Research

Meals for one
I find it hard to find recipe ideas that just serve one person, I know it is easy to take a recipe that serves 4 people and dividing everything by 4 but then I would have a lot of left over ingredient that I wouldn't know how to use. I want simple recipes that are tasty and healthy that I can quickly make for myself however, I find that they are hard to come across.



BBC good food only has 51 recipes under this category which at first sounds like a lot but in terms of weeks this would only do for 10 weeks providing you likes every meal suggested and only needed 5 meals a week. However a lot of the recipes are for very basic meals which you'd usually have for lunch and not an evening meal such as omelettes, boiled eggs, salads.



Whilst researching this I thought about the new Jamie Oliver book which contains recipes that only use 5 ingredients. I though these would be good simple recipes to look at as they wouldn't create much waste as a lot of them serve 2 so would only need halving.

• 150 g dried tagiatelle 
• 3 higher-welfare sausages 
• ½ a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley (15g) 
• 1 large free-range egg 
• 30 g Parmesan cheese

However how would you half an egg and a sausage without wasting the rest?

Key Tracker 

This idea already exists and needs a key fob to correspond with. 

To do list 

A lot of apps already exist that do this therefore it is a bit of a boring app and will be scrapped. 

Food sharing/ exchange 

An app for this already exists so it's hard to know how this could be done in a different way therefore I won't continue with this. 

Step by step baking 

This does exist already but it is very basic and doesn't work very well, it is a Great British Bake Off app but it could be done a lot better and be made more appealing.

Overall the look of the app is constant and on the surface it appears well made. However when you actually go to use the app and follow the recipe it becomes very basic. The instructions for each step are very long and you find yourself losing your place in the little paragraph that has been provided, there are also no visuals provided on each step therefore theres no clue to what the step it you have to actually read it to find out. This isn't very convenient if you're in a rush or want to make something quickly. Another flaw is that there are a limited amount of free recipes provided on the app. Instead you have a few basic free ones to chose from and the other more exciting ones have to be payed for. I can see why as they cant give every recipe away for free but they need to make it more exciting and to give the consumer a reason to buy it and make them buy it without hesitating. If there was some interesting illustrations running along side the steps in the recipe it would become more desirable and people would be more likely to buy it as they want to reveal the unique art work. 

Brief

My task is to create an app that encourages people to bake who don't have much experience or much time to do so. The app will consist of simple recipes that only take 30 minutes to an hour to do, each recipe will be broken down into easy to follow steps. Along side each step there will be illustrations that help people follow the instructions without necessarily having to read them which will speed up the process. The app is aimed at both novice bakers and those more advance, it is a fun way to find and try new recipes.

Studio Brief 2 - Ideas

Problems I have:

1- Losing my keys
2- My purse being too big to fit in a lot of my bags
3- Remembering to bring clean clothes/ towels back to uni with me from home
4- Never getting a seat on the train
5- Rushing for the train and getting too warm whilst on it
6- Forgetting to blog
7- Forgetting things I thought I would remember
8- Never finding time to bake
9- Always buying unnecessary food when shopping
10- Forgetting to meal plan
11- Wasting food


Why I have these problems:

1- I never put them in the same place
2- It's too bulky
3- Not making a list
4- Not booking/ getting there too late
5- Not planning well enough, wanting to get home quicker so rushing for a train at an unrealistic time
6- Not making a list of the things I need to blog
7- Never making a note of things
8- Recipes are too complex/ annoying to follow
9- Not making a list
10- I find it difficult to find recipes for single meals, most serve 4
11- Buying unnecessary food because I don't meal plan


Possible digital solutions:

1- A tracker app
2- N/A
3- App/ website for to do lists
4. App/ website for calculating how long it will take you to walk to the station from where you are to check if you have enough time to make certain trains.
5- Same as above
6- App/website for to do lists
7- App/ website for to do lists
8- App/ website for simple recipes, follow along step by step
9- App/ website for to do lists
10- App/ website for student recipes- meals for one using simple ingredient throughout the week
11- App/ website for giving away food/ swapping with people

Paper Stock

As I have explained earlier the front cover will be printed on tracing paper to add some layering to the book. This will be placed over a thin card which will be on the back and the front of the book to add some support but to not make it too heavy, it will also ensure it is still able to bend with the curve of your body and fit in someones back pocket.

