Promoting
Swimming
in ahmedabad project
sTUDIO ONe theme
waTeR semester two duration 6 weeks student
sUJaTa shIDhaye
s1001111 pgDpD 2010 | graphic design guide
IMMaNUel sUResh
Promoting in ahmedabad
contents 5
INTRODUCTION background proposal
11
phase one pool visits public opinion information collection
23
phase two problem area inferences data visualisation redefined brief
35
phase three scenario building exploring concepts
47
phase four size and content visual language typefaces expected eye movement
63
conclusion learnings bibliography acknowledgements
Intro du ction
background proposal
background introduction background proposal phase one research phase two analysis phase three conceptualisation phase four execution conclusion
Brainstorming in class
8
What was given Studio 1 is our first independent class project introduced in semester 2. The project coordinator explained to us at length what a class room project is and how to go about it. As a classroom exercise we went through the young designers of the past years and listed down all the diploma projects done in the field of graphic design. In this exercise we got an idea of what possible subjects we could take up for our projects, what media we could handle and in what area of graphic design we could work. Being our very first individual project we were given a topic which would help us select the area which we wanted to do our projects in. We were given two choices to decide from. Water and K-12 education. After a quick discussion in class we decided on water. Thereafter we had a brainstorming session in class where we jotted down everything we could think of related to water. This chart provided us starting points to think on individual topics. Apart from the constraint of topic, the other constraint was that the project should also be related to Ahmedabad as it would be easier to carry out research here than going somewhere outside the city.
What I chose The selection of my topic was a result of a conflict between something that i observed in the city of Ahmedabad versus my hometown. As they say, water is life. Water can also be the cause of death. The trick is to know how it behaves. Some animals have this knowledge by instinct. However a human being will sink unless he learns how to stay afloat. Thus, learning how to swim can be considered as one of the basic survival skills.
In Pune, where I come from, most of the people know how to swim. They have learnt swimming at some or the other times in their lives. As a kid I used to go swimming every day. Nothing gave me more pleasure than to run to the swimming pool right after school, change into the cute swim suit and leap into the cold water. After a hot sweaty day at school this was a most refreshing experience. I had many friends there and after practice, we all together played in water till our hearts content. Our mothers had to literally drag us out of water in
the end. Being introduced to water as a child I can now swim whenever I want without any fear. When I came here in Ahmedabad, I was really surprised to see that many people do not know how to swim. Still fewer are aware of the benefits of swimming. This was quite surprising given the fact that Ahmedabad has lots of swimming pools spread across the city. I decided to look into this topic, try to find the problem and propose an solution.
9
proposal introduction background proposal phase one research phase two analysis
I had a discussion with the project coordinator about the topic of swimming. He suggested that i discuss the topic with Immanuel Suresh as the topic was very close to him. Taking his suggestion I had a chat with Suresh. He asked me to carry out a basic research before starting the project. On the basis of our discussion I submitted the proposal for the project taking Suresh as my guide. Following are the contents of the proposal submitted to my guide.
phase three conceptulisation
THEME Water
phase four execution
TITLE Designing promotional material for swimming
conclusion
BACKGROUND Swimming is a life skill. the long term benefits of knowing swimming are endless. health benefits include general strength, cardiovascular fitness and endurance. life skills like sportsmanship, time management, self-discipline, goal-setting and an increased sense of self-worth through participation in the sport are developed. it is also a form of meditation - letting mind wander, focussing on nothing but the rhythm of your stroke. when you know swimming the whole world of water sports and other recreational activities is thrown open to you. swimming is a great way to spend time with your friends. Learning to swim is possible at any age. the city of ahmedabad has excellent swimming pool facilities maintained by AMC. however many people are ignorant about the benefits of swimming. they cannot spare time for swimming in their busy schedules. OBJECTIVE To promote swimming as a necessary life skill, an excellent form of exercise and a habit for overall well-being. Scope of work research (1 week) study the reasons why people do not go swimming. get the opinions from different sections of the society like working men, women, parents, coaches, swimming pool authorities etc. consult experts in the field and get their opinions.
