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

Background:

Introduction:

The project was initiated in the first semester of 2017 by two groups of second year geography students who required a brand identity, presentation design  and logo for their water management companies as part of their module project. This brand identity was to be translated to their presentation template design and throughout the presentation itself. This job was taken on so as to improve my skills within the world of brand identity and logo design as well as a first step into the world of work and the designer-client-audience relationship.

 

Briefs:

Group 1 were researching into, and set to propose to an external company, the use of herbal leys as a means of flood prevention. Therefore, they asked that the general branding was to be based around greenland areas and water and the logo was also to contain similar imagery. They also asked for a presentation template design that was to contain more realistic imagery like rivers and houses. The logo and presentation design needed a professional and clean feel whilst still putting across the area of focus and research of the group.

Group 2 desired a brand identity that focused solely on water and protection of animal and human life. Again, the imagery presented to me was fairly realistic and didn’t fit the general consensus for a corporate brand identity and logo.

 

Response to briefs:

Whilst the imagery proposed by group 1 & 2 was useful in providing further ideation for the overall branding, both the imagery and desire for professionalism and clean design conflicted. A compromise was then met whereby the areas of research were put across within the logo and branding, but within a simpler design style so as to maintain professionalism.

 

Design:

Logos:

After researching into the external company for more information on audience and gathering all of the mood boards, I began designing initial concepts for both logos. After presenting the logo for group 1 to my project supervisor, I was advised to stick to solid colour rather than gradients due to the gradients being somewhat outdated for corporate identity. Although my clients took a liking to this design, they agreed that maximising professionalism for the external company was of upmost importance. therefore, solid colour was taken forward for their brand identity.

 

 

 

My clients also really liked the abstract design as it put across ideas of land use and flooding through the more abstract, clean design approach that we discussed earlier on in the project.

Initial concepts for group 2 presented little in terms of protection of animal/human life. After consulting my supervisor, a suggestion was made to incorporate aquatic life into the logo. My clients also felt that the logo was missing a key aspect of their research and welcomed the addition of aquatic life.

 

 

Presentation templates:

 

 

 

An issue that I ran into when incorporating the presentation template into the presentation itself was general placement and interaction with the images and text that my clients had already added. I presented figure 4 to group 1 and agreed that the addition of the template shown in figure 3 would be lost and also obstruct the text. Therefore, a decision was made to remove the template from pages with larger images and text that ran into the area of the template. However, overall group 1 were pleased with the simplicity of the design as well as its clear connection to the logo.

 

 

 

 

Similar to group 1, the presentation template design was removed from slides that contained large images that extended to the bottom of the page. Both groups also suggested that the template be removed form slides with diagrams and tables. In doing so, there would be less of a distraction from the information itself.

 

 

A suggestion was initially made by some individuals within group 1 to add the company logo and name in the corner of each slide, acting as the presentation template design itself. This caused somewhat of a friction between the group members who could not come to an agreement on the matter. This experience brought out an opportunity to improve my communication skills. A decision was made to keep the logo and name to the first slide as constant re-enforcement would become tiresome for the external clients and somewhat obnoxious (figure 8).

Final steps:

In order to provide a complete, smooth experience for my clients, the Microsoft powerpoint fils were tested on multiple projectors, as well as the projector in the room that they were presenting in. A tip that has been promoted greatly by my supervisor was to make sure any files being shared to my clients were accessible and fully functioning so as to prevent any problems from occurring.

 

Reflection:

My first encounter with real clients and a real job environment was insightful and extremely helpful. One learning point to take away is that preparation and organisation is key when working with a larger group of clients. To assume that your opinions and ideas will somehow be translated to each clients minds in the same way is foolish. Perhaps one client member cannot make the feedback session? If so, how will you be on top of that? Simply put, when working in the world of work, you’re not simply a graphic designer, you’re a manager, co-ordinator, communicator, translator etc. Your job does not stop after you exit your adobe software on a Friday night. I managed to deal with this issue by contacting each individual group member separately, a well as a group and working through the feedback sessions so that everyone was on board with the current situation. This worked well on occasions where the next goal was clear and obvious. However, it felt short when the specifics and intricacies of each feedback session needed to be expressed. For this to occur, it was important that I had the entire group with me. It was also apparent to me that the amount of time spent working through the typographic capabilities of other software packages (powerpoint) was minimal. The simpler the software, the more complicated the design of the typography and sense of hierarchy became. This did mean that a little extra time in Microsoft powerpoint was needed to understand its capabilities. 