For the inside pages I wanted something textured which encouraged people to interact, I find with a gritty paper people are more likely to touch it. I feel this makes them interact with the art and architecture in the book before they've even visited them. I also find that it is a nice contrast to the smooth finish of the tracing paper on the front cover.

After sampling lots of different paper I went for sugar paper which was the cheapest of my samples as well as the most fitting. The paper is very grainy and absorbs ink well when it is printed on, it is very matte which is the opposite of what is stereotypically  associated with a guidebook which is something I wanted to achieve. I think this paper adds a nice feel to the book, it is also a nice thickness therefore will stand up to any wear and tear that it may experience from being shoved into someones bag/ back pocket when out and about.

Responding to the crit

Originally I was going to design a map that would be in the back double page spread of the booklet, I thought this would give people a bit of information about the place and help them find it.
However after trying to design a map I decided to scrap this idea as it was too challenging to get all of the plots to fit over a double page landscape spread and due to the time limit I didnt want to be wasting valuable time on something that wasn't essential or specified on the brief.



Instead of this I have decided to put a bit of information about each of the places in the back of the book rather than a map, people can get a bit of insight into what the area has to offer as well as the address so it is easy to find. As most tourists get given many maps on their holidays I thought they could potentially use one that they already had with them rather than me designing one that wasn't very good.



The design I came up with is this above, I have created a collage out of some of the photos I didn't use for the publication. I decided to duplicate the collage on both pages so that they didn't distract from the information displayed on the page.

Only

> originally from Leeds, now based in Manchester
> started by 2 brothers: one who focused on strategy the other who specialised in design
> only 6 people working there, this is the perfect number

Design for screen
Constantly evolving, the primary way of consuming a brand

The process:

1. research
. competitors
. audiences
. personas (making a fake user)
. principles to sit along side the brief

2. wire framing
. ideation
. test assumptions
. client buy in

3. design

4. front end 

examples of their work:

Goldsmith uni:
> A very long project: 4,000 pages
> Designing patterns/ layouts to make it easy
> Trying to create interest as well as being usable
> Following guidelines to make things easier
> Thinking of how it works on mobiles not just computers



Printworks London:
> Print press was never switched off when it was a printing office
> Quick videos following the motion of printing
> A lot of movement in their designs
> Being playful with no limitations



University of Suffolk Rebrand:
> Evolution of the square, cutting off the right angle. This references the geographical location and is in yellow to reference the colour of the suffolk flag.
> Had to consider the way finding and signage
> Posters used the right angle design too
> Prospectus came in a box with a tear strip in the bottom corner to again reference this right angle
> Brand guidelines as a PDF


Lost village music festival:
> Had to be different to others
> Chose to create a hidden village
> bespoke typeface was made to look like tribal markings


Helbers:
> High end fashion brand from Paris
> Paper stock was important as it is an expensive brand


Bring Me The Horizon:
> Had to create a website to help promote their album.
> A quick and exciting brief
> Content  was limited as they were on tour so they had to use content from the bands social media.


Questions 

What size do you usually work at? 
1800 pixels biggest size,
1300 pixels for screen

Do you get given photographs or do you take your own?
Not always provided so they have to direct their own photographer in their own style

How many projects do you have on at a time?
1 or 2 large projects
2 small projects (4-5 weeks long)

How do you get work?
Most work comes from recommendations, they very rarely pitch any more (only 2/3 times a year)
Pitching is too expensive as it means they are out of the studio

Final Crit

Questions:
1. would the book benefit from having notes pages in the back of it so that people can document where they've been?

2.suggestions for the front cover, what material/ paper colour should be used?

3. what colour should the book be backed in?

