OUGD406 - End of Module Evaluation

During this module, I feel I have really developed my skills and flourished as a young designer.

During the first brief I learnt what it was like to enter a live brief and a competition. I enjoyed this as it added an extra element of excitement to the project and helped keep me interested in the brief. I liked incorporating my own elements of design into the book cover, e.g collage. I have been wanting to include collage within my own work for a while and saw an opportunity to do this with the book cover. I felt towards the end I was short on time and perhaps rushed the last part of the project, so in hindsight I would like to have managed my time better. I think a bit of extra time would have really helped my refine my final design, and in turn I may have been more successful in the competition.

I also really enjoyed the second brief as again we were allowed to take control of our own project as such, which allowed me to really focus on something I was interested in. Basing my poster on a hospital related event helped keep me engaged with the project as working in a hospital myself, I knew a lot about this already. This allowed me to carry out lots of primary research whilst working and spark ideas within the development. I really enjoyed designing the poster and putting different elements together. On the other hand I really did not enjoy the actual screen printing process - I found it very stressful and time consuming, and in places it did not go to plan, which was disheartening. In future I would like to develop my screen printing skills and become more confident with this technique.

The third brief was new for me as working in a group is something I have never done before. This was fun yet at times challenging, as I found it was hard to bring the group together and make joint decisions. There were lots of different personalities who all had different ideas and inputs on the design development, which led to some tricky situations sometimes. Overall I felt we worked well as a group and we were really happy with our final branding for the exhibition. This brief showed me how fun it can be working in collaboration with someone, which I would like to do more of in the future.

The fourth and final studio brief was my favourite of them all. I really liked this one as I felt we had the most free-reign with it and were able to create anything of our choice. I chose to work with Lucy on this project to make it easier to produce lots of work in a short amount of time. I felt we worked really well together as a team and I enjoyed sharing ideas with her. We were really happy with our final outcome for this brief and felt it not only looked good, but also had a positive impact on society and the people of Leeds. I felt we managed our time well and were able to produce our booklets efficiently during the project.

Overall I have really enjoyed this module and felt it has really broadened my knowledge of design and its processes. Each brief has been unique and I have loved the variety. I have learnt a lot that I can take forward with me through my degree and onto my career.

OUGD406 - Studio Brief 04 - Publication Evaluation

 Overall, we are really happy with how the final product came out.

It has a clear and solid message behind it and carries a positive message. This publication has the potential to change peoples lives, even just in very small ways.

The design is modern and contemporary and will definitely be engaging for the first years as young creative people. The colours pop off each other very effectively and the off-white paper gives it a hand-made, raw sort of feel.

The small, A6 size makes the publication portable and easy to carry round in your bag or even your pocket, which makes it a useful tool for city life. Upon coming across a homeless person, people will be able to quickly refer to the booklet when considering what/if to buy a small gift for someone, or even to just say hello using their name.

We have managed to keep costs low which was one of our aims. The treasury tags were 2p each, the paper was 4p each and the printing was £1.50 per booklet, meaning the total the booklets cost is £1.60 to produce.

We also wanted to create something appealing to the freshers so that they were more likely to keep it, I think we have managed to achieve this as the vibe of the booklet is very edgy and grungy. The treasury tag could easily be taken out so that the cards can be displayed individually in their flats therefore getting the information out to more people.

We believe we have created a useful and effective guide that can be used by a wide variety of people around Leeds in order to play their part in making a small difference.

OUGD406 - Studio Brief 04 - Final Booklet

                       

Here is our final booklet. We chose to hole punch the corners of the pages and use a treasury tag to attach them all together as this is a cheap and quick method. It also makes the booklet easy to flick through which is essential as people need to find the information the need quickly when they are out and about, the booklet can be fanned out making it even easier to look through. The holes were punched in the bottom left corners to make sure no elements of the designs were cut out.

The front cover displays the name 'LDS STRTS' we went for this name as it is very informal and makes the booklet seem more approachable than most leaflets on this subject therefore people are more likely to read it. The caption below this reads 'a guide to the people sleeping on our street' this makes it obvious that someone local has created it but also using the word 'our' makes the tone of voice more personal and collective. 