 

The brief

Publicity was a real job within our department and consisted of myself, Laura Marshall, Elliot Ellis, Jess Downie and Jason Yung. As a team our task throughout the year was to increase awareness and attendance of events happening in the department. Our roles were to achieve this through promotional posters placed around the department, and depending on the scale of the event even some areas of campus. Events such as guest speakers and past alumni talks were held and scheduled to link with our current projects and give career advice for the future. Blog posts of each event included photography, friendly, positive articles of the event and speaker interviews. The blogs were a reflection of the event from a student’s perspective and aimed to be as accessible as possible to those interested in what happened. Knowledge on promotion and social media was a useful tool throughout the job on order to engage with the audience on a closer level and make each event as well known as possible.

Re-design

One of the first major talks was given by Fraser Muggeridge and is where I initially attempted a redesign to the poster layouts. Sketches of possible layouts were drawn to highlight the speaker and their work. A new design was attempted to refresh the aesthetic of the publicity promotions, which would in the following year become ‘Baseline Shift’. An alternate version was also proposed to accommodate space for multiple speakers for an event. A low-poly style was trialed to bring a contemporary feeling top the designers and their work. For the posters to be a success, each one had to be recognisable as an upcoming event within the department from the design alone, and using the theoretical knowledge on how to create a series of similar designs helped portray that. This was a main goal for the project and benefitted the users greatly. We explored lots of possibilities so that we could come to an informed decision on which design would be the most appropriate.The proposal was unsuccessful however, as the feedback suggested that even though each speaker should feel unique the posters should be focused on reproducibility, with each poster needing a fast turnaround in order to generate maximum awareness for the event. This meant that a simpler layout in the long term would be more successful for the goals of the project.

Learning and Experience

Bruno Monguzzi gave an inspiring talk about his career and life as a Swiss Designer during our time on the project. As a team we brainstormed and discussed that the poster should be a tribute to his design work and reflect his style neatly. This was a challenge as we did not want to negatively imitate his style of design or replicate it too closely. Also our goal was to not stray too far from the original poster layout to maintain a level of consistency, even for a special event. Several concepts were produced from different areas of the team and reviewed by our client and supervisor. They agreed that the use of 3 languages to reflect the style of Swiss design further was an appropriate approach. Also, the considered margins and limited colour palette furthered this theme. The positives from each poster were then taken forward and displayed around campus.

We also had the privilege of seeing him for an after talk interview where he discussed semiotics and his philosophies on design in depth. He explained the different processes of him receiving a brief and the technical terms behind each stage. This was something I valued greatly as we all got to see how international clients worked as well as see the level of complexity some briefs can have.

Will Stahl-Timmins from the British Medical Journal (BMJ) also visited the department for an event and led an interesting discussion on the Information designs he creates and its actual use within the NHS. This sparked some interest in the field for me personally and I was fortunate enough to turn his visit into an internship working alongside him. It was a great example of how guest speakers can inspire students into areas of design they may not have even originally considered.

Organisation and Teamwork

Staying organised within the project was crucial to keep on top of upcoming events and making sure enough time was given to advertise each one. A message group helped us stay in contact and quickly respond to each other regarding new information or deadlines. We divided our tasks initially and planned to rotate occasionally, so each person in the team would be responsible for some part of the event at each time. The template created consisted of the department’s traditional red circle displaying the information, with a featured image taking up the majority of the poster. Once a template for the main event posters had been agreed, they were distributed amongst us so that any member could quickly produce one at a moments notice. Throughout the process we also kept in contact with our main client, and due to the nature of the project, communicated with several other clients and supervisors in charge of organising each event. This project was made easier due to our freedom with how we wanted to pitch each event publicly, but conversely this meant we had little time to experiment with each event, as they were often so close to each other.

