Looks Familiar

Wall Illustration to be coloured in.

Great minds think alike :) Same idea as one of my first ideas for my art exhibition branding project.

http://www.designkoma.com/

Oasis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oasis

Email from Colour Consultant Helen Gurura

Having contacted the SDC in Bradford my details were sent to Helen Gurura in South Africa. Helen is a Colour consultant, her response is below: Dear Edward, Your hospital art project sounds fascinating... and the role of colour is without a doubt, a highly paramount factor in creating an ambience conducive to patient healing! Since you are working at tertiary level, I will steer you in an advisory role, and avoid the temptation of merely giving you colour prescriptions/recipes for the reasons I have detailed below. Colour is the most commonly seen element in both the natural and man-made environment, yet undoubtedly still remains the least understood, in terms of its dynamics and the way it continues to be used in the architectural environment. The complexity of colour is further heightened by the influence of numerous variables which in turn influence man’s perception of colour. This includes aspects covering, but not limited to: size of the interior space or building dimensions, its shape, the observer’s state of adaptation, simultaneous contrast, after-image effects, surround colours and most importantly, lighting. Humans are surrounded by colour and at times may not even be aware of the effects it has on them. Feelings can be evoked through colour at even an unconscious level and this gives rise to the term ‘colour emotion’, defined as an associated feeling or emotion induced in the brain during the colour perception process. In architectural psychology terminology this is called ‘the emotional loading of a space’.  The emotional and psychological responses to colour need not be limited to armchair theories stating that colour X makes you feel calm, whilst colour Y decreases blood pressure. In as much as there may be theories to justify these findings, they remain an abstract notion attempting to over-simplify the dynamics of colour. People ought to beware of such misleading texts, for anyone knowledgeable in the field will tell you that even a slight variation in any given colour can alter the emotional response that one has to the colour stimulus. Take for example a statement to the effect that the colour red causes excitement and arousal. Which red are we making reference to here seeing as there are hundreds of possible colour derivatives that fall under the umbrella term ‘red’? Reds can be either ‘cool’ or ‘warm’ reds, depending on the pigments used to create the colour. This implies that the attributes of hue, lightness and intensity play an important role in the effects that colour has on humans. Colour is a science not just a mere element with a decorative effect. Even in history and ancient civilisations, colour held a symbolic association which outlived the aesthetic purpose it has synonymously been mutated to represent in our present day. In addition, colours are never seen in isolation, but in infinite combinations. Even this inevitably affects the appearance of the colour as well as its emotional effects within the relative context. Our very own personal relationship and association to any given colour constitutes what is often referred to as ‘the subjective experience of colour’. This implies that we all will react differently to any given colour stimuli because of  our own personal colour preferences, personality and character, culture, gender, age and fads (used in the context of popular, but short-lived colour trends). Research has also shown that there are common traits amongst humans that show consistencies in our reaction to the element. An intelligent approach to colour use would be obtained through an evaluation and consideration of the variables above mentioned before delegating colours to any man-made space. This underlines the core fundamentals of the concept of ‘Humane Environmental Colour Design’ as advocated by ‘The International Association of Color Consultants’ (IACC). http://www.iaccna.org/ Humane Environmental Colour Design emphasises that the interrelationship between the exterior and interior world (our psyche) must result in a positive integration between humans and their architectural environment. Ultimate environment creation considers firstly, safeguarding the users psycho-physiological welfare, thereby making his tasks and interaction with the environment, whether working, learning, health care etc. optimal. To achieve this, aspects that cover the role of the psychological, neuropsychological, visual ergonomics and psychosomatic effects need to be taken into consideration. This scientific approach ensures that colours used in any built environment support the building and the tasks that it was purposely built for, thereby eradicating an assorted array of misleading facts that have become synonymous with colour recommendations, colour choices and colour use. A book of interest that you could perhaps invest in to explore the above mentioned approach further is: Color, Environment, & Human Response; Frank H. Mahnke; 1996; John Wiley & Sons Inc. You can have a quick preview at:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/Color-Environment-Human-Response-Mahnke/dp/0471286672 Chapter 11 (though short…) is dedicated to ‘Health Care Environments’ and has some functional pointers that will steer you in the right direction… bearing in mind too that you did mention the fact that this art work will cover a relatively large corridor area. Another book of interest is: Color: Communication in Architectural Space; Meerwein, Rodeck, Mahnke; 2007; Birkhauser It also has a short chapter on ‘Therapeutic Facilities’. See book’s previewed contents at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Colour-Communication-Architectural-Gerhard-Meerwein/dp/3764375965 That being said, I would also recommend that you conduct a little more research around the fields of ‘Colour Psychology’ and ‘Colour Therapy’ to ensure you embrace a 360 degree approach in justifying your ‘healing colour’ selection process. I wish you well on your project... and do sincerely hope that this entire experience will further sharpen your sensitivity to colour! Regards, Helen Gurura

