Be Wise Drive Nice : Design Project 1

Design project

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How safe are our roads?

2 Feb 13 Mar

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Design Project 1 documentation for the project : How safe are our roads? by Vishnu M Nair S1401112 / M’des 2014 Graphic design xishnumnair@gmail.com vishnu_n@nid.edu 9712589439 / 9711277887

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Contents > Week 1 Data collection

> Week 2 Analysis of data

> Week 3 Translating data visually

>Week 4 Exploration of visual content

>Week 5 Refinement and presentation

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x

x Timeline 6 - 15 Feb

12 ... 3

16 - 22 Feb

12 ... 3

23 Feb - 1 Mar

12 ... 3

2 - 8 Mar

12 ... 3

9 - 13 Mar

12 ... 3

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Week 1 > Data collection

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6 Feb

Briefs received for the various topics for Design Project 1 were received.

The format to follow during the 5 weeks of design process was agreed upon+ Maintain a visual diary for ideas.

After having weighed options, a difficult and timeless topic was chosen as it posed more of a challenge and larger scope of work “How safe are our roads?” dealt with road safety and the practices involved within it.

7 Feb

+ Maintain a daily journal of updates and learnings. + Following each guide visit each student had to send in a brief summary of the meeting, which would follow the ‘3 D’ format -

Immanuel Suresh was chosen as guide faculty. He keeps provding newer insights and emphasizes the process rather than results which leads to in depth exploration and revelations with every guide visit.

Discussed, Debated and Decided.

Prerequites for the Design projects were discussed with guide.

own design projects. Shared insights and research with them.

“The innocent and unaware are often the people who lose lives in road accidents”

To truly understand the mindset and pressures under which a driver uses a road, driving was a nessecary skill that needed to be learnt.

To contruct an A1 sized ‘think sheet’ was essential for the design project.

To regurgitate and mindmap any and all ideas arising, related to road safety ofcourse.

Discussions conducted with Film and Video Communications students who were undertaking Public Service Announcements on road safety for their

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8 Feb

Thinksheet Attempted mindmap and word associations linked with road safety and terms therein associated with it.

Tried to rant and connect topic with personal experiences - to draw inspiration insight and drive from memories related to roads - before beginning primary research.

Once personal rants and mindmaps hit a block, Primary research on internet began.

WHO reports on road safety in India was the initial reference point.

Important terms : KSI : Killed or Seriously Injured is a standard metric for safety policy, particularly in transportation and road safety.

New road safety paradigm : Best-practice road safety strategies focus upon the prevention of serious injury and death crashes in spite of human fallibility which is contrasted with the old road safety paradigm of simply reducing crashes assuming road user compliance with traffic regulations.

Insights : > More deaths reported of vulnerable drivers(2 wheelers) and pedestrians. > Lack of standard systems requirements for road safety and imposition of such standards in India.

9 Feb

Further work on thinksheet.

Accumulation of theoretical data Numbers and statistics from online research documents and websites.

After understanding topic briefly and as to what it means personally as well as in a general sense, work on the Design Proposal began.

The challenge was to clearly highlight certain areas of interest but without being too specific as to the solution thereby leaving no space for exploration.

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10 Feb

11 Feb

Polish poster workshop

Work on the Design Proposal -

Attended a poster workshop conducted

by Lech Majewski.

- Lech Majewski is a Polish film and theatre director, writer, poet, and painter. Intent of attending the workshop was to better understand the medium of posters as an effective communication tool.

- References from previous proposals.

- Articulating personal statements.

- Keeping brief open ended to explore further.

- To understand target audience.

- Work out a timeline.

After having gotten the proposals approved and submitted, General personal graphic design case studies were done.

“Observation, Interaction and Analysis�

Primarily the ease of reading in New Yorker, excellent font combinations and the new Internet.org website logo.

- was to be employed to further study topic and to get hands on knowledge with various perspectives in society.

Upon guide visit, certain topics were discussed in regards to the project - Visual ergonomics - Understanding typography and print

Also through the course of secondary research there was hope to identify an avenue for Graphic design intervention.

The stakeholders were to be identified and understood.

A great growing confusion as to the role of Graphic design in implementation of road safety arose.

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After deliberation and analysis the Design brief

“Design an awareness campaign to enlighten and educate the masses about the hazards of ignorance and apathy regarding the personal implementation of healthy road safety practices.�

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12 Feb

Observation

Guide visit

Spent the day observing traffic outside NID, carrying no preconceived notions.

Discussed as to what direction one should head in with observed and collected data.

> Traffic light obeyance only when in sync with traffic policeman. > Wrong sides taken prominently, even in police presence. > Blind curves approached with regular speed. > Very few 2 wheeler drivers wear helmets.

Need expressed to dwell into what “Road safety“ actually meant.

“If you are talking about safety, what is the threat?

Identify the threat” The stakeholders needed to be tackled to truly understand what the problem was and where an issue of ‘safety’ pops up.

