPLORING THE SYMBOLIC MEANING OF COLOUR IN RELATION TO DEATH IN DIFFERENT CULTURES

black is what is commonly associated with death in terms of colour in Western culture

white is associated with death and unhappiness in Chinese and Indian culture

For the final colour palette I have chosen to stick with black and white, with black being the primary focus colour and white complimenting it in terms of surrounding space page and negative versions of any brand assets that are being considered.

Egyptian culture

Iranian culture

Thai culture

CMYK 0/0/0/0 RGB 255/255/255 HEX # FFFFFF

CMYK 100/100/100/100 RGB 0/0/0 HEX # 000000

Choosing black and white for the colour scheme is necessary to keep the brand guidline look and feel very neutral, due to death being the nature of the topic, as colour makes up the majority of the visual feel of the brand. In addition, most of Western culture can relate with this colour scheme in terms of death and Western culture is most likely ot carry out euthanasia.

PHOTOGRAPHY FILTERING THEMES FROM STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY FOR USE IN BRAND APPLICATION stock images gathered from : medium.com/design-ux/62ae4bcbe01b

I have chosen to represent the stock photographs in 3 main categories to give a sense of variety with the brand guidelines which can be very restrictive considering I am following a black and white, neutral theme.

I also chose to use stock photography because it will be of higher quality and the content of the images would be hard to replicate in most cases.

People

Scenery

Objects

01 - Chosen as the old man featured in this picture is very tranquil and in a state of contemplation, could possibly be thinking about ending his life and freedom. Age of individual is relevant.

03 - Chosen as it replicates the style of room where the process of ending your life through euthanasia takes place, very plain and peaceful in a contemporary fashion

05 - Chosen as it is a stand alone object which indicates that a part of somebody’s identity has been left behind

02 - Chosen for a literal meaning relating to the strapline.

04 - Chosen as it mimics the stereotype thought of stairway to heavy in a more realistic and vivid but calm manner

06 - Can be taken in two ways : ‘the time is ticking’ or another object relating to somebody’s identity

stock own

relevant content, higher quality, broad range 6

hard to find content, lower a quality

PHOTOGRAPHY EDIT EDITING THE FILTERED STOCK IMAGES TO SUIT THE NEUTRAL THEME OF THE PROJECT

The editing of the photos considered changing all the photos to black and white, altering the brightness and contrast and then adding an individual gradient to each of the photos.

gradient types used

hard

light

soft

hard

I added gradients to the photographs because the original lighting was too strong and by adding a gradient, it allowed me to create a soft light to show more sympathy and freedom in terms of feelings associated with euthanasia the topic.

FINAL OUTCOME LOOKING AT THE PROCESS AND PRODUCTION OF THE FINAL OUTCOME

PAPER + BINDING DETERMINING THE CORRECT PAPER TYPE TO MAINTAIN THE BRAND INTENTIONS, LOOK AND FEEL

For the book binding, I decided to go to a professional book binders, Wyvern Bindery, to keep the look and feel of the brand guidleine book professional. I got the book soft bound as it is easy to touch and not as formal as some binding techniques can appear.

146 gsm

thick quality, thin enough to turn pages comfortably

200 gsm too thick to turn pages, more suitable for inside covers

160 gsm choosing to opt for black paper inside to contrast the white of the main text pages

choosing to case the book with black cloth in keeping with the brand guideline colours

250 gsm choosing a thicker weighted glossy paper for the photography pages

testing different gloss papers for the photogrpahy pages: 1) revive gloss recycled 115gsm 2) hello gloss 130gsm + 250gsm

soft bound for ease of use and representation of sensitive topic

I bought the paper from Shepherds, who helped me to decide on the right paper to feature a sterile and clinical look and feel to represent the topic.

a representation of the depth into consideration that makes up a brand guideline book and the content of euthanasia the topic

foil blocking the Euthanasia logo on to the front cover of the book was a process I wanted to get done as it adds to the reality of the topic

BRAND APPLICATION APPLYING THE BRAND TO A POSTER AND SIMULATING ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S APPEARANCE IN EVERYDAY SITUATIONS

Having generated the brand imagery and guidelines, I used them to attempt to create a poster to show the brand in application. I feel that the logo makr and brand name along with the strapline work really well and create a strong and bold impression on the eye in white against a a contemplating picture with a dark gradient applied.

Here I have simply applied the poster to a scenario in an everyday situation being a bus stop. I feel that from a distance the poster work well to catch the eye of the viewer as the logo and name stand out strong against the backdrop picture.

EVALUATION

The colour palette bring the whole project together and the theme is successfully neutral

In summary, I would deem my project a personal success and categorise it as one of the most thorough and high quality projects that I have produced within my three years on the DGC course. The layout of the brand guideline book allows readers to understand the concept more easily

The decision to base it on a controversial topic is one that I praise highly as it provided me with a challenge which in turn allowed me to discover a new way to approach a branding project and asked me to question and analyse every step of my decision making.

The consideration of content was the by product of the design of the logo which had some last minute refinement to create and simpler, applicable logo

The use of stock images proved a difficult task in terms of relevance but worked with the identity

Euthanasia is a highly sensitive topic and the maintenance of a neutral theme throughout the project was the challenge mentioned as it affected details such as paper type, edge styles and format. The highlight of the project for me was the logo development stage. In previous projects this aspect had always been a case of putting my first idea on paper, however as this was such as key constituent of the project, I found myself painstakingly refining and debating with previous designs. Although it seemed like a stressful process, it taught me to never settle until you are happy and even then an improvement can be made.

The flow of the book is very strong in my personal opinion as it considers the bare minimum for a brand guideline book in terms of content and then expands on that in relation to the topic of euthanasia which in turn educates readers about the topic and my design intentions