Research of Press Packs

I have a friend who works at the Yorkshire post in the design department. I rang him up for a favour to see if he could get his hands on any press packs as I felt this would be part of the project. I've never been asked to put one together so felt seeing one would be to my benefit.

He has come up trumps for me and got a mutual friend at the Evening Courier to hand over this press pack from Sainsbury's for the 2010 Christmas range.

The Box has various food Illustrations on in a gold foil

Upon opening the box the contents are
wrapped in tissue with a stick sealing them

Within there is a CD with images on a postcard wishing you a
Merry Christmas and numbers to contact Sainsbury's

Gold foil has been used extensively

There are plenty of mouth watering pics in the
 pack with descriptions on the back

Urban Play Exhibition

A D&AD winning exhibition that is the exact treatment I want for my exhibition.

Urban Play Exhibition

A D&AD winning exhibition that is the exact treatment I want for my exhibition.

Hospital Visit

I am just back from the Hospital in Halifax having had a coffee in the cafe and wandered around the corridors. My first impression as I went in the main entrance is the possibilities of the space. It is a wide open space with the potential to house a display of art. I stopped at the cafe to see what people would be looking at and what the possibilities of branding the exhibition would be. The main branding potential was the wall opposite the cafe which was a large blank canvas. My first two ideas would be perfect for this space. As I was sat at my table I wondered if people having a drink would be compelled to walk over and interact in the desired way. I think some sort of information on each table in the cafe to introduce people to the idea and how to use the wall.

Whilst walking down the corridors I came across artwork by students from a local school in cabinets. Also on the walls were signs at regular intervals for directions, some were not at the main junctions but half way down a corridor. This needs to be taken into account if the exhibition will be in various corridors around the hospital.

Environmental Graphics Research

I have been looking into exhibition and environmental graphics. I have just started reading a book called Exhibition Design by Philip Hughes

In the chapter about 2-D design skills it talks about scale and how this is the main challenge to the print designer. This is something I have often wondered about, how do you check type sizes on a piece of artwork that will be measured in feet and not point size as on a A4 or A3 page?

Scale and how the different heights are seen by different people

I have started thinking about this problem and how it can be used by having interesting things for the children at their level and adult subjects higher up.

After talking to Patrick last night we talked about the idea of the branding being 3D in some way so that it is not merely a case of producing a layout on the computer, but somehow getting my hands dirty and producing 3D objects that surprises and entertains.

I have also been reading about wayfinding and signage, although I feel these are secondary aspects to the project. The main things I want to achieve with this project is moving my designs up a level so they are more exciting, dynamic and entertaining.

Environmental Graphics Examples

These are some examples of environmental graphics I've seen on branding firms websites.

Hello
A firm I have admired for a while show some environmental branding for a technology show. 
An exercise in less is more.

Design Council

Creative Communication Design - Major Touring Art Exhibition

I've chosen my brief for my final major project and have agreed with Patrick to do the D&AD Major Touring Art Exhibition project. I'm really excited about this and feel I can get my teeth stuck into it.
I will have to research exhibition design and the branding of exhibitions at art galleries. I will also have to visit a hospital and see how people use the space and see how my branding can work in that context.
There are lots of things to think about, such as how the people viewing it will be drawn in and get involved with the artwork.

I started my research this weekend by visiting the Civic gallery in Barnsley which is holding a touring art exhibition from the V&A. The subject is Street Art and is a show of famous street artists.

I wanted to see how the branding was put together, from the promotional material to the way the art was presented in the gallery. The main symbol is a green diamond shape which is used to put artist information into within the gallery. A black and white image of a piece of graffiti in a wasteland is used as the main image, it is not the best example of what graffiti is now but shows where it started on the streets spraying on any available space.