> Observations for seatbelts couldnt be collected.

“Road safety is an attitude” 12

13 Feb

Visual Ergonomics: “ Visual ergonomics is the multidisciplinary science concerned with understanding human visual processes and the interactions between humans and other elements of a system.

Analyze through data and interviews wih stakeholders as to who needs protection - the drivers, or the pedestrians?

Visual ergonomics applies theories, knowledge and methods to the design and assessment of systems, optimizing human wellbeing and overall system performance. “

14 Feb

Problems in Ahmedabad : Observations Systems not in place > Traffic police not strong enough and far too lenient. > Roads are relatively well made. > System of traffic lights and traffic police in place completely out of sync with each other. > Many road design flaws.

{ {

TOI Article : Gujarat roads closer to international standards: - World Bank

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12 Feb

A dilemma - Where does graphic design come into this systems issue? ...

Clearing out goals : finding order* Trying to identify Graphic design interventions for road safety through internal dialogue.

* What am I trying to do?

- I’m trying to create awareness.

Awareness of what?

- Healthy road safety practices.

Why? - I am hoping it may save lives.

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But the masses already know that speed kills and not wearing helmets is risky.

Why then?

- If they don’t care about themselves, they might care about other’s lives perhaps?

That could be an approach.

But, why would anyone wear a helmet for another person’s safety?

- Road safety is not about helmets and seatbelts.

Its an attitude.

So, you want to change attitudes.

First, how would you understand their attitudes?

- Through interviews. Casual conversations. Observation.

And how would you change their attitudes?

- By persuading them to.

How? - Through the use of Graphic design.

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13 Feb

Started interviews Question 1 >

What is the biggest problem with roads in India?

Aniket Scooter rider 26

“Rules are followed for the sake of rules“ -People buy cheap helmets.

-Elder female drivers don’t wear helmets properly.

Autodrivers middle-aged

“People tend to park anywhere” “Lack of manners” “The sarkar”

“No empathy“

- “Road safety isn’t a priority” - “People don’t fear the police anymore” - “Traffic police only tends to prosecute the autowallah’s and leaves the rest alone.

- We pay challans while the rest pay 50 Rupees and get away”

-”Sabka apna apna”

Abhilash Uses public transport 18

“AMTS drivers are a huge threat to roads in Ahmedabad” -”I’ve heard they get bail up until 3 kills” -”They drive very brashly”

“Parents giving children scooters at a young age” -”There’s a trend in Ahmedabad of parents giving their children scooters at a young age.

Its very dangerous. Its not even legal.”

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“People drive on the wrong side.”

Shridhar Cylist 23

“Automobiles drive like cycles” - No acknowledgement of lanes.

- ”There are no cycle lanes as it is. So it’s dangerous for us.

“Police and (traffic) lights in constant war” - “The Police signal something else and the lights something else.

- ”Following the lights could get you killed infact.”

15 Feb Question 2 >

If you could change something about the roads what would it be?

Mechanic Scooter rider middle-aged

“The roads are bad” -If the roads were better cars would run better and not be damaged so often.

Anonymous Uses public transport 16

“Underage drivers”

“The roads are safer than before” -“The roads are 70 on 100 now. Earlier they were worse”

16 Feb Learn driving

-Near NID there’s a school - Diwan Ballu - the kids there ride bikes outside the school.

They’re not old enough to ride. They don’t wear helmets. There have been many accidents also.

- For tutions and school I use buses. They are safer and cheaper.

WIAA

To better understand the pressures an automobile user goes through and to educate myself about road rules after suggestions from the guide a decision was made to enrole oneself into a driving school and learn driving.

Options>

The WIAA or Western India Automobile association is recognized as India’s major authority on motoring issues and represents its members and motorists interests to the Government and other sector and industry groups.

Maruti Driving School MDS not just imparts better driving skills but also tries to inculcate safe driving culture through special theoretical sessions for behavioural training and road sense. The school was the first to introduce advanced driving training simulator for better judgment and concept of route maps for holistic on-road practice.

{ { 17

17 Feb WIAA >

What is the WIAA’s priority in road safety?

WIAA Simulations intructor -middleaged-

“To reduce the number of accidents ultimately” -We have lectures and ppt’s which impart knowledge of rules and regulations to the learners.

How can accidents be avoided if they don’t know the rules.

What about the people’s mindsets?

“We try to create awareness; To respect the other person” -We try to make people aware - as in, the person getting in the accident could be the sole breadwinner of the family. So sensitising the drivers.

What would you say is the problem with current drivers?

“There is a lack of self discipline.”

-People are selfish and drive brashly. They lack knowledge and they lack the self discipline to drive on roads properly.

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Traffic Police > What would you say is the problem with drivers?

Traffic attendant (1) Bodakdev crossing

“People don’t follow traffic rules”-People are defiant. Nobody follows the rules.

They don’t even listen to the police. They challenge us when we stop them.