10
analysis (1 week) analyse and structure the collected information. identify the main issue to be addressed, that is, find out where the problem actually lies. figure out the solution. conceptualization and exploration (1 week) develop an appropriate visual language to communicate the solution. explore alternatives and figure out which one works the best. execution (1 week) Execute the best solution. Test on users. Documentation. TARGET AUDIENCE Middle class and upper class people in Ahmedabad
11
Phase One RESEARCH AND INFORMATION COLLECTION Pool visits Public opinion Information collection
pool visits introduction phase one Pool visits Public opinion Information collection phase two analysis
After finalising the topic i had my first meeting with my project guide Prof. Immanuel Suresh. He advised me to do some overall background research before narrowing down to any particular point or particular target audience. My perception of the problem was very general. I had to go out and see what the scene is in Ahmedabad. I had to carry out a research to figure out the contextual issues. From there I would then move on to narrowing down to one problem area. The swimming pools were the starting points for my research.
phase three conceptualisation
AMC SWIMMING POOL VASNA
phase four execution
Many NIDians go to the swimming pool at Vasna. That pool being the one I knew about I started my research there. On my first visit I was lucky to meet the Superintendent in charge of all the municipal swimming pools in Ahmedabad, Mr Dineshbhai Bhat.
conclusion
Mr Dinesh Bhai Bhat Deputy Superintendent Swimming pools, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation He gave me an overview of the swimming facilities in Ahmedabad. There are around 28 to 30 swimming pools in Ahmedabad. Of these, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) manages 14 swimming pools. These pools are spread across Ahmedabad according to 6 zones such that there are a certain number of pools in each zone for the convenience of the residents of the respective zone. 7 pools are of the standard Olympic size. 9 pools have swimming facilities for kids. There are separate pools for kids; these are smaller in size and shallower. The swimming pool at Kankaria is covered. The Stadium swimming pool has facilities for competitive swimming, diving and physiotherapy. Many of the AMC swimming pools have accompanying gymnasiums. The swimming pools are equipped with showers and changing rooms. The swimming pools are open from 6 am to 10 am in the morning and 1 pm to 7 30 pm in the afternoon. This time is divided into several sessions. Morning (6 am to 10 am) and evening (5 pm to 7 30 pm) sessions are for men; and afternoon 14
(1 pm to 5 pm) sessions are for women. Kids session is in the evening (6 30 pm to 7 15 pm). Kids aged 5 and above and taller than 3 and half feet are allowed to swim. The members who enrol at the pools are divided into 3 categories based on their age and level of expertise – kids, adult learners and experts. The admission procedure for each pool is separate and a member of one swimming pool cannot go to any other pool on that membership card. The membership fees for learners and experts are different at different swimming pools. The memberships are monthly, trimonthly and yearly for experts and monthly for learners. At Vasna, the yearly membership fee is Rs 1200/and trimonthly membership fee is Rs 400/- Students get a concession. Some instructions which have to be followed by members before getting into the pool are : Not allowed to jump Don’t create any kind of nuisance Do not do any intoxicating stuff before coming Wear a proper swimming costume Take a shower before entering the pool, etc. The coaches at the pools are trained swimmers. They are qualified on the basis of
AMC Swimming Pool, Lal Darwaja
their expertise in the four strokes i.e. Butterfly, back stroke, breast stroke and front crawl. In addition to this, they are trained life guards. They should be experts in life saving and be able to administer CPR in emergency. Mr Bhat expressed displeasure that in spite of such good facilities hardly 5 % of Amdavadis come for swimming. The total number of registered swimmers was around 25,000 in the year 2010. 700 -1000 swimmers come to the Vasna swimming pool. Of that number around 50 are women. The members consist mostly of middle
aged men and senior citizens (men). Very few ladies come for swimming. Kids come in the evening. The number of kids increases dramatically during summer but decreases during exam time. AMC has started summer camps from this year to accommodate more kids where in the number of sessions for kids is increased and morning sessions are added along with the regular evening session. According to Mr Bhat, there is lack of awareness about swimming. Ahmedabad has good swimming facilities but the facilities have never been promoted. Also people do not have time. They come when 15
their doctor advices them to go swimming. Money is not a problem as the membership is very cheap in the AMC swimming pools. It is mainly a lack of time and awareness. He also said that it is better if the kids learn to swim early in their life, before 18yrs of age, as the bodies are still flexible and can adapt to new forms of exercise. About health benefits he said swimming helps burn up to 1200 calories. It helps develop abdominal muscles. The junk food that kids consume these days can be burnt by swimming. It is fun plus exercise. Swimming is good for people with diabetes and cholesterol problems. Regarding creating awareness he feels that awareness should be created amongst parents, schools and colleges. Then I met one of the senior coaches at Vasna Mr Anirudh Patel Coach (Vasna Swimming pool) According to coach Anirudh there are some regular swimmers at Vasna. Here mostly people come to while their time away. They come for time pass. Serious swimmers are less. Majority of those who come climb into the pool, pass some time in water wandering here and there and go off. There are people who come 16
for 3 months, start learning swimming, and at the end of the three months they say that they have completed the course and so stop coming any more. This is because they are not aware of the benefits of regular swimming. Children and students come in the evening. Competitive swimmers go to Sardar Patel stadium swimming pool and they are few. Female coaches at Vasna had another story to tell. There are about 30 women who come on an average every day. Half of them are regular swimmers whereas half are learners. Girls aged 12 years onward upto 65 year old women come for swimming. College girls are more. After talking with people at Vasna I went and visited a couple of other swimming pools and talked to more people from the administration. Here’s what they said.
