Nan Luo Gu Xiang Colour System Research Book
D&AD
Brief Zihan Zhao
The brief
D&AD NEW BLOOD AWARDS 2015
BACKGROUND Colour is brave. Colour is bold. Colour is real. And it’s, well, colourful. Pantone supports the creative community to deliver, execute, and live that fact. Pantone sets the standard for colour. Nothing else comes close to the diversity or reality of colour of Pantone. And colour is vital. It matters. It’s colour that tells you when to go and when to stop. It’s how you know which tap to turn on, and the reason you know when to be wary of something.
Brief set by: PANTONE In collaboration with: CRAIG OLDHAM, THE OLDHAM GODDARD EXPERIENCE & JACK RENWICK, JACK RENWICK STUDIO
But it’s not just instructional. Colour is emotional, personal, and evokes our deepest and sincerest feelings. The same colour can mean a myriad different things to a million different people, and everyone has their favourite. In the physical, real world colour is a massive part of everything, from which sports team you follow, the political party you support, to your personal or even national identity – whether the colour’s on your flag or just your favourite mug. But because of its ubiquity, people can take colour for granted. And that’s not good news for creativity. THE CHALLENGE Reimagine your hometown through a new colour scheme. Think about everything that this identity could include, physical and digital: logo, transport, wayfinding, etc. ‘Hometown’ could mean where you’re from, where you are now, or just a place that you feel you belong – even if you’ve never lived there. WHO IT’S FOR The people, organisations, businesses, and communities that make up your hometown. Your solution should be something that everyone who lives, works, or is part of your hometown can own, adopt and experience, whoever they are.
REIMAGINE YOUR HOMETOWN THROUGH THE LANGUAGE OF COLOUR.
GRAPHIC DESIGN / EXPERIENTIAL / WAYFINDING & ENVIRONMENTAL GRAPHICS / BRANDING / CRAFTS FOR DESIGN / INTEGRATED GRAPHICS
WHAT TO CONSIDER • Think about the opportunities digital can bring, but don’t neglect the physical. Make something tangible to the community. • Take the core elements of identity design (colour, typography, brand applications...) then build bigger with them. How can you put them to active use? • Do field research. Really understand what colour means to the town at the moment, and see how you can change or improve that. • Consider your town’s character. How can you reflect and celebrate this? And how might this affect what the town needs from its new identity? • Colour doesn’t need to be flat. Language, imagery, objects, sounds… many things can be described as colourful. How could you incorporate them? • How can colour permeate people’s lives to effect positive change? WHAT’S ESSENTIAL A colour-led integrated graphic identity, with digital and physical applications. Show: • The key elements of your solution. • Example applications. • How you made your creative decisions. WHAT TO SUBMIT See ‘Preparing Your Entries’, included in your brief pack, for full format specs. Work will only be accepted in the formats outlined there and below.
@DandADNewBlood #NewBloodAwards Deadline: 31 MARCH 2015 5PM GMT
Main deliverables (mandatory) Upload up to eight presentation slide images. Supporting material (optional) The judges will only look at this if your main deliverable has impressed. You can submit the following as supporting material: Video (max. 1 min); interactive work (websites, widgets, apps, HTML, etc); physical material (prototypes, mockups, etc).
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Your solution should be something that everyone who lives, works, or is part of your hometown can own, adopt and experience, whoever they are.
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A colour scheme for somewhere I have emotion related. physical and digital: logo transport wayfinding etc. Who it’s for? The people, organisations, businesses, and communities that make up the hometown. The key elements of my solution. Example applications. How you made my creative decisions.
NLGX background
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I chose NLGX as my hometown because I love this area in Beijing so much. There is a lot of going on related to culture, entertainment, interesting things in this famous lane.
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Nan Luo Gu Xiang, one of the best preserved historical areas in downtown has a history of over 800 years. It is famous for its hutong, siheyuan courtyards, and various handicraft shops. This 768-meter-long south-north central lane, which was built in the same period that the capital of the Yuan Dynasty (12711368), has 16 hutong branching off the central lane, giving each side 8 hutong.
Who are living there?
Beijing is famous for having maintained it's traditional feel. Beijing is known for it's history and culture. You'll find heaps of both in the hutongs. A hutong is a community of siheyuans (traditional courtyard home). Sometimes these communities stretch for whole city blocks, and are a maze of tiny grey brick homes with beautiful slate roofing and marble statues.
local community
shoppers
bar/theatre/restaurants owners
creators/designers/artists Nanluoguxiang is the most famous hutong community in Beijing, and is known for it's authenticity. The alley itself is a north-south street, with dozens of side streets shooting off to the east and west. These side streets are where traditional locals live; some have been there for generations. The main street itself houses bars, restaurants, cafes and shops and is meant to be the core, or spine, of the community. Naturally, Nanluoguxiang has been restored from it's original form many times, but the taste of old Beijing remains.
The problem
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Don't visit us. We need
the privacy.
When I visit NLGX area, I noticed there are native Beijingers living around and their private houses just next to the bars, restruants or theatres. It is a big problem that visitors will enter their Si He Yuan (their front yard) for a look. So native communities keep shoewing a sign paper to telling people "don't visit us". A hutong is a community of siheyuans (traditional courtyard home). Sometimes these communities stretch for whole city blocks, and are a maze of tiny grey brick homes with beautiful slate roofing and marble statues.
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Solution - research Here is the poster design I found this summer in NLGX. These posters contain the concept detail of each lane in NLGX area, and recent events going on in that area. By doing field research, I found colours which using in that area is very bright and active. There are a lot of creative studios and shops there keep that area in an inspiring atmosphere.
Nan Luo Gu Xiang Colour System PANTONE 485 CP historical attractions
PANTONE 129 C entertainment
PANTONE 127-7 private houses
PANTONE 654 C public services
Solution - colour
Red: Most recognized colour for Chinese culture. Related to history, happiness, royal and fame.
Yellow: Represent for entertainment events. Such as shows, live music, eating and drinking. Make people feel relax and playful. Yellow can stand out from the crowded.
Green: Green is always the colour of a private gate in China. It also related to trees that protect the house.
Blue: All Beijing public services related to the colour blue. Like underground metro, police office etc.
Solution - colour and pattern
I develop four different patterns for different concept in NLGX. It can appear in map shows where is different concepts in order to help tourists.
historical attractions
private houses
entertainment
public services
PENGHAO THEATRE
Solution - logo
At first, I try to apply colours into the name of Nan Luo Gu Xiang. Also, I tried patterns with circle but it doesn't work well.
NLGX
NLGX
Nan LuoGu Xiang
NLGX NLGX NLG NLGX
Solution - delivers
So the system is using photography with pattern and text instead of using a logo. Here the photos are developed by film I took in this summer in NLGX and the example of prints.
Nan Luo Gu Xiang we l co m e s y o u BEIJING dongcheng 南锣鼓巷 生存指南
Solution - How to apply colour system into reality?
Street scene of current NLGX. The walls are good platform for signage.
Signage on walls shows patterns with meanings.
Solution - How to apply colour system into reality?
Flyer and posters will apply within NLGX area. These souvenirs with NLGX colour system also can be sold as product.
Solution - digital colour system
Visitors are encouraged using app to discover this area. By tapping in different catalogs, visitors can get the local guide of entertainment, historic attraction, public services and private houses.
Nan Luo Gu Xiang welcomes you! Thank you
D&AD
Brife Zihan Zhao