OUGD505 Design Practice 2_Studio Brief 1

Research Book Development

Layouts 

For the research book I have drawn up some basic layout wireframes influenced by my research into layout of existing information books that are image heavy. My research taught me that although the image is key, it's also important to have the information to educate about the significance of the image. Therefore I have decided to go for a pretty simple layout with one large full bleed image on the left and the info on the right hand page. It keeps the layout consistent throughout but also allows the image to be viewed in all it glory whilst reading about it. 

The book will be Z-Bound so that both sides of the Space Race are told and can be viewed from different perspectives. This means that none of the stories interfere with each other and can be read individually or as a book documenting two separate accounts.

Because the majority of the images from the space race seem to be landscape and not portrait I think it's necessary to turn it into a landscape book so none of the images are being cropped. However, I still intend on keeping the book long edge bound just to add something a little different to the whole way the book is to be read.

As well as the main information about each programme I also aim to have a 'key events' section where it in brief documents the key elements and factors that made the space race. There'll be a small image accompanying each element as to illustrate and give an idea of what it or they look like.

OUGD503 Responsive_Brief 2 Collaborative

Monotype_The Big Issue

In today's session we had to present to other pairs our concepts and ideas in order to get some feedback and direction. Sam and I presented the research we had done as well as our main idea; we are going to create a typeface that represents 'The Big Issue', made from a grid that is directly derived from words that embody 'The Big Issues' core beliefs and values. From there, we will then create various printed collateral including a type specimen book and a new proposed grid and layout.

Although we didn't get much direction from the critique, we were reassured that we were doing was relevant, appropriate and interesting. From this, we are sure that we just need to continue with what we are doing and make sure that we get everything done. We were then asked to fill out a few forms in order to further understand exactly what we plan on doing, as well as giving us some structure and organisation in terms of time scale and direction. 

Action plan
Interview Big Issue vendor (Both, 13/02/14)
Interpret interview into type grid (Both, 13/02/14)
Create type grid (Harrison, 14/02/14)
Typeface drafts/Mock ups (Both, 21/02/14)
Digitise typeface (Sam, 25/02/14)
Final typeface (Sam, 27/02/14)
Specimen book layout (Harrison, 28/02/14)
Poster (Sam, 28/02/14)
Typeface in context (Sam, 01/03/14)
Print & Post (Harrison, 02/03/14)

OUGD503 Responsive_Brief 2 Collaborative

Big Issue vendor
After researching Big Issue by using their website we found it was quite a generic description of what they do, we wanted to find out what Big Issue do on a personal level so the next step would be to interview an actual vendor to find out what effect the Big Issue has had on them and what they do to help. Unfortunately we didn't get his name but we did photograph his vendor license;

Vendor interview
We didn't want the interview to be too personal incase we caused any offence so we asked only a couple of simple questions relating to his relationship with the big issue and what benefits he has got from becoming a Big Issue vendor, I conducted the interview whilst Sam recorded it using a Dictaphone;

H: How long have you been selling 'The Big Issue'?
V: Just about a year now.

H: What are the benefits of selling 'The Big Issue', how has it helped you?

V: It's a big solid support there, I mean I've just finished a basic DIY course for a company called Latch; they buy up derelict houses, do them up and then put homeless people in them once they've finished. So I volunteered for four months of the 12 month program and got onto that through 'The Big Issue'. It's just a massive support group there to help you get back onto your feet. They even help with just the simple things like getting back into the work set of mind, getting up every morning to get out and do something; it gives you a bit of self respect as well. 

We intend on extracting key words from this interview to create a grid on which we'll base the typeface on. Based upon my research into the meanings of shapes we intend on giving the words extracted a shape which will then be generated into a pattern/grid. Unfortunately there was a street sweeper going past us at one point so we had to write down some of the words instead of recording them, therefore some words that appear below aren't in the interview transcript.

