OUGD505 - Design Practice 2 - End Of Module Evaluation

Overall, I have found this module quite challenging but also really enjoyable.

 For Studio Brief 01, I think my final design is really effective and represents the disco house genre really well.The play on words adds a fun, almost humorous element - they are the visual representation of ‘disco pants’. However, I wasn’t completely happy with the finished product - how I pictured it to look in my head was slightly different to how it materialized in reality. I had lots of technical issues, the main one being how the pants dried once the gems were attached with glue. They hardened and the pants became stiff, and they were bending and creasing in ways I didn’t want them to. I do feel this effected the professionalism of the final outcome. The project was quite out of my comfort zone and was quite far away from the work I am used to producing so it was quite a challenge, however I did enjoy creating something out of the ordinary. I do feel like the finished product represents the disco house genre in the best way it possibly can, and it looks very visually effective.

For Studio Brief 02, I think my final wayfinding system design works really well and is very appropriate for the audience.

A large, substantial amount of research was undertaken at the beginning to allow for a fully informed and educated design process. There were many factors taken into consideration whilst designing the wayfinding system in order to best adhere to the needs of dementia and alzheimers sufferers. The typeface, colour palette and overall design of the system were all based on the best functionality for a dementia audience.

The main purpose of the system was not to be the most contemporary, sleek, gorgeous wayfinding system that it could be. It was based on functionality and appropriateness for residents of the care home who are suffering from dementia, alzheimers or any other age-related visual impairment.

What I struggled with most during this project was the balance between good design and functionality. Naturally I wanted to produce something that looked sleek, unique and contemporary - a gorgeous piece of graphic design. However, that was simply not the purpose of this project. The purpose of this project was to create something that would improve a dementia sufferer’s sense of place, reduce their confusion and make them feel most at ease.

Good design and functionality don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Tiny strings of letter-spaced type can be attractive design elements, but if they can’t be read by your target audience, they’re useless. Instead, the challenge was to create something visually pleasing whilst being completely functional for residents of the home. Whilst I found this a struggle, accommodating the needs, physical challenges and comfort level of an aging population was the main priority over creating a stunning wayfinding system.

I found this project really interesting and I definitely feel it has pushed me out of my comfort zone in terms of designing on a ‘function before form’ basis - but I feel I have created a successful and appropriate system that answers the brief extremely well.


In general I think I have really challenged myself with this module and I have learnt a lot about myself and the way I work - the things I like, the things I don't like, etc. It has made a nice change to do something that I wouldn't ever normally choose to do.

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2 - Studio Brief 02 - Product Range Distribution - Mock-up Vinyl Stickers

The final wayfinding elements would be printed onto a vinyl sheet, which would then be laser cut.

These vinyl stickers would then be placed onto the walls inside the home. Similarly, the coloured lines on the floor would also be made from vinyl stickers.

This would be a cost effective way of producing the signs, as little material is used and they could be printed inexpensively.

There would be minimal wastage, therefore contributing to sustainability.

Having the wayfinding made from vinyl stickers also allows for any changes made to the home or the layout. Rather than producing large heavy signs that are fixed to the wall in a permanent way, the vinyl stickers could simply be peeled off and removed to allow for any changes.

I printed some small, scaled down versions of these stickers onto some vinyl to demonstrate how they would function in reality.

The zone signs would be significantly larger than the other signs, simply to make sure the residents are aware of what zone they are in. The other signs would be around half the size, and placed on walls next to the doors of the rooms.

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2 - Studio Brief 02 - Product Range Distribution - Printing Brochure and Putting Together

I wanted to produce the booklet in a way that I felt would best emulate something you would actually find inside a care home.

I used the same typeface as the wayfinding system, Myriad Pro, inside the booklet in order to create an element of continuity and tie it all in.



The instructions inside the booklet are very brief and simple as the system is mostly self-explanatory.

A map is featured inside in order for residents and visitors to get to know they layout of the home and what zones are where.



Once the wayfinding system has been explained to you,  and how to use it, there is also a dictionary/
key-type section in which you can see which rooms are in which zone. If you were new to the home for example, and wanted to visit the library, you would be able to look inside the guide to see which zone the library is in, and where abouts that zone is inside the home.



I chose to print the guide onto glossy paper as I felt this best represented how it would actually presented inside a real home. The glossy paper gives an extra professional edge to the guide.



I chose to simply staple the guide to bind it together, as again, I felt this best represented how it would actually be presented in reality. The idea of the book is that is quite a throwaway item - once you have done with it, you would simply discard it or put it in the bin.



I wanted them to look as though they had been quite cheaply produced to reiterate this. This would also keep production costs to a minimum if they were to be printed in a real situation.

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2 - Studio Brief 01 - Micro-Genres of Music - Final Pants Videos With Music

Version 1.

Version 2. 

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2 - Studio Brief 01 - Micro-Genres of Music - Final Pants

In exhibition the pants will be hanging from the ceiling by some thin, clear string. This will allow for a 360 degree of the pants. On the floor underneath I may place a few loose dollar bills so people are able to view them properly.

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2 - Studio Brief 01 - Micro-Genres of Music - Putting the Pants Together

 I crumpled each of the dollar bills up slightly to give a ‘worn/used’ edge to them, and to signify they had been ‘stuffed’ into the pants.

A hot glue gun was used to attach a wire inside the pants - this was to hold them open in order for them to hold the money. I added extra wire around the leg holes to give the pants extra structure and form.

The pants were attached to the table using some string and tape so they were accessible from a 360 degree angle.

I added the dollar bills one by one, folding and crumpling them down with glue and placing them inside in a messy fashion. I wanted them to look as though people had simply shoved the money inside carelessly, representing the drug-fueled craziness and wealth of the era.

OUGD505 - Design Practice - Studio Brief 01 - Micro-Genres of Music - Gemming the Pants

I  purchased a pants and bra to gem with rhinestones - the dollar bills will be stuffed inside these.

I was initially going to gem them both but due to lack of time, I just did the pants.



I just wanted some plain white briefs so I have a large space for the gems to go, with the white edges of the pants still showing.

I purchased some fabric glue and some rhinestone gems - I specifically chose some iridescent ones so that they reflected different colours of light. I picked a 5mm size as I didn't want them too big, neither too small.



I made a little applicator from a lollipop stick and some blu-tac - this allowed me to pick up the gems and place them onto the fabric precisely.





This was a long, time consuming process that took many weeks, so I took a few progress updates.

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2 - Studio Brief 01 - Micro-Genres of Music - Printing Dollar Bills

The dollars were laser printed onto standard 90gsm paper, which I felt would best represent the actual dollar bills themselves.

I cut them out by hand as I felt this would be the quickest/most accurate way.

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2 - Studio Brief 01 - Micro-Genres of Music - Finished Dollar Bills

Finished dollar bills;

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2 - Studio Brief 01 - Micro-Genres of Music - Futher $100 Development

Using the effect I found online, I placed a variety of celebrity faces onto the hundred dollar bills.



Reviewing the dollar bills, I decided they could look even more effective with text on that perhaps represented the club (Studio 54) so I set about trying to do this.


I started by removing the badges from each side of note to allow some extra space.



Using a font matcher online, I managed to download a 'Dollar Bill' typeface.

I 

In order to achieve the desired effect, I had to use two pieces of text on top of one another to get the 'drop shadow' that is seen on the note.