Studio Practice: November 2016

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Studio Brief 02 - Design for Screen: Lecture: The Design Process

Page impression

The number of times a user has clicked on the page.

Research

One-to-one, personal user interviews, focus groups, SWOT analysis, questionnaires, market segmentation.

Who?

The design should be for a specific target audience. The target audience should be for certain individuals. The research you could find out for the information is their age range, gender, country (if not international), urban/rural demographic, occupation, devices, how often they use user interface, budget, if it is for a business - what type of business - is it a big or small business?

Why?

Why people would want to use your user interface - is it to achieve a goal or are they just curious? Do they need it to solve a problem?

What?

What information will users need from this user interface? What is special about your user interface that would make it stand out from it's competitors?

Idea generation

Moodboard, mind maps, sitemaps, sketches.

Solution

Clear design direction, low-fi design, wireframing.

Composition

Should be able to show the design so that the developer knows how to make the design for screen possible and exactly how you designed it.

Sitemap

Plan how the design for screen is going to be navigated.

Wireframing

Simple sketch of how the design will look and show where and what the information should be on the page.

The navigation should be consistent throughout the user interface.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Studio Brief 02 - Design For Screen: Coding

Languages

HTML - Hyper text mark up language

CSS - Cascading style sheets

Java - Android language

Javascript - Advanced effect and added interactivity

SQJ - Database language

PHP - Server based language

iOS - Apple language

Ruby - Twitter

Designing for softwares should be accessible through the internet.

Consider the design screen on different platforms such as browsers and devices such as desktop computers, laptops, tablets, mobile devices, televisions etc.

Responsive screen design - When the website adapts to different devices.

Berger/Accordion button - Side bar menu

Resolutions

Standard screen resolution: 72ppi

Print: 300ppi

Retina: 246ppi

Considerations

File size
Resolution
Device

Consider the file size as people may have slower internet speeds so it will affect the loading page of the website.

The average user waits 2.6 seconds for the page to load, after that, they usually give up. So if the page takes too long to load, it is considered as bad design.

Accessibility

Must be accessible for people with disabilities such as visual impairment. There are legislations that require public buildings to be accessible to those with disabilities. There are many laws put in place that require websites to be accessible for those with disabilities.

Standard fonts should be used as the website should be accessible on all devices so fonts would have to be seen the same on older devices. Use a typeface that is royalty free for screen.

Coding tags

Opening tag <p>

Closing tag </p>

<hone>

<title>

<body>

WYSIWYG - What you see is what you get

<head> - meta tag - keywords

Line up the tags

File name should be saved: index.html

Saturday, November 19, 2016

OUGD503 - YCN UK Greetings: Final Idea and Research

The last idea of creating a greetings collection for a real issue would be the most effective and impactful since its uncommon. The niche idea may be unexpected but it would make people become aware of the dangers of our wildlife.

The type of card that I want to create is everyday cards as it not as common as creating birthday cards which would make the design more special and unique.

Everyday cards - Thank You, Get Well Soon, Sorry, Thinking of you, Sympathy card.

Having seen numerous seasonal television adverts such as John Lewis (The Bear and the Hare/The Dog), Waitrose (Robin), Sainsbury's (Mog the Cat) they all show different type of wildlife animals which go from sad to happy. The adverts show the animals alone and lonely for the whole year except for Christmas. The adverts are a thoughtful message, making people become more aware of British Wildlife, however, it doesn't show the endangerment or threat towards the animals but rather them looking happy and seeming like everything is fine. The range that I want to create will be in collaboration with a charity and will use animals that are endangered so it shows the audience to think more about the animals and make them aware of their potential extinction. There seems to be more advertisements about tigers, pandas and lions but there are not many advertisements about British wildlife so people may be unaware. The reason why I have chosen British wildlife as opposed to any other animals is because they are UK greeting cards, aimed at the British public.

Research

British Wildlife - Wildlife Trust Charity
Sending/receiving cards is a British tradition
John Lewis advertisement uses animals so they can evoke an emotional response from people because they love animals.
Adverts about endangered leopards/pandas/jaguars but there isn't anything to remind people about British Wildlife
People don't know about wildlife - forget
Reinforcing the notion of cards with wildlife
Use pun or irony to evoke an emotional response - link them to what types of animals are endangered.
British Wildlife is an issue that people don't really think about
Mother's day/father's day card - makes you think about them animals have parents too - evokes an emotional response
Reinforce the notion of Britain through British Wildlife and the custom of card sending itself
Red squirrel - Sorry
Bumblebees - Thank you
Turtle dove - Sympathy
Tortoiseshell butterfly - Get well soon
Design styles - illustrations, realistic, minimalistic/simplified shapes
Method of design - digital, drawings, paintings, screenprint, linoprint, etching

OUGD503 - YCN UK Greetings: Idea Generation

As birthday cards seem to be the most popular and common type of greetings card, it would be difficult to try produce a set of birthday cards that would stand out. The idea to create a set of greeting cards for a less celebrated occasion is more appealing to me as it is more unique and less predictable.

