Study Task 01- Way finding

What our group was testing:
> changing direction of peoples movement/ path of travel with something temporary therefore we used string
> will they stick with this or go against it ?

Things I picked up from the crit:

> things in college got a better reaction as people are used to things being a bit weird therefore just go along with it. However there is a question as to wether or not these same ideas would work in a public space where people are not used to being told what to do. having to conform to certain restrictions.

> When things are displayed in public they need to be big and oversized so that people don't miss them.

> Things should be more explicit in public as it is unusual to see things such as stickers/ tape on the ground therefore it needs to be made more obvious how people should react with them.

> Bold statements need to be used.

> Tape worked best, especially thick tape as it is most visible and is very versatile.



Things we could've considered

> Finding an existing sign and modifying it
> Applying rules from Frutiger's book such as squares and circles as a sign
> Be more ambitious
> Tried different media if it wasn't raining
> Setting up a camera on a tripod to get more footage

The answer to our initial question is no, people did not stick to this. A lot of people pulled at it or took the string down rather than let it block their way.

Overall I think the task worked better in terms of creating an interaction rather than it causing a diversion. If we were to do this again I would use more string to create a thicker barrier and possible use it across more of the pillars to cause a bigger disturbance.

Leeds University Sign System Research

What I like about the way finding system used around the Leeds university campus is that it blends in well with the natural colours of its surroundings. As you can see from this image above the surrounding colours are mainly greens and browns therefore using a dark green background  has worked really well to make these signs visually pleasing and complimentary of its environment.


Here you can see the sign up close, the writing is white therefore stands out against this dark background and the dark surroundings. The metal of the post also makes it stand out more as it seems unnatural in this environment, however the framing of the benches sat next to it help it fit in more.

Ken Garland - The Design of the London Underground Diagram

- Henry Beck, creator of the London Underground Diagram

- First sketched in 1931, finalised and published in 1932 when he was 29 years old.

- 2 radical innovations in the design:
  - the enlargement of the central area of underground system to show complex connections clearly
  - limiting direction of route lines to vertical, horizontal and 45 degree diagonals. At first this idea wasn't received very well and it went down to public opinion as to whether or not it would be used. The public embraced this idea and loved the clarity it created even though it was conventional, therefore this idea was eventually accepted and printed on mass on things such as posters, diaries and reference books. It soon became a familiar image for London commuters.

- Used a six colour system


- 1933 second edition, rings replaced the diamond symbols formally used, and the top of the Bakerloo Line was straightened.

- All work was done by Beck in his spare time

- He received 5 guineas for the first design

- He was very casual about fees

- experimental work and multiple published editions were never charged for

- 1933-1959 (date of last edition with Beck's name on) he worked on the diagrams freelance whilst working for the publicity department of the LPTB

- He dedicated most of his free time on weekends and often would not sleep in order to get projects finished for Mondays

- received many suggestions from people he worked with as well as London commuters

-1937 idea to enlarge symbols for stations which had interchanges which other lines however tis wasn't successful and was dropped.



-1949, introduced the highly successful white line connector for double and triple station symbols. Solved the problem of including extensions to both ends of the central line, introducing clear distinctions separating circle and district lines.

-1959 last design included coordination grid.

Study Task 01 - Wayfinding Research

For this task we are looking at way finding and how individuals interact and explore their surroundings. We were put in groups of 4 and had to go out into the public and create:

> A diversion (cause people to walk/ move a different way)
> A connection (have a member of the public interact with what has been created)
> Make a member of the public pause/stop

To do this we could only use abstract graphic language and no text.

Our ideas are:
> Tapping balloons to the floor to cause a diversion, people cant stand on balloons therefore will walk around them
>  Print fake money and put it on the ground to see if people stop and pick it up
> Tape on the floor such as caution tape to stop people walking over a certain point
> Tape over a door way either high or low so that people have to step over it or duck under it
> Tape a hop scotch onto the floor to get people to interact with it
> Put sweets on the floor in a pattern and see if people pick them up

Due to the bad weather, we had to adapt some of our plans as tape doesn't stick on wet surfaces. We decided to try the balloon idea by using a weight to tie it down however we only had one weight therefore could only use one balloon. This didn't last long as it wasn't long until it popped.

