Speaking From Experience... Final Pieces

This is the 'logo' that will be used across all of my products.



This is the logo with the dates fo trip week.

This is another variation of my logo.

This is a banner type poster that will be for the Graphics noticeboard, on the toilet doors and around the studio.


This is a variation of the poster, with a blue background.

This is a business card that students can carry around with them, so every time they reach into their wallet or look on their notice board, they will be reminded.

This is the media player I designed where students can download the playlist of the tracks on the CD.

This shows the animated version of the media player on the homepage of the website, I have never used animation before, I was just messing around on Photoshop, I probably should have used a tutorial or asked for guidance, but its only an experiment.



This is the non animated version of the website created on Photoshop, I would love to learn web-design so I could have really created it.

This is the front cover for the Road Trip CD.

And the back cover.

Speaking From Experience... Branding

I wanted to design the logo in a bold yet quite minimal. Impact seemed like an appropriate font, it is sans serif and very striking, the colours used for the type I wanted to keep to a minimum, I visualised 'Prepare To Be' in one colour and 'Inspired' in another to put emphasis on being inspired.

I decided this looked far too sinister, almost as if I am scaring the students into being inspired. Not appropriate at all.

I liked the idea of using a star in the logo to symbolise an idea, an inspiration. I did think of using a lightbulb as this is often associated with an idea, but a star seemed better suited. I think this is a little bit cheesy sounding, so I will continue using Prepare To Be Inspired. I like that the blue stands out, but I am not sure it is the right colour. I think the grey works well, as it is visible but it's not the most important element, which is what I intended to do.

Although I originally wasn't keen on the blue I think this looks a bit better, especially against the grey of the date above it. 

I like the way the stars break up the type, however this does not seem to work, it may be the colour or the fact that the text is on its own.

The black and green works well, however the three stars idea maybe isn't as successful as the one star at the end. I will add in the date to see if it looks any better.


This does look better, and the colours work well however, I am wanting a brighter colour to really jump out.

The pink seems to work better here, 

InDesign... Elliot

I have collected together a possible set of images, to use in the document for Elliot. For the main page with a photo on, I will use a photo from his Collection 100 brief, as I liked the design of the book he created.





These are the original colours for the photo, but I have adjusted the glow which gives it a cool effect.

This is one option for the images, I like this photo as it shows Elliot just 'chilling'. I have distorted the image slightly to cover the fact that the image quality is rubbish as it is only 72dpi. I have also changed it to Black and White, as the original looked good, but would not fit in with the colour scheme, plus in Elliot's original interview he stated he did not like bright colours.

This is quite a funky edit of the original, again I have stuck with black and white and applied a filter on top, it looks more like a screen print now.

This is very similar to the other image, however I have adjusted the contrast to make the black, blacker and the glow.

This was my original grid, however it did not leave a great deal of room to fit in the text content and would have made it hard to read.

This is the grid for my document, there is a 2cm bleed, and 3 columns with 5mm guttering:

This is the final design for Elliot's page, it looks much better on screen due to the colour settings in the printer using coloured ink to print black.

Speaking From Experience... Email/Text

This is an idea raised in my crit as an alternative to the iPhone app, where students can receive information in a visually engaging way about travel offers, exhibitions and events, it could also feature a link to a blog which I could set up for the current first years to share their experiences to give hints and tips to the next lot of first years.

This idea is in the very beginning stages as I am unsure if it is a strong enough idea to carry forward...

Speaking From Experience... The CD

One of my products which I feel is a little gimmicky, as mentioned in my PPD blog, is a road trip CD, which would feature songs picked from this years Graphic Design group in the response to the question, "If you could pick a song to listen to on a road trip what would it be?"

