OUGD505 - Design Practice 2 (End of Module Evaluation)

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2: Studio Brief 2 (Sensory Board Experiment)

When I started this brief I had initially planned to create a wide range of sensory materials. The more research I carried out though (contacting Build a Bear) the clearer it became to me that it would be too expensive for me to produce. Thankfully though, I managed to find a recording device from the pound land which enabled me to produce this prototype. If I had the funds and I was able mass produce this product it would obviously be finished off much more professionally than this. I was fortunate enough to be able to record the sound of a belt fastening using a clip taken from YouTube. I am really pleased that I have been able to demonstrate this idea as I think it makes it a bit more realistic than just simply talking about it. There are already some existing materials for autistic children which are similar to this, however I think this has a completely different feel to it and is obviously following the same theme as the rest of the branded materials I have produced. 

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2: Printing Presentation Boards

When printing my presentation boards out I tried printing out on cartridge paper but the colour didn't come out very well as the images appeared quite faded. I have therefore decided to print out all of my boards on the 80gsm printer paper in the studio. The quality of the images appears to be much clearer on this stock and the colours are so much more accurate to real life.

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2: Submission Boards

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2: Studio Brief 2 (Brand Guidelines)

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2: Studio Brief 2 (Photographs of Range)

Today I managed to use the photography studio to photograph my range of products for this module. Below are a select few of the photographs, illustrating everything I have designed. I took a lot of photographs but these were the most successful. I am really pleased with the outcome of these photographs and look forward to improving my photography skills even further in the third year. 

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2: Studio Brief 2 (Flexipress Printer)

Here are a few photographs I took when I went to collect my work from Flexipress printers at home. They have been established for a long time now and have a lot of technical equipment. It is quite a small printers, and although they are always very busy, they always make the time to print my work which is brilliant. 

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2: Reflection of Work

Initially, when I designed my work for both studio brief 1 and 2, I had it in mind that my target audience and area of distribution would be in Waterstones. However, now that I have had my stall at Waterstones, I have had time to develop my idea further and include all of the swimming safety materials. So this has helped me to come to the conclusion that instead of being sold in Waterstones, all of the products would be distributed as a government awareness scheme (not for profit) and so it would have to be reproduced as cheaply and as easily as possible. This has had a considerable impact on a lot of the decisions I have made along the way, printing being the main subject.

If I had designed these products for a high end market who required life long materials then I would have had to consider foiling and other methods of finishing. However, due to the fact that it has been designed to be mass produced, it is important that I keep it all as simple as possible and not over complicate matters. This is why I used Flexipress printers for all of my work as I wanted a consistent print job which is reasonably priced and doesn't involve any extra costs afterwards. I am really pleased I made this decision, as it was expensive enough to purchase all of the little extras, for example the buckles, the webbing and the keyrings to name a few. 

As my brief developed into a not for profit range of products distributed by the government, I decided that I would tie all of the materials together using a consistent theme. I thought that it would be relevant for me to have some sort of file to use for the swimming safety sheets. This would also be used to provide the recipient with room to store all of the items and keep them all together. 

The idea now is that all of the products would be distributed to schools and rest bite care and they would be given all of the materials to then pass on to the children and their parents or carers to use at home as well. 

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2: Studio Brief 2 (Thoughts Before Final Crit)

Before the final crit I want to make sure that I have relevant questions to get feedback on. I also want to make sure that I am aware of the possibilities of products which I could produce, so that I can analyse my options carefully. I am currently considering whether to produce an app, or just propose one for the purpose of demonstrating how it would look and work. The functionality of the app would be really simple for children to engage with and it could be used by children with or without autism. 

I am looking forward to getting feedback on all of the following ideas below. I feel as though as soon as I am given the feedback I need I will be able to progress further and organise for any printing to be done if this is necessary.

Below is the app explained. It would be extremely simple with each flash card on each page. The user would simply swipe through to view all of the cards individually and the app would be updated on a regular basis with the latest flash card designs. 

