OUGD502 - SB2 - Finished Group Presentation

After gathering all the information from the group, we were able to piece together everyones role into the presentation. Using the theme of neon jungle, we designed the presentation with this theme in mind.

Using the theme of neon lighting, we decided that the presentation would best represent this with a colourful aesthetic. This would give the viewers an idea of the type of signage found within our way finding system.

After explaining our concept to the viewers, the ideas were then explained and displayed through mock ups and similar inspirations.

By involving the colour scheme within the presentation, it was possible to explain how each colour correlates to specific subjects taught in LAU. This way the audience can understand which colours to look for on the map.

Explaining the formats that the project intends to take was the next step in communicating our idea. This would allow viewers to imagine how each sign may look when it is displayed within the way finding system.

Further justification was then added to back up our ideas and reasons for choosing 'neon jungle' as our theme. This would include how it would work and what makes it a suitable theme for the university. As we believe colour can represent creativity, this was our reasoning behind 'neon jungle'.

The map for the way finding system was then explained and inspirations for the project would identify where our idea came from. As the project would aim to appeal to students between 18 and 24, we believe that by looking at venues attended by students would influence the design of our own project. To this end, we found that many independent student venues would often use neon lights for decorative purposes, which would reflect a creative atmosphere for visitors.

As a result of the presentation, we were able to understand the ways in which to present to the audience, how the concept could be proposed and why it would work for this particular project. Upon receiving feedback from peers, we were also able to identify areas that could have been improved and ways in which to approach a similar task in future.

OUGD502 - SB2 - Presentation Development

After assigning certain roles among our group, we were able to gather research for different areas of the presentation. Having look at the idea of a 'trail' for our way finding system, we decided that the best way to appeal to the students of LAU would be to involve colourful imagery that would reflect a creative environment. To do this we settled on the theme of neon lighting, which would utilise the use of lights around the university as a way to guide people to their destination.

Once this had been established, more roles could then be identified for the project to progress. The role that I would be pursuing would be to design the map directions and colour indicators for the map. To do this a series of initials were first proposed to the group so that they could choose a style that most represented the theme of the project.

 Mood boards were first created to gather inspiration for the designs and how they may be situated within the LAU building.

Looking at previous entries for the task, I found that colour coding specific subjects that the university offers, would be one way to appeal to the audience and keep to the themes of our project.





Initial Ideas

 An alternative attempt to identify the subjects taught at LAU would show pictograms of each subject, as well as the signs found within the building. This included a camera for photography, a paint pallet for fine art, a computer for graphic design, a presentation board for creative advertising and a mannequin bust for fashion. Also included was the icon for the stairs.

 Using colours found in the LAU website, these lines were created to pin point passages on the map for the way finding system. Showing different types would allow for debate with peers on which one works best.

Following on from the previous icon designs, more pictograms were created, which would identify the facilities of the building and the health and safety signs.












Development

Creating the map for the project involved providing audiences with a direction from the entrance to the different rooms within the building. Using the coloured line system, the audience can easily follow where they need to go.

OUGD502 - SB2 - PPP Presentation research

After assigning roles within the group, it was then possible to focus a certain area of the research for the presentation. By looking at trails and the design behind them, it would be easier to understand ways to approach the way finding system for Leeds Art University. Looking at the different ways in which trails are approached in terms of design, will provide insight into appropriate typeface and layout to use. Information through signage can be useful as it will be a quick way for the audience to interpret the way finding.

These examples of trail signs and arrows provide viewers with information as well as a sense of direction to follow. Creating signs that include directive instructions may mean creating several signs in a sequence. For example, one sign may tell the viewer to walk 5 miles north, to which they will find another sign that will point to the next location. This avoids confusion for the people on the trails and reassures them of their location within a vast space. In the same way, a sequence of signs within LAU could potentially be one way of approaching the system. The problem with this is the reliance on the viewers following the sequence correctly, without getting lost on the journey. As discussed with peers, the way this could be tackled would be by having an uninterrupted trail for the viewer to follow, starting at the entrance and guiding them to their destination.

Typeface

As shown in the examples, the best option for trail signs is to use sans serif font. This is best paired with rounded edges, making the sign feel more hand made and authentic with the environment. Using sans serif for the signs also improves legibility, making it understandable when read by all viewers. Some of the signs may also include an indicator, such as a north and south direction indicator. This will improve the navigation of the viewer, as they are likely to find these signs in wide open spaces, like conservation parks etc.