The idea that created most results was winding string around two pillars so that people couldn't walk in certain directions. This didn't cause the diversion that we thought it would, it actually caused an interaction. A lot of people touched the string or pulled at it which gave us good footage.

Overall if the weather was better then the results would've been much more satisfying however the footage we did document was still pretty interesting and usable.

Pentagram for LCC

 

Pentagram's way finding system for London College of communication.

They needed to create something very clear and functional.  LCC is one of the UK's most well known design colleges, they approached Domenic Lippa a past student from Pentagram, who had previously redesigned the identity of UAL in 2013, to create a new way finding system for LCC. LCC was formally known as the London College of printing had changed a lot and expanded since the days Lippa studied there, his biggest challenge was to create something which could be used in all four of the buildings at LCC. It also had to be adaptable enough to accommodate redecoration of the buildings over the years. The college are also planning to relocate in 2020 therefore the sign system also needs to be cost effective. 

To kick off this task Lippa and Jeremy Kunze needed to figure out where the information was most needed as well as developing an understanding of the unique factors that make up each building. They walked around each of the buildings exploring all of the rooms to get a better understanding of the buildings and realised something simple and minimalist needed to be produced.

This resulted in an adaptable way finding solution being created, the materials were inspired by one of LCC's key principles: 'a dedication to making and physical design'. The signs can be fitted onto any wall type with no redecoration necessary. The background which mounts the signage is created from powder coated aluminium to frame the signage and make it more viable. Directions are then screwed on to these, colour coding has been used to signify LCC's four main areas and some renaming had to be done in order to make the way finding system even simpler. The use of Helvetica throughout all of the signage systems creates a consistency between LCC and UAL's identities. 

Signs & Pictograms Frutiger

The sign

Pictograms

> Used to warn, guide or protect
> Immediately decipherable
> Straight to the point
> internationally recognisable

Semiotics 

>Semantics 
> sign and meaning
>depends on context, knowledge, society and culture

>Syntactics 
> formal, unambiguous and succinct

>Pragmatics

Indicative: burning cigarette informs the receiver that it is optional to smoke, receivers decision whether or not they do.



Imperative: Burning cigarette is crossed out this implies smoking is prohibited therefore the receiver must follow this order.




Suggestive: The cigarette displayed in a set of lungs plays on the receivers emotions as it implies smoking can cause health issues.




The Square 

> represents boundaries; floor, ceiling, walls, protection
> A square placed on it's corner is often used in traffic signs in America

The Triangle

> When placed vertically on its apex it looks like a direction giving character
>  Simple triangles are often used as a direction sign, successful in horizontal, left or right directions
> Isosceles triangles form ideal backgrounds for road signs because they're symmetrical

The circle 

> We appreciate rounded forms with the senses rather than the mind
> Feelings addressed more strongly by the circle than by any other sign
> can be placed inside or outside of the circle

Basic Signs

>The Arrow: two oblique lines join to form an angle, express movement/ direction.
                        angles pointing left or right have stronger movement than those pointing up and down         .                       unless in an elevator

Jo Blaker Talk

The things I found interesting from Jo Blaker's talk were:

> She got told when she was at university that she must work digitally in order to get a degree. This is completely different to what we get told, we are encouraged to come off of our macs and make work in a more analog way.

> Her work has always been hard to place, she wants to be an illustrator but not all of her work reflects this. However she said she has realised now that it is okay not to know what category your work would be placed in.

> Her research methods include: Collecting and gathering information, looking and noticing things around her as well as colour, photographs, pattern, line and shape.

> Her sketchbooks are used to explore ideas, don't have to be in order or make sense to anyone other than yourself. Use them to record drawings, textures, patterns. When selecting a new sketchbook the right size and paper thickness is key and always experimenting makes your sketchbook more exciting. When you run out of ideas, try a new material or technique to document things with.

> Travel, nature and her surrounding influence her work. She can go through stages of being obsessed with things and focuses on these for ages to produce work from.