                         

This friendly tone of voice is continued throughout the booklet, the first page features a large Y? which is very straight to the point and again informal. Using words such as 'cuppa' in the introduction puts the reader at ease as they know its not something too serious which is more relatable to a younger audience such as the freshers we are targeting. The second page is about care packages which charities recommend people make rather than donating money. We have used quick illustrations along side this information so people don't even have to read it, they can look at the drawings and have an idea of what the text is about. 

                         

The third page again contains similar illustrations along side a list of things to put into the care package. The fourth page shows the first profile page on one of the homeless people we spoke to. Here we have provided information on their favourite hot/cold drink, food and where they usually hang out. We have provided the same information for all 5 people. We have also put their name in bold letters so that this is the thing that stands out the most and what people are more likely to remember. We have also done a simple line drawing of each of the people so that readers using the booklet can recognise them. It also makes them remember that the people in the booklet are just people, they're friendly and they are easy to approach. 

                      

                          

The next four pages show the profiles of the other 4 people we talked to, again they show the favourite hot/cold drink, favourite food and usual location of each of the people. It also features their name in bold so that it is the main feature. 

                           

We have also featured a couple of pages which give the reader information about the homeless charities locally and across the UK. For anyone wanting to donate or find out any information regarding homeless people they can contact these charities and find out any information we didnt provide. 

                      

The back page of the booklet gives a quick thank you message in the same style as the front cover. The sentence 'it only takes a second to change someones day' encourages the reader to take action and want to make a difference. We have also featured the hashtag #LDSSTRTS so that people can interact over social media and share tips and advice on what they've learnt about befriending a homeless person. 

Over all I am pleased with how the booklet has turned out. We have kept costs low which was one of our aims. The treasury tags were 2p each, the paper was 4p each and the printing was £1.50 per booklet. In total the booklets cost £1.60 to produce. We also wanted to create something appealing to the freshers so that they were more likely to keep it, I think we have managed to achieve this as the vibe of the booklet is very edgy and grungy. The treasury tag could easily be taken out so that the cards can be displayed individually in their flats therefore getting the information out to more people. 

OUGD406 - Studio Brief 04 - Booklet Production

We experimented with different types of paper to see how the print would come out. We tried a light yellow thin paper and an off-white sugar paper. After some print trials we decided that the sugar paper displayed the colours best and best suited the aesthetic of our booklet.

OUGD406 - Studio Brief 04 - Alternative Booklet Design - Shelter Style

For inspiration on how to design the booklet in a sensitive way we looked at booklets sent out by charities who help the homeless. We came across this one produced for the charity Shelter, it was designed by Johnson Banks (a design consultancy based in London). What we liked about it is it's simplicity and constancy throughout.

From this we designed a similar looking booklet for our own project. We are unsure on the name so far so simply went with 'Streets of Leeds' as using the term 'homeless' can be seen as quite offensive and insensitive. We looked at the online thesaurus for other alternatives but everything seemed too harsh so we decided not to try use this at all.



The name 'Streets of Leeds' refers to the place that these people are usually found, the place that they would call their 'home'.



Here is the front cover of our booklet, it is very similar to that published by Shelter therefore may be taken more seriously as it looks like it is from a charity. The cover for the booklet would be printed on card to make the covering protective but the paper stock inside the booklet would be thin and cheap to keep costs down.



The first page would provide an introduction to what the booklet is about and a few tips/ words of advice for the reader on how to approach homeless people. The layout followed is similar to that seen in the booklet created for Shelter (see image below). The text is easy to read and pretty straight to the point. The typeface used is helvetica which is in keeping with that used by Shelter.





The pages after this in the booklet will contain the information about the people we spoke to. The drawings of them will be changed into red to correspond with the front cover of the booklet.

OUGD406 - Studio Brief 04 - Further Developments

We have decided to change the title of the intro page to 'y?'.



We felt using the word 'intro' was a bit too obvious and plain so we changed it to 'y'. We decided this fit the aesthetic of the booklet better and linked in well with the 'lds strts' name.