Like if we see them talking on the phone. They’ll just say “what phone?“

Why do you think that is? How can we change it?

“The police aren’t strict enough.”

-Increase the fines and confiscate the licenses.

They will learn then.

-The police will have to be stricter.

“There are not enough policemen.”

-We need more policemen, there are not enough.

-Not all of us are equipped with walky-talkies, so people who drive away cannot be caught at the next intersection.

18 Feb

Road Transport and Safety Bill 2014 (DRTSB)

Dinesh Mohan: Road safety and a bhel puri act

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Understanding the current scenario

Conclusions :

Carried out primary research about current state of Road safety.

- DRTSB is a collage of various laws and guidelines from around the world.

Went through Road Transport and Safety Bill 2014 (DRTSB).

- Fines and punishments needlessly hyped above normal international standards.

As part of finding out analytical criticism of the DRTSB, stumbled upon articles

by Dr. Dinesh Mohan.

- Recommendations acknowledged by the WHO, by the Sundar Committee ignored in latest draft of bill.

Dinesh Mohan is a professor at IIT, Delhi in the Centre for biomedical Engineering and the coordinator of Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Program. He is also the Head of WHO Collaboration centre for training in safety technology.

“Making penalties heavier, as an isolated measure, has been found to have little extra effect... Frequently conducted and very visible traffic checks, which are unpredictable in terms of time and place, bring about the general prevention of traffic violations�

- National road safety agency of Netherlands

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E Week 2 > Analysis of data

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Every

1 min there is a

Every

The injuries on the roads have reached a figure which imposes intolerable suffering on tens of thousands of pedestrians and their relatives, and the figures have stirred the conscience of the nation”

“Accident statistics assumes outstanding importance in dealing with the large and regrettable increase in the number of street and highway accidents… attention of the whole nation is sharply focussed on this increase” - Lord Danesfort (1932)

India accounts for 10% of all road deaths worldwide.

300

deaths everyday.

Fatality rate increasing by

15 - 20 % every year

1,42,485 Indian lives lost in 2011

accident

DeatH

5,11,394 injured in 2011

Road

3.7 min there is a

550000000000 ‘Around Rs. 55,000 crore spent on treatment of accident victims’ - The Hindu

3%

WHO : Indian Road Safety status (2010)

which is enough to feed 50% of India’s malnourished children.

of Indias GDP

is spent on Road accidents every year.

Ministry of Road Transport & Highways Government of India - Road Accidents in India Issues & Dimensions

was being spent in the country to treat injuries caused due to road accidents.

References : www.americanbazaaronline.com/2013/08/21/road-to-hell-every-3-7-minutes-deathswoops-in/ www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/dinesh-mohan-road-safety-the-truths-areout-there-114070901393_1.html

Typeset in Highway Gothic and Adobe Caslon Pro. Qr Codes generated in the-qrcode-generator.com

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Observations

Discussions

A few points noted

> Need to be clearer as to what designer wishes to accomplish.

>Vast number of data and research. >Findings primarily restricted to reports, that are not in a format easily understandeable by public at large. >Media turns blind eye to road accidents as its a bland issue. >Graphic design intervention can help take data from reports to public and contextualize it.

K

A

P

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> To understand KAP of target audience and KAP of ideal audience and bridge the gap with desig intervention. >To re-evaluate who the actual stakeholders are and what and how road safefty actually affects them.

Hierarchy of stakeholders Automobile users > Pedesrians > Traffic police > RTO

Knowledge (derived through interviews) Users upfront knowledge about road safety rules and practices.

Attitude (derived through analysis of interviewee) The attitude of the concerned person regarding road safety.

Practices

Ideal KAP

(again derived through interviews) The road practices followed by the road user.

K : Knowledgeable about road rules and proper road safety practices.

A : Patient, compassionate and most importantly empathetic.

P : Healthy, alert & calm driving practice.

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23 Feb

An interview was arranged with the Assistant Commisioner of Police Rajdeep Singh Jhala Topics to discuss 1 > Growing death rates.

2 > Safety as a dry topic.

3 > Waning media attention 4 > People taking rules for granted 5 > Lack of empathy 6 > Insights as to new roles

A case study was presented by ACP Jhala of the stretch from Narol to Naroda in Ahmedabad where 26 deaths took place out of which 50% were pedestrians.

3 aspects to Road safety

> Investigating road accident cases comprehensively. > 14 traffic station proposals for Ahmedabad. >Upgraded intercepting - to tackle overspeeding. >Greater enforcement by local police and traffic police to tackle offences like wrong side driving. >CCTVs at major junctions in two years.

Driver behaviour

Road design

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Plans by traffic department in Ahmedabad:

Traffic management

Primary duties of the traffic police :

1

Enforcement

To enforce traffic rules and prosecute offenders.

2

Management

To ensure the smooth flow of traffic through the city and helping reduce commute times for the populace.

