Background

The annual ASSETS conference explores the use of computing and information technology to benefit older adults and those with disabilities, such as visual impairments, hard of hearing and other sensory impairments. ASSETS 2018 was chaired by Dr. Faustina Hwang, a professor of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering, with a specialist interest in designing technologies for older people and people with disabilities, at the University of Reading. The main purpose of the conference is to provide a place for professionals in the industry to share their current research. The conference is organised by SIGACCESS, a special interest group focusing on accessible computing. The conference location differs internationally each year, and therefore the branding changes each year making it specific to each location.

Restated brief

The brief was to brand the ASSETS 2018 conference held in Galway, Ireland, in October. The visual identity produced will reflect the location of the event and intends to integrate both the subject of the conference and its location. This branding will be used throughout the ASSETS 2018 website and a range of printed materials. The client has a focus bringing ease of use and accessibility to computers, and it is therefore important that users can interact with the logo and flyer with similar ease. To allow for easy interaction for those with visual impairments, it would be appropriate to explore textures and Braille for use on printed flyers. Furthermore, colours and levels of contrast need to be taken into account.

Deliverables

• Logo and brand guidelines
• Web banner
• Poster

Secondary deliverables

Although these deliverables were not originally outlined by the client, the adaptability of the branding has been displayed by this merchandise which was later added to the brief.

• Tote bag
• Movie tickets
• Drinks tokens

Research and ideation

Initially, we began meeting with Faustina, as her broad knowledge of the field gave us an insight into designing with a high consideration for the needs of those who are less able. Due to the nature of the conference, a large proportion of the audience are those who experience accessibility impediments, and therefore the main focus of research before designing was to explore potential techniques and other considerations for inclusive design. The client promoted large areas of contrasting colour, bold outlines and minimal intricate details for those who struggle with visual impairments, such as colour blindness or otherwise. Faustina introduced us to swell paper and its benefits to visually impaired individuals. Swell paper is a material which, once heated, creates an embossed surface area allowing those with visual difficulties to interact with the printed design using their sense of touch. An example of this printing technique in use is shown in the figure below. In addition to this, seminars run by our supervisor were also very beneficial in making us aware of the consideration that we needed to have in designing for a demographic that has specific requirements. She showed us glasses that mimicked the effects of different visual impairments as well as more physical impairments such as arthritis, which was particularly helpful in demonstrating what design decisions would work and not work in regards to more diverse design.

Further research was carried out through analysing previous ASSETS conference branding through exploring the relationship between the event and the conference location. As a response to this, it was important that the branding reflected an iconic landmark in Galway, Ireland. Through looking at previous conference branding, it became clear that many of the conferences have been held in America, meaning that we were keen to ensure that the contents of the brand were unique to Ireland as much of the audience were likely to be unfamiliar with the area.

Design development

Logo

We started with the logo design, as this would inform our design decisions on all the other deliverables. This took into consideration all the suggestions from our client regarding both the location and the specific accessibility requirements. As well as our own research into illustration styles and typeface decisions. The initial logo development shows our exploration of the iconic features that are unique to Galway. These include the Galway Hooker, the Long Walk at Galway peninsula and the Claddagh Ring.

When reflecting on our initial designs, it became evident that intricate designs, such as the Galway Hooker, had scalability issues, meaning that it was unclear at small sizes, as well as being inaccessible to audience members with visual impairments. From this, we decided that the housing along the Long Walk was iconic of Galway. Its simplicity and lack of intricate details meant we were able to implement contrasting colours and bold outlines to adhere to the special requirements of the conference demographic. As seen in the figures below, small adaptations were made to the logo in line with directions from the client. We provided the logo in both colour and black and white, to allow for flexibility of use by the client.

Web Banner

The web banner is intended to be an extension of the logo design, utilising the row of houses as a motif that stretches across the width of the desktop. The repetitive nature of the banner also adapts to the responsive nature of the website. The banner is also where the computing element of the conference is integrated with the location of Galway. As the water is made up with the same pattern as found on a circuit board.

Poster

The client requested that we produce a poster which provided the key dates for submission deadlines for the call for papers as part of the conference. The poster will be seen at associated conferences, work offices and presented online. In order for the poster to be fully accessible by all conference attendees, we were required to adapt the digital version of the poster to allow blind individuals to have full access to the information that was presented. This came as a challenge as our supervisor had not encountered this process before and therefore could only give us minimal advice. After much research, it was found that the poster required tagging using Adobe Acrobat, which enabled blind users to have the contents of the poster read aloud by their device.