As you can see in the photo above there was one room which was properly branded to introduce the exhibition to the public.

This is a example of the name cards for each piece. Again it uses the diamond shape which is a strong symbol to carry the information and tie in all the branding together.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park - Zara Wood

After leaving Barnsley I went to the Yorkshire sculpture park to see what exhibitions were on. The most interesting one from a branding point a view was by an artist called Zara Wood. I noticed the exhibition as I walked along the corridor to the main exhibits. 

As you can see the typography is beautifully crafted with a modern, feminine feel.

The title of the exhibit is shown many times to tell you you are going in the right direction.

Redblue

Having decided on this brief from Rob:

DESIGN BRIEF

redblue is a quantitative research agency based in London.

Quantitative research is traditionally a dry business; it is the statistical and mathematical side of research, dealing with datasheets and vast amounts of statistics (as opposed to qualitative research companies who tend to be more creative and deal with smaller focus groups).

redblue is owned and run by three people who have ten years’ experience of working for large research agencies or large clients.

Target Audience

redblue undertake large quantitative research projects for clients like BSkyB, Capital One, Pearl & Dean and number of advertising agencies (on behalf of their clients). They typically work with senior clients.

Tone of voice

We need to create an impressive, eye-catching visual identity for redblue. One that makes them look more exciting than your average quant agency and which also makes them look bigger than they actually are.

Mandatory Requirements

The current redblue logo is the only mandatory asset that we have to use.

The terms ‘red’ and ‘blue’ relate to psychological profiling (‘red’ being about the big picture (strategy), ‘blue’ thinkers are very much about detail the process)). redblue are about getting both right.

Deliverables

A brand identity using the existing logo. This is the only asset that they currently have and they have never used it to its potential. We need to make this work and then consider how that can applied across all of their communications.

I went about producing some mood boards and thinking about the different aspects that the brief threw up.

Some of my initial ideas were based around maths ie graph paper and equations, calculators and science. 

The idea of calculators and digital lettering from the 80's was born. In my minds eye I was thinking of a gigital and LED kind of feel. One of the important factors was the name redblue and what it stood for (big thinkers and detail thinkers), this should play a part in the design. 

I also considered Power Point chic ie a look and feel taken from power point. I ruled this out quite quickly as I could not see a way of actually making it look good.

I started some mood boards to based on the idea of electronica with an 80's feel. 

There was a couple of pics of Kraftwerk that I felt summed up the feel I was after: electronic, clean cut, got the job done. I also put a New Order record sleeve up to show a feel I might go for, minimal and graphic. I put other images of 80's related electonica. Also a lot of calculators and large computers. 

I brought this into college to show Patrick and we agreed that the kraftwerk route of being hard nosed German efficiency was the way forward with a 80's office influence.

I sent these over to Rob my mentor and he agreed with the Kraftwerk images but warned against the pictures of the large computers saying "be careful what your saying."

The above are some initial ideas which were not well formulated. I think I was on the right track with the idea for the calculator font, it just didn't hang together. The use of the LED photo type would of been a great idea but getting it to sit comfortably on a background in a pleasing way proved too difficult so it was dropped.

I produced a new logo on the idea of monospacing and taking shapes from the digital era. It was based on screen resolution monospaced text.

It had two parts to the logo with green and blue sections making up the same logo. I also varied the size of the dots. I translated this into a letterhead and business card.

I sent thse to Patrick and Rob and these were considered not to be right. Rob commented on the 'Chaotic' nature of the logo with the different sized shapes and the very small size of the circles. I went online and found a font that was monospaced and made up of circles to give the digital feel but in a cleaner way.

Part of the brief and something I had thought about at the early stages was the name redblue and what it means.  It refers to psychological profiling big picture thinkers and detail thinkers. With this in mind I thought the descriptor of:

Strategy and detail together

With Patrick we decided that it needed to be more 'German' more Kraftwerk but in English.

I came up with:

I am unsure wether this works or not. Maybe something to consider is

Vorsprung Durch Technik

Meaning

This German phrase is usually translated into English as 'progress through technology'. A literal translation would be 'advancement through technology'. There's no single English word which is an exact English equivalent of 'vorsprung'; 'to leap ahead' comes close.

Origin

This phrase has been used as a strapline in adverts for Audi cars since the 1980s, capitalizing on the German reputation for technical expertise.