3

Awareness

To spread awareness of proper road safety rules and practices.

*

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Biggest threats on the road

Wrong side driving

Over-speeding

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250 people die in Ahmedabad every year due to road accidents.

The traffic police contacted 130 families of the deceased.

60 families had left the city.

They had lost the family breadwinner and hence could not maintain living in the city anymore.

-These are families with very unsecure livelihoods. Should the campaign deal with that strata?

Fines

Events

Used to avoid involving courts in the process of disciplining offenders.

To create awareness about road safety the Ahmedabad Traffic police organises and takes part in various events and performances -

Speeding and driving on the wrong side are punishable offences that cannot be solved by fines.

There are no fines that a traffic attendant can collect exceeding the amount of Rs.100.

In Kerala Inspector Rishiraj made it a law that not wearing a helmet cannot be rectified by just paying a fine. The driver had to visit court and rectify it. This proved to be a successful measure as the drivers started wearing helmets to avoid the inconvenience.

>World Remembrance day - November 15,2015 >Performances where a family member of a deceased person manages traffic while wearing a t shirt showing the deceased. >Regular candle light vigils. >Road safety week - 11 - 17 Jan Misc Lack of discipline among drivers due to dischord between them and policing authority.

“Instant and effective justice�

Traffic police severly underpaid and often found to have high levels of hypertension.

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Wrong side driving / Over-speeding

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Pedestrians at greatest loss of life in road accidents

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Problems clearly committed due to a lack of discipline and empathy. Crimes comitted due to selfish motives.

There is a discernable behavioural issue in play.

There is a need to re - analyze the stakeholders and the message that will be conveyed and who it is targeted at.

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Hierarchy of road users >

Bus Car Bike Cycle Pedestrian

77.5% of road accidents are Drivers fault.

2.4% is the pedestrians fault.

The data implies that an awareness campaign would be better at deterring unhealthy road practices if aimed at the higher tier of road user i.e drivers.

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{

unescap.org (UN Economic and Social Commision for Asia and Pacific) “Road Accidents in India Issues & Dimensions�

How I got a Drivers License in Ahmedabad.

As part of my Design project regarding Road safety I had to personally understand the proper rules of the road and understand the pressures a driver undergoes while driving to design for them.

This details my experience of trying to get a license in order to learn driving.

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As part of my Design project regarding Road safety I had to personally understand the proper rules of the road and understand the pressures a driver undergoes while driving to design for them.

Did not get-

How I got a Drivers License in Ahmedabad.

Identify dedicated driving school (because I will need to learn driving first)

Road and Transport Office(RTO) : How DO I get a learners license?

Out of any driving schools in Ahmedabad, Maruti Driving School is the most dedicated school for the course with a dedicated 20 day learner’s course with four 1 - hour long theory classes and 10 practical classes of an hour each and even 5 simulator classes in between.

After having confirmed from a Mr. Yadav at the Driving School that there was no way to get a learners license without a police verification, I decided to investigate the claim myself.

Driving School : How and when do we start?

A very customer friendly woman will greet you and talk about the details - the time, the place of training and duration. She will put you in touch with an “agent”.

There are certain documents that are required.

The driving school required : 1. Learners license 2. Proof of identity For a learners license, the agent would require : 1. Rent agreement 2. Owners electricity bill 3. Police verification of self 4. Original address proof 5. Proof of birth 6. 650 Rupees

“ A driver’s permit, learner’s permit, learner’s license or provisional license, is a restricted license that is given to a person who is learning to drive, but has not yet satisfied the requirements to obtain a driver’s license.”

Police station : Police verification.

Applying for a learners license through an agent would be unfair - and expensive. The right way - the honest way - would be through the proper channels with the proper documents - as a designer i.e.

After having been requested to sit down and offered a cup of chai at the Paldi police chowki, I was told verifications are done at Ellisbridge police station.

At the Ellisbridge after bobbing my head into every room, and having found the verification officer I was told I wasn’t eligible for a police verification.

“You are not a permanent resident. For all we know you could just get a permanent driving license with a temporary address” After having heard the same sentence in active and passive tones a couple of times as rebuttal to my questions, I took my leave.

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I approached the counter at the incredible buzzing organisation which holds authority over the roads of India and over all drivers and decides who gets to use vehicles and who doesnt - it issues the licenses.

The man at the counter pointed at a poster for documents written in Gujarati. After explaining my situation he said all I would need is a proof of birth, temporary residence proof & permanent address proof.

Sarathi.in : Apply for learners license The application for learners license was to be filled online.

I highly doubt many indians have or understand the resources required to apply for a learners license.

The application form does not work on contemporary internet browser. So I applied through the internet explorer browser from a different computer.

Fill form, submit, book slot. Simple so far.

Road and Transport Office(RTO) : Finally?

Proudly holding the printed application form and required documents I went to the RTO again.

I was told to get a printout of the slot booking confirmation.

