Contextual Portfolio
A collection of design that I like and could be inspirational to my studies, as well as documentation of workshops, lectures, seminars that I have attended throughout the year.A more up to date collection can be found at my Pinterest board: Design Inspiration although most of the captions on the pins aren't my own (but some of them are)
Tycho in Australia | Tour Poster
I like this tour poster because of the main image on it. It is of course a picture of Australia but the shape has been altered slightly. The diagonal lines of colour have squared of some of the coastline making it feel a bit more urban and grungier. It also uses all the colours of the spectrum but whoever created this has changed the blending mode in order to make it a bit less vibrant and and more subtle (well as subtle as you can get when you are using the rainbow).
I also like the typeface used with this poster. It is very modern, all the copy is in caps and is in a sans serif typeface. The information hierarchy is presented by the size and positioning of the words. The more important pieces of information are in larger point sizes and are further towards the top of the page, whereas the less important copy is towards the bottom of the page in a small point size, the dates are in the smallest size of all the copy on the poster.
The composition of the page is also very inspirational in that it is fairly empty. It contains 1 image, 3 dates, and 5 words, leaving a lot of white space, and because of this the eye is drawn towards the image of Australia first before being lead down the page to look at the text as this is the only thing left to look at on the page.
ABOVE | Typography & Photography
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| www.pinterest.com/pin/33003009741929883 |
This image shows how the right typography (done in the right way) can add so many layers to a photograph. Despite the fact you are unable to clearly see all the word because it is hidden behind trees and the mountain mist, the word 'above' is clearly legible above the lakeside village. The creator of this piece thought thoroughly about the text and the depth he wanted the work to have by positioning it behind the trees and a bird. which could have been over looked and ruined the effect.
The font choice also adds to the legibility of the text by being in all caps of a sans serif font. The copy appears to be imitating the mist or low lying clouds. It is a neutral colour similar to the clouds in towards the top left corner of the image, and is semi-translucent, allowing the viewer to partially see through it and at the trees behind.
I think this looks really, really cool.
2 of Clubs | Illustration
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| http://uk.pinterest.com/pin/471400285970885922/ |
I really like this because it is a very modern take on something traditional. Playing cards have been around for centuries (evidence suggests the earliest playing card was found in 9th Century China) and haven't really changed that much recently, but this is a unique set which asks people to illustrate each of the cards within the deck. The creator has taken something traditional and plain and made it modern (probably) by using illustrator to shatter the pieces and add a grunge/eroded effect to the club symbol.
This looks good because it shows the 2 of clubs shatter with pieces raining down whilst some pieces turn into birds to fly away.
Again this looks really cool.
DigitalChat | App UI
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| http://uk.pinterest.com/pin/471400285970896480/ |
I like this pin because I like how the screens for the app's User Interface (UI) has been presented without a phone around it. This is not really that common a practice as it is easier to picture yourself using it when it is presented with a phone body (usually an iPhone).
The move to present it in this way is bold but works well and looks good with the addition of a coloured background and a drop shadow under each of the screens, which really emphasizes the pink and white used within the app's UI when the background colour of the UI is a dark grey or black and this is matched by a similarly dark grey in the background of the mock-up.
An interesting idea on how to present an app/app screen concepts, however I think that it might have been better to have the screens be presented square to the viewer, as I think this would give a better view of what the app would look like.
Squawka World Cup 2014 Shirts | Illustration
| http://uk.pinterest.com/pin/471400285969530902/ |
This imagine combines two of my interests, design and football.
The design of this is very minimal and combines a traditional timeline style but by adding the football shirts underneath on coat hangers it also feels like a dressing room, filled with the stars of world football. The caption "It's time to make history..." and the fact that the year 2014 is the last and the only world to be in a bold and full colour is referring to that it is likely that one of the players on the graphic will make history by lifting the World Cup in 2014. Coincidentally enough it was Mario Goetze (the third shirt in from the left) who scored the only goal in the final to ensure it was Germany who would life the cup.
I like the design of this because it is really subtle and only really features two or three elements and really works because of this.
Diesel | Website UI
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| http://uk.pinterest.com/pin/471400285970311112/ |
I like this example of UI because it is bright, bold, colourful and very simple. The use of the grids of squares and rectangles means that the layout is simple and easy to follow. It means that each department of the brand can have a tile for the name and any relevant information in the same box, whilst the tile next to it can have a picture to lure people in and illustrate what can be found in the department.
