Studio Brief 3: Concept Workshop

Today we were delivered a new, which is a week long and the brief is to design a poster for a new exhibition that will be happening the Graphic Design corridor. To kickstart this brief Simon and Lorraine ran a studio workshop to help start us developing a range of potential concepts for the brief. We worked in small groups to come up with a range of possible names that the exhibition could be called, we used a few processes to develop these names such as word association, using the dictionary and thesaurus as well as looking at antonyms of words to look at the concept from a different perspective. This studio was an extremely valuable session not only in helping to develop a range of concepts/ideas/names for this brief but also teaching use processes for concept development that I can use in future when developing concepts.

These were the range of names that our group came up with, it is a pretty extensive list considering we only had a short amount of time to produce it. There are a couple of names that I would like to move forward with at this stage, taken from this list and develop them into my own ideas. 

• I really like the name Hatch, which is something I randomly thought of in the sessions, it's like we are hatching new talent on the course and this will be showcased in the exhibition. The hatching of a egg is also a process like it needs to laid and then hatched, this cycle mirrors the changing of the exhibition bi monthly.  
• I also like A2, simple, effective and straight forward - some of my main design principles!
• I also like the name highlight because the exhibition is a highlighting of our work, this could lead to nice visual with brightly colours highlighter/neon inks

Good is New York City: Developing Illustrations

A main part of the design of the app is illustrations which represent different types of Detour the user can explore, each of these types of Detour is represented by a visual illustration. 

To begin designing these illustration I first collected a range of secondary visual research to inform my illustrations.  This secondary research would inform how my illustrations will look.

Equally to researching visual imagery I have also looked into possible colours that can be used within my illustrations that reflect colours used within my visual research, I have looked at colour palettes which also work with my chosen colour palette for the application. 

From the resources I have gathered above I have developed a series of elements which I then combined into the different detours for the application. 

Final Detour Illustrations 

Challenge Illustrations to be used to signify the different challenges users can take in the application.

Good is New York City: Developing Iconography

Since the last module I have since learnt that Iconography is a key part of modern web design and application interface design, so I want to develop my skills in this area as I have in the past used stock iconography however for the brief I want to create my own set of icons to use within the application which also fit with the visual aesthetic I am trying to create. Initially I planned out all of the icons that I would need for the design of the interface, from here I began to draft and sketch possible symbols or icons associated with the word and possible ways of visualising the icons. From here I then began to work digitally so translate these initial rough design into vectors illustrated files.  

When designing my icons I felt it was important to establish a series of design rules by which each icon followed to make them work as a set and keep the icons consistent. The main principle I designed the icons with was that the flat icons design a appeared to be bloated and this was so the icon looked like it was being seen through a fish eye lens, as seen above. The icons were also all designed with 5.9pt stroke weight. 

Good is New York City: Initial Brand Guidelines

Within this brief I am wanting to starting working like a professional graphic designer, with a professional work flow and this starts with creating a set of brand guidelines before I design anything, to form a set of principle to follow while designing products for the brief. My initial guidelines are formed from the logo, colour scheme and typeface. 

Within this brief I have had to take a different approach to developing a colour scheme as traditionally I look for colours that work together to form a palette however for this brief I need a set of 5 distinct colour which can used to identify different types of content and information. I experimented with a range of colours across tonal values some high and low, however I ultimately choose a range of vivid colours in order for them to stand out against the backdrop of the city which will form the main element of the mobile application. 

The final logo design in flat colour, however it can also appear in a more 3D style.

I have also started to look at a range of possible fonts that I could work with and that work well when displayed on screen. I selected an initial range of fonts that are good digital display fonts however I ultimately choose the same font used within my logo, Brandon Grotesque, to keep visual consistency across the application. I choose Promixa Nova for body copy as it displays well on iPhone as is easy to read. 

Final set of brand guidelines for the typefaces and colours that I will be using across the design of the application and website. The primary colour for the brand itself will be the orange, the other colours form the secondary colour palette for the content of the application. 

OUGD505: Concept Workshop

Today we had another workshop on building our skills with conceptualisation. We initially got into groups of 5, and were given three words to choose from. I worked with Hannah, Thomas, Eve and Steph Buck and our three words were 'Ball', 'Curtain' and 'Court'. We finally decided on 'Curtain' and began brainstorming words relating to 'Curtain'. We then found out that we had to take this word forward and create a concept for a bar.