There was a maruti omni with laptops and a printer running on battery who charged 20 Rs for an A5 size black and white printout of the slot confirmation.

The directional signages were in Gujarati (as if it weren’t hard enough for an outsider to get a license). Questionned many people to no avail. Finally followed a young Gujarati girl holding the learners license to the ‘Single window’.

Inside the nicely lit, furnished and tiled room in the back of the RTO I realised the instructions being shouted on how to fill the form and attach documents was in Gujarati again.

The priorities are obviously mixed up. After having the person sitting next to me clarify the procedures, my chance to submit and have the documents verified in order to sit for the learners driving test came.

At the counter I was told I couldn’t sit for the learners license test because I required : 1. A police verification 2. An attested rent agreement The woman explained that a police officer cannot refuse to verify a person if that person has valid proof of residence.

I was asked to return with valid documents within a week. _ To make best of my visit I observed and analyzed the driving tests and how they are conducted.

What now I completed research with primary observation and interviews to understand driver perspectives.

I did learn to ride a bike. The illegal way, ofcourse, on abandoned roads - under the guidance of a friend.

What we can conclude from the whole experience is that 1. There is obviously a lack of empathy for outsiders in Gujarat.

2. There are holes in information regarding various stages of the license process.

3. There is no guides in place to streamline the process after application for license.

4. Even employees of the RTO are in the dark about proper procedures.

5. The system is crooked. Using an agent would have streamlined the whole process and saved a lot of time.

6. Lack of uniform guidelines in official matters.

7. The official process is long and tedious, pockmarked with loopholes - which leads us to question how many immigrants and workers use the roads or whether they even have a valid drivers license or knowledge of basic road safety rules.

Next : I will apply and document the process of getting a driving license in Delhi (my place of permanent residence) to contrast the amount of effort, time and money that is required between being a resident of a state and being an outsider.

Police station : Once again I marched to the same room as before with the rent agreement, but the officer there was different.

He confirmed that I have the relevant documents for a verification BUT, said that I was not a registered tenant because the rent agreement was not police verified by my house owner.

It was a punishable offence by law - regarding the house owner.

I retreated again, but with the police verification form.

For strictly documentation purposes this time.

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Week 3 > Translating data visually

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23 Feb

Pencil to paper During the course of the last two weeks data had been collected and analyzed.

Parallely layouts were being made as ideas arose about probable mediums and concepts for the awareness campaign.

The conceptualising and visualizing was done keeping in mind : The target audience : > Educated daily commuters - Primarily > 4 wheel drivers, then 2 wheel drivers. > Middle class and above. > Literate and educated. > Age 18 +

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The first few ideas were based on performances or installations.

They depended on performances which would be well integrated into the daily commute.

1. A man completely wound in plaster bandages riding a bike around the city.

In and around major intersections a day.

He would be carrying a signange which displays the usual excuses people have for skipping red lights and speeding.

2. In a similar performance a comically wrecked car would drive around the city with a sign that reads an excuse.

The unusual installations/performances would attract media attention and get people talking.

Problem: They would be very distracting to an already distracted commuting audience.

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Keeping in mind the amount of data regarding road safety that does not reach the common man - a second series of ideas involved visualizing data in the infographic format but contextualising it so the common man can understand and register it.

Problem: Doubtful as to whether they will be effective in inciting conversation and data might be too much for a commuter to take in.

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Anoter issue is the apparent personality change drivers go through as soon as they get behind the steering wheel.

Outside the vehicle people in general tend to be relatively polite and well mannered, but as soon as they start using the roads we observe a shift in attitude. - Ego creeps in in many cases and drivers and selfish and rude.

The illustration tries to depict the personality change.

Other ideas dealt with using the roads as a medium for communication. With messages that warned pedestrians of not using the zebra crossing.

After surveys - the problem with pedestrians not using the zebra crossings arose from vehicles encroaching upon them.

Another issue with the idea was that the messages that were meant to warn and inform were for pedestrians - who were already in the lowest tier of road use hierarchy.

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Insights The point of an awareness campaign is to create awareness about an issue and start conversations about it in society.

There would need to be a cohesive body of well designed work that can produce a ‘buzz‘ among people. > People are ill-mannered on roads. > People higher up on the road hierarchy cause more accidents than lower stratas.

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Keeping the Ideal targe audience KAP in mind - a campaign was nessecary which could make the audience -

1.Empathetic 2.Compassionate 3.Patient

‘Pehle aap’ A word that would appeal to indian sentiments and irk people to question the absence of ‘Indian values’ that are imprinted on indians from a young age.

‘Pehle aap’ means ‘you first’ , using the ‘aap’ reference used in addressing elders or a person with respect.

The usage of the term on roads could hypothetically create an atmosphere of ease and empathy.

Problem: The phrase is in Hindi, which is not used in most of south india and to the east.

This could be a hindrance if and when the campaign diversifies.