• Support
• Network
• Self respect
• Self belief
• Motivation
• Unity
• Protection
• Security
• Housing

These words are all very representative of what 'The Big Issue' means to those who it affects the most: the vendors. From these words, we are going to look further into the meanings of shapes and create the grid from the shapes that best represent the words above. We have also thought about the name of the typeface, considering naming it after the vendor that we spoke to. From the photograph above we noticed that his name wasn't on the card, but was replaced by a vendor number. From this, we have thought about perhaps naming our typeface something along the lines of 'Vendor No. 30'.

We also purchased this weeks issue of Big Issue to get a feel for the magazine itself and to analyse the current typeface, logo and layout.

OUGD503 Responsive_Brief 2 Collaborative

In todays session we looked at the three briefs we brought in to select one to work on, we broke down each one and looked for the pros and cons of each brief. This enabled us to decide on a brief we were happy with and thought met what we wanted from a brief.

Domino's 

Pros
We can relate to the target audience as the majority are students
Open to both physical and digital giving more freedom but also allows us to work to our strengths 
Deadline a week later than D&AD
Branding & Identity 

Cons
Restrictive mandatories 
They haven't told use what they want us to create, what is a campaign?
It's not a very specific target audience open age range both sexes (everyone loves pizza)
They're asking us to come up with a campaign that many of the same companies already do but we're not allowed to change the concept (restricted creativeness)


British council

Pros
Deliverables across both medias
Application of design across a wide range of solutions 

Cons 
Bilingual meaning our translation skills will come into question
The target audience is a list of everyone
Up to 12 presentation boards could be a lot to meet


Monotype

Pros
Wide range of street magazines to choose from
Freedom to create a create a typeface and apply it to 

Cons


Because we're used to working as an individual we meet our own personal deadlines, we work for ourselves, we have no one else to consider or think about but in a collaboration roles are distributed across 2 people. We require roles and responsibilities to know what to expect as individuals. Communication is key.

Roles (how we meet expectations)
Project management
Resources
Contacts/Communication

Responsibilities (values and expectations)
Meeting deadlines
Maintaining clear communication
Sticking to the agreed branding/styling
Research activities
Fulfilling all agreements

What are the specific responsibilities come with each of the roles?

OUGD503 Responsive_Creative partnership form

Why have you chosen to work with your creative partner? What are you aims?
I have chosen to work with Sam because we share common interests both in and out of design. As well as this I know he can be relied on to stay until closing to get the work done, as well as coming in early and on weekends. I find it easy to be blunt to him without causing offence and vice versa, this honesty I feel will help throughout the creative processes because we are less likely to fall out and backstab. 

What are your specific interest in this brief?
I'm interested in the challenge of creating something that works both as a physical printed copy but also as a digital version and how the two work together seamlessly. As well as this I'm interested in creating design that feels personal and is relatable as opposed to something that is cold and not on a personal level. The typographical element interests me as it's something I've never created before, the prospect of creating a typeface that portrays the companies beliefs and the people that benefit from selling the paper is exciting. 

What specific design skills do you have to offer in relation to your chosen brief? How do you intend to use them?
In relation to the brief I can offer quite a few design skills including; Grid and layout, Extensive software knowledge, an understanding  on typography, a good understanding of colour and its impacts. I intend to use these in collaboration with Sam's design skills to ultimately solve the problem at hand using the most effective and efficient methods.

What specific non-design skills do you have to offer in relation to your chosen brief? How do you intend to use them?
I believe I have good time management and organisational skill that will enable us to fully utilise our skills within the time scale. I also think my punctuality will further enable us to work to our best ability, I'm willing to use all of my spare time towards the brief and ultimately winning the competition.

What do you think your individual responsibilities will be in relation to your brief? and what will your joint responsibilities be?
I think throughout the most of it we will be working together closely developing a concept and the type face but once these important decisions have been made I think we'll give out more specific roles such as the digitalisation of the typeface, the presentation boards, mocking up of the typeface, type specimen book, uses in context, transition between physical and digital, printing, finishing and photography. These roles will be delegated when closer to the time as it's hard to predict who will do what when we both bring similar skills to the table.