Instructions at Vasna pool
AMC SWIMMING POOL Kankaria
AMC SWIMMING POOL head office lal darwaja
Mr Chowdhary AMC Swimming pool Kankaria
Mr Kamlesh Nanavaty AMC swimming pool Lal Darwaja
The Kankaria swimming pool is one of the standard Olympic size pools. 4000 members were enrolled for the year 2010.Of that around 1900 are yearly members and 900 quarterly. There is no kids’ pool in Kankaria. About 65 to 70 members are women. This pool has the most number of female members. The pool at Kankaria is covered. Hardly 1% of the people use swimming facilities in Ahmedabad. Time and lack of awareness are the main culprits. Religious restrictions prevent women from joining swimming. The swimming costumes are not readily accepted in the daily lives of Indian women, especially Muslim women. This restrains them from coming for swimming as the costumes are compulsory while swimming. Also the men are not always good. In Gujarat unisex timing won’t work.
There are 500 regular members registered on this pool. 50 women members (around 10 come every day). Approx. 250 kids and 100 senior citizens come on an average. There is a lack of awareness amongst youngsters. No promotions have been done as yet since the pools started in 1956. Regular comers are few. There are 4 male coaches, 2 lady coaches. The coaches also work as life guards
17
public opinion introduction phase one Pool visits Public opinion Information collection phase two analysis phase three conceptualisation phase four execution conclusion
In all these visits and the following discussions I noticed that the number of women coming to swimming was significantly low. I decided to investigate further into this issue. I prepared a simple questionnaire to know what the general public thought about swimming. Many of the people whom I interviewed were somehow connected to swimming pools already. I generally visited the swimming pools in the evening. Hence there were kids in the pools. This meant that the moms of these kids and in some cases dads came to drop and pick them up or, as was in many cases, came with them, stayed there by the side of the pool chitchatting or doing something till the kids finished swimming, and then took them home. I decided to talk to these people first as they were already familiar with swimming. Through the discussions I tried to get their opinions on different aspects related to swimming. Did they consider that knowing how to swim is important? If yes, why? Did they know how to swim? If no,would they like to learn? What did they think are the benefits of swimming? Who all in the family knew how to swim or went for swimming. I also talked with a lot of general public to know how much they were aware about swimming.
Example of a filled questionaire 18
articles in the local newspapers As the AMC authorities told me, there had not been any promotional campaigns undertaken for swimming ever since the facilities were introduced by them. However there was some kind of communication happening about swimming through the mass media which was not archestrated by the AMC authorities. I tried to find out what it was and what effect it had on the people. At the start of summer, I found some local newspapers with articles related to swimming. I studied the imagery and content of the such articles. As one can see, the representation of women is very different than that of a normal middle class woman’s idea. The normal women cannot and will not be able to relate to such imagery. This also makes them think that swimming is not something meant for them. The clothes, the models, though good to look at, are very far away from common reality. Women are accustomed to looking at such imagery and not normal real people in real swim suits. This makes the already present problem of inhibitions worse as women are shy to expose their supposedly imperfect bodies in the swimming pools.
An article from the weekly supplement Sahiyar of the daily newspaper Gujarat Samachar 19
information collection introduction phase one Pool visits Public opinion Information collection phase two analysis phase three conceptualisation phase four execution conclusion
While studying the scenario of swimming in Ahmedabad I was simultaneously reading various articles and refering many sites on swimming. I also talked to a couple of medical practitioners to know their opinions about swimming. FLOATING PRINCIPLE The most important thing that should be known while learning swimming is how water works with the human body. Lack of relevant knowledge and the necessary information and facts on a subject, will always breed in the unknown, uncertainty, fear, anxiety, and phobia to manifest itself into us. Human beings are naturally born floaters; our natural buoyancy, our density is approx. with that of water and, the presence of cavities in our bones, the air sacks in our lungs, the sinuses, the fat tissues throughout our body etc. help us float. When immersed to the waist, your body bears just 50% of its weight; immersed to the chest, it’s 25%-35%; and to the neck, 10%. When we relax and go completely still for a few seconds, holding our breath, slumped face down and with arms hanging by side, feet/legs dangling down, we will always end up in a floating and suspended position, near the water surface.