Question 1

> Not important to have notes pages, possibly include some basic info on the places at the back?
> Not needed as the book is about showing them where to go, maybe add info for cyclists e.g. bike racks?
> No, it is very tactile and easy to transport as it is
> No but info such as bike friendly places could be useful
> Not needed as it needs to be lightweight and they're unnecessary
> Yes, this is a nice idea so they can comment on areas they like for future reference
> No, maybe add a slot in the back for them to add maps and things they've picked up

Question 2

>Stick the tracing paper onto card
>Something durable such as a hardback cover, possibly lycra for cyclists outfits?
>Durable stock, something waterproof
>Materials relating to cycling, lycra, rubber
>something durable and laminated
>Moleskin
>Thick and plastic-y

Question 3

>Lots of blue throughout, maybe swatch this
>Red/orange like front cover
>A colour from the pictures
>Orange/ peach  from the front
>A bright colour or white/ off-white with a bright bind
>Coral pink
>Orange would work well

Comments
Binding is nice and works well

Front Cover

For the front cover I wanted a simple name and was torn between Krakow and Jazda Rowerem. After doing some research into the Polish language I found that Jazda Rowerem means 'bike ride' I found this fitting as it could then make the book usable for both tourists and locals. However I didn't find this name catchy enough to appeal to English people which is the largest target audience therefore I decided to scrap this.




My initial idea in terms of front cover design was to cut out the letters from the book title out on a piece of card, I would then lay this over a collaged background so bits of the collage would poke through the letters. To make this less boring I also planned on cutting the same 'tyre track' pattern out of the front which is consistent throughout the book. However after some consideration I realised that this was a bad idea. The publication is meant to be a handy pocket guide which can be quickly removed from the cyclists bag or pocket when on the move. If this was to be dragged out parts of the cut out letters would be ripped and after a long day of cycling the book would be destroyed.

I then went onto thinking about how I could make a simple collaged front cover more appealing, I went back to the first collage I made as I really liked it and it isn't going to be used anywhere else in the publication. I really like this and think it works well as a front cover as it bring everything in the book together, there is a building from each of the locations in the book.



I then developed this further by thinking of the material it would be printed on. As my initial problem was how to mix art and architecture I went back to this idea of layering and who throughout the beginning of the book I layer/marge art and architecture together. I thought the perfect material to do this would be tracing paper as I could layer multiple colleges together or simply layer it onto a nice background.

SB1 Evaluation

Overall I found this project quite rushed as we only had 4 weeks to do it in, however I was only given my content in the second week therefore I didn’t have much time for designing and production. I accepted this challenge and designed a very considered guidebook in the limited time I had,  however the week before the booklet needed to be completed Megan changed her idea and decided that she wanted to make the guidebook catered towards cyclist. This made my job difficult as I had to some how incorporate a bike theme throughout the booklet, this was made even more difficult as Megan provided no extra information for each of the locations in the book, she only provided the distance each landmark/ piece of art work was form the centre of Krakow. 

Due to this I had to do a lot of my own research which was very time consuming however it was necessary to make the book more interesting and appropriate for  cyclists. I added some information about cyclist friendly places and bike hire shops that I found on trip advisor. 

I really enjoyed creating the collages that I have used for the first few pages of the guidebook, I think that they work well within the book and combine this idea of art and architecture in the city very well. The bind used reflects the wires inside a bike tyre which subtly hints what the book is about, however the first page makes it more explicit as it features a picture of a bike and states that it is a ‘cyclists guide’. Throughout the book there is a subtle journey line which has been made to look like a track mark produced by a dirty/ wet bike. Overall I am really happy with how the book has turned out and I think it meets the requirements of the brief well. 

Publication production

The front cover of the booklet consists of a collage which has been printed out on tracing paper, this has been stuck on to a piece of card to make it less likely to get damaged. Another step I have taken at trying to prevent this is timing the image down so it is narrower than the card underneath so that it doesn't flop over and get torn when in use. The title of the book is simply 'Krakow' this uses the same typeface which is Clavo, a popular polish typeface. I really like the binding and think this would be likely to attract people to buying the book as it is a piece of art work as well as a publication. I imagine this booklet being sold in little gift shops and tourist attractions around Krakow especially at the locations featured in the book. 