The layout also means the company could be able to raise the profile of any department by putting it closer to the top of the page. Research shows that most visitors to a website 'don't look below the "fold" - meaning people will not scroll down at all unless they know what they are looking for, ultimately meaning that the sections at the top of the page are often the most popular.
I like how the colours are taken from the relevant picture, and I think this is a great way to fill up the page without making it confusing, cluttered or making it hard to know where to look.
Double Exposure | Photography
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| http://uk.pinterest.com/pin/471400285970942061/ |
I really like this example of double exposure photography because it looks very moody. This is because the boldest part of the image has the subect with her back to the camera and only covers a small part of the image and only reaches about half way up the page, whereas the second exposure is a little more under-exposed but covers more of the page.
The viewers eye is automatically drawn to the eyes which are looking at you, this was probably a deliberate move by the creator, because of the emotional connection the eye contact creates.
If combined with the right typesetting and placement this could make a great movie poster or book cover.
There are a few things that I find particularly interesting. I like the concept of the design. To unlock the device you have to enter a 4 digit code using the key-pad like pretty much every device nowadays, but most devices don't use a keypad that uses numbers that are partially obscured when not in use. I think this is interesting because despite not being able to see all of the number you can still clearly see which number is which because of a few reasons. The font used, makes it easier to read each of the numbers, the font also means that you can't really confuse any of the numbers for another, the layout is also fairly universal and familiar to most people nowadays, and the final reason is that despite the numbers being partially obscured, there is still enough of the numbers visible to read them and make a logical conclusion as to what they are.
Lock screen | Mobile UI Design
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| https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/471400285971552653/ |
I also like the colour scheme that they have used for the keypad. The background colour is a slate grey with the details in a dark grey, but when a button is pressed the active button becomes white on orange, with the number rising to reveal the whole number. The same colour scheme is also used in above the keypad for progress indicator.
F | Book Cover / Typography
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| https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/471400285973206863/ |
Due to the styling of the F it looks as if it is moving, despite it being a static, printed image. I think that this effect works particularly well because of the colours that have been used and the shape of the f combined with this gives the best motion effect and much more visible than other colour schemes.
I think that the illusion this is created should be replicated more in printed imagery
Harry Beck | London Underground Map Designer
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| Harry Becks London Underground map - designed in 1933 http://britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/beckmap.htm |
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| 1908 Tube Map http://britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/beckmap.htm |
Before his design was introduced the London Underground used a map of the streets of London with the tube stations and lines laid over the top (despite the majority of the system being underground) this meant that the central aspect of the map, which corresponded with central London became crowded as many of the lines had at least one station in central London, the overlapping lines of different colour in such a crowded space meant that some of the readability was lost.
The tube began to expand again the 1930's and as such electricians were required to help with some of the wiring - this is where Beck comes in. Beck's day job as an electrical draughtsman was to draw up the plans for the wiring and other related components, and as such was aware of the importance of the colour coded aspects of the components he used in his everyday work, living in London he also used the tube. The tube had began to use simplified diagrams of the line inside the trains depicting the stations on the line on a straight line.
Beck's idea was to create a new map that took away all the unnecessary and irrelevant aspects of the current map. He thought that people didn't really need to know what the streets looked like if they weren't going to see them due to being underground, so he removed the topographical elements of the map - the only element that really remained was an interpretation of the River Thames. He also thought that people didn't really need to know the distance between the stations, so he evened out the distance between the stations. He also simplified the map by only drawing the lines at 45 degree intervals, thus making the map easier to read, especially in sections where several lines ran in close proximity or overlapped. Spacing out the stations evenly and drawing in straight lines gave more space in the centre of the map allowing for the clusters of information to be presented in a clearer format. The small number of symbols he used also added to his goal of simplification, meaning that he didnt need to add a massive and complex key, when only a small one would suffice.
Beck's design was worked on his spare time (and as such the London Underground officials were reluctant to accept it) and had the clarity and appearance of a wiring diagram, achieving a merger of form and function. The function of the map was to inform users of the Underground enough that they were able to use it and travel city, whereas the form of the map was aesthetically pleasing in a way that cleanly and simply presented the necessary information in a way that added to its function.
The design proved so popular with customers that the coloured lines on a white background has been appropriated for use on many other products, becoming symbolic of London's tourist industry. It has also been copied worldwide for use on other transport networks across the globe. A test to the simplicity and functionality of the design, it has been amended and updated as the network has and remains relatively unchanged since its inception - it has stood the test of time.