Further Experimentation

I have experimented with printing out my flash cards on clear paper. I wanted to see whether it would work and whether it would be suitable to use in any situations. Although I tried printing out my road safety cards, I feel as though the swimming safety would probably be more appropriate. Although, as the cards need to be easy to access and read, this might not be a suitable option. Another thing I noticed when I printed it out, is that it takes quite a while to dry as I smudged the front flash card. This indicates that it definitely wouldn't be waterproof if any way so it definitely wouldn't be applicable to my work. I am glad that I experimented with this stock however, as it has allowed me to make this informed decision. 

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2: Studio Brief 2 (Final Development)

Thankfully, as I was able to get the remainder of my work to Flexipress to be printed, I have been fortunate enough to be able to produce the further development of my brief as opposed to simply proposing it. I decided to design the swimming safety flash cards the same size as the road safety flash cards to keep consistency across the range. I also sent a second file to Flexipress of all of the flash cards reduced in size to place at the end of a lanyard. 

Below is all of my final development, cutting all of my work out and completing my range of products. I used my laminator to laminate all of the flash cards as I thought this would be appropriate, seeing as the materials would be used before going swimming and so they need to remain a high quality and don't get damaged. 

During the final crit, I took all of my black wheels along with me which I had bought on impulse over the Easter break. Initially, I had planned to attach the wheels to the keyrings, but when they arrived I realised that they were probably too big for this. I received some feedback from James who suggested that I should create some spinning tops. This suggestion was absolutely perfect! I went down to woodwork and asked the man (who made my box as well as other things in the past), for some wooden strips but took me through to the other workshop and handed me over to a lady who showed me metal rod alternatives. In the end she found some small strips of metal which I could feed through the centre of each wheel. All I had to do was attach it with some strong glue. With more consideration, I decided to create one red, amber and green example. 

I am really pleased with this addition to my collection of products as the idea of including spinning tops works perfectly well for autistic children, as they absolutely love wheels on cars purely for the fact that they can spin them round and round. 

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2: Studio Brief 1 and 2 (Whole Collection Summary)

All Products

Keyring

The keyring was designed to distribute at the book stall I had at Waterstones. It is related to road safety as it is to be attached to car keys to raise road safety awareness. The design of it is really simplistic so that it fits in with the rest of the branded materials. I also didn't want to overcomplicate the design as this wouldn't be well suited to autistic children as they would experience sensory overload.

Road Safety Flash Cards

The road safety flash cards are quite self explanatory. They have been designed to be used by autistic children to help them understand the rules of the road. To keep all of the flash cards together, a red band has been used with a buckle on it to represent a seat belt. This is to get the children used to fastening their seat belts when they get in a car.

Swimming Safety Flash Cards

The swimming safety flash cards are to be used prior to going swimming. The idea of them is for parents or teachers to give them to their children or pupils to educate them about what they should and shouldn't do when they go swimming. Both sets of flash cards are only starter sets and so they would be extended given the time.

Swimming Safety Lanyard

I also developed the flash cards and printed them out at a smaller scale to attach them to the end of a lanyard. I laminated both the full sized flash cards and the miniature ones to protect them and keep them clean. Once again, the red webbing and buckle has been used to maintain consistency across the whole range of products.

Poster

The poster was designed for the Waterstones stall. I wanted to inform my audience about the cost of the products which were for sale on the night. I also wanted to try and make it clear what it was that I had produced.

Autism Publication

The publication was produced for studio brief 1, but it is also relevant to be used for studio brief 2 as well. I have therefore incorporated it into the second brief as well. The glasses were bought to allow the recipient of the publication to understand what it feels like to experience sensory overload. It is more about the concept of the glasses than them being scientifically accurate, as the professional glasses which are available are much more expensive.