                                                                                                                                                 

Sam Horbury's Creative partnership form

Why have you chosen to work with your creative partner? What are your aims?

I have chosen to work with Harrison as we both share many interests, especially in terms of design; we both appreciate the similar work, which will make it much easier for us to work together. We have similar design aesthetics, both of us are very specific in terms of what we like and don’t like, and I think this will help us to create a consistent and cohesive project that we are both happy with. I also know that I can rely on Harrison to pull his weight and get the work done, something that will really help during the later stages of the brief. Overall, we aim to win.

What are you specific areas of creative interest in this brief?

I have never created my own typeface before, not to this standard, and it is something that I find interesting and have wanted to explore further for some time. Editorial and publishing is my main area of interest within graphic design, followed closely by branding and identity, and this brief allows me to explore both of these. I also like the challenge of working with both printed and screen based media and think designing with both of these in mind will be exciting and appropriate.

What specific design skills do you have to offer in relation to your chosen brief?

I feel that I am very suited to this brief as it is asking us to look into grid and layout, this being the area where my strengths as a designer lie. When thinking about the type of work I create it is often very structured and considered, which I think will lend itself to the creation of a typeface and new typographical system. My keen eye for detail and strive for perfection will be utilised frequently throughout this brief in order to ensure we produce the best outcomes we can.

How do you intend to use them?

I intend on using my design skills to their full potential, ensuring that I am successfully producing the high quality work that is needed and pulling my weight within the collaboration. I feel as though I haven’t previously produced work to the high standard that I could and want to make sure that this project is effective and professional.

What specific non-design skills do you have to offer in relation to your chosen brief? How do you intend to use them?

Being friends with Harrison will help this project a lot as we can both give constructive and honest feedback on each other’s design, no matter how brutal, without having to worry about causing any offence; which I believe comes down to my relaxed persona and positive attitude. I am very punctual and make sure that I attend at all times, and so does Harrison, so I am confident that we can produce a strong body of work within the time frame.

What will your specific roles be in the collaboration in relation to your brief?

Although we have chosen a brief that we want to work on, we still are slightly unsure of our what our final outcomes will be for definite. Therefore, we are unable to pinpoint our specific roles within the brief. However, I know that much of the project will be worked on together in order to achieve consistency throughout.

What do you think your individual responsibilities will be in relation to your brief?

Within this brief, my main responsibility will be to ensure I am working to my full potential, producing the best work that I have produced so far. Due to working with a friend, there is more pressure for me to work to by best in order to prevent letting him down. Another one of my own personal responsibilities will be to manage my time, making sure I put enough work into this brief as well as the other briefs that I am currently working on.

What do you think your joint responsibilities will be?

We are both confident with our ability and I think that our main responsibilities are completing all of the work we set out to do within the time frame, as well as producing the work to the high standard that I know we can.

OUGD505 Design practice- design board workshop

Workshop
Today we had a workshop focused on design boards, the importance of doing them and doing them correctly. Firstly we discussed as a class what shouldn't be on a design board and came up with the following;

• No 1st person, nobody cares what we did or why.
• No spelling mistakes or typos.
• Avoid food stains or other marks on the final printed boards. If there is a mistake it must be reprinted.
• The boards should be printed to a high standard.
• The images on the boards shouldn't be poor quality, no pixelation.
• Do not put too much text, but also don't put too little text. Balance is required between the two.
• Consistency and uniformity is needed throughout.

Things that should be on a design board;

• Talk about the useful things that are important- colour code, stock, binding, fonts, pt size etc...
• Your name
• Board numbers/order
• Titles, what is the board about?
• Showcase your work and end product making sure it's obvious that it is in fact the final outcome.
• Always use professional images of your product to do it justice.

OUGD505 Design Practice 2_Research Design Boards