Here are some of my friends' favourite tracks:
- True Romance - Golden Silvers (Emma Cooper)
- Fuck Her Gently - Tenacious D (Jamie Flear)
- Cigarettes & Alcohol - Oasis (Pav Adamek)
- The Road - Frank Turner (Rob Green)
- Twist & Shout - The Beatles (Naomi Farrar)
- Road To Nowhere - Talking Heads (Hazel Gage)
- Grease Megamix (Kirsty Hare)
- Sleeping Lessons - The Shins (Matt Khan)
- Your Latest Trick (Live) - Dire Straits (Robyn Russell)
- Jumping Jack Flash - Rolling Stones (Polly Williams)
- Old Friend - Rancid (Natalie Jackson)
- Be My Girl - Jet (Jo Catlow)
- Virtual Insanity - Jamiroquai (Ben Mckean)
- Kiara - Bonobo (Sam Wallbank)
- Mishaps Mishappening - Quantic (Chris Ando)
- Elusive - Scott Matthews (Maya Srivastava)
- Make It Wit Chu - Queens Of The Stone Age (Josh Dazeley)
- She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult (Gemma Byrne)
- Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac (Amy Leigh)

The CD features a very eclectic mix of tracks, some well known, others not as well known. What needs to be considered visually is the design of the front and back covers, the fold out inlay featuring maps and information, and the design of the CD itself. The design of the CD will be the design used throughout the other products to keep it all uniform, and make the design recognisable among the products.

Speaking From Experience... Naming

Now I have decided what to do, I need to come up with a tag line for trip week to be placed on the products. Here are a few I have come up with, some based on already existing taglines just to bring about familiarity...

- With a name like Trip Week. It has to be good.
- Did somebody say Trip Week?
- Great Trip Week. Great Times.
- Go on. Get your Trip Week out.
- Get more from Trip Week.
- Whatever you're into. Get into Trip Week.

It did cross my mind to maybe rename the week, but as this is what it is referred to by Fred and Amber I did not want to cause confusion. However, in a crit, this idea was completely overthrown, see PPD blog.

Speaking From Experience... iPhone App

My main product will be an iPhone application, I think it gives me a lot of scope to contain large amounts of information in a visual way without taking up lots of paper, or being anything additional to carry around, as it will be stored in the iPhone. However I am aware not everyone has an iPhone, therefore I intend for the other products I create to reach out to the remainder of the audience.

The purpose of the iPhone is to provide information on where the students can go in trip week, the app will provide options, for example, the students may want to pick their trip according to budget and so I could create a Budget option menu:

Menu > Budget > Cheap > Leeds, York, Bradford...
> Average > Manchester, Sheffield...
> More costly > London...
> Abroad > Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona...

Another option could just be based on country:

Menu > Country> U.K. > England
> Scotland
> Ireland
> Wales
Europe > France
> Spain
> Holland
> Italy
> Germany

An example of another search option could be alphabetical order of art galleries, an example for searching under the letter T may be:

Menu > Alphabetical >UK > T > Tate Britain
> Tate Liverpool
> Tate Modern
> Tate St. Ives
> Towneley Hall Art Gallery and Museum
> Towner Art Gallery
> Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery



This website features all of the galleries in the UK and Europe which can help provide the information needed for me.
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/museums/art-museums-in-the-uk.html

In terms of the design, I will use the logo as the banner at the top, and the menus will be quite plain so they are easy to use, I will use a Helvetica typeface which is the font for the iPhone anyway, and probably a grey menu. To go along with this, the app button needs designing, and some form of promotion for the app will need producing.

Speaking From Experience... Research

I have decided to concentrate on providing information for around Leeds and London, because London was a popular choice of destination from the current first years when asked, what place or place of interest they would visit for art/graphics. Leeds is my other choice as I am aware not all students can afford to go that far, and may not want to travel far out of Leeds. But then again, the whole point of this brief is to give people enough preparation time to make the trip as cheap as possible, for example I found out that to book the Megabus, you can book tickets up to 4 months in advance, for as little as £2 for a return journey!

There is a Mega Train which is a similar kind of set up however, there is only the Mega Bus that goes from Leeds to London.

Below is a list of prices for an outbound journey on the last day available currently to book from Leeds to London, so to book for February students want to aim to have organised themselves for October/November.

These prices are correct on the date Friday 14th May.