The Aam Aadmi Party who won the elections in Delhi are known popularly as aap and they employ similar phrases with ‘aap‘ in their publicity material.

Pune traffic police has held road safety week with the same slogan. They haven’t spoke of any significant progress after the short campaign.

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Week 4 > Exploring visual content

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Inspiration BRO Signboards Drawing from personal experience slogans which rhyme or are unusual tend to have more of an impact and have more recall in the long run.

A perfect example of unusual rhyming slogans resonating with a reader are the signboards from BRO (Border Roads Organisation) After having read some in a matter of a few seconds, the memory and slogan stayed vivid even within and year due to unusual nature of the slogan an the rhymes made it easier to remember.

Photos courtesy Ajay Jain peeppeepdontsleep.com

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> Simple messages > Bold typefaces > Large enough to read The message keeps repeating itself in the readers head - like a short brand tagline it sticks with the reader. The same effect is required for the campaign slogan which personifies the campaign brand.

After deliberating on various other alternatives for the campaign slogan -

BE WISE DRIVE NICE was chosen as the campaign slogan.

The slogan is short, simple and direct in its intent. It is not ambiguous in its interpretation. It motivates positive action and the tone of voice isn’t preaching. The rhyme makes it simple to remember and repeat.

The slogan itself would act as the identity for the campaign.

The final aim of the campaign is to make people nicer on the roads.

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Inspired by license plates and how they are legible and clear even from greater distances the wordmark also uses black and white for maximum legibility.

The logo means to be similar to license plates so that the campaign can be connected to road safety through the familiar form.

An initial draft of the identity was canned as it implied that the driver be ‘nice’ strictly ‘drive-wise’.

The wordmark needed to imply that one would be wise in driving nicer and being a nicer person on the road.

‘Nice’ may be understood as driving better in general to following traffic rules to being more compassionate towards fellow drivers.

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The typeface had to reflect the aesthetics of a license plate.

The typeface chosen was

Helvetica Rounded lt Condensed in ALL CAPS.

BE WISE DRIVE NICE

BE WISE DRIVE NICE

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The logo was static in its registration plate formed and lacked a personal element.

A small addition was made to imply a dialogue box.

The logo now implies ‘Lets talk about road safety’.

An issue with the logo was the direction form which the dialogue box came from.

In the generation of constant chat messaging people might decipher the logo as being either introspective (a sent message) or an advice (received message).

The position of content on a left side driving road was also to be considered.

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BE WISE DRIVE NICE

BE WISE DRIVE NICE

BE WISE DRIVE NICE

BE WISE DRIVE NICE

BE WISE DRIVE NICE

BE WISE DRIVE NICE

BE WISE DRIVE NICE

BE WISE DRIVE NICE

Be Wise Drive Nice

BE WISE DRIVE NICE

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Colour

{ } K1 - K2 K1

X 100 = H

K1 - Highest colour value K2 - Lowest colour value H - Contrast value If H > 70, legibility assured

Arthur & Passini described in their book Wayfinding from 1992 a reliable calculating method to calculate the contrast difference between two colors.

The formula is based on the light reflectancy (LR) readings in percentages for each of the two colors involved.

By substracting the darker color from the lighter color, divided by the difference by the lighter, and multiplying by 100, we get brightness differential.

When the brightness differential is 70 percent or higher the legibility is assured. When it is less, the legibility cannot be assured and those colors should not be using in that combination.

{ } { } Y-K

On the basis of this theory 1. White and black are the most legible with a contrast value(H) of 91.

2. Yellow and black and second most legible with H of 89.

Y

71 - 8 71

X 100 = H

X 100 = 88.73 ~ 89

Y = 71 % (Light reflectancy of yellow) K = 8 % (Light reflectancy of black

Signage and colour contrast Designworkplan.com

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}

Bold black text on yellow background have been used to signal important imformation on roads in general.

Through Arthur and Passini’s method we can ascertain that black text on white and yellow will be highly legible.

BE WISE DRIVE NICE C0M0Y0K100

C0M0Y100K0

Issue The campaign was planned and partly executed till an extent, but a problem arose - the logo against a bright yellow background looked very similar to the identity of a telecommunications brand.

Viewers of the material designed for the campaign said that the colour scheme strictly being yellow black and white reminded them of the Idea network.

The mass of the work later in the process was also cited to be monotonous due to the restricted colour scheme.

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Colour - 2 A decision was made not to diverge from the original identity but instead to diversify the colour scheme.

Primary colour are positive and eye catching. Drivers and commuters are familiar with the colours and subliminally register messages in those colours i.e modern road signs on retroreflective boards.

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Red, Blue, Green and Yellow are primary colours used on Indian roads for road signages.

Blue, Green and Yellow colours also stood as signals for the type of information they would be conveying.

Because Red is an alarming and unsettling colour, using it wasn’t adviseable.

Yellow stood for caution.

Blue used for mandatory action.