After finding several examples of rounded fonts, it was clear that they could potentially be used for a way finding system. More widely used typefaces that may be appropriate, would be the fonts used for roads, as they are used extensively across the UK. This includes Transport and well as Old Road Sign  that only apply to certain terrains, such as dirt tracks and infrequently used country roads.

OUGD503 - SB1 - Art Fund Brief research 2

From the brainstorming, it was possible to identify different avenues that could be approached in order to solve the problem. For the second half of the research, it will be beneficial to look at each of these avenues in depth, to get a better idea of what will work best when visualised through graphic design solutions.

Price/Membership benefits

• The original price of a national art pass is £65, which in comparison with the student art pass at just £5 shows how beneficial the offer will be to students. 
• £5 could be visualised as showing what the pass will offer, in comparison with what a student might spend £5 on. For example, a student would typically spend £5 on a coffee or a drink in a nightclub, where as with the student pass they would have a year's worth of gallery visiting. By visualising the two it may encourage students to consider what they spend their money on. 
• 1 year of student pass could potentially be visualised through the Art Fund underscore identity.
• Included on the Art Fund website, was the benefits of owning a student pass. One benefit was particularly interesting as it suggests using the Art Fund pass for taking someone out on a date to a gallery or museum. This could be imagined as a way to attract all types of students that frequently seek dating partners, or those that use dating apps, such as Tinder. This idea could be done in several ways, including creating an advertisement that can appear on dating apps. It could alternatively be included in the design of the student pass, within a theme of dating or meeting new friends.

What can £5 be spent on?

• Quick Quid - plain t-shirt, extra long charging cable, bath bombs, latte, DVD rental

What can you do in 1 year?

• Life Advancer - make a list of books and movies to watch, find a new hobby, arrange your sleeping schedule, managing your time optimally, learning to assess and filter relationships
• One year of your life is spent sitting in traffic
• one year is spent in pubs or bars
• four years is spent on your phone at work
• 3 years is spent updating social media, rather than living real life

Inspiration

• By finding out what motivates or inspires students to visit galleries or museums, it will be possible to understand what areas can then be used to target other students who may not visit regularly. This could be done by asking students with a questionnaire online. By doing the questionnaire digitally, it can target the students that use technology frequently. 
• By looking at art work that most inspires people, it may be possible to understand what makes art work inspiring and how that can be utilised for design that attracts students of all kinds.
• Finding what inspire students in university, may also provide a way to target the audience. For example, if exercising is a motivation, then a joint offer with a local gym could be one way to entice the audience.

What is the purpose of making art? - ThoughtCo.com

As explained in the article, art can be described as something that helps viewers to understand a message or expression that is not easily perceived. Its intention is to provoke a response of some kind in the audience, which may mean the audience's perception of a subject or idea will be changed as a result. It helps to understand a broader meaning or create an emotional response in the viewer.

Questionnaire feedback

1. As a student what are you likely to spend £5 on?
2. What motivates you to study?
3. During freshers week, which brands do you think gave the best student offers?
4. When you visit a gallery or museum, what is the main reason for your visit?

In response to this questionnaire, all participants said they would spend £5 on either food or alcohol. Some of the things that motivate them during their studies included music and exercise, wanting to get a 2:1 or 1st degree, money, a future career and to avoid being stressed. They also highlighted several brands that gave out good promotional offers during fresher's week. This included Subway, H&M, Greggs and the most popular answer, Dominos. It was also clear that inspiration was the main reason why most people would visit a gallery or museum. 

This questionnaire provided a more in depth look at how the audience could potentially be targeted, as well as what brands may be beneficial to look at for further ideas on ways to attract new students using promotional offers. It has also been proven that museum and gallery visits are a way of inspiring people who visit them. This means that enticing students to the Art Fund pass, could mean focusing on inspiring them in some way. Another option could be to show the audience how others have been inspired by what they have seen during a visit. This way it may push the audience to try something new and discover new ideas or ways of learning.

Competitor campaigns
As the student survey proved that there are other competitors that use promotional offers during freshers week, looking at these campaign strategies will provide a glimpse of how to target students.

Greggs - Pasty Roulette is one way that Greggs Bakery enticed people to their stores during freshers week. The promotional offer allowed people the chance to win free food as a result of spinning a roulette spinner. This campaign was successful, in that it gave audiences the chance to play for prizes, making their campaign an interactive one and bringing about recognition for the company stores.