Reflection

Overall, whilst this project mainly consisted of testing and experimentation in terms of poster design, role allocation and how the department handled guest speakers, it provided the foundation for future publicity teams to enable them to know what elements of the procedure where successful and which others that needed streamlining. Hearing notable speakers that you would not normally get the chance to was a fascinating experience to learn from, allowing us all to understand design in the industry from different perspectives and cultures. I am pleased that I spent my time working in a group to achieve goals that aren’t normally a focus within straightforward graphic design, and over the process I had discovered that good communication with the client is essential to producing the best possible outcome, and the best ideas can formulate from mass conversation and brainstorming to meet a better solution. 

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

Background

I will be working with two different teams in this project. This project is to help the clients create a professional image for their formal investigation. The investigation is about exploring multiple benefit delivery within the Emm Brook river corridor for an environmental agency and Loddon Valley residents. Through their research, they aim to discover the advantages of the ecosystem services around the Emm Brook river corridor. The clients will be creating a report and formal presentation for their findings.

Brief

In order to achieve the desired image of their team, different deliverables were set for each team. After our discussion, we concluded that a logo and presentation template will be created for both teams. Team C would also benefit from having a report template as they want to achieve a higher consistency in branding. The aim of the designs varies according to the deliverable. Since they are student teams, it was decided that the designs will be tailored to the content of their project instead of the team themselves. The logos aim to create a sense of identity and to give a brief idea of the project. The presentation and report templates aim to show consistency between their project’s output, presenting a more professional image. They should also support the content of the project outputs while adding a decorative touch. The clients have also asked to include the logo in the presentation and report to further enforce the project identity.
The project outputs should look like a series visually instead of separated items.

Design Process

In order to create the right image for each team, we discussed what feeling they would want to give the environmental agency through this investigation. After some discussion with the help of mood boards, We came to the conclusion that Team C would like to create a professional image through a minimalistic approach while Team P would like to create a more sleek and modern image.

logo

Since the logo will be representing the investigation as a whole, it should reflect the theme and results of their investigation. For Team C, the logo should reflect the close relationship between the Emm Brook river corridor and the local community. I created some sketches with houses and water motions to symbolise the two. After the first sketches, I then continued to explore different ways to capture the form of the river. To match the desire minimal visual style, we decided that the waved lines version would be the most suitable.

 

For Team P, their project focuses more on the natural ecosystem near the Emm Brook river corridor and how they have underlying effects on each other. The client also requested that the logo include a shield to represent the protection element they covered in their investigation. Since the main focus of the logo remains to be the relationship between the river and the ecosystem, I incorporated the shield element more subtly through using it as the shape of the logo. To highlight the natural elements, the design was created in a style that imitates woodcut. A richer colour palette is used to create a more sleek and professional image.

Powerpoint template

The design of the presentation template should be visually consistent with the logo. Since a large number of images and data will be presented, the layout options should also be suitable for presenting large use of pictures while the report template should be suitable for both pictures and
statistics. Therefore, I created a table style for consistent data presentation. Layout options with images as the main focus are also designed to aid better presentation.

 

For Team C, the design kept the animalistic approach of the logo using the same colour palette as the logo. Grey colour is also used to help hold information on the page visually while the two shades of blue from the logo acts as the accent colour.
Here are some layout options created for Team C:

For Team P, the design used the pattern of the river from the logo as the header to maintain a higher consistency throughout the different outputs. The layout option for the slides is the same as that of Team C as their presentations consist of a similar genre of information.

Report template

A report template is created only for Team C. Since there will be complex data and a high level of information hierarchy, I created a template with minimal decorations to ensure the content of the report is clearly delivered. The visual design remains consistent through using the same colour palette and fonts from the logo and the presentation slides.

Reflection

Looking back on the experience with both teams, many stages of the process was different for each team even though the project content is highly similar. There was a concern before I start the design process that Ithe designs I create for the teams will be very similar since the main content is the same. However, after meeting with both clients and understanding more about their needs and the content of their work, I learnt that the design and the development process depends on the needs of the clients. Therefore, the design solution and the results will never be the same.