Tote Bag

Due to the client’s satisfaction with the originally briefed work, we were asked to produce additional merchandise which was used to help with the promotion of ASSETS conferences in the future. We supplied the client with four initial design for the bag. The client favoured the full-colour logo, however, after consulting with other chair members, it was found that funding limitations meant that the client required the design to use black only in order to reduce printing costs.

Movie ticket and drinks token

Similar to the tote bag, these were requested due to the clients satisfaction with the branding, these were made up of elements that had been previously established on the other deliverables. For example, the banner features along the bottom of the movie ticket and the drinks token makes use of the logo. As well as all the text being set with the same typographic styling.

Reflection

Although there were some challenges over the course of the job, which was inevitable since this was the first real job for all three of us. However, this process has definitely informed how all three of us went on to approach future jobs and projects.

The most notable challenge faced was communication between us and the client, especially when one of our members went on study abroad to Australia, due to the difference in time zone. However, upon explaining the situation to our client, she was very understanding and accommodating, which on reflection is a testament to how important the maintenance of communication between designer and the client is when undertaking a job. In this situation we also benefited from intervention from our supervisor who helped us remain on track, reminding us when we needed to make certain communications with the client.

However, overall our design for the logo and other deliverables was met with praise from the chair of the conference for that year, which was a very rewarding outcome to the project.

‘I just wanted to say how much I love this year’s ASSETS logo. It’s beautiful, cheerful, simple, clear and evocative of Galway, as is the whole website theme. I think it’s the best one we’ve ever had. Really well done. Thank you!’

– Shari Trewin, SIGASSESS Chair

Since it meant that we were successful in our aim in creating an inviting and accessible brand for the event. The branding being further complimented by the logo being featured on a cake.

 

by Emma Chard, Charles Parish and Jessica Downie

The context

Our client is a working artist and art lecturer at the University of Reading, Christine Ellison had a continuing interest in exploring the relationship between the digital and the traditional, taking digital symbols out of their context and how they can enable new experiences or interpretation of the same symbols. This continued exploration has lead to her previously collaborated with dancers and musicians in performance art pieces, and wanted to move on to explore how the same brief would be interpreted by a graphic designer.

The brief

The brief was to produce a series of booklets that would act as scores, which could be interpreted by choreographers for dancers and musicians. The client’s previous work was inspired by the mechanisms of digital interfaces, for instance, how things move digitally, the language of digital commands and how they translate when they are out of their context without digital tools. The idea came to her from looking at structures instead of graphical screen interfaces, and through observing the different physical qualities of objects on and off screen, for example, how on screen there is no gravity and things can scroll almost infinitely. Christine wants to produce a designer’s response to her work, applying concepts of digital mechanisms to traditional formats of print and paperwork.

Aims

• Create a performative graphic score in response to the client’s previous work, offering a designer’s view and therefore a different perspective to the client’s chosen subject matter; digital movement translated through print and paper finishes.
• Create dynamic printed booklets that explore concepts of digital movement through paper folding and print.
• Show how taking digital symbols out of their context can enable new experiences or interpretation of the same symbols
• Create a series of booklets that can be interpreted by musicians and dancers.

Proposed outcome

Our final proposed outcome was a series of 5 booklets, each one depicting a different action found on a digital interface:

1. Loading
2. Drop Down
3. Scroll
4. Mute and Unmute
5. Maximise and Minimise

All booklets fit to an A5 format when folded and held together with a belly band. It was required that each booklet exploring the way paper folding and cutting can mirror the titular actions.

Research and ideation

The brief went through many iterations before we settled on the final design and format of the score. Both of us had never been involved in a project that was so experimental before and so it was both a challenge as well as very interesting having to adapt our normal way of working through a brief, to fit with the way our client would work through projects as an artist. As an experience, this benefited us greatly, as it encouraged us to explore a new way of working as designers, developing our practice.

In our first meeting with the client we discussed her influences and inspirations for the project, in order to gain a clearer grasp on the outcome she was striving for. A key influence for the project being avant-garde scores, examples of which were created by artists such as:

• George Maciunas
• Allan Kaprow
• Cornelius Cardew
• Pauline Oliveros,
• Post-digital Print, a publication by Alessandro Ludovico
• Traumgedanken: A physical hyperlink book by Maria Fischer.