To travel by coach with the National Express, for the same dates, it would be slightly more expensive:

I also looked at the National Express train website, I couldn't book a ticket as far ahead as September, the furthest ahead I could book was 5th August, and this was even cheaper than the National Express Coach.

I also looked into travel within London, for example purchasing an Oyster Card, this is generally a cheaper method than travel cards as it works out the cheapest fare available. Also it is a quick method, as you do not need to queue up for tickets, you simply tab in and out at the appropriate readers, providing you have enough money on your card. I have taken the prices from the Oyster website:

The daily price cost of travel will be reduced by 34% if a 16-25 Railcard is added to the Oyster Card.

I will include a research book with my work, with places to go, places to stay and methods of travel for London, I will also include places I have been to and stayed at, to really emphasise I am speaking form experience!

Speaking From Experience...

This brief is based on the idea of giving advice to the next batch of first years, based on my own experience of the first year.

This should be a reflective and enjoyable brief, and should help the first years transition more welcoming.

To help kick start the process, I came up with 5 concepts, and with the help of a partner, Elliot, he helped me pick my better ideas and produce a rationale for 2 of these ideas.

CONCEPT 1:

Being in the studios.

IDEAS:

- Crits - how to constructively criticise and receive feedback.

- General behaviour - tidying up after yourself, and being careful around others work.

- Punctuality - arriving prepared, signing in on time and general studio presence.

- Bringing correct equipment to appropriate sessions.

- Not abusing the computers e.g. Facebook, when others may need the computers.

RESEARCH:

- College rules.

- Studio rules.

- Handbook - Graphic Design.

- Experiences - from the tutors and students.

RESOLUTION:

- 'Fun' college handbook with rules and anecdotes - pocket sized for mobility.

- Large posters for the studios and mac suites.

+ Relevant problem, especially guidance on crits.

- Handbook already exists, in a very informative electronic format.

.....................................................................................

CONCEPT 2:

Managing time appropriately.

IDEAS:

- Working out how many hours you could afford to work.

- How to manage time - charts, timetables etc.

- What is 'time wasting'.

- Finding the balance.

- When to switch off e.g. sleep

RESEARCH:

- Different methods of managing time, in projects and in general.

- Appropriate jobs to have while at uni.

- Ways of prioritising.

RESOLUTION:

- Time sheets - example and blank.

- Poster - for the studio space and own room.

- Book - hints and tips.

+ Always an issue with students.

- Resolutions are weak.

.....................................................................................

CONCEPT 3:

Living away from home for the first time.

IDEAS:

- How to eat healthily.

- Learning to cook.

- Using/buying cleaning products.

- Meeting new house mates.

- Keeping valuables safe.

RESEARCH:

- Different methods of managing time, in projects and in general.

- Appropriate jobs to have while at uni.

- Ways of prioritising.

RESOLUTION:

- Student cookbooks - ideas/format.

- Cleaning products.

- Student experience - stories.

+ An issue for a lot of students, and there are a broader range of resolutions than previous.

- Resolutions are probably too broad.

.....................................................................................

CONCEPT 4:

Dealing with money.

IDEAS:

- Information on applying for hardship fund in times of financial crisis.

- Spending money wisely.

- What to do when your loan isn't paid in on time.

- Finding a job to earn extra money.

RESEARCH:

- College hardship funds - criteria.

- Money guides - students, like The Surgery on Radio 1.

- Typical student jobs.

- Finding out what students spend money on.

RESOLUTION:

- Wallet sized cards - tips, bank numbers, student finance.

- Forum - student advice.

- Set of interactive leaflets.

+ Problem for vast moajority of students at some point whether it's through fault of their own or not.

- Resolutions are lacking.

.....................................................................................

CONCEPT 5:

Making good use of trip week - finding inpsiration and relaxing.

IDEAS:

- Visiting interesting cities e.g. London.

- Visiting galleries.

- Attending talks by Graphic Designers.

- Visiting Grapic Design agencies.

- Exhibitions e.g. Art In Unusual Spaces.

RESEARCH:

- Cities of interest - mainly UK for practicality and cost.