While the legibility of Yellow and Black was confirmed Blue(background) with white(text) had a contrast value of 82.

Green(background) on white(text) ha a contrast value of 80.

Green used for positive action.

Since both the values are above 70 we can confirm the legibility of both.

Yellow : C 0 M 0 Y 100 K 0 / R255 G242 B0 H value : 89

Caution.

Yellow : C 100 M 55 Y 0 K 0 / R0 G121 B193 H value : 82

Mandatory action.

Yellow : C 100 M 0 Y 100 K 0 / R0 G166 B81 H value : ~80

Positive action.

The Department of Transport in UK had released CMYK equivalents for traffic sign colour reproduction in print.

This was used as reference for the colour schemes.

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The list Nearing the deadline a list of tentative deliverables was made. And signed.

With witnesses. The list comprised of -

15 Posters 4 Installations 1 Identity 1 Handout

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Posters

>Visuals and copy should be simple. >Slogan should be straightforward. >Visual should incite a chain reaction of thought. >Posters will be implemental in creating presence of both brand and message of the campaign across a wide audience.

Posters were planned to be printed on retroreflective material to be more relatable to as a road safety advisory and also be highly visible at night.

They were designed to be of A2 size, i.e ( 420 x 594 )mm.

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Typeface A typeface was required for the slogans in the posters which would be legible from a greater distance as well as be familiar to the viewers i.e be connected to the roads someway.

Highway Gothic (formally known as the FHWA Series fonts or the Standard Alphabets for Highway Signs) is a set of sans-serif typefaces developed by the United States Federal Highway Administration and used for road signage in the U.S., Canada, Turkey, Mexico, Australia, Norway, Spain, Venezuela, the Netherlands, Brazil, Argentina, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Mongolia and New Zealand.

The typefaces were created to maximize legibility at a distance and at high speed.

Highway Gothic Highway Gothic Condensed Highway Gothic Expanded

Highway Gothic Narrow Highway Gothic Wide 52

Early poster explorations

Slogan explorations The criteria for slogan writing for the posters was that it had to be easily rememberable and short enough to read while a person drives by. The recall of the slogan is more if the slogan rhymes, but certain powerful visuals required very minimal slogans.

“Harmony on the roads, Don’t honk, Don’t roar” “The roads are ours , respect the people’s powers” “Avoid wrong sides it won’t end nice” “Be a good guy, why don’t you try” “Drive faster, You’ll get a plaster”

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Posters - Execution A line style was explored in the first few posters.

Using brush strokes for the illustration could be appealing and have a warmer look, but from a distance and on large poster the stroke defects could be amplified.

Second option was to use cleaner bolder hand drawn lines. The lines were not bold enough and there was an intermediate stage of scanning images in the creation process.

Digitally drawn lines emulating bold viscous-ink drawn lines was finalised as it was bold enough and warm in its disposition because of the clumsy quality.

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The first poster was meant to imply being courteous at green lights and not rushing ahead.

The second poster implied that you could save a life if you stopped at red lights.

Problem : >The typo wasn’t visible at this size. > Yellow was used as the background.

Since the message is asserting a mandatory action as to following a traffic rule bule would have been suited more for the background. >The posters seemed to hang in mid air.

They needed a border to hold the content and seem more familiar as traffic signages.

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“You’re not a loss, If you let them cross.”

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“Be bright don’t drive on the wrong side”

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Drive fast / DIE fast

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5. Harmony on roads, Dont’s honk don’t roar

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In order to explore a different space, a campaign poster in a different language was designed. അപകടം is a Malayalam word which means ‘Accident.‘

കടം is a Malayalam word which means ‘debt‘ or ‘loan‘.

An accident could end up in a big loan and by merging the message with the speeding car, it urges the viewer to exercise caution and not to over speed.

Hybrid images Posters were designed using hybrid optical illusions.

The illusion works on the basis of the distance the image is viewed at. The image in this illusion is of dual nature and is viewed differently from near and far.

The small poster or flyer attached to a vehicle with the bright yellow band attracts viewer attention from a distance.

From a distance the only discernable image is that of an empty road.

The images chosen were iconic photographs which had roads as an integral part of them. This was done so that image will seem familiar yet unusual, arousing interest from a distance.

In this instance it is a photo of Abbey road without the beatles.

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As the poster is viewed from a closer distance, the viewer will see human figures (in this instance - the beatles) and that will compete the iconic image.

The attention will then be diverted to the bodycopy which reads “You won’t notice pedestrians tills its too close and too late” - Drive slower, Drive smarter.

The campaign logo will be present, just as significant as the other content on the poster.

This will help arouse curiousity about the entity of ‘BeWiseDriveNice‘ and further the public buzz about te topic.

The second flyer has the iconic Tianemen square image without the tanks - This poster/flyer talks about threats a driver may face rather than pose like in the earlier poster.

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Handout/poster An A3 poster was designed which was later adapted into a handout.

