Week 3 – Development

Lecture Comments & Reflections

Design Development (weekly Challenge)

Developing ideas from initial sketches and mood boards.

What? Printed recycled materials using black paint directly onto paper.

Why? I wanted to physically use recycled materials (photographed and OR printed) within my campaign/event identity. This not only connects to recycling itself but the students will have these materials in their halls of residence. I want the campaign to be fun and interactive not all digital assets and type. This form of design gives me more freedom.

What if I was to turn these into words which became part of the campaign?
What if they were taken into a digital space and worked alongside typography to start building the event identity?
What if they built a series of ‘structures’ to highlight each ‘sport’ within the event.

Should I start to explore other mediums of how to use the recycled materials?
Should I start to look at bottle tops / paper / plastic containers next?

What’s next? Next I want to further develop these printed marks and start thinking about how they can be used digitally with typography. I have been looking at the work of Goo Choki Par who created the event posters for the Paralympic games. His work looks at multiple elements intertwining together to create a visual.

Why did I look at Goo Choki Par? My initial take from his work was the fragmented shapes and how they had been designed together to create a cohesive design. In my thoughts I wanted to create a shape library which worked to create an identity. His work is expressive, has movement and shows a real air of positivity and action (something I want to bring to my identity)

What hasn’t worked so well here? Currently I think it’s too abstract for the audience? Students at University will be looking at screens and be engaged with that medium. How could these work digitally? Maybe through the use of GIF’s.

There needs to be context added – text to understand what’s going on?
Should there be an overview of the ‘event’ so students understand what’s going on and how they can be involved. Sign up – bring your materials – build – share & exhibit – Recyclable tote bag with printed design on to continue the encouragement.

How can the use of recycled materials be used to create the event identity? Starting to play here with layering / multiple layers – inspired by the amount of plastic / recycling around. An overwhelming amount, creating a confusing visual.

These aren’t working well – they don’t connect for talk to my intended audience? Too abstract without any context? However would adding words create more of an understanding. I also need to consider what colours I am using. I almost feed it needs to be recycling colours to not add confusion to what’s present within university halls.

Influenced by the works of Alan Kitching – however his work is more legible and bold. Talks to an audience and communicates well. Is texture to much?

Thoughts on initial printing – next steps reflection.

After the initial experiments I decided to go back to the drawing board and start sketching again. From my inital sketches I really liked how I was working with shape and type and how they could intertwine?

These initial sketches below look into a more bold and simple identity, picking up on the recycling theme and keeping in mind my audience (university students)

Will these be coloured shapes? will there be words with them? will the audience understand what the shapes are? Maybe this is to abstract again?

Visual References (social media) Studio Morros, Supermundane

Since doing the sketches I thought it would be good to go away and look at designers who were currently working with my intended audience. Studio Moross came to mind for there bold colour, shape and poppy designs – Students don’t have time and won’t want to sit and read something for a long period of time, they want to know what it is there and then. Studio Moross has a great energy around their work I wanted to take. How could I inject energy and excitement into my work?

I need to keep in mind that there also needs to be a call to action and incentive?

Could a more GIF /Motion approach be better suited for the audience? to catch their attention

Colour palette – to keep in line with recycling so people don’t get confused with what’s already in the university halls. Maybe in a future project there is scope to ask what if recycling graphics were changed to help encourage recycling? They’re informative and to the point? However are they engaging enough or is it something that works and shouldn’t be touched? Maybe its the delivery? Sticks and digital signs?

Maybe a QR code which tells you what goes in the coloured bin when scanned. This could also tell you if your recycling was contaminated and where it will end up? A recycling AR app? (sounds fun?)

Outcomes from sketches below:

These came out better than I expected, when they start to combine and connect it becomes intriguing and exciting. However saying this is it just too abstract? If I refer back to the inspiration I got from the Paralympics poster, that was elegant and had a sense of energy? Are these to harsh structural and not free form enough? Recycling is a process of buying, using, recycling then back round again. Even the placing items into a bin is a movement?

What does work well here is the colour palette and maybe the designs could be used for an element of the event? For now I am going to move forward and continue to develop.

Look at event identities, the olympics and events which have occurred at student unions for inspiration. Get peer and audience feedback to see what they think at this stage.

How are these going to develop and work within the campaign? I started to think about the designs as a whole. How the type and images are going to work together. Are they going to be full colour? Are they going to be textured?

Influences? Studio Moross, Supermundane, Morag Myerscough, Marco Oggian, Moniker Design

Starting to visualise sketches into real life form. I have realised than since developing the sketches the recycled shapes alone don’t work flat? They need texture and more to them. I have started to work with the original print textures I worked with to add an element of ‘recycling’ to the shapes. The far right is starting to pull together the elements I am wanting to achieve across the identity.

What if there was separate ‘identities for each of the recycling materials’ For example cardboard, plastic etc. These could also hold their own ‘texture’

Next steps to investigate? Adding typography and context. I need to think about the wording so it’s not to preachy? It needs to sound fun and engaging (almost needs a call to action)

– Compete against your university peers at the recycling games to help encourage recycling within universities
– Join the recycling games, compete against your peers and raise awareness
The SU invites you to collect, compete, recycling and raise awareness at the first recycling games.
The SU invites you to collect, construct, recycle at the first recycling games. – Collect your university halls recycling, bring it to the games, construct and encourage. All constructions will be exhibited online to encourage recycling within university halls across the UK. Create your team and get ready to recycle.