- Galleries.

- Exhibitions in February 2011 - what part of Graphics is it appropriate to?

- Graphic Design practices/studios in Leeds.

RESOLUTION:

- Pocket guide to Graphic Design in Leeds/London - featuring galleries, studios, exhibitions and talks.

- A set of postcards - photos and information, mini map.

- DVD with interactive map, buttons on specific areas which will lead to informative videos.

- Blogs - trips and meetings.

+ Large range of potential resolutions and a problem experienced by many, and also by myself.

- An issue I may encounter is collecting information on events in February 2011.

Communication Is A Virus... With Compliments...

From women...

To men:
- Your hair is looking great today.
- That's a really nice gesture, thankyou.
- What a brilliant idea.
- That shirt looks great on you.

To women:
- That dress is lovely, where's it from?
- That eyeshadow really brings out the colour in your eyes.
- Your children are so well behaved.
- What a warm, inviting home you live in.
- Thankyou, you are such a thoughtful friend.

From men:

To men:
- That's a fantastic set of wheels you have.
- You and your partner are really well suited, he/she is great.
- Your hard work has really paid off.
- That jacket is cool.
- You are amazing on the guitar.

To women:
- You look absolutely stunning.
-

Communication Is A Virus... There's An App For That

This would be the template for the App button. I have stayed with the purple colour scheme to keep the design consistent and uniform. I think the button should be to do with the design for the book, relating to the male and female symbols, however, to emphasise the idea of talking, a speech bubble may be an appropriate shape to consider. I created this using a tutorial that specifically tells you how to create an iPhone App button, taken from this site http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2009/06/29/how-to-draw-an-iphone-icon-in-illustrator/.

The button must be simple, after reading an article on this web page http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/07/21/iphone-apps-design-mistakes-overblown-visuals/ the key, as always is simplicity, so a visually appealing yet simplistic design is what will be required for this. An image that says exactly what the app is about.


This could be a design for a male version and female version, which would feature compliments for women to say to men and women, and a male version for men to say to men and women. This could be an interesting idea, as if the app was to be unisex, it is important not to make the compliments too feminine to protect 'male pride'.


e.g.
Male App
Male compliment- That's a cool t-shirt you're wearing.
Female compliment- You look stunning in that dress.

Female App
Female compliment- I love that top, where is it from?
Male compliment- Your hair is looking really good today.

Instead of creating two apps- male and female, it could just be the button that is gender specific, as a gimmick, and the interface could give a selection of categories for who the compliment is for and what the occasion is.

These could be buttons for if the App is going to be unisex, here, I have combined the symbols for both genders and a speech bubble, I feel this is an appropriate and simple design that could work well.






As for the interface of the app it needs to be familiar, an overstyled app is going to need instructions, people nowadays don't have time for this, they want something they immediately understand. So the app should visually be very similar to existing ones, no majorly fancy design work, something that simply communicates what needs to be seen.










This is potentially how the button may look in it's place on an iPhone, I have not put the text on as it is not crucial at this stage:

As the colours for the screen print did not come out as intended, I recoloured the icon to create the finished piece, whilst Meryem designed the app itself. The type added on is Helvetica.

This is a design board I have put together to show how the app will look, Meryem designed the menus for the app and I did the icon/logo plus the compliment on the iPhone.

Communication Is A Virus... First Pitch

Communication Is A Virus Brief

This brief is a collaborative project which requires a graphic response aimed to a specific target audience. As with all briefs, the tone of voice must be appropriate to the content and the audience, and it must remain LEGAL. Considerations will include, the use of type or image or both together. The purpose is a large consideration, is the product informing, entertaining, directing etc. However, the colour pallet is limited to two colours plus stock.

To work out how to be matched up with the ideal working partner we had to work out what our skills and attributes were to identify what we were looking for in that partner.

MY SKILLS:

- Good with type.

- Good at layout.

- Photoshop.

- Negotiation.

- Concept building.

MY PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES:

- Positive.

- Focussed.

- Punctual.

- Determined.

- Can communicate.