The unelaborate folding has the viewer going through statistics of road safety and how the conditions of the road are degrading over time and how its taking a toll on the coutry.

It overwhelms the viewer as they unfold the handout and as they flip over the message reads ‘Numbers are scary, roads need not be’ .

This is when the campaign is introduced with a short write up about the campaign and how one can connect with it on the internet.

The handout includes a sticker of the campaign logo in its folds. A person who has been handed the handout may pledge to be part of the campaign to make roads better by sticking the sticker on their vehicle, helmet or elsewhere.

Ultimately the stickers will create a buzz in public about the campaign as more and more people become a part of the campaign.

The posters on the other hand will stand as a constant reminder of the conditions we survive in.

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The sticker which will be included within the foldout.

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Installations As part of creating a public presence for the campaign, several installations were ideated which would not only break the campaign from the realm of print but also create a commotion of sorts and gather attention, again, for the campaign and the message.

The first installation is a billboard and installation which work together in delivering a powerful message.

The billboard reads “More than 50% of the people who die on roads weren’t even using the roads�.

The installation has a car which crashed into the 4th floor of a building to signify the unpredictability of an accident and its effect on unassuming people going about their daily business.

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The second installation are a series of signs which read into a complete message as a viewer drives down the road approaching an intersection.

The signs read Want to > Save > a Life > ?> Slow > Down > Now > As a driver draws nearer to a traffic light he will grow curious with the sentence being formed and as the person nears a red light or intersection the sign board reads - slow down now, with the campaign logo.

Each signboard has a single word so as to not distract the driver, but all the well creating anticipation and curiousity building up until the punchline.

It provokes action on the side of the driver which is finally attributed to the campaign logo/slogan.

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Road sign installations Road signs are an integral part of the driving experience and drivers are familiar with road signs and at many levels tend to obey and register the information conveyed on them.

The installations wish to take advantage of that quality and convey messages which promote slower safer driving and a happier driving experience - all the while asserting that the roads are meant to be a happier place.

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Zebra crossing installations To highlight the plight of pedestrians, and the difficulty they face in being able to use the zebra crossing this installation was ideated.

The characters were rendered cute , with added humour so as to not make the viewers feel stiff when the message is delivered.The body reads -

It shows a group of diverse people trying to cross over from one side of the road to another by moving across a tightrope.

“Is this any less safe dangerous, Leave the zebra crossing to pedestrians�

The bodycopy addresses motorists encroaching upon zebra crossings, leaving pedestrians relying on less safer options to cross the troads.

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Presence How will it all work together?

Posters

Handouts

The posters will envelop the masses and create an atmosphere to discuss road safety. Posters will be -

Once there is an ambiance and curiousity for the BeWiseDriveNice campaign the handouts will educate and inform the public about what the campaign is about and will call for their participation in the form of applying the stickers to their vehicle.

> Road signs > Billboards > Print ads > Stickers > Murals

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The handout also directs readers to an online community for the campaign, thereby creating a larger participating audience - who spread the message.

Installations

Conclusion

Installations will involve people and have them talking about the unusual campaign. The fact that the campaign is breaking out of print will get media coverage and give the campaign more volume.

The aim of this awareness campaign is to make people aware of the issue of road safety. The way this has been achieved is by creating conversation among the populace.

Using Graphic design, the topic of road safety is made contemporary and urges the audience to be a part of the campaign. Parallely the visual content of the campaign calmly irks the driver to re-examine his or her driving practices, and thereb bring a positive change.

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Learning

Acknowledgement

This project helped me understand how to design for people. How a design solution is not tied just to one medium or one idea and a how a cohesive whole can be used for greater impact.

I would like to thank my guide Immanuel Suresh for providing insights which always opened up new dimensions to dwell into - both in graphic design and in life.

The project had me examining all aspects of visual design - as to how content contains information and conveys it.

Rupesh Vyas for arranging meetings with traffic officials, which helped incredibly in clarifying priorities.

I learned to distill information - both gathered and conveyed to find the root of the problem and convey the root of the solution.

I understood beyond graphic design how a system functions in modern india and how the stakeholders are intrinsically bound to it.

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ACP Rajdeep Singh Jhala for the insightful information regarding contemporary road safety situations in Ahmedabad and India.

I would also like to thank Vartika Sharma for feedback on visual treatment, Naina Bhan for the substantial help with slogans, Kiran Rajagopalan for feedback and equipment, Parag Chitale and my other batchmates for constant feedback and support.

References

Colophon

References have been provided as QR codes and URLs along with data within document for easier access and exploration.

Typeset in Neutraface designed by Christian Schwartz.

Images courtesy Google Image Search.

The BeWiseDriveNice Logotype uses Helvetica Consensed Lt Rounded designed

by Max Miedinger.

Posters use Highway Gothic developed

by United States Federal Highway Administration. _ Printed at : Siddhi Printers 3/4, Liberty Complex, Swastik Cross Road, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad 380009

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