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| Modern London Underground Map c2014 http://diagrams.org/images/png/large/f00022.html |
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| Map of Moscow's Metro system http://www.legendtour.ru/foto/rus/02metro.gif |
I particularly like Beck's work because he wasn't scared of it being too different to what had gone before, as he was confident his design worked better. His work is also inspirational because it goes to show that you don't have to have an artistic or creative background to create good design. I also like it more because it has a more structured approach, it feels more modernist than post modern - and this may be why it appeals to me more than other pieces of design.
Paper, Plastic, Pixels | Brendan Dawes Guest Lecture
Brendan Dawes gave a lecture on how he approached his work and gave us some tips and what we should do in the future.
He said that his work was a combination of art, design and technology. He also stated that design is a combination of art (what looks good) made possible by advances in technology and what this new technology is capable of doing, all this is formed around core design principles.
Dawes would put work out there to get a reaction, not necessarily a good one, but even a bad reaction is a reaction, showing that it has had some kind of an impact, sometimes working an alternative, less linear way be maybe better than what is considered the norm. Prime example of this is a search engine he designed nearly a decade ago that when someone entered a search term, a line would be drawn and from this line grew other lines with another term or link on it that when clicked on it would draw another part of the line. Eventually once the process was complete you could zoom out and see the entire process which looked like a mind map. On a practical basis it wouldnt work/be functional enough to use everyday on a massive database like ebay or amazon but could be cool for smaller processes.
Another example of a less mainstream (but more accepted) approach is the reduction. This was exemplified by using a pencil. You can use a pencil to make something, but you can use the rubber on the other end to make something better. This fitted with some of the other messages Dawes gave in his lecture.
"Innov iteration"
Development and expansion might not always make a product more successful
"Give the things you love a name"
Personal work can lead to professional or commissioned work
"Invent your own tools"
Develop/create your own software
"Remove the noise, keep the poetry"
Don't remove the soul, or essence of something (ie the punctuation) but keep it simple
A prime example of this was the digital portraits he created for EE for the launch of 4G services across England. He created software that would map the trending topics in each of 11 cities across the 3 days that surrounded the launch of 4G in those locations. He had to create a way of respresnting this data visually. He used a mathematic approach inspired by nature and the heads of sunflowers to create the final pieces.
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| Full city portrait for Southampton http://www.brendandawes.com/projects/ee |
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| Close up section of Manchester's portrait. The massive explosion of represents the flood of traffic for Man U v Chelsea http://www.brendandawes.com/projects/ee |
Each of the minutes of the 3 days was given a dot, with the earliest dots (the ones in the first day) in the middle and the later ones (the ones on day 3) were on the outside. Then each of the subjects that were trending in that city during that minute were given a particular colour. The size of the dot then depends on the amount of data (eg tweets) available for that subject at that one moment. Each of the dots is actually a series of concentric circles but at a smaller scale the more circles with the same colour tend to dominate giving the appearance of dots. Dawes created the software to gather and represent this data himself.
HDOne Branding with the Sharp Agency | Workshop
This is was one of the workshops I attended during the second workshop week, it focused on branding and was lead by the Sharp Agency. The session began with an introduction to the Sharp agency, who they were, how they were set up and a few example of their work, as well as how they approach they projects.
This was then followed by a briefing by the head of the agency on the project for the day. It was explained to us that were going to the branding for a new development called HDOne which was an entertainment, and hospitality complex based around a ski slope, located around the John Smiths Stadium in HD1.
The first part of the process was to be split up into groups and begin brainstorm ideas. My group began listing all the possible aspects of the new development such as the main audience, who they were, where would they come from, what would they use the development for, also began to look at ways to appeal to this market looking at colour schemes and type treatments. We then began to narrow this down when we started to think of names for the development (we thought it best to stick with HD one but stylized as HD1 - as we thought this was the best way to market the brand in the sector as it would be most unique to town - making it easy to identify the location), combined with this we began to come up with strap lines that would work well with development - eventually we decided on 'What will you experience?", emphasizing the word you would stress a more personal connection.
We then broke for lunch before we began to develop the logo and presentation which would pitch our concept to the head of Sharp.
This is some of my initial sketches for the HD1 logo. The ones of the left were stylized in a way that the one would be formed from the negative space (similar to the F1 logo), the space in the D could then be used to contextualize the logo in different settings (and therefore help with navigation around the site).