photo credit : www.shutterstock.com
A man floating on water
Archimedes Principle - For an object to float in a liquid medium (water), the weight of the displaced volume of the water must be equal to the weight of the object. When we jump in, or drop ourselves into the water (intentionally or accidentally), water will always push and lift us upward toward the surface, provided we stay relaxed and perform lazy and gentle limb movements. It is impossible for us to remain under the water (buoyancy law) unless we have tied ourselves-feet to a concrete block! Human beings, when they are in a totally relaxed state, can stay underwater without taking any breath for approx. 160 to 180 + sec. So, holding their breath while face down or head under the 20
water for 5-10 sec; will be a child’s play. Lifelong skill Another important and interesting fact about swimming is that it is a life long skill. Once learned, the swimming skills are rarely lost. It becomes a lifelong asset. Overcome the panic The most important thing when you fall in water is not to panic. Most of the deaths due to drowning actually happen due to people panicking when they fall in water and feel helpless. People who are afraid in water believe that water acts like air and allows a person to drop down through it and park on the bottom effortlessly. Ideal for everybody Babies as young as 2-3 months can start swimming. In our neighbourhood, the swimming pools admit children aged 5 years and above. Swimming is beneficial for both men and women. There is no upper age limit. You can continue swimming as long as you want to stay fit and healthy. Swimming is a good fitness choice for just about everyone, especially those who have physical limitations or who find other forms of exercise painful. Water’s buoyancy accommodates the unfit as well as the fit.
Improves co-ordination and balance Balance is the ability to maintain a position. Coordination is the capacity to move through a complex set of movements. Balance and coordination depend on the interaction of multiple body organs and systems including the eyes, ears, brain and nervous system, cardiovascular system, and muscles. Teaching babies to swim at just a few months old helps improve their balance and coordination in later years. In elderly people, regular swimming exercise results in improved eye hand coordination as faster and more accurate repetitive movements.
Helps injury recovery without pressure Many people suffering from chronic back pain have a difficult time with many forms of exercise. Swimming is ideal, since the water counteracts the force of gravity and takes pressure off the spine and the back muscles. This “lightening of the load” relieves some forms of back pain. In addition to this there are many other benefits which I have summed up on the following page.
Good for pregnant women Swimming helps to improve overall strength for an easier delivery and recovery period afterwards in pregnant women. It makes the abdominal muscles strong, which are most essential when carrying a baby. In addition, it strengthens the back. According to experts, exercising in water can considerably reduce joint stiffness, high blood pressure, and discomfort, which is often associated with pregnancy.
21
22
23
Phase Two ANALYSIS
Problem Area Inferences Data Visualisation Redefined Brief
problem area introduction
Lack of Promotion by AMC
phase one Research
During the research I found out that in spite of having such good swimming facilities the number of swimmers is few because no efforts have been taken to promote the facilities. There has been no kind of promotion or advetising on the part of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, except for some hand written notices announcing the summer camps at the swimming pools. Whatever communication happens is through word of mouth. That being the case, many people are ignorant about the facilities. There is a huge communication gap between the swimming pool authorities and the users. For kids and men, word of mouth works to some extent. But in case of women it fails miserably. Some patients are made aware through medical advice or when they are in need of therapy or treatment.
phase two Problem Area Inferences Data visualisation Redefined Brief phase three conceptualisation phase four execution conclusion
26
Communication between various groups and AMC swimming pools
inferences introduction
behavioural and thinking patterns of people
phase one Research
The following inferences were drawn as a result of the study. The main reason for not swimming is the lack of awareness of the benefits of swimming. While everybody knows that swimming is a life skill and is a necessary asset. Not many know about the health benefits that a regular swim workout provides. The lack of time is the other reason why people do not swim. They are too busy to spare some time for themselves.
phase two Problem Area Inferences Data Visualisation Redefined Brief phase three conceptualisation phase four execution conclusion
Many people join a 3 months course, barely learn basics and then declare that they have finished the course and discontinue. Some come for swimming, take a dip in the water; loiter for some time and leave. Regulars are very less. Only 40% people continue swimming afterwards. Kids come to learn swimming during summer holidays, the period being April-May-June, almost till July-August. There are quite a lot of swimmers in this period – April to August. During winter and exam time very few regular swimmers come. These mainly include some senior citizens in the morning. Kids and college students generally come in the evenings. Office goers (males) come in the morning or in the evening. LOW NUMBER OF WOMEN In the course research stage my attention was drawn towards the low number of women swimmers. during the timing for women which is in the afternoon, the pools were almost empty except for a few women at Vasna. The timing for women is in the afternoon from 1 pm to 5 pm. Very few women come for swimming regularly. They are not aware of the benefits of swimming. They just accompany their husbands and kids to the swimming pool but themselves do not swim. When asked if they would like to swim they say ‘no’ and are shy to give a reason. Religious restrictions are another reason why women do not swim. They feel awkward to start learning swimming at an older age. They are uncomfortable in the swimming costumes. Also the classic stand of the Indian woman “husband and kids first” makes her ignore her own fitness, health and wellbeing.