                     




The first page of the book reveals more about what the book is about, it is quite simply a guide to the art and architecture in Krakow, the image of the bicycle tyre makes this even more explicit. I didn't want to give away about the book as I wanted it to be an adventure lead by the reader and not influenced by me.



Here is the start of the tour, it shows the first two locations, the first page is where the journey starts and the second show how far away that specific place is from the start. This same layout continues throughout the book.




The back cover has been left very simple and is backed in the same card which was used on the front cover. I wanted to use a shade of blue as this is the colour of Krakow's flag, however the bright blue shade which is commonly used didn't work well with the imagery used in the booklet. Due to this I decided to use a pastel shade which compliments the colours used throughout the book as well as referencing Krakow's history in a subtle way.


Overall the production of the booklet ran pretty smooth, one of the problems I did come across was trying to make the continuous line running through the book marry up with the page next to it so it looked consistent. I managed to achieve this by clipping the pages tightly together whilst binging so that they didn't move. I was unsure if any pages were slipping throughout the binding process as the card blocked my view, however there were no hiccups and the booklet turned out well.

I do find the booklet a bit short in relation to other peoples however my guidebook is simply to be used for a single day out therefore it doesn't need to be long as people wouldn't have enough hours to visit every where. Also the book has been designed to fit in someones back pocket/ bag therefore I didnt want something that was going to be too heavy.

Design Development

After the crit I took on the feedback and decided to make a journey throughout the book along the tyre track line. Orlando had suggested that I create this using the place names, however they all differ in size and I didn't think this would be possible. I decided to do this with a simple red dot instead of the writing. However I didn't like this and don't think it fits with the design.



I then decided to try and make the design more subtle by integrating this 'journey' into the tyre track pattern. I layered red dashes over the existing line, however again I didn't like this. I didnt want this to have too much influence on the reader and direct them on a certain route. I want them to make their won journey and visit the places as and when they want to.

Relating my design to the brief

Photo collection of the art and architecture:
This has been done by collaging some of the photos Megan provided and merging the art and architecture in specific areas together. The pages in the book that feature art galleries therefore only focus on artwork provide zoomed in images of the specific artwork so that it doesn't give too much away and makes the reader want to visit them areas.



Follow the art & architecture throughout the city starting at the centre square and working your way out:
This has been achieved by having a line running across the pages in a pattern that is similar to one created by a bicycle tyre. Above this I have written the area name and the distance from the centre of Krakow. I wanted to keep the information limited as I think visiting the place is more important than looking at pictures of it/ reading about it in a book. Most art galleries and tourist attractions have a lot of information inside them therefore the reader can find out about the place when they get there.





Target Audience:
People not wanting to visit popular attractions and people first visiting the city: 
This is a fun way to explore Krakow as it is more of an adventure. People have to look closely to try hunt out the different buildings/ artworks hiding in the collages, it makes it more of a mystery. As well as trying to find the different places recommended in the book, they may stumble upon something that doesn't feature which would enhance the experience even more.
As the book has a limited amount of text which is somewhat universal, both English and Polish tourists would be able to use this guide which I think is nice.

Size:
small in size and lightweight, possibility to fit in pocket or bag.
The booklet will be a similar size to a passport, a book that I know definitely fits in a pocket. The cover will be thin enough to bend and fit to the curve of your back pocket.

Binding

To get some inspiration of how to bind my book I looked at the options available out there:

Saddle Stitch: pages are folded and stapled together with metal or wire.

Perfect Bind: Pages folded into sections and then wrapped in a cover glued on with a strong adhesive.

Spiral: Using a spiral coil to hold hole punched pages together.

Pamphlet stitch: running stitch sewn down the spine

Coptic Binding: sections are sewn in their folds then attached to one another again by sewing with two loose covered boards with a chain like stitch across the spine.

Japanese Binding: Useful for binding individual sheets, can either be soft back or hard back. Can be used to create decoration on the front and back cover.