This real job also gave me valuable experience in project and time management. Since there are two clients on the same project, it is essential to keep all records, communication, and the design process organised. There was one time where I made a mistake and sent a file from another team to the client. I understand that it is a severe mistake in a real workplace. I am delighted that this experience trained me to organise all related materials in a better system which became very helpful in the following years of my studies.

Apart from the points mentioned above, I believe that if there is one take away from this experience, it would be the importance of having a friendly and professional relationship with the client. Being able to understand the client’s situation and vision really helps to better the communication with the designer, which brings positive results in terms of the design process.

The Brief

Anastasia Rattigan from the Online courses team at the University of Reading develops Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) alongside the FutureLearn platform to expand the University’s portfolio of online courses. She had proposed two academic animations to be used by the Microbiology department, and have them catered for two different user groups, those studying with the online courses or those on the undergraduate degree in microbiology. The animations themselves were asked to encourage prospective students into microbiology, stimulating recruitment and be used as revision material for first year students on the course. Therefore, they had to be succinct and effective in delivering their messages. Also, the client wanted to communicate that University provides a fun and engaging but also academic approach to the learning available amongst the courses.

Research

Client Meeting

Anastasia approached us asking to discuss the parameters for each animation and meet the rest of the team of clients. At the first meeting we delved deeper into the scope of each animation and gathered viewpoints from both Anastasia and members of the Microbiology department. It was a great discussion where they presented their goals for the project and asked what would be professionally achievable in the time frame given. We also discussed the contents of each animation, ‘The Tree of Life’ and ‘Microbes at War’. Both animations were vast in content and the clients expressed how they wanted each part to have purpose and not waste time. The latter animation required an amount of scientific knowledge that neither of us could really put into practice, however we agreed with the clients that they would supply this difficult content and explanations where appropriate. Understanding these specifications meant that we could achieve the animations with the client’s perspectives in mind allowing a more successful outcome in the long run.

Style of illustrations

The illustration style of the animations was crucial to determine for both us and the client, in order to keep consistency across the animations and other MOOcs across the FutureLearn environment. The general consensus was that they should be biologically accurate without being too detailed, but also not too far into the other side of the spectrum being too cartoon-like, stressing that they were against the idea of characters for each microbe or bacteria. They favoured the idea of hand drawn images at first, stating that this style reflected the scientific diagrams usually associated with the course. We reassured them however that digitally produced vector illustrations would be more fitting for the kind of animation we were delivering, as well as being easier to implement and animate. We researched different existing illustration styles used for microbiology and decided on flat vector images.

Design Process

Scripts

To ensure academic accuracy and to cover everything necessary, our client provided us with a rough written script highlighting what needed to be in each animation and the order in which it needed to flow. These scripts were detailed and roughly timestamped, providing the foundation for us to produce corresponding storyboards.

Storyboards and Illustrations

Storyboards allowed us to visualise the key frames of the animation, and these were sent to client incrementally for approval. Using scientifically approved representations of the images, we sketched the layouts for each section of the script. To maintain a level of consistency we contacted the client regularly to receive feedback in terms of how well the images matched the script, the narrative of each scene and whether it was matching the goals they had in mind.

When designing the illustrations it was vital to ensure that they were not only visually engaging but also biologically accurate as they would be used as a learning aid. It was important to consider how each illustration would be moving in the animation so that they could be easily manipulated when animating. In terms of colours we were informed that pink or blue bacteria were only these colours since they had been stained to be visible under a microscope, and they wished to reflect this in the final images.

Animation Process

In order to animate to the best of our abilities and fulfil the client’s needs, as a team we had to do quite a lot of self-directed learning of Adobe After Effects. At the time it was new software to the majority of our team and using it appropriately would help both parties out in the long term. When we wanted to create a specific effect or transition on our images we researched videos and forums to find the best way of achieving it. This practice not only gave us valued experience of a new software, but also helped us develop our skills at self-directed learning and independent work.