27
Women do not go for swimming because they have small kids to look after. Men and kids go for swimming while women cannot take out time form their house work. Women who have learnt swimming in childhood tend to join swimming at an
28
older age. There are women who are about 30 years of age who have now started to learn swimming. The pool timings are not suitable for working women. Also women have tanning issues which is a problem in uncovered swimming pools.
data visualisation introduction phase one Research phase two Problem Area Inferences Data Visualisation Redefined Brief phase three conceptualisation phase four execution conclusion
map the trends On the basis of collected information I tried to map the present scenario of swimming in Ahmedabad on the basis of 3 aspects: According to location of the pool Here I looked at the distribution of pools in Ahmedabad city. Along with the location of the pools came the details like what special facilities are available at the pools. Also I tried to map the member density at each pool. Some pools had much more members enrolled than others. According to timing of the day The timings allotted to different user groups that is the men, women, learners of both sex and kids and comparing the timings with factors like normal office timings and afternoon timings when tanning is an issue amonsgt women. According to time of the year Here I tried to plot the seasonal trends in swimming. Based on this collected information I drew inferences and proposed possible solutions. One example of the solution was the change in timings for women. Another one was making a swimming pool exclusive to women for certain days of the week so that working women can come in the morning and evening as well. I toyed with the idea of making a presentation to the AMC.
29
location wise demographics and inferences The swimming population is unevenly divided with the major load being on the Kankaria and Stadium swimming pool, closely followed by Vasna. The number of women swimmers is more at the Kankaria and Stadium swimming pools. This is because of the locality in which the pools 30
are situated. Another factor is that Kankaria is the only covered AMC swimming pool. There are diving and physiotherapy facilities at the stadium swimming pool. The swimming pools are well distributed throughout ahmedabad.
timing alLotted to each user group There are separate timings for each user group at the pools. Mornings and evenings are for men - experts and learners. Kid are alloted an evening timing which works well after school hours. Women timings are in the afternoon. This is a problem for women as they have
tanning issues. The swimming pool at Kankaria is the only covered AMC pool. As such the afternoon timings pose a problem for women for swimming. A possible solution could be allotting an evening time-slot for women on 1 or 2 days of the week.
31
timing alLotted to working women The timing for all women is in the afternoon. This timing is during the 9 to 6 office hours. This means that working women are unable to come for swimming as they cannot fit in with he allotted timing. My survey says that working women being more outdoorsy pose a better chance of going for swimming. The alloted time 32
slot thus makes it sure that a major chunk of women those who work full time are not able to go swimming. A realocation of timing can be a solution. A timing which is suitable for working women can be worked out for atleast some days of the week.
learners + kids
Experts
senior citizens
winter
summer
summer camp for kids
seasonal trends Seasonal trends show that more people come for swimming during summer. The number deminishes with the approach of winter. The number of regular swimmers of expert level remains fairly constant. Number of learners a seasons. The number of kids fluctuates according to exam seasons. It is maximum in the summer holidays. 33
Based on this collected information I drew inferences and proposed possible solutions. One example of the solution was the change in timings for women. Another one was making a swimming pool exclusive to women for certain days of the week so that working women can come in the morning and evening as well. I toyed with the idea of making a presentation to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation authorities. Focus back on promoting swimming to women I talked about the timing issue for women in my next meeting with Mr Bhat. He told me that the number of women is so less that changing timings for them would not be possible. So it was a vicious circle. But after talking with women it looked that creating awareness amongst women was first necessary. Persuading them to shed their inhibitions, remove their fear of water and make the whole process of swimming a fun and healthy activity. Accordingly I redefined my project brief.
34
redefined brief introduction
redefined design brief
phase one Research
To develop material that is informative and motivating on the subject of swimming and health for women. The material will focus mainly on creating basic awareness about the benefits of learning to swim, motivate women enough to shed any kind of inhibitions or fear and enjoy swimming. After all, you cannot learn to swim without entering the water. This promotional material can be distributed by the AMC to promote their excellent swimming facilities to the women of Ahmedabad.
phase two Problem Area Inferences Data Visualisation Redefined Brief phase three conceptualisation phase four execution conclusion
35
Phase Three conceptualisation
Scenario Building Exploring concepts
scenario building introduction
How to reach women
phase one Research
The target group was defined. Next step was to determine how to reach the target group. For this I considered all the possible media and places with which my target group, that is, middle and upper class women normally come in contact. They are shown in the following chart.
phase two Analysis phase three Scenario building Exploring concepts phase four execution
Places|Media
to reach Women
conclusion
Malls Parlours Doctors clinic PTA meetings in school At the pool Gymnasiums
38
News paper Health magazines
Women‛s magazines Social networking sites
TV/Radio
comparing the media Of the considered media I selected four possible places where I could intervene. These are mentioned above along with the advantages of each medium and also the possible aspects that can be communicated through each medium.