After a lot of consideration I think I have decided to go for Japanese binding as the decoration of the bind could be made to look like the wire found in bicycle wheels.












The detailing is very fine and string like.
Below are some examples of the Japanese binding that I like.

Crit

(image a)

(image b)

For the crit I showed a selection of the pages I had designed, including the ones above. I wanted to know whether or not image a would work well against image b or if everything needed to be collaged throughout. The feedback I got was:

>The image a works well as it is zoomed in and still leaves things to the imagination. This sparks interest from the reader by only revealing a little bit.
>Breaking a rule by creating another rule is acceptable as it doesn't give you enough freedom to make the design look bad. It restrains you enough to make a good design.
> Could the text showing the location of the place create a journey running through the book?

Bike patterns

I played around on InDesign to find a suitable pattern to reference the marks left behind by a wet bike tyre. I really like the bottom pattern as I think it is very fitting and out of them all looks the most appropriate, however I find when it is drawn out narrower it looses its pattern and turns into a solid line. Due to this I decided to go for the simplified version of this which is the one two up from it. I feel it still does the job but in a much subtler way.

Colour Swatches

To get some inspiration on what colours to use for the publication I took colour swatches from two of megan's pictures that I liked the most.



This one features lots of bright colours which I thought would be a nice contrast to the other images Megan has provided as there are not many bright images, they are all a bit dull. I like how much movement this image has however I won't be using it in the booklet I am making as this isn't either architecture or art related. It could be argued that the decoration on the tram is art, however it isn't a stationary object therefore it would be difficult for someone else to find when using the booklet, however I may use it for the front cover or as a pattern to line the inside pages.



I really like this image too and think it is very nicely shot, surprisingly I managed to pick out many interesting colours form this image. The only trouble with these colours are that they are very similar to the colours found in the photographs I am using in the book.

In terms of colour I think the best option is to keep it neutral, possibly white(paper) to stand out from the images. I may introduce one pop of colour if necessary such as red as it is the national colour of Poland or blue as it relates to both the colours of Krakow and Judaism another important factor of the city.

The Size

As this is a guide that will be used when out and about/ cycling through Krakow it needs to be easily accessible. My idea is to create a guide small enough and thin enough to fit in your back pocket/ the pocket of your bag/ backpack. To get an idea of how small I would need to make it I did some research into the average back pocket size and found out that it is 4-4.5 inches.
Something commonly kept in a back pocket is a wallet so I looked at the average width of these, my book will most likely be longer than the average wallet but it will be somewhat thinner and possibly the same width. Wallets most commonly measure 3.5-4 inches and when open the entire wallet is 8.5 inches in length, they can expand to 2cm in thickness.

http://www.dimensionsinfo.com/wallet-size/


Another item typically found in someones back pocket is their phone. As most people have an iPhone or a phone similar size to this, if not smaller, I researched into their dimensions and found out that iPhone 6/7's are 2.6 inches wide.

My publication must be less than 4 inches wide.

When thinking of a book that is known for fitting in a back pocket I thought about about a passport, how it is thin enough to slightly bend and small enough to fit in your pocket.
Eu passports are 8.5 cm wide, 12.5 cm in length and 0.25 cm thick. Most passports are 32 pages but countries such as Ireland have 64 pages.

Typeface Research

As the native language spoke in Krakow is Polish I decided to do some research into the Polish language and commonly used typefaces that compliment the language.



I looked at the Polish alphabet to see how it looks in comparison to the English alphabet, it is pretty easy to follow despite having multiple variations for certain letters such as A and C. I want to some how incorporate the Polish language into my design.

I decided to look at common typefaces used in Polish graphic design work, as it is a different language certain typefaces work better than others. A popular combination I came across was 'Lelum Sans' which is a sans serif typeface and 'Clavo' which is a serif typeface. I liked the traditional look of 'Clavo' as Krakow is a very historical place I think this would work nicely to bring in a historical/ traditional feel to my design.