After all the required illustrations were created, we began bringing them into Adobe After Effects and animating them. This involved altering the prepared illustrations individually, giving each one micro tweaks in ‘frames’ to simulate movement. We then began assembling the illustrations into the desired composition and applied the transitions appropriately. During the animation process in order to test timings of each scene, the script had to be recorded and played over the animation. Assessing the playback this way allowed us to make changes to the times according to the tone and delivery of the script. Once a good level of progress had been achieved, we sent our current developments through to our clients. On the topic of feedback, we received several changes ranging from minor alterations to major composition tweaks. This resulted in some complicated adjustments that eventually paid off in positive return feedback. Animation files can be fairly large and one issue we encountered was lengthy rendering times to video files. This was a laborious setback that prevented smaller changes to be made at a time, costing up to 12 hours for some instances. Whilst long this did allow us to be more vigilant as a team, making sure less mistakes were made and each scene doubly checked before its render.

Reflection

Organisation and Teamwork

Our team communicated through a messaging group, allowing us to delegate tasks and troubleshoot any technical issues quickly and easily between us. Staying organised was efficient this way, however the collaboration aspect on each animation became tough. This was due to the difficulties of sharing large files between us and After Effect’s disadvantages of collaborating on large scale animations. We overcame these by working in the same spaces and agreeing on changes before they were implemented.

Client Communication

Since we had a team of clients, sometimes messages became lost in translation as they were passed from team to team. Multiple channels of communication and pathways meant that feedback had to be gathered from separate parties and then sent back over, delaying the process. As our clients were also working as full time lecturers, it was hard to find times when everyone was free for meetings and it also meant that production was quite slow while we waited for scripts and voice overs from the educators. Client communication was consistent however, with them expressing their sympathy with the large files and slow rendering times needed to produce their deliverables.

Overall impressions

The final feedback was positive, explaining how each animation had been successful in terms of smooth compositions and conveying their original goals. The clients expressed their gratitude and were receiving positive feedback from their users. Our collaborative efforts meant that students could revise using these sources and further their learning experience for their own education.

“Thank you so much for sending the animations through, they are looking great! We’re all really pleased with them.”

– Anastasia Rattigan, University of Reading

 

The brief

In the second term, Part 1 students are required to design a website, however, they are given the guidelines and logos in advance. The brief of this job was to design the brand guidelines for a minimum of two local businesses, which will then be used by the Part 1s. The guidelines must include logos (colour, black and white), fonts and colours. The local businesses that can be designed for include: The washbox, Reading garage, Trilogy Reading, The Village Florist and The museum of Berkshire aviation. The brand guidelines must be different to what already exists. The main goal of this real job is to create a high quality and memorable set of logos and guidelines that can be used on screen in both a desktop and mobile environment.

In the initial briefing meeting, the main considerations, final deliverables, and schedule were discussed.

The main considerations when designing the guidelines are that:

• The logos need to be scalable as they will be used primarily in a mobile environment
• The logos should be shown in different colour variations including black and white, reversed, and versions that work on both a dark background and light background.
• The guidelines should use Google fonts so that they can be easily accessed by all students

The final deliverables include:

1. A minimum of two logos for local businesses, including black and white, reversed and colour
2. Accompanying brand guidelines including typefaces and colour scheme

As these guidelines were needed in time for the beginning of the Part 1 project, the turnaround was very fast. The first client meeting was on the 7th of January, and the final deliverables were required by the 28th of January. The scheduled allowed for two feedback meetings in-between the initial briefing and final deadline.

 

Research and ideation

The research process began by identifying three key areas to explore:

• Research into each local business to learn more about what services or products are offered, in order to create a unique logo concept
• Research into the audience of each business, so that the logo is representative of this group
• Search for logos used in mobile environments, to identify which elements make the logos successfully scalable

The research process allowed an insight into the key to making successful logos for mobile applications. This included: avoiding using light strokes, small text, and overcomplicated designs. It also reminded the importance of testing the logos at an appropriate size to ensure that they are sufficiently scalable. Furthermore, it became apparent that the logos should be instantly recognizable, and therefore summarise the services or products offered by the business.

As a result of the research, as well as the fast turnaround, I initially decided to design guidelines for two businesses: The washbox and The village florist. However, after initial submission, I was asked to design a further set of guidelines for Trilogy.