Initial Brainstorming
Curtain / Rouge / Red Rope / Classic / Open Late / After Theatre Shows / Voyeur / Naming cocktails after famous icons / Dusk / Black / Ebony / Violet / Bleu / Blue Violet / Moody / Smokey Maroon / Deep / Celestial / High Fashion / Drape / Epilogue / Prologue / Old French / Courtine / Blinds / VIP / Exclusive / Dark / Reveal / Closure / Secretive / Encore / Midnight / Twilight / Eclipse / Glamour / Elegant / Mystery / Chandelier

Once we completed our initial brainstorming we began to put together the basic details for our concept...

Name: Voyeur
Where: West End, London
Type: Cocktail Bar
USP: Old french, Art Deco, 1920's France, Chicago, Jazz music
Audience: Middle - Upper Class, Interest in Cocktails

From here we moved on to create lists of products that would appear in the bar, that would need branding;

Product Types
Drinks Menu, Glasses, Cigarettes/Cigars, Ash Trays, Coasters, Cocktails, Toilets, Shot Glasses, Signage, Receipts, Hand Towels, Napkins, Uniforms, Gloves, Tickets, Flyers, Snacks

From here we categorised our research and idea's into different sections, before putting together our presentation.

Categorising
Voyeur: It's a french word, from the 1920's era. Suggestion of exclusivity, privacy and secrecy. Watching the theatre, reflect watching and voyeurism. Classic, 1920's france, paris. Seeing something different. Curtained off. Dark, Mysterious, Classic. Blue and Purple. Looking into the 1920's. Jazz. Adaptable drinks to different audiences.

Drink Names: Blue Velvet, The Salvador, OCD French, Midnight Blue, The Rouge, Blackout

Products: Drinks menu, Script / Bookmark. Different Shaped glasses, individual, fashion statement.

Narrator: Doorman. Sets the scene. Introduction. Introduce the drinks "Characters". Prologue, enter. Epilogue, leave. End of performance. Characters, specialist drinks, "Bringing down the curtain"

Atmosphere: Dark, Moody, Midnight, Mysterious, Smokey, High Fashion, Glamorous, Jazz music, Piano, Chandellier, Classic

Functioning of the bar: like a play or performance, greeting included at the door, narrative setting etc. Introductions start every 20 minutes. People dancing behind curtains, staffed dressed in 1920's attire, glove with logo, Screens/Curtains to separate sections of the bar.

Presentation Pitch
Our name is Voyeur, this suggests an exclusive, private and secretive experience. It originates from the idea of watching plays and the west end, and also our initial term 'curtain'. Curtains and large strips of blue velvet will be used throughout the interior decor to emphasise our concept across the entire bar.

Our bar will be located in the heart of London's West End, and will be aimed at middle to upper class people, who visit the theatre to watch musicals and plays in and around the area. Our audience is not limited, however our primary target is quite specific because of the concept & unique selling point.

Our Parisian, 1920's themed cocktail bar also known as the 'golden age twenties' in Europe. Embodies luxury, night time glamour including live entertainment and music. West end bar, linked with the theatre and the concept that the themes within the bar alter due to the theatre productions.

Our bar is a cocktail bar which serves modern drinks but the concept is used to develop the names of the cocktails; for example, The Salvador, named after Salvador Dali, Blue Velvet, named after the decor of the bar. The functioning of the bar also directly relates to the concept, as the staff will be dressed in 1920's attire, which is also branded with our logo. Screen will also be placed in the bar, to divide seating area's and reflect the concept of voyeurism. The bar will also be separated into different area's with names taken from the 1920's era, such as The Courtine (main bar), Matinee (VIP area) and finally 'Boudoire' for the toilets.

We came up with the idea in keeping with the play theme that people would enter every 20 minutes with a drink at the door and introduced to the menu as if they were characters in a script. The doorman would be the narrator and set the scene with a short introduction. He would take them through to the different area's such as the Courtine and the Matinee and seat them down. The narrator would introduce them with a prologue to reflect the same structure as a play and leave them with an epilogue at the end to finish and complete the 'experience'. He would use phrases such as "Bring down the curtain" at the end to call a round for final orders. The atmosphere would be dark with blue lighting reflecting midnight, mystery and the scene in the 1920's era. It would have a glamorous and classy interior, with chandeliers, and an in house musician playing jazz.