Dominos - Dominos pizza has given out free discounts around university campuses during freshers week. Their campaign targets freshers, as it means they are then more likely to order from the fast food chain in future. During freshers, Dominos posted to their website with '10 Reasons To Be Happy You've Left Secondary School'. This post appeals most to university newcomers with its use of gifs and short list, which makes it appropriate for social media and thus can be shared by students.
https://www.dominos.co.uk/blog/freshers-week-reasons-to-be-glad-you-left-secondary-school/

OUGD505 - Preparing for commercial print workshop 2 - Screen Printing

Applying spot colours in photoshop

• Open black and white tif image as greyscale.
• Then choose mode > duotone
• Duotone will allow you to change the colour of the image

Illustrator swatches

• Create new swatch to apply different amounts of CMYK.
• The colours can be chosen using the colour palette or colour swatch.
• Click the 4 line symbol to the right of the swatch menu to 'add used colours' swatches.
• The 'global' swatch option means tints will be available in the colour palette rather than CMYK options.
• Editing a swatch can be done by clicking the 'preview' option in the swatch option menu. Then changing the colour will apply to all shapes that use that colour.
• Opening the swatch library will display a range of presets for colour, including Pantone swatches. This is beneficial for finding a particular colour a client may have requested.
  
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Studio Brief 1 - Art Fund Brief research

The purpose of the Art Fund brief is to 'create a campaign that can drive sales of the Student Art Pass amongst university students in autumn 2018.' The company is a charity that was set up in 1903 to help galleries and museums buy and display works of art for the nation to see. The majority of the funds are provided by the National Art Pass, which allows people to visit over 240 museums, historic houses and galleries across the country, at a discounted price. It also offers customers 50% off major exhibitions that are displayed around the country. The Art Fund has also created a Student Art Pass, which is priced at £5, which is significantly more convenient than the National Art Pass, which is priced at £65. This price for the student pass will only be available between October and December.

Their creative challenge

'We need to convince students – not just art students – that visiting museums and galleries can help them step out of their daily lives and get a new perspective on the world. For some, it might be about inspiration for their studies. For others, museums and galleries can offer a chance to relax and reset. 

The annual pass offers them access to a huge variety of art throughout the UK, for just £5. The campaign will appear in university media and online, in autumn 2018. There is a relatively limited media budget, so we’re looking for a distinctive campaign that can stand out from the freshers’ week clutter. 

Forget Glastonbury; the Student Art Pass is now the biggest drop of the year.'

Audience of the campaign

The Student Art Pass was created to entice students of all types and not just art students. The aim is to  make gallery and museum viewing more popular among all students in the UK. As the time of the campaign will be during the month of October, there will be competition with other brands that will target new university students between 18 and 22. This will mean the campaign needs to be distinctive and appealing enough to stand out among competitors.

Key Insight

As the Art Fund has conducted research into student life, it has found how technology is a regular tool used by students. It aims to entice students to visit a gallery or museum instead, so that they can either be inspired, feel more relaxed or to 'switch off' from technology. This idea of switching off, relaxing and finding inspiration is the brand's primary focus, while its secondary focus is to sell the passes at £5 for 1 years worth of gallery and museum viewing.

The campaign strategy

Art Fund aims to create a wide variety of marketing strategies, so that it can reach all types of students during fresher's. This will include posters, on-campus stunts, university intranets, digital screens in lecture halls and university magazines/papers. On social media, it aims to use university social pages, venues and influencers to promote the brand, or by paid-media formats, such as Facebook adverts. It could also collaborate with another campaign to promote the brand to university students using offers.

Brand considerations

Art Fund aims to rival organisations such as Glastonbury and Supreme, when it comes to marketing. Thinking digitally may be a more convenient option, as apposed to showing the works of art. Art Fund also want the scale of the student pass to be emphasised, by saying it is national and covers hundreds of venues. Testimonials from past students could be used to show the effectiveness of the pass and its customer response. The production budget will also be limited, so it will mean considering the costs throughout the campaign.

Required considerations

• Include the name Student Art Pass and the £5 fee. 
• Where the students can purchase the passes. (E.g. https://www.artfund.org/student)
• It must not draw attention to the original price of the national pass, at £65.

Brainstorming

The brand can be broken down into 4 aims for the design elements of the campaign. This will include, how the price can play a part of the design, how inspiration and relaxation are projected by other brands and how competitors are targeting the same audience.