THEIR SKILLS:

- Someone who's good with image (and possibly type).

- Someone who's good at practical things- drawing, crafting.

- Good at concept building and coming up with ideas.

- Can use Illustrator (possibly InDesign too).

- Good at presentation.

THEIR PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES:

- Good timekeeper- punctual.

- Not easily distracted.

- Confident...not arrogant!

- Positive.

- Able to communciate/present/pitch

+ NICE :)

We then had 45 minutes to create a visual advert showing these skills and attributes, in A3 format, these were to be posted on the wall of Studio 3, and people whose skills matched that of my poster could write their name on a post it note and place it on my poster. I did the same for the others.

In the end, Meryem and I have chosen to investigate "Get people to communicate/talk more".

We decided to go away and research on this and bring it all together to come up with a concept.

My research was looking at the world of Facebook and social networking sites, including the horrors of what goes on online for example, paedophilia, but also I looked into how it brings people together.

Meryem had looked into languages particularly saying 'Hello' in different languages, based on the ideas of people not saying what they would like to.

In Design Preparation

My partner for the Indesign brief is Elliot, we interviewed each other to try and get some information ready for creating our double page spread publications. The document must feature 300 words and 2 appropriate images.

Here are the questions we asked, and Elliots answers...

Home is called...
- Worcester

Age:
- 19

Favourite Animals:
- Dog
- Tiger Cub
- Seal
- Penguin
- Reindeer

Favourite Film:

Favourite TV programme:
- Scrubs
- Neighbours

What is on your iPod...?


Hobbies/Interests:
- Elliot used to skate a lot when he was back at home but since he has moved to Leeds he has found he does not have the time to participate in the sport any more although he wishes he had more time to do it.

How did you become interested in Graphic Design?
- Elliot wasn’t that interested in Graphic Design to start with, but was good at it, and did it at GCSE. He continued to do it at A-Level, in which he still did really well, and as he continued to study it he became more and more interested in the subject. After passing his A-Levels, he went on to do a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design which was a year long course, after this time he realised it was definitely Graphics he wanted to do. He applied to, Cardiff and Nottingham universities and heard nothing back from them, but heard back from Leeds College of Art, after thinking he would not get into any of them. Even after he was invited up to Leeds for an interview he did not think he had got in, but he had.

If you could combine two animals together what would it be?
- Dog and reindeer.

Ideas for images to use:
- Skateboard
- Dog
- Elliot
- Elliot's work

Don't Panic... Vogue

Today we were given a new brief which is a week long it also happens to be a competition brief for the Don't Panic site. The idea is to create a poster which must be able to be printed in A2.
The uploaded version should be 72 DPI, a maximum of 2mb and either in the JPG or PNG format.
The theme is Vogue and can be interpretted in any disciplines such as, fine art, graphic design, photography etc. My focus will obviously be Graphic Design, possibly with a combination of Photography if appropriate.
For the final crit, I must select 3 of my 30 possible designs, and submit the final one on to the website on the Friday afternoon.


To help kick start our creative thinking, we did a concept building workshop. Using the chosen theme, 'Vogue' we had to come up with 30 words we associate with the word. Mine were:


- Magazine




- Red Carpet




- Fashion




- Celebrities




- Models




- Designers




- Gloss




- Chanel




- Glamour




- Paris




- New York




- London




- Teen




- The Hills




- Sophisticated




- Catwalk




- Typeface




- One-off




- Exclusive




- Cigarettes




- Lipstick




- Anorexia




- Elegant




- Alexander McQueen




- Size Zero




- Rankin




- Photography




- Famous




- Footwear




- Clothing


We then had to make a simple drawing to visually represent each one... Here are a selection of mine: (Red Carpet, Lipstick, Photography, Chanel, Exclusive, Cigarettes, Magazine, Rankin, Footwear)

I began looking at Vogue magazines and covers to get an overall feel for the style, which lead me on to the book 'Pictures' by Tim Walker, he photographed Lily Cole and Hannelore Knuts (on separate occasions) lying down on human sized copies of Vogue.








My Final Piece...