Feedback
The feedback from our presentation was really positive and the presentation was well timed at around 3 minutes. All together we had 2 hours for the entire concept pitch to be created and therefore there is plenty of room for our initial concept to be further pushed and developed.

Good is New York City: Logo Development

Detour is a new form of map, a good logo idea however my app is complete reinvention of the traditional map perhaps not the strongest logo in communicating this. 

New perspective of the city translated into the perspective of the type. 

To much London underground not enough New York City. 

The Lens concept is translated well but with logo looses legibility and spacing off.

Look too much like a film reel, the purpose/function of the app will be lost or miscommunicated.

Too much a treasure map vibe which I don't think goes with the metropolis that is new york city.

Drop a pin? Translates the concept of way finding well, a possibility. 

Pushing the pin concept further, using this symbol will communicate the purpose of the app to the audience. 

After exploring a few visual variations of this logo design and idea I think it's the strongest and communicates the concept of the app well, I have also asked for some quick feedback from my peers and they agree that this is good logo and I should run with this idea from the range I have developed.

Good is New York City: Rationale

I am going to developed and design a mobile application called Detour which will aggregate the information about New York City which I have researched into an Augmented Reality game which will use this information to create specific 'Lenses' through which users will be able to select in order to tailor their experience of the city based on there interest. This will create a new format and a new way of providing information to the audience which is normally presented to them in the form of a printed guide book. Furthermore the Lens feature will mean the information is relevant to them rather than them having to sift through a while guide book to find relevant content to them. This application will form a product range through the production and design of the application itself, accompanying website, promotional pack to promote the application to businesses as well as a demonstration video showing how the video will work. The application primary goal to show its users an uncommon and new, alternative perspective to New York City which will make them feel like a real New Yorker rather than just a tourist. The companion website that works in synthesis with the mobile app will provided added benefits to the user by allowing them to relive the experience after they've experience through this digital website which they can then share online with their friends. Overall the applications production is justified by the need for a presentation information to tourists in a fun and new way and also which tailors this information to them but are key requirements of my defined brief.

Good is New York City: Concept Crit 2

The crit was run the same way in which the previous crit was run with the same people and we were each allotted 3 minutes each with 2 minutes discussion to present our ideas. When it came to me I had such a lot to say about my application and explain that I ran over my time so I had to speed things to get through it all as at this stage with out much visuals I needed to explain everything to communicate the concept.

The final concept was well received and I received positive, the feedback mainly came in the form of validation of what I had produced for the crit. I think the main emphasis of the feedback was making sure I time manage the product well in order to get everything done. The name I had chosen was also well received which I'm happy about as naming things is something I always struggle with and spend way to much time doing but I'm glad this name works!

Good is New York City: Concept Pitch 2

Since the last concept crit I have taken on all of the Feedback and developed a solid concept, the concept itself has come along way since I initially presented the concept. The main concept is an Augmented Reality mobile application/game which has different 'lens' through which the city can be explored and these 'lens' are tailored to specific interests and tourist types so that the content of the game and the experience is based on what the user wants to gain from there exploration of the city. 

The concept also links in with a visual design aesthetic concept which will inform the design of the application and this is 'lens' lens are ways of seeing specific things about the city and blocking out irrelevant information to the end user, this concept of the lens and visuals that are associated with this will inform the visual design. 

Furthermore I have also Clarified the target audience which I have split into a primary and secondary target audience. In the beginning I was thinking about how the application relates to tourists and this group of people form my primary target audience however the versatility of the application means that it is also relevant to those already living in the city who wants to see or explore something new. 

Within my last concept crit it was mentioned that I need to clarify my product range that I will be developing for the brief. This initially came as a challenge as the primary range of products are all digital however I needed a print aspect, I have done this by splitting the concept into two parts, Detour for end user and Detour for businesses. The products range for the Detour end user App will be the application, a website, a demonstration video and brand guidelines. The Detour for businesses is the application as a brand and as a service and how it can be used by businesses to bring in customers to their business. This is where the print products come in as I will be creating a 'Promo Pack' to advertise the app and what it can offer to businesses and how the app can use corporate sponsorship. 