Some of the other options were inspired by the shape of ski slopes as this would be the main attraction to the site I thought this would help give the project a stronger identity.
Some were a bit more abstract. One for example would be made out of ribbons (or an effect that gave this illusion).
The concept I chose to develop more was more abstract and used a geometric pattern. An assortment of coloured triangles when combined together made up the letterforms of HD1. I liked this concept because it relied on the different parts coming together to make the whole thing, much like the different aspects of development coming together to make the whole thing work.
The colour scheme reflects this as well. The blue's reflect the snow sports aspect, the greens reflect the aspects that can be enjoyed as a family, whilst the red's reflect the nightlife. The fact that each of the letters is made up of only one shade is to represent the fact that you can still enjoy the complex if you only come to use one thing. Again the colour scheme can be used throughout the logo to contextualize it and help with navigation - eg if you are in the snow sports zone the logo may be made up of only blue tones.
Upon reflection I feel that the logo could be improved if the triangles were bigger, and if I used more of the tones in the section underneath to make it more dynamic and fit better with the main part of the logo.
This was then followed by a briefing by the head of the agency on the project for the day. It was explained to us that were going to the branding for a new development called HDOne which was an entertainment, and hospitality complex based around a ski slope, located around the John Smiths Stadium in HD1.
The first part of the process was to be split up into groups and begin brainstorm ideas. My group began listing all the possible aspects of the new development such as the main audience, who they were, where would they come from, what would they use the development for, also began to look at ways to appeal to this market looking at colour schemes and type treatments. We then began to narrow this down when we started to think of names for the development (we thought it best to stick with HD one but stylized as HD1 - as we thought this was the best way to market the brand in the sector as it would be most unique to town - making it easy to identify the location), combined with this we began to come up with strap lines that would work well with development - eventually we decided on 'What will you experience?", emphasizing the word you would stress a more personal connection.
We then broke for lunch before we began to develop the logo and presentation which would pitch our concept to the head of Sharp.
Some of the other options were inspired by the shape of ski slopes as this would be the main attraction to the site I thought this would help give the project a stronger identity.
Some were a bit more abstract. One for example would be made out of ribbons (or an effect that gave this illusion).
The colour scheme reflects this as well. The blue's reflect the snow sports aspect, the greens reflect the aspects that can be enjoyed as a family, whilst the red's reflect the nightlife. The fact that each of the letters is made up of only one shade is to represent the fact that you can still enjoy the complex if you only come to use one thing. Again the colour scheme can be used throughout the logo to contextualize it and help with navigation - eg if you are in the snow sports zone the logo may be made up of only blue tones.
Upon reflection I feel that the logo could be improved if the triangles were bigger, and if I used more of the tones in the section underneath to make it more dynamic and fit better with the main part of the logo.
Does form follow function? | Seminar Task
We were tasked with taking an everyday object and analyzing it in terms of form and function and which should be given precedent over the other?
I decided to look at Star Wars water bottle.
The function is to hold, store/transport water and other drinkable fluids and dispense these liquids in a desired fashion, namely through the nozzle at the top that allows it to be poured into a persons mouth or threw a straw that can be placed through another opening towards the top of the bottle. It has additional features that has been added to it to allow itself to carry out its task to the best of its ability. There is carry handle that can flipped down into a specifically designed recess in the the rest of the top of the bottle to save space when not required. It also has a rubber layer in the lid to make all the openings watertight to prevent spillage whilst not in use. There are also grooves at the back of the lid to help with grip.
The form of the bottle is very smooth and cylindrical (apart from the grooves at the top). It uses a translucent plastic with a very slight white tint to it and an opaque black plastic for the main body of the bottle, this colour scheme similar to a stormtrooper - a graphic of which is displayed on the front of the bottle whilst a graphic of the star wars trademark is on the back. I this is supposed to make it look a stormtrooper when the bottle is full (this would work better if the white tint was stronger or the bottle was filled with milk).
With this product I think that the form was given priority but the functionality of the product was improved as much as it could be without impacting on the form. If the designer wanted to increase the functionality he could have added marking on the side to indicate content levels, or made it easier to grip on the lower part of the vessel, but doing so would have impacted on the visual aesthetics, making it less appealing visually. A case could be argued that the designer has resisted the urge to add things that weren't completely necessary - a case of less is more perhaps?
I think that two do work well together in this case, even though personally I always believe that function should always take precedence.