Whereas, in the other case I considered the places like the doctor’s clinic and the pools themselves and the medium can then be decided accordingly.
Media like the Local newspaper and magazines are the traditional media of communication.
39
addressing issues
On the basis of my research and analysis I narrowed down to the issues that needed to be addressed amongst women. With the changing of timing out of the question I was now focussing on persuading women. The main issues to be addresses include inhibitions, fear of water, ignorance about benefits, and basically providing motivation. Along with that also addressing cultural and religious restrictions was important. And while giving information about the benefits I had to see to it that once they are aware of the 40
facts, they should know how to proceed towards enrolling themselves for swimming in Ahmedabad.
exploring concepts introduction
Concept one
phase one Research
My first concept was a small narrative - fun step-by-step guide to swimming. It takes you through the first few steps required to start swimming right from buying the right costume and getting medical certificate. It goes on to explain the benefits of swimming, overcoming anxiety in the initial stages and letting one self go and have fun. It mainly promotes swimming as a simple and fun activity and tells a lot of beneficial facts in a simple way. The tone of voice is very light and informal. It takes the form of a small booklet.
phase two Analysis phase three Scenario building Exploring concepts phase four execution conclusion
A very rough dummy for Concept one
41
42
However, there was the question of distribution. Where will this booklet be distributed and how many people will it reach? This was not the best of the options to reach the maximum audience and could be developed as an additional promotion material.
43
exploring concepts introduction
Concept Two
phase one Research
A monthly workout guide at the swimming pool to help plan everyday workout shchedule was my second concept. This planner will be for beginners who have just joined swimming, who cannot work out a schedule by themselves. It will have basic tips on how to float on water plus information about the four strokes with illustrations on one side. On the other side will be a planner for one month. This will help them keep a track of their workout as well as a monthly assessment of their progress. The planner will be filled in by the swimmer each day. It will have space for filling up information like the date, time in, time out, workout done etc. The coach under whom the student is learning will keep a check on the planner.
phase two Analysis phase three Scenario building Exploring concepts phase four execution conclusion
A very rough dummy for Concept Two
44
This was a concept which will work after my target group approaches the swimming pool. My brief being promotion of swimming amongst masses, this was not my primary medium. Later, however, I did make a folder as a supporting medium to be distributed at the swimming pool. The content was information about the swimming gear required while joining swimming.
45
exploring concepts introduction
Concept Three
phase one Research
My third concept was an info-graphic that will be published in the local newspaper or a magazine. I did not find any magazines wich were distributed in Ahmedabad only. So I decided to look at news papers only. I was looking at both english and gujarati newspapers. My target audience being upper and middle class women I chose The most popular english newspaper the Times of India. The article will feature in its ‘city’ section. The infographic can also be translated into gujarati and published in a gujarati newspaper like gujarat samachar.
phase two Analysis phase three Scenario building Exploring concepts phase four execution conclusion
The contents will include the general benefits of swimming for women, how the human body floats on water, and how swimming is good in comparison with other exercises. Then as the Target group addressed is Ahmedabad centric the infographic will give information about the swimming facilities in Ahmedabad. The infographic will also address the problem of inhibitions amongst women which prevents them from going for swimming. I decided to take forward this concept since it covers the maximium target audience. Also it gives me a chance to present swimming in a more comprehensible way to women, different than how it is generally done (please refer to my study at the end of phase one). Concept Three was finalised for taking forward
46
A very rough infographic for concept three
47
Phase Four execution of concept three
Size and Content Visual language Typefaces Expected eye movement
size and content introduction
size
phase one Research
I took a look at the articles that appear in the Times of India. These articles cover various stories or subjects related to Ahmedabad city. The articles are generally half page or full page depending on how big the article is and what it covers. I decided to make a half pahe infographic. This article with the same content and a bit altered layout can also be blown up into a poster later. The size of the article, which is newspaper half page , is 33cm x 25 cm.
