OUGD404 - Studio Brief 01 - Colours Publication

Colours, the final publication:

Stock used for internal pages - Evercopy Plus 80 gsm, stock used for internal pages - Cyclus Offset 150 gsm

Feedback for this publication revealed that it was highly successful in achieving the aims set out in the original brief - colour is a very important and key design principle within the field of Graphic Design and with this publication I aimed to convey the sensitivity of our own individual perceptions of colour, how colours can retain and evoke memories, and also how certain colours can convey certain messages and emotions due to our preconceived ideas of what they represent. During the final critique for this piece of work, many felt that the concept of a notebook-style publication was a highly original way of conveying these ideas, and many felt that there was a strong personal element to the work, due in part to the interactive perforated sample squares. There was a positive feedback for the physical production of the book, with reference to its construction and unique binding method. It was also suggested that the hand drawn colour swatches were the most successful elements of the publication, as they added an extra level of personality and achieved colours, textures, and even depth that could not be replicated using digital methods. Some felt that the tracing paper layers between each page felt a little cluttered towards the end of the publications, however it was generally agreed that the addition of these pages did help to enhance the collectible nature of the book, and even the preciousness of the colours and their associated memories, with some relating this presentation to how specimens are preserved in large collections within museums.

This module overall has pushed my skills as a both a graphic designer and a publication designer into new and exciting areas. From here I will continue to pursue my interest in publication design into second year, testing my own personal limits of what I am able to produce, and also what boundaries of a publication could be.

OUGD404 - Studio Brief 01 - Binding

The idea of the book itself was to not only replicate commercial colour charts, but also to emulate a notebook of sorts that someone had possibly used to collect and document their favourite colours and memories and used it to combine the two. I wanted to use the binding of the book as an opportunity to convey this idea fully, and so the spine of the book is hand sewn to give a DIY feel to the whole publication. The left side of the publication's pages were hand stitched onto the back side of the cover, creating a wrap around cover that also provided a spine to conceal the cut left edges of the pages

The publication's hand stitched binding

OUGD404 - Studio Brief 01 - Embossing the Cover

To contrast with the range of colours used within the publication, the cover will be produced from a plain white card stock embossed with the title of the publication, Colour. To emboss this I set up a letterpress chase containing the word 'colour' and using the typeface Times in Italic and 24 pt. Each letter had to be cleaned prior to use to remove any ink from previous uses. This chase was placed onto the base of the letterpress machine with the card stock positioned on top and a layer of tissue paper in between. The tissue paper was a preventative measure to ensure that any ink left on the letters would not be transferred to the paper. The chase and card was then inserted under the plate and pressed to emboss the word. This was my first time embossing and using this particular press, but it was a relatively simple procedure that produced a high quality finish and furthered the tactile nature of this publication.

Prepared chase on the letterpress machine, covered

with a layer of tissue paper ready for embossing

Mid-emboss

OUGD404 - Studio Brief 01 - Page Designs and Layouts

Catalogues and colour charts have a very rigid structure in order to create clarity between the many different variations of colour, and this was something that I was keen to include within this publication. The basic structure of my pages involve four blocks of colour in four different tints, starting from the darkest at the top of the page and moving to the lightest at the bottom. Each colour is then labeled with an association on the right hand side of the book using a rubber stamp. To increase the personal elements and to add a layer of interactivity to the publication, the right edge of each coloured page will be perforated so that a sample of each colour may be removed and taken away to be used at the owners discretion. To convey the specimen-like aspect of the publication, each coloured page is separated by a layer of tracing paper, providing both a protective cover and an added element of preciousness to the book. The publication itself is A6 in size.

Final grid layout used to construct each page of the publication

Examples of three of the colours and labels within the publication

Each of the pages within this publication will be created and drawn by hand. Although during my initial experimentation I had tried creating the colour samples with a range of materials, from paints to watercolour to felt tip pens, using coloured pencils gave me the most freedom to create the colours that most closely represented those that I was personally trying to convey through my associations.

OUGD405 - Study Task 03 - Public Information Video Analysis

Analysis of the public information video 'Splink'

During this short film we are given the rules of the Green Cross Code, the information to remember in order to cross a road safely:

'Find a Safe place to cross and Stop, stand on the Pavement but not too close to the curb. Look all around for traffic and Listen. If traffic is coming wait for it to pass before crossing. When there is No traffic near walk straight across the road and Keep looking while you cross.'

This information is then neatly compiled into a nonsense mnemonic which, by the end of the video, makes it completely impossible to remember any of the key facts at all. The video is rounded off with the well-known and highly-respected actor Jon Pertwee shouting 'SPLINK' intensely into the camera, before a freeze frame and fade to black.

While the tone of the video is overarchingly authoritative, there is a light air given through Pertwee's narration, made possible partially because of his reputation as a comedic actor. Because of this the audience of this video would most likely be young children, but would also be suitable for older children and young teenagers.