The next step was to look at each of the 4 key factors in depth, so that more ideas could come about. This will also provide insight into ways in which brands market their ideas, the techniques they use and the ways that this can be applied to the campaign for Art Fund.

Kitkat - Rewarded its customers with chocolate by interacting with a billboard, which required them to dance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOXz4Ijztgs

Ikea - Sleeping lion advert was used to prove the quality of their furniture products have maximum comfort.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8D_TPMx7mk

Volkswagen - Slide on a public stairway, showed commuters how to travel quicker and efficiently
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4o0ZVeixYU

Sanctuary - This advert encourages viewers to make the most of the time they have in life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltVPj6-5xpo

OUGD505 - Preparing for commercial print workshop 1 - Screen Printing

• Open an image on photoshop
• Add threshold adjustment layer
• Add hue and saturation layer (visualise the ink we will print with)

• turning off the hue/saturation layer will allow to see the positives of the print

• One way that the layers can be manipulated would be to use the wand tool to select a shape to bring forward over another layer. 
• In order to print an image it first needs to be changed to halftone.

Halftone:

• Frequency - the number of lines per inch (the spacing of the halftone dots) 50 lines per inch is the highest printable frequency. 
• Angle - 15 degrees per ink to avoid moire patterns (optical interference)
• Use black and white laser printers to create the positives ( up to size A3)
• Make sure the image is in greyscale mode first in photoshop. Then switch to illustrator to print the positive.
• Create 'New' doc in illustrator and 'place' the halftone image on the art board. Then choose file > print to send to a printer, in black and white.
• The frequency of the black can be changed when printing option is selected. Document Ink > Process Black > 50 LPI. Black should be the only colour selected for print.

• Creating a larger format image, requires the image to first be greyscale, then changed to Bitmap mode. This means it will be possible to change the size of the pixels per inch without losing quality (300 ppi > 1200 ppi). The file is best to be created as a tif file and has to be printed in a digital ink printer, not a laser printer. 

Printing in CMYK 

• Make sure the mode of the image is CMYK 
• Next to the layers panel, the channels palette will show the cyan, magenta, yellow and black.
• Each channel is a positive that will allow to create CMYK of the print.
• Open illustrator and create 'New' doc. Then place the tif file onto the A4 or A3 art board. 
• Printing the image will then mean looking at the 'Output > mode > Process Cyan, Process Magenta, Process Yellow, Process Black'.

OUGD502 - PPP SB2 - What is way finding and signage?

Wayfinding, is the way in which design can be used to guide and navigate people around certain areas or their surroundings. Through the identification of landmarks, structures or distance it is possible to memorise and interpret ways of getting from point A to point B in an efficient manner.

What makes a way finding system good?
- One that does not require much thinking (A clear and concise system that shows the right communicative system.)
- Only showing what is necessary (Information that is suited to navigating a certain path or direction for the viewer.)
- Limited information (information in excess can make a system forgetful and more complex than is needed.)

Landmarks, specific building or well known locations can be memorised as points that help to navigate through a journey. They assist in the understanding of a location on a larger scale. In the same way a building can be navigated through using popular areas, noticeable environments or signs.

Orientation is important because it allows people to navigate around a space with a sense of scale and distance involved. The distance from one location to another can be understood by timing or through the use of a map. The best way to use a map would be head-up in the direction the viewer is facing. That way they know what objects may be ahead of them, while trying to get to their destination in the most efficient way.

Things to consider

• The space in which the way finding system will be applied
• Who the way finding system will be designed for
• Where the signage will be situated
• What the theme of the project will be

Ideas with group

• The way finding could be made using neon lights to guide the audience from the entrance to their desired destination
• The different disciplines could be identified by using certain colours for each
• A trail system could guide the audience as apposed to arrows or signs (point to point)
• A projection system that guides the audience using light

Mood boards for idea generation

Some ideas that came from these images were to try creating a path for the audience to follow. This way they wouldn't have to search for individual signs. One of the main ideas would be to hang lighting from the ceiling, (preferably neon lighting), that would run from the entrance to the rooms based on the colour coordinating to the subject. For example, if Illustration was to use orange as its theme then a cord of orange lights could lead them to the studio from the entrance. Other ideas included adding numbers to the trail so that the audience know how many steps it would take to get to the destination, or by projecting a direction of the current way in which to go. There could also be a central map included in the centre of the building, such as in the cafeteria. This would then lead to different studios throughout the building.