We have also adapted the care package double spread into two separate sides to make it work in the format of the hole punched cards.

OUGD406 - Studio Brief 04 - Treasury Tags/Hole Punched Cards

After further development of the booklet, we have decided that it might look  better in a small card format, hole punched in the corner and tied together with something like a treasury tag.

Not only would this allow for easier design digitally, but it would be less hassle to print. More importantly, it would suit our aesthetic and relate to the content well.

OUGD406 - Studio Brief 04 - Booklet Pages So Far

Page 1: Title Page

Page 2: Intro

Page 3:  Care Packages pt 1

Page 4: Care Packages pt 2

Page 5: Claire


Page 6: Deano

Page 7: Craig T

Page 8: Spider

Page 9: Craig C

Page 10: Homeless Charities pt 1

Page 11: Homeless Charities pt 2

Page 12: Back Cover

OUGD404 - ISSUU Presentation - Design Boards

OUGD404 - End of Module Evaluation

Throughout this module I have really been able to broaden my knowledge and understanding of the principles of design.

Looking at typography and the way it can affect a piece of work has been really useful and allowed me to make better choices when picking typefaces to use. I am now better aware of what it appropriate and what isn't and am better aware of what works. I have also learnt a lot about technical terminology and am able to describe letters and characters in a more knowledgeable and professional way. This module also highlighted to me that I tend to stick with the typefaces I like and feel are safe - this is something I would like to move away from and explore more.

My knowledge of layouts and grid systems has also greatly improved during this module. Looking at things such as the Marber Grid has shown me how effective a standard layout applied across a collection of designs can help bring a project together and unite it in a professional and effective way. Learning about different types of grids such as column grid, modular grid etc has opened my eyes in terms of how I can present my own work in the future.

Studying colour has been one of my favourite parts about this module. I have learnt things I had no idea about before, such as colour theory and Josef Albers' take on it. I have enjoyed learning more technical  things about colour such as how they work when placed together and the certain emotions colour can make us feel if used in particular ways. I have also liked looking at Pantone and feel the things I have learnt about it will be really useful for me in later life in the industry.

Looking at format has also been really interesting - I have taken more time to think about how things are presented and produced. I now think I put more thought into the orientation of a piece of work, how it is put together and the way it is made. Learning about pagination has been really important for me and I have been able to produce professional quality products with this knowledge. My favourite part was being taught book binding techniques as it has shown me the variety of ways small publications can be held together uniquely.

Overall I have really enjoyed this module as a whole and believe it has played a key part in broadening my knowledge on the more technical side of design. I am better equipped now to make work that it appropriate and professional and am able to do this in a knowledgeable way.

OUGD406 - Studio Brief 04 - Booklet Pages

We have decided our booklet is going to be 12 pages, as it has to be a multiple of 4.

Page 1: Title Page

Page 2: Intro

Page 3: How to Approach

Page 4: Care Packages pt 1

Page 5: Care Packages pt 2

Page 6: Spider

Page 7: Craig T

Page 8: Deano

Page 9: Craig C

Page 10: Homeless Charities pt 1

Page 11: Homeless Charities pt 2

Page 12: Back Cover

OUGD406 - Studio Brief 04 - A3 Fold Down Leaflet Idea

We want to create a cheaply made, thin leaflet that people can always have in their bag. It needs to be lightweight and not take up any room. We did some research into folding an A3 piece of paper into a leaflet form as this would be a very cheap option, it wouldn't need to be bound in any way and only one page would need to be printed double sided.



Here is a quick mock up of how our A3 leaflet would look, it would be printed on cheap thin paper such as newsprint which is why the background is an off white colour (when printed this would be the colour of the paper). The information is laid out in way that is easy to read so information can be read quickly and on the move. The leaflet would also provide information on other items to buy for the homeless people such as lip balm, moisturiser, socks and scarves. 

OUGD406 - Studio Brief 04 - Drawings of the People

The drawings done of the homeless people we spoke to are very simple line drawings highlighting their main physical features. This will help people using the booklet to recognise them in the place they usually hang out.



From this we created little fact files on each of the people we interviewed, they're very simple and easy to read so that people can look and quickly find out the information they want.