OUGD405 - Studio Brief 01 - Signage In Situ

Mock-ups of the final signage in situ within a Liberty Living student accommodation complex:

signpost signage in situ in the courtyard

facilities signage - two external (top), two internal (bottom)

numbered signage on the outside of each block

Level signage in vinyl in situ inside block 1

large floor to ceiling vinyl application outside of a lift in block 4

small vinyl application showing the direction of the stairs

small vinyl application in the footwell of the stairs to indicate the location

additional coloured vinyl markings at the top of each staircase to

indicate the arrival at a new level, in blocks 3 and 4 respectively

The final critique for this wayfinding system revealed many successful aspects of the design. It was agreed that the wayfinding overall had been significantly improved, both in terms of quantity and consistency, compared to the original system, and all of the targets that had been set out during the initial research phase had been met: the strong, legible typeface and refreshed colour scheme remained coherent with the current partial rebrand of the Liberty Living company. The colours were appropriately applied, creating clear distinction between different areas of the accommodation complex (shared facilities, blocks), and the symbols, although not universally used, would be recognised by a large majority of the people using the accommodation. The placing of the symbols next to the facility, such as the stairs symbol in the footwell of the stairs, was deemed to be successful in creating a connection between the symbol and the facility, which would prove particularly useful for international students and/or students who's first language is not English.

When the designs were shown to a group of students, and asked if they would consider the designs to be student-friendly, the results were positive, with many feeling as though the renewed aesthetic was more stylish and appealing to a younger audience without being too primary and childlike. Some felt they gave the company a more trustworthy and friendly tone. It was suggested that the designs may come across as too simple, but for a company such as Liberty Living, who aim to provide 'simple and secure' students accommodation, it was the most appropriate to reflect these morals within the aesthetic of the company, and such a key element of the accommodation sites.

Another concern was raised with the material of the signage, with some thinking that vinyl might be easily damaged in a student accommodation complex. However, I allowed for this problem when creating my concept as vinyl is the easiest material to remove and re-apply, and has a relatively low cost compared to other materials, and so is the most appropriate for this environment.

I used Adobe Illustrator to create the entirety of my leaflet as the vector graphics allow any and all images to be rescaled to any size within the programme without pixelation, meaning any editing or transferring of the designs can be done without the loss of quality.

OUGD405 - Studio Brief 01 - Final Designs

These are the final designs for the full range of signage to be used across Liberty Living accommodation sites:

a signpost to be used within the courtyard areas of the complex, including

the symbols for all facilities and the signature purple colouring

signage to be used within the courtyard areas to indicate the direction of each 

block - direction of arrows can be changed depending on where the signage is situated

external signage used to indicate the entranceways of each facility

individual signage to be used on the exterior of each block - each 

sign is coloured in correspondence with the colour of each block

 signage to be used within the entranceway only of each block, indicating
the direction of the lifts and stairs - each sign is coloured in correspondence 
with the colour of each block and the direction of arrows can be changed 
depending on where the signage is situated

vinyl wall applications indicating the location of the lifts and stairs

level signage indicating the colouring used within each of the six blocks

vinyl wall mounted signage to be situated next to lifts and in stair wells - size of the signage

is dependent on the size of the area it is placed within, ranging from small signage mounted

in the middle of the wall (top), to floor to ceiling vinyl cut-outs (bottom)

All exterior signage is to be made from painted metal to allow durability in all elements. All interior signage is to be made from laser-cut coloured vinyl applied directly to the walls.

To differentiate between the different uses of signage there is a difference in the shape of the corners - rounded corners are used for signage that is used within specific area, such as blocks, levels, and the washing, bin, bicycle and postbox facilities; square corners are used for more geeneral signage, such as the generic signposts in the courtyard and in the entranceway of each block.

OUGD405 - Studio Brief 01 - Level Signage

Again, the signage for the each Level within the buildings has several possible designs options and during a critique it was concluded that the third design provided the most clarity, as the colour accent highlights the number while leaving the word 'level' neutral.

An initial ideas for the Level signage was to have each level of each block a different colour, but it was pointed out this would cause confusion as each block is itself a different colour. Another idea was to have a gradient that would run up the building, with lighter level signage on the lower floors and darker level signage on the upper floors, but again this would not fit with the colour scheme and would not be cohesive as each block's signage would contain a variety of colours that could not been seen elsewhere in the complex. It would also not suite the more sophisticated environment that this signage would try to create within a student accommodation complex.

level signage showing how each level sign would look within block 1

level signage showing an example of what each would look like in every block

OUGD405 - Studio Brief 01 - Block Signage

To create the external signage for each block I had several different possible options: the first designs displayed both the number and the word 'block', however after a critique it was agreed that including both of these looked clunky and left odd sized negative spaces.

After removing the word and leaving just the number, the design became much clearer, and rounding the corners gave the signage a more inviting and friendly feel, which was better suited to the environment.