From choosing the subject which I would base my assignment on I then began to research colours which were used in the current logo and found that the colour used was a 'Hot pink' which I think works well due to it's brightness which makes me question why there is a lack of colour in the building itself. The type which is used it old due to its extended tails, which relates to old victorian type which communicates well to the colleges heritage. From finding this information out I decided that It would be interesting to try include similar colours.
From this I then went round to take pictures of the college to get an idea of what scale of way finding that I could create.
From this combined with photos I gathered from my previous research there was a lot of white walls which were blank when I think that they could have some creative designs for way finding on them. Too begin this process I began to research way finding on bechance to get more knowledge of scale that can be used in way finding.
These are some of the images which I found on bechance, what i've noticed in a lot of my research that the way finding which has been used is simple and clear so it's easy to read and this one below is also simple. However the use of the colour makes the design fresh due to the mint green and enthusiastic and is creative in it's colour choice which is enjoyable. The type that has been chosen is also very clear and simple to read which makes it clear for the audience to understand. Overall I think that this way finding works well due to the use of colour vibrance and simplicity and therefor communicates to all target audiences, although i do not agree with the choice of white on bright colours as it's illegal and straining to read.
Below is Foreign example of way finding that I found on bechance which I personally find cold, negative, however it's sophisticated and simplistic which relates to it's modern building design. The reason this image looks cold is due its negative space and lack of colour as the colour scheme is black and white which looks dull. Personally this design does not communicate well to students as i think that it lacks in excitement. To improve this design I would simply add warm colours, then it will take the attention away from some of the negative space.
From this I then began to research colours which I could use, I've always been interested in using fluorescent colours and in my research i've noticed how these colours are often not used so I began by researching the different fluorescent colours.
Fluorescent colours would communicate well to my target audience as there bright and colourful and very easy to notice and as my target audience will be students this would work well as student's enjoy bright colours.
From this research I decided that I wanted to use this coloured paper as it was unique and has never been used in way finding that I have found before, I will have to experiment with legibility and the use of different colour of text which could be used.
From all of this research I then began sketching out ideas of what, I think that my designs could look like in my sketchbook.
The idea of this sketch was that there was wire which hung from the ceiling that clips on clips which are attached to the design so it hangs down. The idea of the clips was so that you could change the design if there was a specific event that was happening or if there was a change in rooms. This idea is modern and simplistic.
This design would be simple as it would have Helvetica Regular text as its clear or it would be Bebas Neue text as it's bold and loud, the text for this design would be black as the background would be on fluorescent paper so the black would stand out and take distraction away from the background, the use of black text would be suitable because the background it's vibrant enough itself so if i put bright text on top it would look to much. This would also attract students and it would add artistic flare to the art college.
My next design of the doors with windows is the idea of vinyl lettering cut outs which are stuck on the windows to display what floor you are on, to keep a consistent theme through out I would make them fluorescent. This idea would help people who are new or are visiting the college figure out where they are in the college and are clear and vibrant enough to see.
This design above is a wall design of wall vinyl type cut out that could be used to tell you where a certain department is I feel like that this would work well, although i'd have to be carful that it didn't blind people with it's brightness, however I do think that it's a strong idea. This idea would communicate well with my target audience as its vibrant bold and artistic which links to the college.
The design below of a stair wall with the number one is to show again the floor you are one as I still get confused what floor that I am on when I'm walking up and down the stairs, this will also help visitors and new people to find there way round. This text would also be either in Helvetica Regular or Bebas Neue to keep the theme consistent through.
These are some more ideas that i came up with: I had an idea that I could create posters that could be held up from the cealing by wire and that would clip to clips which would be attached to the poster, the reason for this idea is because during my research looking at poster designs online I found that there was posters using this method and I didn't find this method used in way finding therefore would be something unusual and different to what people have seen. This idea is also practical due to the clips because you can clip and unclip the posters incase you wanted to change the information due to a room change or a specific event that was happening on a day etc. However I'm aware that the idea of hanging wire from the cleaning may also be difficult in certain areas, so I then came up with the idea that they could be made as wall posters so you could still always take them off and change them, although i am aware that it wouldn't look as professional. If the idea of using wire ever happened then It would communicate with students as a target audience as it's modern and unusual which also relate it to being an art college as it would be a creative decision choice.
Following from this idea I then came up with an idea of protection, where the type and way finding would be projected on to a wall, this would work well when it comes to brightness and awareness and would be bold enough to see. Also you can also move the projection around incase there was a showcase that you'd prefer to put in its place, and you can also change the projection to different images and could even be a running video. However I thought that this was a good idea I soon realised the expenses of this idea as it would mean you would need a sufficient amount of projectors to create this idea, another problem is that you'd have to find a power sauce to plug the projector in to and could be a danger if it was a cable on the floor as someone could fall another negative is that I'd be unsure how you would plug it into a computer or digital gadget to get the design off. Although I enjoy this idea, it would not be suitable for my way finding system.
Another Idea I had was to create velcro posters, which you can take certain parts of the posters off so you can change the signage if it needs to be. This would also link to the college being a creative college as it something unusual and has't been seen before. However a negative is that I'm unsure how attractive that It will look and it might look, immature to be in a university or college and it's expenses could be costly so would be a risky choice. Although if this idea was carried out it would be stock on to the wall and not hung as it would need a hard surface to work.