Idea 1

Create a family greetings collection that would include cards for Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Child’s Day and Siblings Day as it allows families to come together and celebrate each other and show that they are valued.

Idea 2

A greeting collections for a new home/moving in where the cards would say ‘Home Sweet Home’, ‘Moving In’, ‘New Home!’ and ‘1st Home!’. Moving to a home is always stressful and also a milestone for first time homeowners so the cards would be positive and celebrate a happy time.

Idea 3

Create a greetings collection for a cause. The cards would promote the endangerment of current wildlife creatures with a relevant and serious occasion to make people aware of the dangers of British wildlife. The collection would also feature a respectable charity that helps most endangered wildlife rather than certain species. By including a charity, it makes people realise the endangerment of British wildlife is a real issue and potential help out in any way they can.

Friday, November 18, 2016

Studio Brief 02 - Design for Screen: Existing Courier App Research

DPD

DPD is the app that was the least stressful and easiest functioning. The app requires you to sign in and from there, it allows you to access all your DPD parcels; upcoming and delivered 'Your Deliveries' so you can immediately see all your parcel as soon as the app loads. The app allows you to edit your profile in which you can add a profile picture, update your details, add emails and edit delivery address settings in which you can choose to have your parcel sent to a safe place. There are 3 main colours used on the app which makes it easier to view as opposed to having bright, obnoxious colours so it doesn't appear distasteful.

ParcelTrack

ParcelTrack is a third party tracking app where you can track any parcels from any courier company but you will have to input the tracking information (tracking number and courier) for each parcel which can be a hassle as it would probably be easier to just click on the tracking link on your email. To get the premium feature you would have to pay £2.99 to have the benefit of notifications, live tracking and to see who had received your parcel.

Hermes
Hermes' app appears more lively but also tacky as the design features look unnecessarily big and unappealing to the eye. The whole app just looks too bold but the content is enough for a tracking app; all you need to do is be able to track. The app syncs your apps from Hermes by logging onto the app, if a parcel has not shown up on the app even when you have signed in, on the accordion, you can select 'Parcel Search' and it will allow you to input a tracking number and postcode manually. The app only allows you view parcels from the last 28 days and it does not allow you to delete your parcels or retrieve any either.

Studio Brief 02 - Design for Screen: Re-writing the Brief/Identifying the Problem

The app will be free as the client would be all courier apps and since their individual apps are free it makes sense as it is more convenient for the user and couriers to use. Having the app costing may be off-putting to potential users.

Studio Brief 02 - Design For Screen: Problems with Receiving Parcels

Problems people have experienced when receiving parcels

Being told it was 'left with a neighbour' but they say that they haven't got it.
No sign of parcel at all
Was suppose to come at a certain timeframe however, arrived late.
Not at home.
Item having to be sent out again because the original order has be 'lost, damaged or delayed'.
Sometimes you don't know when items is being/been delivered as sometimes couriers don't inform you.
Some direct courier apps really are not helpful because they don't really allow you to track but only view if it has been delivered or not.
Some couriers don't give you an option where the item will be delivered if you're not in.
Parcels left in open space where anyone could steal it.
Sometimes when you track it, it says it will be delivered today but it doesn't arrive that day.
Parcel not being handled with care.
Sometimes the tracking numbers are unavaliable or they are not updated.
Item doesn't arrive within the normal timeframe it suppose to arrive at.
They don't give you enough time to receive the parcel even when your at home.
Sometimes they don't knock loud enough.
Lie about item being delivered.
Tracking doesn't work - wrong link or it has no information.
Send to wrong address.
It's difficult to contact them sometimes because you can't find the number.

With the research provided, the tracking app will be as convenient and easy to use as possible and will be stress-free for the user to use.

The biggest problem according to the research is that the customer doesn't know where the parcel is/who has it or if they even tried to deliver it. The app will have a feature where you can view who has signed for the parcel and neighbours to avoid/preferred neighbours to deliver to so they have a peace of mind when their parcels are out for delivery. The app will have details of popular/known couriers so you can ring them directly instead of having to search for the information.

Studio Brief 02 - Design for Screen: Crit

Is there anything else I consider/add?