For this concept pitch I have throughly thought out exactly how the application will function and produced a timeline for what the users will experience when using the application. Essentially users will log in to the app and select a specific detour that is relevant to there interests, from there they will begin the detour, throughout the detour a numbers of events can occur from challenges, and points of interests that all appear through the augmented reality detour game. (Initially I have a range of thing to happen on the Detour, the ability to add friends along with your, focal points which are points of interest, Zoom which are image galleries of the environment they are exploring, Capture which is photo opportunities for users and challenge which encourage users to get lost to give them a deeper experience of the city). Finally the application will end with a Checkin at the final destination of the Detour however other check ins can occur along the journey of the detour. 

The website aspect of the concept links directly with the mobile application. The mobile application is used as part of the actual detout and is used when exploring the city the website offers can extension of this by recreating this Detour using Google maps StreetView. Using google maps StreetView users can relive the exact Detour that they experienced and layered over this will the experience that encountered from checkins to photos they have taken allowing them to relive their experience but also share it online with friends and family. 

I have produced some initial mock up imagery which demonstrates  visually how the augmented reality aspect of the application will work. Essentially the typographic directions of the Detour will be Mapped in 3D on the environment the user is seeing through their mobile phone camera. 

There is a lot to get done for this brief! So I have began to map out my time, in the form of a dated time management to do list or organiser which should hopefully enable me to get everything complete by the deadline! 

Good Is New York City: Naming the Concept / Lightbulb Moment / Detour

At this point since  my last concept crit I have a pretty solid idea about what my concept is and what it is trying to achieve however it needs a strong name which communicates the concept. I want to have a strong name ready for the next crit to help me to explain the final idea to others. Within the previous module I struggled with naming my TV channel this is why I am starting to think about the name early one so I make sure I get it right time. I started to look at the name the same way I'd been developing concepts. I also used the process Lorraine recommended of just getting everything out on paper and go from their in selecting a name thats the most appropriate.

I started by looking at words associated with the idea of lens that will be used by the end user to give them a specific perspective of the city. I spent a couple of hours doing this but I still didn't feel like I had a killer name, nothing was standing out to me! I went to Lorraine for help because I was Freaking out my name again! Eve was sat on my table at this point going through the same process as me she suggested we swap projects to get fresh eyes our project, we both thought this was a good ideas. So we played swapsies. 

We both hammered out a range of new and fresh ideas for each other. I really liked this process as it allowed my project to have a fresh set of eyes rather than my tunnel visioned approach that was occurring at this point. I was grateful for Eve helping me out but there still wasn't a name that was standing out to me. 

However last night I had a light bulb moment! Whilst I was watching one of my favourite american TV Shows, 'The Amazing Race' the name suddenly struck me, 'Detour', this is can aspect of the TV, but Detour is the perfect name for my application. I have said all along that the application was about not being a tourist, and feeling like a tourist by going on all of the common tours and guides, so what will users of my app be they will be taking a 'DETOUR' from the common. At this point I couldn't be happier with my name I think it's sums up my concept in one word! 

Responsive: Project Report

Responsive: All Final Boards

Creative Partners: Individual Contribution

LCA Alumni: In Context

I felt that it was important to show the logo being used in a range of contexts as well as showing the presentation and aesthetic of the logo in a printed format, as with the stock I have chosen for the brand the logo colour do appear slightly different. Furthermore showing the logo in context help to present the concept and how it will work in real context and applications in which it will be used. It also helps demonstrate the versatility and flexibility of the logo whilst maintaing it's readability, legibility and integrity. 

LCA Alumni: Final Brand Guidelines

After going through the design process and working with context I have been able to develop a basic set of design guidelines for the brand which create a set of principles the brand can follow including colours that can be used as well as selected typefaces. This will all create one solid brand identity for the Alumni. 

LCA Alumni: Hard Copy Publication

After considering colour I further pushed this way of working and developing ideas through working with ideas in the context of how they are going to be used - again within a publication style format. Here I have I have started to consider format, layout and appropriate typefaces that work with the final logo. 

LCA Alumni: Colour Scheme Experimentation

I researched into a range of possible colour schemes for the new brand of the Alumni, I initially looked as shades and tones of yellow and red as they colours symbolise prestige and well as academia, however I also looked as more innovative colour choices. I went through the process of choosing the colour through using the colour in context of how it would be applied. The colour would mostly be used on publication therefore getting the colour to work in the context would mean it could then easily be applied to other format but it would primarily function as part of a publication.