Role within the group

As a group, it was decided that roles would allow several different avenues of the design to be explored. The role that would be taken by me during the initial stages of the project would be to look into trails and ways that they can be manipulated in order to create a way finding system. This would mean looking at different examples of trails and pathways, how they are designed and what inspiration can be taken from them to further develop our own way finding system. 

This example of a trail guide across England and Wales showed different routes that people can explore and the information relating to them. This brought about the idea of possibly including a guide at the entrance that people could use to see which route to take, before beginning a journey.

OUGD505 - SB1 Initial ideas

Once the research into UK drill was thoroughly explored, it was possible to establish the different opinions and opportunities that come with it. Although UK drill is a gritty and often violent genre, there are also positive aspects of it that allow people to be expressive of their lives and show people the reality of London's youth. From this point, the aim will be to gather ideas on ways to express how UK drill is seen as well as the ways it reflects to it's audience. These ideas may also show what impact the genre has on society, in particular young people that listen to it.

To brainstorm several ideas for the project, listing words relating to the genre was one way to look at the different possibilities that can be taken in order to represent it. The brainstorming looked into gang culture, slang and the prominent figures of the genre. These are the 3 main components that will allow for a more accurate representation to be made. The aim of the ideas will be to represent the gritty, rawness of the genre, whilst showing the opportunities it has brought about. There were several things that were repetitive in the genre, including the way rappers dress in the music videos, the taunting nature of the lyrics and the words that were used. One thing that was particularly interesting was that in the music videos, rappers would often show commemorative t-shirts with the faces of friends or family that had been lost to gang violence. This brought about the idea to potentially create a garment that would present this tragic reoccurrence.

Another idea was to look further into the design that is used for album covers, as well as the merchandise that may be sold to promote rappers. This will provide an understanding of the aesthetic that is used to portray the genre.

67's album 'Lets Lurk' shows a representation of a map in which the gang is located or is currently active. The use of black and white throughout is reflective of the dark nature of the music and by excluding bright colours the viewer may understand that the music is serious in tone and gritty.

Another example of this would be the Most Wanted album which features several different artists from UK drill. The use of the black and white image of men in masks is more explanatory of the type of music that the album contains. The use of yellow has also worked well because when paired with black it can reflect an image of danger or a warning.

This album cover by Zone 2 was particularly interesting because it is almost metaphorical of the themes of the music. In many drill songs, rappers often refer to their behaviour as animalistic and sometime reference certain animals as similar in nature. The same can be said about other dangerous things that are referenced in their music. For example, in C2 X Russ X Taze - Usual Suspects the bar

 "Heart of a lion, blade of a viking" is used to describe the bravery and danger of the gang.

Ideas

• Use black and white to represent the themes of UK drill. This could be by showing imagery such as gang signs, clothing worn by the rappers, locations they are known from and themes relating to them.
• Represent drill through different metaphorical images. For example, animals and soldiers are often used as comparisons within the songs and could be visualised in design to describe the music.
• Representing different gang locations through design. E.G. notable areas from music videos etc.

These designs were made as a way to present the audience with an idea of the gang signs frequently shown in almost all drill videos.

When thinking about objects relating to the music, many of these could be visualised in the same style. As the music focuses on violence, drugs, and money, the designs were made to highlight this. They also include some of the types of clothing worn by gangs in drill videos, which are often seen as a way to remain anonymous from authorities or to associate members to particular groups.

This idea was to combine the gang sign associated with rap group 67 and the lyrics of their song Let's Lurk. 

In the same way, the gang signs were also combined with the objects associated with drill music. Design in this way, is likely to be more suited for commercial use, such as an album cover.

The next idea was to mimic the minimal black and white style and use it to show the audience locations associated with drill. Here the Kennington Park Estate has been used for the design as it features in many of the Harlem Spartans' videos and its linked to the gang's origins.

Combining elements of all the ideas would provide the audience with a brief idea of what the music is likely to be, where the artists are from and the aesthetic it follows. 

Summary and analysis

At this point, several ideas have been established in terms of which direction to take the project. By exploring these ideas further in more detail, it will be possible to receive feedback from peers on the approaches that work best in communicating UK Drill in a celebratory way. The option to restrict colour in the designs has successfully made them more gritty and reflective of the dark nature of the genre. By continuing to use this aesthetic at later stages, it will be possible to set a dark tone for the audience to interpret. The next step would be to further explore the locations associated with drill gangs and identifying more imagery that can be connected to this genre.