The priority of the package - value of item
Choose where parcel will be delivered
Live tracking - updates
Reduces the paper so that you get an online message saying where the parcel has been delivered or not at all
Consider a solution for what to do if the person delivering the item steals your item and forges your signature.
Profile picture and name of the courier driver for piece of mind.
Consider having an options for when you send parcel yourself.

Research the problems other people face when they have a parcel delivered.

Thursday, November 17, 2016

OUGD503 - YCN UK Greetings: Brief Interpretation

UK Greetings are the largest direct to retail publisher of greeting cards and social expression products in the UK, so most of their products can be found in most high street stores, independent retailers and supermarkets. They have a sister company, John Sands and are part of the American Greetings family which is the largest privately owned greeting card publisher in the world.

The brief is to create your own collection of:

4 Single getting cards (105mm x 159mm, 121mm x 184mm or 140mm x 140mm size),
Boxed notecard set (110mm x 132mm),
Gift bag (267mm x 330mm),
Repeat pattern wrapping paper, and a
Notepad cover (A4 or A5)

The designs can be in any style so it can be illustrations, hand drawn, painted, graphic etc... It can also be for any occasion such as birthdays, everyday, mother/fathers day etc... However, the design must be consistent to some extent. The name of the range should be inspired by the design collection.

The reason why this brief was chosen is because it it allows me to experiment in the type of design I like as the requirements are minimal, it allows me to broaden out on the types of designs I want to create.

Deadline
23rd March 2017

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Visiting Lecture - Only Studio

Only Studio is based in Leeds and they specialise in brand design and digital design.

Common misconceptions about digital design:

You need to be able to code
It's not proper design
It's boring

It is important because:

Primary way of consuming a brand
Experimental and interactive
It's here to stay

Design for screen is exciting because it has endless opportunity, is fast-paced and constantly evolving.

Process of designing onscreen:

Phase 1: Research

Who is going to use the product, the competitors, the users.

Phase 2: Wireframing

You usually work with other people when doing this and it would be done for you.

Phase 3: Design

The designing of the product.

Phase 4: Front End

You work with developers which will help you create prototypes of the design.

Ask 5 or 6 people to test out the prototype before you finalise the design.

Case Studies:

Goldsmith University

Re-design of their website.

University of Suffolk

The institution gained it's University Title in summer 2016 as it was formerly known as University Campus Suffolk. Therefore there was a re-design of the university logo and the wayfinding system. The logo had the colours of the Suffolk flag incorporated onto it.

Lost Village

Lost Village is a new festival and it's aim is to sell tickets as a newly launched brand. Only created a visual identity for Lost Village where they made a video for the festival featuring the characters and theme whole theme of Lost Village festival.

Bring Me The Horizon

Ahead of their album release, Sony asked Only to create a digital experience for their fans to interact with the band.

Helberts
Only were approached by Paul, the designer to create a harmonious identity for his fashion brand. He wanted his label and the website to show craftsmanship.

BIMA
Only designed a digital brand for British Interactive Media Association (BIMA) that showcases their professionalism, confidence, excellence and confidence.

Do you have any limitations to the size of the design?
There are no size limitations to the design but rather considerations.

When you said that you don't design all the pages, when do you know when to stop?
We create a template for each content page and then they create multiple pages using the template. E.g. we create one template for a university design course and they use the template to add the contents for the rest of the courses.

We try to optimise the design for all devices so that they work well on all platforms. We consider accessibility for people with learning difficulties, colour vision deficiency etc.

Especially consider the line length and spacing of the design.

Keep checking the design on different devices to see if it works well.

Make sure to communicate things clearly.

Friday, November 11, 2016

OUGD504 - Lecture - The Role of Graphic Designer in the UXD Process

Phenomenology
Branch of philosophy that explores the structures of conscious experience.

Experience is subjective.
Experience is constructive.

The conditions of intentionality - the role of preconscious and unconscious.

Qualities of an effective Graphic Designer

Problem solving skills
Visual literacy
An understanding of design tools

Aesthetics is the philosophy of 'beauty'

Studio Brief 02 - Design For Screen: Ideas

Idea 1 - Image transfer

The client
Photo editing softwares.

The problem
Sending pictures through messages or emails can take up a lot of space on your device so this app would allow you to send the images more efficiently and directly without your storage space being comprised.

The target audience
Anyone that constantly has to send images to different devices or those who occasionally send images.

Idea 2 - Saving passwords/important notes

The client
Security software such as McAfee, AVG, Kaspersky etc.