phase two Analysis phase three Conceptualisation phase four Size and content Visual language Typefaces Expected eye movement
33 cm
25 cm
ne w sp
ap
er
conclusion
50
content I started by putting together the parts which I felt were necessary and relevant in the layout. I went on adding details and altering the content as the design developed after discussions with my guide and public suggestions. I started out with the following content. Inhibitions The main issue that I wanted to address in my design was regarding the inhibitions. The shops generally display the competitive swimming suits. There are full body suits available but the women are not aware about it. They can choose the costume that they are most comfortable in. I enquired in many shops about the availability of these costumes. Almost all the sports shops and many of the malls have these costumes in their collection and if not we can order it and they provide. Fear of water Explaining in simple terms how water works with the body. Simple instructions on how to float and avoid drowning. Basically, showing that staying afloat is very simple and there is nothing to be afraid of. Benefits of swimming General benefits of regular swimmingfor women. Facilities in Ahmedabad Once the audience is convinced about the importance and benefits of swimming the next step is to join a swimming class. And as the target audience is women in Ahmedabad the important information is the location of good affordable swimming pool in their vicinity. Hence the map showing the AMC swimming pools with the contact number of the head office for more information. This will encourage them to take the next step, which is, enrolling themselves for swimming lessons. Comparison Also as additional information is the comparison of swimming with other normal exercises as a stressing point on how swimming is a more wholesome exercise. This is what my initial layouts looked like. 51
52
53
54
visual language introduction
visual style
phase one Research
Since the target audience is urban women of middle and upper class, the visual language I chose was clean and very much graphic. At the same time I wanted to deal with the problem of misrepresentation of women in newspapers and magazines. Hence my choice was to depict the main figure in a half-length swimsuit. This will look less formidable for women who are not used to wearing small clothes.
phase two Analysis phase three Conceptualisation phase four Size and content Visual language Typefaces Expected eye movement
The main figure is in a more sketchy style to break the monotony of the otherwise clean graphics.
conclusion
55
icons Icons work better than illustrations because they are more general and look cleaner. They are also easy to compare. They also bring certain consistency in that block of information. I have used icons to show the different types of swimsuits availabe as well as to show the Dos and Don’ts. At first, I had followed the same colour palette for icons as that of the rest of the elements. But later changed it to add contrast and highlight.
56
1
2
Keep breathing air
Avoid inhaling water
BREATHE AIR
AVOID INHALING WATER
STAY CALM
DO NOT PANIC
3 Keep your cool
4 Do not panic
STAY CALM
DO NOT PANIC
BREATHE AIR
AVOID INHALING WATER
colour palette Blue is the major colour in the layout. As the infographic is to be printed in a newspaper like the Times of India it will be a four colour offset print. Hence I wasn’t worried about limiting myself to a specified number of colours. However I stuck to blue, violet and magenta. I added a very small portion in yellow-orange for contrast later. 57
typefaces introduction phase one Research phase two Analysis phase three Conceptualisation phase four Size and content Visual language Typefaces Expected eye movement conclusion
body text The typeface needed to be clean and simple. Hence I chose a clean sans serif typeface Corbel for the body text. Myriad Pro It is compulsary to wear a proper swimming costume when we go to any swimming pool. But that should not be the reason for you to avoid swimming. So what if you are not used to wearing short clothes? Swimming costumes are available in all shapes and sizes. There is no necessity of uneasy exposure. Several sports shops and malls sell costumes of different brands and makes. Walk from the changing room to the swimming pool with confidence. Helvetica It is compulsary to wear a proper swimming costume when we go to any swimming pool. But that should not be the reason for you to avoid swimming. So what if you are not used to wearing short clothes? Swimming costumes are available in all shapes and sizes. There is no necessity of uneasy exposure. Several sports shops and malls sell costumes of different brands and makes. Walk from the changing room to the swimming pool with confidence. Corbel Regular It is compulsary to wear a proper swimming costume when we go to any swimming pool. But that should not be the reason for you to avoid swimming. So what if you are not used to wearing short clothes? Swimming costumes are available in all shapes and sizes. There is no necessity of uneasy exposure. Several sports shops and malls sell costumes of different brands and makes. Walk from the changing room to the swimming pool with confidence. Constantia It is compulsary to wear a proper swimming costume when we go to any swimming pool. But that should not be the reason for you to avoid swimming. So what if you are not used to wearing short clothes? Swimming costumes are available in all shapes and sizes. There is no necessity of uneasy exposure. Several sports shops and malls sell costumes of different brands and makes. Walk from the changing room to the swimming pool with confidence.
58
sub headings The headings needed to be bolder. At the same time not very sharp, but round and a bit flexible. After trying many typefaces I finalised on Din Medium Initially I tried the heading in all capitals. But the headings were quite long and were difficult to read in all caps. So later I changed them to Sentence case.
Benefits of regular swimming are more than just exercise Benefits of regular swimming are more than just exercise Benefits of regular swimming are more than just exercise
Heading After trying fancy fonts which were not suitable I finalised in a bold but not too loud typeface Helvetica Extra Compressed.