How are these developing? Starting to go in the right direction however the message is still missing? The what and why need to be more prominent on the design? Do these ‘posters’ as such become two page flyers / GIF digital posts? Students won’t be looking at printed material, it will be sent out / on social media / etc. Do these become two sided designs which give full information on the back?

Also need to add on tote bag – colour co ordinated which can be used to recycle in the halls. / exhibit details on along with the suggested hashtag for the event #recyclinggames22

Could there be a background instead of being just white? Would that make it ‘pop’ more.
Thinking about shapes for each category.

Next step – Think about the type application and wording as this is just as important. We want the students to understand quickly.

Typography needs to be more playful and less ‘corporate’ – At the moment it’s not looking inviting and exciting enough to attend? I think also key information is missing. University logo? Some sort of call to action? Students will want to know straight away what it is. They won’t want to look for it. Part of this problem will be solved by applying the designs digitally. Social media. Minimal print 1. due to environmental impacts and 2. engagement?

Why this approach? The above designs started to get me excited about what could be achieved within this identity however I felt something was missing? The textured recycled shapes aren’t quite getting across the message?

Below I have started to introduce a tagline for the event to add further context. This has started to bring something new to the design? However currently it’s to rushed and visually becoming too much.
What does work well is highlighting the areas of connection, collaboration and recycling – key areas the event wants to foster. Is there a way that this can visually work? Maybe an ‘icon’ for the event capturing this? almost an olympic logo for the event.

Above – testing out a more hand drawn font to add an element of connection to the design? A almost recycling font? How can these be developed and used within the design?

Applying and pushing forward with an overall identity for the games. Keeping to a simple colour palette which reflects the standard recycling colours on bins. Really enjoying the direction these are going in and can see them working across multiple touchpoints. On the left is almost a ‘logo’ for the event.

Why this direction – I feel the designs I was working on were becoming abit to abstract for the audience? Would they understand what was going on. I feel I still need to add context to these or make the reverse the information part.

How would these work on digital applications? (social media) will they still be clear?
Could they move? and become more interactive for the audience. (QR codes) to scan and submit your team?

Posters for each ‘sport’ – Loving how the design is starting to transfer across the whole identity. However something isn’t quite working. Are they again too confusing with the colours? Maybe I should try and pair them back again? go back to a simpler format.

Do each sports need one colour texture on the type? Is it too much and confusing to have so many colours on one poster? Need to look at how I can apply a different texture to each type. I also think for the ‘sports’ there should be different wording on each.

There also needs to be an overall ‘design’ which asks the students to ‘pick their sport’ Currently I can’t see how this is going to work across multiple touchpoints (digital and print)

Next steps – review the colours and textures? I don’t think there needs to be two lots of textures it’s overwhelming. Could I potentially use just one colour across them all?

Reflection here (below) stripping back the wording and seeing how the identity works just with the solid ‘recycle shapes’ Blue – paper, Green – card, Red – plastic. Almost to minimal? Stripped back to much of the context?

Taking inspiration from Studio Studio – https://studiostudio.be/

Reflection here: Something is coming to light? Something is starting to work? Through the process of working across multiple design and different experiments, these for me are the most successful to date. Pairing back the design, so the message is clear but also keeping that element of recycling.

For me the middle design which just the text is really strong? I can see this being applied in multiple ways and creating a strong visual identity. It’s where the shapes come into play? Do they play a part of the logo or icons for the event? Maybe sticker shapes to say I completed the recycling games?

Reflection on GIF process – these are tests and not final works

How did i get here?
Getting to the point of GIF’s was from a conversation I had with a student about where they most view media and they said phone / digital platforms. This for me meant that the work needed to work in a digital space? Simple GIF’s will allow me to create more engaging content for the audience instead of it being just static. More people engage with moving image than static.

Why?
This campaign and event can’t existing just in print form. The designs need to work across multiple touchpoints. With this I wanted the designs too moving. I don’t think these are currently at the right stage but something similar would work very well if executed right.

What is an alternative route? – Could I look into creating a longer GIF / animation. This could include a mix of sound, information and visuals. Could this be developed further after the event has happened and include footage from the event.

What isn’t working?
Are they currently to fast? How is the audience going to be able to read the information? If there not intended to be read then maybe they should be more visual and interactive.

What if I was to remove the typography and make it a more visual design element? This can then be used across other touchpoints. What if the speed was slowed down and the information become more legible.

Coming close to how the identity will work across the materials for the event

The main identity is now starting to work as a whole from the ‘icon’ the typography treatments to application on potential event materials. Why have I not yet added this to digital – format needs to be worked on for digital which is the next step in the process. Want to go away and look at where exactly the application of the design is going to work.
Is it student halls?
Is it busses?
Is it on campus
Within welcome emails?
On printed materials (if so minimal and on recyclable materials)

This whole identity will fit into the event itself as well with an element of the design being applied to the incentives which will be handed out (tote bags and re usable coffe cups)

I also want to explore stickers for participation / pin something to say thank you for taking part which students can take away and share around. Could this have on it the hashtag.

Final Outcome

Research

Moniker Design

Inspired by the work on Moniker for there simple approach to these poster designs. Through the process I feel I have been pairing my work back at times. These simple designs are playful yet easy to take in? They’re not overwhelming for the viewer. What I also really appreciate is how brave they have been keeping it on a white background with set typography around the edge. The eyes is focussed solely on the shape designs.

How can I take this approach into my work?