 

Design development

The businesses that I designed guidelines for are:

• The village florist, a local florists that creates bespoke bouquets
• The washbox, a laundrette and dry cleaning service
• Trilogy Reading, a unisex hair salon

Before designing the logos in Adobe Illustrator, I began by hand-sketching some initial ideas for each business. However, due to the short turnaround, I very quickly moved to work digitally. The village florist creates bespoke hand-made bouquets, and so the concept for this logo was based around a hand-drawn style. Therefore, I scanned in my initial sketches, as well as illustrations found online, and created vectors using the image trace tool. From here, I was able to see which illustration worked best when scaled down to a size appropriate for mobile. For The Washbox logo, the concept was to combine the various services offered to create a clean logo. During the first feedback session, I presented a variety of options for these two businesses and gained guidance on which to pursue further.

Once making a decision on the final logos, the next stage was to choose appropriate typefaces and colour schemes. The typefaces chosen for The Village Florist, aimed to be sophisticated and delicate, representing the services and products offered by the business. Similarly, the chosen colours had the same aims, as well as avoiding being too powerful and overbearing. The aims for typeface and colour schemes for The Washbox, was to create fresh and clean branding.

As I was asked to design for Trilogy after the initial submission, the turnaround time for these guidelines was even more limited than the previous set. Similarly, there were no dedicated feedback sessions scheduled for these guidelines. Therefore, I began to work in Illustrator straight away. I began by image tracing images found on royalty free websites, as well as creating my own icons. The initial concept was based around the name trilogy, and so I created three icons representing the business and combined them into a logo. After creating this initial concept on illustrator, I emailed the client requesting feedback on this particular concept and whether to go ahead with this design, from here I was able to begin creating the rest of the guidelines. When researching other salon logos, it was apparent that the branding of many were arguably stereotypically feminine, especially with the use of colours. Therefore, as Trilogy is a unisex salon, I aimed to create a neutral colour palette that was not perceived to be branded towards a particular gender.

Overall, I believe I was successful in my aims when creating these logos and guidelines. However, If I had more time I would have liked to explore further concepts, as well as experiment with different typefaces that I am not familiar with.

 

Guidelines in use

Below shows a selection of screenshots of my guidelines being used in a variation of Part 1 web projects.

 

Feedback

After the guidelines had been distributed to the Part 1 students, a meeting took place in which they shared their feedback, both positive and negative.

The village florist

Overall the main criticism was surrounding the colour scheme, as there is a big contrast between the dark and light colours. The students stated that they would have liked a colour in between this range, as the paler colours were deemed difficult to use. However, overall the feedback about these guidelines was generally positive, especially with regards to the typefaces.

The washbox  

Some students found that the logo was not very ‘clean,’ for example the hanger line does not line up properly when the logo is enlarged. Likewise, when the logo is made into a vector, the hanger goes very thin, but the other elements do not. The feedback with regards to the colour scheme was mostly positive, however, some believed that the lighter colours were too light to use, and also that there was not much differentiation between the available colours. The typeface choices were well received.

Trilogy

The feedback for these guidelines was mixed; for example, some students liked the typeface choice, others did not. This feedback could be argued as subjective, as they did not report any issues with using the typefaces, only that they did not like them. Other feedback included that the colour scheme appears ‘masculine,’ and is very muted.

 

Reflection

Upon reflection, it is apparent that in the future colour schemes choice need to be considered more carefully, as the majority of negative feedback related to this element. This is especially the case with ensuring a large range of colours are available, and minimising the contrast between the options. Similarly, it is important to remember the intended use of these projects is for mobile, and ensure that this impacts the design decisions. This job has also allowed me to improve upon my Adobe Illustrator skills, as prior to this job they were fairly limited. However, this being said, the logos could be improved by being crafted in a neater manner, without any minor errors or misaligned elements.

Furthermore, the feedback from the Part 1s allowed me to gain insight into elements of this project that I can improve upon in the future, for example choice of colour schemes, and typefaces.  Likewise, the feedback taught me to carefully consider how the guidelines and logo will be used, and in what environment, which in this case was within a mobile application. Overall, the main skill that I have taken away from this job was the ability to create high quality guidelines whilst working towards a tight deadline.