DROWNING IS FUN 59
eye movement introduction
The expected eye movement
phase one Research
First thing you see is the sarcastic heading that generates curiosity and persuades you to read on. The next information is the body-water relation and addresses the fear of drowning and how to overcome that. Then it goes on to mention the benefits of swimming. Then there is the highlight of the infographic which addresses the issue of inhibition amongst women. The last part is a call for action where the facilities of swimming pools in Ahmedabad are mentioned. The expected eye movement is as shown in the image indicated by the red line.
phase two Analysis phase three Conceptualisation phase four Size and content Visual language Typefaces Expected eye movement conclusion
60
61
Con clu sion Learnings Bibliography Acknowledgements
learnings introduction phase one Research phase two Data visualisation Redefined Brief phase three conceptualisation
The most important learning in this project has been that design solutions do not happen in isolation. You have to be out there doing things like talking with people, observing, interacting with people, interacting with spaces. Information through different sources provides you with different viewpoints to the same problem. Sometimes they bring forward totally different problems. Knowing your target audience thoroughly is a prerequisite to an appropriate solution.
phase four execution
One should try and get rid of the designer’s bias while proposing a solution. Leaving behind our preconceived ideas about the issue and learning things anew brings us closer to the reality.
conclusion Learnings Bibliography Acknowledgements
Concept and translation - The whole process of coming up with a concept and then translating it into a tangible visual output. Finally, the design process does not end with one solution. Following are some terms concerned with social communication that I learnt from my guide during the course of the project. BASNEF stands for the process that influences take up of change in behaviour of individuals from a social psychology perspective. The letters making the acronym are: Beliefs, Attitudes (individual), influenced by culture, values, traditions, mass media, education, experiences; Subjective Norms (community), influenced by family, community, social network, culture, social change, power structure, peer pressure; and Enabling Factors (inter sectoral), influenced by income/poverty, sanitation services, women’s status, inequalities, employment, agriculture.
66
Knowledge Attitude Practice (KAP) study Be for e beginning the process of creating awareness in any given community, it is first necessary to assess the environment in which awareness creation will take place. KAP Study tells us what people know about certain things, how they feel and also how they behave. The three topics that a KAP study measures are Knowledge, Attitude and Practice. The Knowledge possessed by a community refers to their understanding of any given topic. Attitude refers to their feelings towards this subject, as well as any preconceived ideas that they may have towards it. Practice refers to the ways in which they demonstrate their knowledge and attitude through their actions. Understanding the levels of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice will enable a more efficient process of awareness creation as it will allow the programme to be tailored more appropriately to the needs of the community.
67
bibliography introduction
BOOKS
phase one Research
Fletcher, Alan. The art of looking sideways. New York: Phaidon Press. 2001.
phase two Data visualisation Redefined Brief
Gill, Bob. Graphic Design as a second language. Australia: Images publishing group. 2003.
phase three conceptualisation phase four execution conclusion Learnings Bibliography Acknowledgements
Holmes, Nigel. Wordless Diagrams. USA: Bloomsbury Publishing. 2005. McCandless, David. Information is beautiful. London: Harper Collins Publishers. 2009. WEBSITES
Fun and fitness for life. nd. The Strategic Alliance For Swimming, UK. 14 march 2011. http://www.sportcentric.com/vsite/vfile/page/ fileurl/0,11040,4716-153211-170427-65843-0-file,00.pdf Physical activity briefing paper 7, promoting swimming activities. nd. NHS Health Scotland. 17 march 2011. http://www.paha.org.uk/Resource/promoting-swimmingactivities Swimming health benefits. nd. Better health Channel, Australia.14 march 2011. http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/ pages/Swimming?open
68
acknowledgements introduction phase one Research phase two Data visualisation Redefined Brief phase three conceptualisation phase four execution conclusion Learnings Bibliography Acknowledgements
First and foremost I would like to thank my guide professor Immanuel Suresh for guiding me through this project. Each discussion with him was like a dose of tonic. I also want to thank the project co-ordinaor Mr Tarun Deep Girdher for helping me select this topic. I would also like to thank my batchmates Dhwani, Mrinalini, Deeksha, Lalith, Abhisek, Akash, Poshika, Gargee, other batchmates and seniors for their valuable feedback and support. Thank you Poshika for accompanying me during the pool visits. My sincere thanks to Mr Dinesh bhai Bhat, deputy superintendent, swimming pools, AMC and all the other staff and coaches at the municipal swimming pools at Lal Darwaja, Vadaj, Kankaria and S P Stadium. Last but not the least I would like to thank all the people at the NID library and IT labs for their help and support. My heartfelt gratitude towards my parents and friends. Thank you Aai, Baba, Mohini, Nikhil, Sayali, Ankita for always being there for me and encouraging me at every step.
69
Š 2012 National Institute of Design Document typeset in Univers LT 45 Light Regular 170pt (section title) Myriad Pro Regular 18pt (section subheading) Univers LT 45 Light Regular 32pt (chapter heading) Myriad Pro Regular 11pt (body text) Softwares used Adobe Illustrator CS5 Adobe Indesign CS3 Adobe Photoshop CS5 Microsoft Word 2010 PRINTED AT Siddhi Printers Ahmedabad
70