The problem
People should have different passwords for everything they have signed up from to prevent hacking. Sometimes people generally forget their passwords as they are connected to a lot of websites. This would allow users to keep their passwords secure and would help them generate stronger password solutions. The app itself will be secure so that it would a few steps to actually access the app to get to the passwords.

The target audience
Anyone that uses multiple websites/apps to login their profiles.

Idea 3 - Parcel tracking

The client
All couriers/delivery services. E.g. Hermes, DPD, Royal Mail, UK Mail etc.

The problem
You would have to constantly check your emails to track the parcels and especially when it's all with different couriers you get confused and forget about the parcels. You would be able to log in by logging into your email and it would sync parcels and their tracking number. It would automatically detect what courier it is and will put them in order of courier. You would be able to write comments/delivery instructions for the delivery driver if you're not in. You could put in a time of when you are available and if you're not you can ask to re-deliver or which neighbour to have it delivered to. It will enable you to keep track off all your parcels and notify you when a parcel have been shipped, on delivery and when it has been delivered (and information if it was delivered to a neighbour).

The target audience
Customers/businesses who order items online. People that work/study full time and are not always at home. This app will be aimed at people over the age of 16 and over.

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Studio Brief 02 - Design for Screen: Briefing

Deadline 10th January 2017

The brief is to create a design for screen that solves a problem and makes it easier for people in everyday life. Create an engaging screen based user experience for a media of your choice. This could be: website, app, streaming service, title sequence, onscreen graphic overlays.

Identify
The client, the problem, target audience, the aim of the project (what you're trying to achieve).

Role of communication
Deliver an exceptional digital experience that engages the audience. Maximise the potential of digital devices.

Considerations
Must be global - inform design decisions.

Mixed media
Images, audio and video should be used to communicate your message.

A campaign website should be live from four to six weeks ahead of the launch and approximately four weeks afterwards.

Consider the process and production, relationship between design and developer, role and skill set of the developer.

Research what already exists in a design field, how innovative you can be. Research into user experience and user interface.

UI = User Interface
UX = User Experience

Screen based

Computers
Television
Mobile phones
Sat-Navs
HUD's
Projectors

Thursday, November 3, 2016

OUGD503 - Responsive Briefs

Individual

YCN - UK Greetings
The brief is to create a collection of greeting cards that include 4 single greeting cards, boxed notecard, gift card, gift wrap and notebook cover.

The UK Greetings brief stood out the most as it seems more open-minded and broader so it will allow the outcome to be slightly personal rather than commercial.

Collaborative

YCN - The Grown Up Chocolate Company
The brief is to create packaging design for 2 bar boxes and a mini bar box for a new chocolate flavour product.

Packaging is something that has always been intriguing and the The Grown Up Chocolate Company seems like an ideal company to design for as chocolate is loved by many people and they will have competitors such as Cadburys so it would be fun to create something that will possibly stand out and become as popular.

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Studio Brief 01 - A-Z Type in Context: Top 10 Restaurants in Manchester Chinatown: Evaluation and Images

The final publication of 'Manchester Chinatown: Top 10 Restaurants' features reviews of real life customer experience according to TripAdvisor as it appears more trustworthy for tourists/foodies that will use/read the publication. The restaurants are in order from 1-10 of the overall average restaurant rating so that the customers aware of ranking. The layout of the publication is very minimal and simple as it is suppose to be a straight forward informative guide where each restaurant is featured on a double page spread; there are images and restaurant information on the left and random TripAdvisor reviews on the right. The publication also features a brief history of Manchester Chinatown as tourists may find it to be interesting and will add to their experience. The top 10 restaurants and cuisines are reinforced on the last page as a summary if they want a quick guide to see what restaurant offers what type of food.

Helvetica was chosen as the typeface throughout the whole publication as it is a neutral typeface and offers no definitive influence of the readers decision as the publication is non-biased and it would appear more trustworthy to the audience.

The red (cb2a32) colour choice of the cover was inspired by the importance of red in Asian culture and how it is a dominant colour that represents luck. The colour was taken from a similar red from the image on the cover as it would make the publication look more realistic and harmonious.

The one-off production of the publication cost a total of £8 which is expensive however, if it was mass produced, it would be cheaper as the materials, such as the glue to perfect bind will be used on numerous publications as it doesn't require much and is a cheap way to bind and secure the publication. However, the stock used in the publication was disappointing as it wasn't the original satin/glossy that it was suppose to be printed on as it was made aware that the stock would crack more. Even when a matte stock was used, it still cracked at the side where the publication cover had folded. The second time that the publication was printed, the same stock was used and the cracks on the fold weren't as significant as the first print.