Red Folder

I bought the red folder to demonstrate the way in which the products would be distributed to the children. I have decided that all of the products are provided by the government and they are not for profit products. They would be distributed to schools and rest bite care to then give to the children for them to use at home with their parents or on their own. Inside the folder there are several colour separators which would be for each range of products, for example the blue separator would be used for all of the swimming safety materials.

Coloured Pencils

The coloured pencils are just an additional part of the branding. They have been secured together using the red webbing to once again maintain consistency. The pencils would be for the children to use to fill in their swimming experience forms after they have been swimming.

Rubber

The rubber is self explanatory, it is simply to demonstrate the breadth to which the range could stretch to. It could be distributed in shops as well to raise awareness, in places like WHSmith.

Spinning Top

The spinning tops are an ideal way of interacting with autistic children and getting them to engage with a product. This toy will help them to get used to red, amber and green and it will also enable them to have some fun with the products which will make the collection memorable. 

Air Freshener

The air freshener is another way of extending the range of products. I actually bought an air freshener and cut it up so that I could glue a strip in between the card with the traffic lights and text on. I wanted it to be as realistic as possible and not just a proposal. 

Sensory Flash Card

I experimented with creating a sensory flash card. This would be produced a bit more professionally if it was to be mass produced in shops or distributed from schools or rest bite care to the child's home. I am really pleased with the outcome of this design and think the corrugated paper works well to add another sensory dimension to it, giving the same impression as a seat belt texture.

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2: Studio Brief 2 (Investments)

Below are two key investments I made during this module. I found these glasses with coloured filters on Amazon and thought they would be ideal for studio brief 1 and 2. As my publication is relevant to both briefs I am able to combine the two together and then create my further range of products which is really positive. 

More recently I came across this talking paper in the pound land. I had been looking for a recording device for quite a while but hadn't been able to find any which were affordable. I have been able to use this to create a sensory board for submission which I am really pleased about. 

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2: Studio Brief 2 (Areas of Graphic Design Covered)

Throughout this brief I have created a wide range of products. We were asked to consider at least two different areas within graphic design. In total, I have looked at product and packaging, branding and identity, information and way finding, retail and promotion and editorial and publishing. I have tried to cover every aspect so that my range of products is as believable and applicable to real life as possible. 

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2: Studio Brief 2 (App Development)

I feel as though it is important for me to have a digital aspect to my work as well. I have developed this app design to demonstrate what my flash cards would look like on screen. The app would simply be used by swiping past each flash card to reveal the next one. 

Ideally, if I had the skill set I would love to have been able to develop this app and code it. This is something I could perhaps look at next year as it would be a good skill to have for future use. 

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2: Studio Brief 2 (Crit with Becca)

Now that I know I am going to create some materials for road safety, I need to carry out some further research. I was talking to one of my flatmates about the brief I am working on and mentioned how I was going to create some printed materials for autistic children. Coincidentally, she said that her uncle teaches autistic children and actually takes them out swimming so she said that she would get in touch with him for me. 

He responded to her straight away and said that my idea was really interesting and relevant. He told me to basically carry out further research online in order for me to be able to design the materials. 

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2: Studio Brief 2 (Final Crit)

Today we had our final crit for Studio Brief 2. I took my work along for Studio Brief 1 as well though, as the two work together as well. I placed all of my work down on the table, demonstrating everything which I had at the Waterstones event, as well as proposals for further development before the submission date. Last night I spent some time thinking about the work I could produce to develop my range. I also drew out an idea for an app design proposal as I think this could be really successful. 

I wrote down some information for people to understand where my work could potentially go and how it could develop. I then wrote down a set of questions to get some feedback. 

Below is a list I made to keep myself organised. I also had this out on the table so that people could give me feedback on the ideas. Most people ticked which they preferred or put a smiley face next to the preferred ideas. This helped me a lot as I could identify the most relevant pieces of design work to produce. 