OUGD406 -Studio Brief 04 - Julian Opie

Looking at Julian Opie as inspiration for the sketches we are doing of each person we spoke to. 

Julian Opie was born in London in 1958 and attended Goldsmith's College of Art from 1979 to 1982 and is one of the UK's best known contemporary artists.

Initially taking photographs of his subject matter (people, landscapes or still lives) he then digitally manipulates the photographs and constructs his images by a process of elimination and distillation, and through this practice has developed a concise and reductive formal language. 

What I like about Opie's style is the simplicity of it, in the image above everyones facial features such as their eyes, nose and mouth are similar yet each person manages to look different. I want to try an capture this in my own drawings as I think it is sensitive way to represent the homeless people we spoke to. The drawings won't look like exact representations as they are from memory as we couldn't take pictures of the people at the time. However if someone was to go to the location that the booklet says a specific person is at they would be able to use the drawing to help them recognise the person. 

OUGD406 - Studio Brief 04 - Group Crit Feedback and Developments

Feedback we received from a group crit:

-Really like the name 'lds strtz' but with 's' instead of 'z' - 'lds strts'
-Nice turquoise colour, would look nice with pale rose pink
-Work with partner typeface

Following this feedback, we worked on some further developments;



We really liked this colour scheme we came up with - a greeny turquoise colour combined with a light pink. We felt this would work well as clashing colours and created a bright and engaging visual.





We started looking at drop shadows and how this would look with a large sans-serif type. We felt this had a strong visual impact and decided to take this forward.





We also came across the typeface 'Agency FB' which we felt would work well and look really effective in combination with the Giorgio Sans main typeface.

OUGD406 - Studio Brief 04 - Name Developments

After a bit of research we thought about using the name 'Leeds Streets' but without the vowels. This is a popular technique used within design and culture and adds an extra 'edge' to the name.

We also thought 'lds strts' suits the urban/grime sort of aesthetic linked with living on the streets etc.



After using Caslon, we came across the typeface Giorgio Sans. We were really quite drawn to this and felt it could link well with the modern and contemporary aesthetic.




We also experimented with using a capitalized version of this to add extra impact visually.

OUGD406 - Studio Brief 04 - Initial Designs

We started our initial designs by looking at the Caslon typeface as this is what was used in the online journal we liked. We felt this would suit our booklet style nicely as it has a nice gentle handwritten element to it and links with the traditional media we are planning to use etc.

We first used Adobe Caslon which we felt was too thin and spindly so we then experimented with ITC Caslon 224 medium, which was a thicker and more refined version. This definitely worked a lot better so we began to play around with this.




Top typeface: ITC Caslon 224 Medium
Bottom typeface: Adobe Caslon Roman




We started playing around with the layout of the front cover, using the name 'Streets of Leeds' as our starting point.





We experimented with the layout and placing of the type within the cover.



We also thought about using a semicolon, as they have a cult meaning in today's society as a sign of hope.

"A semicolon is used when an author could've chosen to end their sentence, but chose not to. The author is you and the sentence is your life." 

Originally created as a day where people were encouraged to draw a semicolon on their bodies and photograph it, it quickly grew into something greater and more permanent. Today, people all over the world are tattooing the mark as a reminder of their struggle, victory, and survival. 

We liked the idea of using a semicolon as a representative of struggle and survival.

OUGD406 - Studio Brief 04 - Synonyms for Homeless

We are not too keen on any of these synonyms for use within the booklet title, they are too negative.

OUGD406 - Studio Brief 04 - Flat File

We came across an online magazine called 'Flat File' and were really attracted to the design of the publication.

"Weekly publication featuring one piece of graphic design at a time. In order to admire them, but also to learn something useful in the process. The context and the story behind each piece can reveal lessons that are timeless and invaluable to every contemporary designer. Every design piece featured here comes from the vast collection of work in the Herb Lubalin Study Center."









We fell in love with the typeface which we later discovered was Caslon - we are thinking about using this typeface as a starter.

We also liked the worn, hand-printed effect on the big bits of text, this is something we are looking at emulating ourselves.