Distances

Distances of the places in relation to the Market Square:


Market Sq.                - 0KM
Szpitalna 15              - 1KM
Kaziemerz                 -1.3KM
Jozefa 20                  - 1.7KM
Hevre                       - 1.9KM
Im happy again        - 1.9KM
Muzeum                   -2KM
Getta Place               -2.2KM
Visual River             - 2.3 KM
MOCAK                  -3.2 KM
Tyniec                    -  13.5KM
(may not use as this location is a bit far out)




Here are the points plotted on a map, as you can see they are all pretty close to each other. I don't know if a map will be used in my final design however this one could potentially be edited and used if necessary.

Here are the points joined up roughly, this route wouldn't be taken but it is a rough guide to the distance of places.





Here is a possible route that could be taken by someone cycling through Krakow. As you can see the route is very simple and easy to follow which is essential as this would ensure that the map/ route wouldn't have to be looked at very often.

Dalton Maag

Notes from the talk:

> They use workshops to kick off ideas to find out what the client likes and dislikes about certain typefaces.

>Ask clients to select images to show what they care about as a brand

> Using a font grid they as clients to put fonts in sections that are important to them, these sections include: trusted, approachable, novel and formal

> Legibility considerations were important for the BBC such as the difference between l & i

> Digitalising ideas: drawing in 'post script' drawing as simple as possible

> Final design done in 'truetype'

> They initially create two extreme weights: super light and super dark

> After this they focus on the kerning

> They then work on coding

> Focus on fonts for desktop, web and apps

Study task

Drawing letters:
consider contrasts created by the pen being used
take weight out of horizontals
curved elements must overshoot the X-height



I chose the word Olympic to work with as I like the curvy nature of the letters that had to be drawn in. However they were really hard to draw by hand and get perfect, but in whole the task was pretty enjoyable.

Crit 10/10/17

In our quick crit with Orlando I showed my collages to get some feedback on them, I also wanted some advice on the fact that Megan has now changed her brief to focus on a cycle route around Krakow as well as art and architecture.

The feedback:

The idea of not fully showing a place in hope to encourage people to actually visit there and see it for themselves is good. It lowers peoples expectations and makes the places more exciting to go to, there's no chance of it looking better in the book it will always look better in person because they'll be able to see the whole building/ piece of artwork.

In terms of relating it to a cycle route:
Make a simple route which is visible throughout, possibly done on a map or possibly the address/ area and how far away it is from the city centre.

Look at similarities between certain pieces of art and architecture and collage them together. They don't have to be from the same area. Think of wine and cheese pairings, pair a nice building with a suitable piece of artwork. Different locations may compliment each other.

Collages

The first collage I created was this one above, I chose a building from a few of the areas Megan is focusing on in Krakow and I then erased all of the surroundings from the pictures so the focus was solely on the architecture. When all the buildings are arranged together like this you can see the unusual coloured stone they all use, despite them all being a little bit different in colour they all relate well together. The shade of green used in this bottom right image can be seen subtly on a couple of other buildings in the collage. To emphasise this I decided to use a peachy/ red background colour, this not only relates to the red of the Polish flag but it also contrasts with the green.




This collage relates to the town hall found in the market square of Krakow. The images Megan had for this area were of the town hall, the market square and a stain glass window. Here is the final collage, the background of it is the stain glass window mentioned previously however here it has been altered in colour, originally it was shades of orange and red however I found that this didn't suit the collage.  I chose to change the hue of it to blue which picks out the colour of the clock on the town hall as well as being one of Krakow's national colours. I did try to emphasise this further by changing the colours of the buildings too however I found that this would mean that every collage in the book would have to have some sort of blue tone for this collage to fit in. Another technique I tried was dissolving the stain glass window image as I find it too dark, however I didn't like the effect it had.







This are only had two images for it, I believe they are of the same building. Despite the collage not having much content I do like how it has turned out, I find it very simplistic and think it contrasts nicely with the one done previously.



I like how crazy and full on this collage is, I think it relates nicely to the art work found in this area which is displayed in the background. As you can see there is a lot going on in both the foreground and the background which I really like,  it has a very friendly feel to it.