Below is all of the feedback I received. I was really pleased to have received two pages of feedback, as this is more than the last time. Although most people have suggested that I should just propose anymore work that I produce, I have decided that I am going to try and physically produce as much of it as possible as I think I would get more out of this than just a digital proposal. 

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2: Study Task 3 (Jackson Rising Printing)

When I got all of my work printed for studio brief 2, I also had the A5 flyer printed for Jackson Rising as I wanted to see what it would look like printed. I wasn't able to print the concertina as it would have cost me too much overall and I think it is clear enough digitally on my blog. I am really happy with the quality of the print out and will definitely be using Flexipress printers again in the future. 

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2: Studio Brief 2 (Flexipress Emails)

Below are the emails I sent to Flexipress. I sent all of the files to them in PDF format because this is how they prefer to receive them. 

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2: Studio Brief 2 (Crit with Lorraine)

Today I had a crit with Lorraine to discuss my progress. I spoke to her about my Waterstones stall, and how I felt as though they should have advertised it more than they did, using a poster outside of the shop or something similar. This is therefore something I may propose before handing all of my work in. I also spoke to Lorraine about my publication and asked her whether she would mind proof reading it and writing down any mistakes I may have made on one of the boxes I had constructed. Below is my publication with all of the feedback written all over it. 

Having had the initial chat, I then asked Lorraine a few more specific questions. I asked her what she thought would be achievable in the time that we have left, as I don't want to rush to get loads more done, I would rather focus on the most important products. 

Having finished all of my road safety work for the Waterstones stall as well as general autism awareness materials, I feel as though I should extend my range. This came about when I spoke to a lady at the event who asked me why I had put road safety awareness with autism awareness. I explained that I wanted to produce sensory products and interactive products, and when speaking with my friend who is a speech therapist, she suggested for me to focus on autism as this would be the most appropriate. I then explained how road safety is something which all children need to know about and so I developed my project in this direction. The lady who asked me seemed to be happy with my answer but I couldn't help but think about it repeatedly after the day as I felt as though I needed to have a stronger concept.

I explained all of this to Lorraine and she said how I could possibly extend my range by looking at Swimming Safety perhaps, as she had contacts who teach autistic children and they take the children swimming quite a lot. Lorraine suggested that any materials I produce for this extended part of the brief, could simply be proposed. However, as I am having to reprint my publication, I would quite like to take this opportunity to print even more products as I have the chance to. This will mean that I will have to design all of the work quite quickly but as I have already done the research this shouldn't be too challenging. 

I showed Lorraine the swimming safety report I had found which is based on autistic children. I focused mainly on the last couple of pages which have an activity sheet to fill in, and said to Lorraine how this could easily be improved as it isn't very inviting to children the way it is currently designed. She agreed and said that they are never designed very well and that this would be a great opportunity to redesign it. I also mentioned how I had already considered designing flash cards for swimming safety and perhaps placing them on the end of a lanyard with a whistle on, but I also mentioned how I had a secondary thought about this, and explained that it may not be suitable to have a lanyard with a whistle on, as this would give the wrong impression to the children, encouraging them to blow the whistle when this isn't their responsibility. We spoke further about this idea though and said that it would work if there wasn't a whistle, and Lorraine said that I could use the buckle in the same way as I have on the road safety work, and then this could be consistent across all of the branding. 

All of the other feedback I received is clearly listed below as I took notes as we were having the conversation. I found this crit really useful and I am looking forward to producing the end result.

OUGD505 - Design Practice 2: Studio Brief 2 (Advertisement Proposal)

When I had my event at Waterstones, the one thing which disappointed me was their organisation skills. They hadn't advertised the event very well at all and I think this had a huge impact on the turn out on the night. I therefore decided to create my own advertisement mock up to demonstrate what it could look like and should have looked like on somewhere like a bus stop, as there are plenty of them in Leeds. They should have also put this advertisement directly outside of Waterstones to encourage people to come inside.