In this initial meeting with Christine, she showed us her cut out digital symbols, and how she was using them to create layers and backgrounds. At the beginning it was a bit difficult to understand her way of thinking and how we will be able to use these symbols to create an outstanding deliverable. Therefore we found it very beneficial to research the work she had undertaken as part of the project before, thus we watched her previous performances and she talked us through them in order to help us understand how she was currently experimenting with the subject matter. With a project that was so vague we found that frequent communication and meetings with the client and our supervisor were incredibly valuable in ensuring that everything was progressing and travelling in the right direction.

Design process

Due to the nature of Christine’s practice as an artist, this real job did not follow the usual structure, since her interest was to produce a collaborative project between artist and designer. Therefore a majority of the process for this brief was experimenting backwards and forwards between us in order to establish what worked and what did not.

In the preliminary stages of the project, the idea was to include all processes within one product. Each sheet of paper representing a different element; symbols, grids, desktops and colours. The colours to be RGB (red, green and blue), as the symbols are digital and we thought it would be the most appropriate to include digital colour versions.

This however would have needed to be printed on A1 sheets of paper, due to the scale of each mechanism within the paper. Printing to this scale proved to be way beyond the client’s budget. As well as the interaction and movement of the paper at this side being very clunky and overwhelming, this was agreed upon by both our supervisor and client. It was through realising this, that we gained an understanding for the compromise that is often necessary in design, balancing the budget with producing interesting printing details and production.

Due to how overwhelming the digital processes were when they were all combined into one format. We developed the format into a series of booklets, separating out all the different movements.

Loading

The target with this booklet was to use the assembly of cuts and folds to mimic the turning and spinning of the loading symbols. This is also an example of how we utilised transparent paper in order to creating a more dynamic and interesting visual, creating more depth to the design.

 

Drop Down

The drop down booklet uses the same spinning mechanism as ‘Loading’, however, we used the arrow split in half as a prompt to complete the action.

Unmute

The Unmute booklet works to mimic the changes between sound and mute as it appears on a computer when changed. The user is encouraged to jumble the different shapes to create new and interesting iterations of the shapes that make up the mute and unmute symbols.

 

Maximise/Minimise

This booklet simply increases in size as you see the maximise symbols and then decreases as you see the orange and red minimise and close signs. This is supposed to be a direct translation of the way these buttons work on screen. The simple folds into quarters means that this is interpreted very simply yet it still creates an impact.

 

Scroll

Again the folds are used to detract and increase the size of the canvas in order to mimic the actions the booklet is portraying. In this case; ‘scroll’ and ‘snap to grid’. Both sides showing images that grow or shorten depending on how it is folded.

 

Each booklet featured one command, which would also be the only word(s) featured. All other directions and instructions would be guided by arrows or left to interpretation by a user. We established a consistent graphic style through the collection through the use of Helvetica (a default typeface associated with digital interface), at only two sizes, as well as consistent use of the same symbols and illustration styles across all booklets. Overall, we tried to strike a good balance between the digital and the traditional, the texture in the paper and handmade symbols, representing the traditional, whilst the clean and clear typesetting and styling integrated a more formal digital element.

When it came to finding a way to still connect all the booklets, we settled on a belly band featuring the name of the project, it acted as a binding agent for all the booklets as well as a cover for the collection, giving suggestion for its intentions and use.

Overall reflection

We worked well from the beginning to build a good relationship and communication with the client. Through this project we tested our time management skills, and we managed to stayed on top of it as we worked regularly and met weekly with the client, with new ideas and corrections each time, and she was able to give us feedback. Throughout this project a huge help was our supervisor, as this was no regular project with well structured steps. He was helpful in reminding us to push for progress and gave us suggestions and tips to help navigate a brief that was so different and new to anything we had explored before.

As has been suggested before, the main challenge was continuing to push the project forward, since the brief was quite open, the client was keen to explore as many avenues as possible, however, the overall time frame did not allow for so much time spent experimenting with ideas.

Due to the continuous nature of the project, the client did not have a set deadline for this project, to create a clear and structured schedule we set a deadline to finish the design process at the end of March. Unfortunately, this was not met as we felt it had more potential and we decided to extend it for May.

Chrystalla Panayiotou & Jessica Downie