> She mentioned looking at simple things such as tarmac and how it is a patchwork in the road, from this she made large ink drawings to document how she sees them.

> The paper cuttings that she showed us are mainly done from memory of the things she has seen when she has been out walking. However to remember things more clearly she advises taking a sketchbook everywhere so that documentation can take place in the form of drawing.

> Sometimes the atmosphere of a place can help you create more work, not everyone can work well in silence and prefer the buzz of cafes or busier places.

> Everything you create has potential to go further, use your sketchbook as a method of documenting things you like today as in a few years time you may create a whole project using them.

> There is no need to be precious about sketch books, attack them and work on them at a quick pace to get every single idea down.

> You don't just have to work in one sketchbook, working across multiple can be beneficial.


> I like the roughness of the books and the fact that everything goes, no matter what it is. Any thought that has helped the creative process is documented.

The Vignelli Canon

The Vignelli Canon



Semantics
The search of meaning in our design work. This could stem from doing research to gain a better understanding of something which enables you to approach the task in the most appropriate way. This can take you in many different directions and is an important part of the design process as it can influence your work massively.

Syntactics
"God is in the details"
Syntax of design is made up of many things such as the structure, the grid, the typefaces, the text and headlines etc.

Pragmatics
If the work we create is not understood by the audience then it was a wasted effort. Our initial idea must be evident in our final outcome in order to be successful.


Discipline
Attention to detail requires discipline, every detail is important. We must have a certain level of control in order to create good work.

Appropriateness
Once we have researched what we are going to design we have to define what our possible solutions are going to be. This stops us going in wrong directions and using wrong materials in our work.

Ambiguity
The possibility of our work being read in different ways.

Design is one
Design is one, it is not many different ones. The discipline of design is one and can be applied to many different subjects regardless of its style.

Visual Power
We think good design must be visually powerful, we cannot stand design that is weak in concept, form, colour, texture. We think good design is always an expression of creative strength.

Timelessness
We despise the culture of obsolescence, the culture of waste, the culture of the ephemeral. We want a design that lasts, that responds to people's needs and wants.

Responsibility
Too often we see printed works produced in a lavish manner just to satisfy the ego of designers or clients.

Paper Size
There are two basic paper size systems in the world, international A sizes and the American sizes. The international A series is based on the golden rectangle, the divine proportion. This makes is look nice as well as being practical.

Grids, Margins, Columns and Modules
Helps organise information, nothing could be more useful to reach our intentions than the Grid.

Typefaces The Basic Ones
The computer allowed anyone to create new typefaces which became one of the biggest visual pollutions of all time. In order to over come this Vignelli created an exhibition using only 4 typefaces: Garamond, Bodoni, Century and Helvetica. The aim was to show that a large amount of results could be created with a limited supply of typefaces.




Contrasting Type Sizes
One of the most exciting elements of typography for me is the contrast of scale on a printed page, the play between a very large type size for headline against a much smaller type size.

Scale
Scale is an important element of the design vocabulary. Scale is the most appropriate size of an object in its natural context.

Colour
We mainly use colour as a signifier or as an identifier, it is rarely used in a pictorial manner.

Overall Evaluation

Prior to this module I had never given much consideration towards typography, it has always been something I have used but I have never put much consideration into. I have always stepped away from using old traditional fonts as I thought it would be hard if not impossible to make them look modern however I now know that with the use of kerning this isn’t the case. I found the kern down task really beneficial for this as it showed how the same 5 letters in the same font could be altered to represent completely different brands.

After the briefing we had for Studio Brief 1 I was a bit worried about it as it was unlike a brief I had ever had before, especially because of the fact it was typography related which was an area I really wasn’t confident in. However looking back I can see the benefit in stepping out of your comfort zone. I now feel much more confident when it comes to typography and am starting to pick up certain typographic terminology and I’m able to use it when describing my work.

From previous tasks such as creating ligatures I had been made aware of the importance of research as it was an area I was lacking in at the time. From then on I made sure research was the first part of my design process, for this brief I learnt so much from watching the Helvetica documentary and reading the Vignelli Canon. I found it interesting to listen to multiple people’s opinions on certain typefaces and to see how passionate they are about them, this was a big wake up call for me as some of them were typefaces that I have so often taken for granted.

I have also become much more confident with using illustrator as it was a software I strayed away from using during my foundation course as I found Photoshop much easier to use. However I pushed myself for each project and forced myself to use illustrator as I knew the outcomes would be much clearer especially because I was working with typefaces.  

Another thing that I have learnt is that it doesn’t matter how well you have design something, if you don’t have enough research and evidence to back up your design decisions then there is no point doing it. Every bit of your design should be considered and not done purely because it looks good. I really saw the benefit of this during studio brief 2 where I carefully chose to use the colour green as it is seen as a satisfying colour, this is something I found out after doing research. As well as making the type specimen a square as this would make it look more satisfying. Both of these factors really influenced the design of my typeface specimen and without them I don’t think I would’ve produced anything anywhere near as good.

Overall I am very pleased with the work I have produced so far and the skills I have managed to pick up on the way. The illustrator techniques I have learnt will benefit me a lot when it comes to other briefs and I hope to develop them further throughout my time at college. I also think my new knowledge about typography will really influence my designs in the future as I will be much more considerate when choosing a typeface to suit my work. 

Studio Brief 02 - Crit & Evaluation

The work I had for my crit:



I asked two questions:
1. Do you think the typeface flows well?
2. Can you see this being used on clothing labels or food packaging? If no then why?

The feedback I got:

1. Yes but the added tails and lines would work well linked to the same point, it links well to calligraphy which is inherently satisfying.
2. I can see it on clothing labels but maybe not on food packaging as it's too intricate.

1/2. I can see it being used as shop signage and clothes packaging but I wouldn't say it is overly easy to read because it flicks at the beginning of the letter which is uncommon therefore the brain takes longer to register it.

1. I think the typeface does flow well and does communicate satisfying although I would like to see what the lettering looks like joined up.
2. I think the font appeals to cloth branding but not so much food.

1. the handwritten vibe of the typeface works really well to emphasise a feel of flow and continuity. To develop further possibly try and join the letters as ligatures on the design specimen.

1. A distinct flow, be careful of stroke/stem widths to allow a consistent flow to be present.
2. display large

1. could be slightly more oblique to emphasis the flow
2. flow - aeroplane branding ? has a 'wing' quality. some tails are in wrong place in my opinion, not needed on c,g,q etc..

1. The typeface flows well because each letter has the same similarities and ideas applied to them.
2. I can see this typeface being used for a display font or the logo food packaging.

1. The curved serifs work well to reflect the idea of 'flow' and I like the way that when used in words or a sentence they all slightly join up to enhance this sense of flow. However perhaps make some of them less sharp.
2. works well for clothing labels but not so much for food packaging although I could see it working for bakery products such as cakes not just food in general.


Evaluation

Overall I am pleased with my final outcome as I think I have managed to create a satisfying typeface. I think the typeface flows nicely and is therefore quick and easy to read which is what I set out to produce in my rational. The feed back I got in my crit was very positive and everybody agreed that the letters flow well together. I am pleased with my final ‘f’ and think it relates well to the ‘j’, ‘l’  and the ‘i’. One piece of criticism I did receive was that it takes a while to register what each letter is because the serifs are unnaturally placed however I disagree with this and think it is a bit over analytical. To me the letters flow naturally like they would if they were handwritten which is also backed up by the feedback I received in my crit as people think the curved serifs work well to create a flow. Through the process I enjoyed creating the typeface as it was an idea that sparked lots of other ideas which made the whole process enjoyable. I finalised my first idea pretty quickly but many problems occurred when trying to put it into context, however luckily I had plenty of time to tackle these problems. Prior to the crit I was worried that the work I produced wouldn’t be received well by others and I over analysed every little detail and thought it seemed too childish. However I got some really positive feedback in my crit, which has taught me a really valuable lesson. As long as you have reason behind the decisions you have made and present your work well most people will understand your idea and appreciate your work.