One other idea that I came up was to have a series of banners around the college which were large scale and that could go on the floor and ceiling that could direct you in the direction that you would need to go in. This idea would be a creative design decision as it hasn't been seen and I haven't found way finding like it so it would be unique to the college. However I feel that with banners it could over complicate the directions and would confuse new people and visitors in where they should go as they would have to constantly have to look up at the ceiling or the floor and this is also a danger hazard as you could walk into someone and cause injury.
I also had an idea where I manipulated the shape of the college's logo and use the shape for signage and to put text in it, this idea would be simple but be sophisticated. Although I liked this Idea, I wanted to create something more energetic and exiting to look at I felt that many way finding has already been manipulated like this idea and thought I could be more creative in my choices.
From my previous ideas I then began to create some of them digitally
This is the a basic modernised look of the original way finding system, although I did not find the original design exiting I found the use of the layout of the text worked well so I kept that in mind whilst designing this idea. For this I changed the text to something slightly modern and more bold as I think that it would communicate with are target audience better. The use of the fluorescent yellow in the background in contrast with the text works well because the dark colour stands out from the background and the choice of the font 'Bebas Neue' influences this idea. The choice of the fluorescent colour was a choice which I discovered in my research when I found that many museums and colleges/university used bright colours to make there way finding visually attractive, however I didn't see any of them use fluorescent colours and because of this I decided it would be a healthy choice to create this idea as it hasn't been seen before. In terms of the text I kept the idea of highlighting the specific area of what floor you are on as it's a simple way of helping a visitor or new person and it is easy to understand. I created two different versions of this idea one with a border and one without I did this because I wanted to understand the different impacts they had. Doing this made me feel that the one with the black border squished the text in and gave an un-comfortable feeling, because of this I decided that the design with out the border worked better as it felt easier to read and less squished. If these designs were produced they would be hung from the ceiling using wire at a thin banner width and long banner height, this would add creativity and visual appealing way finding.
What i found when i was doing my primary research is that all the way finding was the same wording as was just highlighting different floors which I liked as it kept it simple and consistent which what I wanted. Creating this idea below, inspired by a research piece I found, I tried to make the design more basic and simple by doing this i choose to use a postal colour which is used often in way finding however I feel that it lacks excitement. I then used a Helvetica font as it's simple modern and clear to read which I think works well for the body text, I also used the colour black as it stands out on lighter colours in the background. I then highlighted the floor in white as I experimented with other colours but white was the only colour that looked right, however I feel that the colour is difficult to look at in is hard to read when the background is lighter. This design doesn't communicate as well to the target audience as the previous experimentation due to the colour choice and blandness of the design, although the type looks modern, the main use of colour lacks attractiveness.
From learning my previous design I then began to create a similar idea using the font 'Bebas Neu' to modernise this idea and kept its black and white to keep it simple. But I manipulated the arrows to make them slightly different to you usual arrow you would see as I thought it would be visually different. However I thought that this design desperately needed colour added to it as it boring to look at and not vibrant enough to notice. This would be striker or poster placed on the wall.
Above these experiments there was some sketches of these ideas, where I wanted to experiment with manipulating the college logo but subtly. I did this by turning a square on it's side which creates a similar shape. I then used Helvetic and Bebas Neu text and arrows to see which type would look best, as they are both modern types due to them being a sans serif fonts. I then added fluorescent colours in the background to brighten the designs up which make them visually more attractive, however the white text is illegal and difficult to see on the bright fluorescent colours and therefore does not work. Overall I feel that I want to create a waifing system that is completely unique and i feel that these types of design have been created before and want to create something completely different.
Below is another experiment which You have seen from above apart from it now has triple amount go fluorescent colours and uses a sans serif type face which is modern. However i feel that this amount of colour when printed will look over the top and the background will make it difficult to be bale to read the text, and because of this would be unsuitable for a way findng idea.
These Images above are of the fluorescent colours that I would like to use when it comes to printing ideas, however computers do not show fluorescent colours as Im aware therefore till not show my designs for what why would really look like and makes this brief difficult to consider however will work then printed and will be easier to see.
Below are some more redesigns of the design above where i have simplified the colours and removed the border. Immediately this design looks more visually pleasing with the border no longer as it doesn't look as contested. The one colour system used also help impact this as it's legal to see the text and will be when it's printed out. These mini posters communicate well to my target audience because of it's vibrant colour and it's sans serif font used. This design will most likely be apart of my final designs, used as either a hanging poster or wall mounted poster printed on fluorescent card.
This is a wall design which I came up with, this would be a vinyl cut out which would be placed in the section where the subject took place. The font used for this design Is Helvetic in lowercase as I was unsure how bold fluorescent colours would work on a large scale and didn't know if it would be to harsh on the eye, however I think this could idea could work. This idea works well with my target audience as it's bold, visually easy to see and is also very simplistic which will make it easier for new people and visitors to find there way round. I did try to place this design on one of my own primary photos however my images were focused badly and would not have been suitable.
This is the same ideas as the above development however instead of lowercase Helvetica it use's uppercase, as I said previously I wanted to experiment with larger and smaller text to see the different impacts that it gives, i think that this works well however I'm unsure how it will be to look at a fluorescent colour in such a big amount of text. These past few ideas are apart of my final design and I personally think that they would work well as a final outcome.
These last to wall designs are my final choice for the wall type as I feel this type is compact enough to not over power your eye when staring at the fluorescent colours but are bold enough and big enough to be seen clearly and from a distance.
As I've said I've had real difficulty trying to mockup my final ideas due to my poor primary imagery so I tried to find mockups and I couldn't find them in the right size, this is a cut version of the long banner/poster design that will be hung from the roof however they will be on fluorescent card and in my final printed versions I will show printed mini versions of what they will look like, to make ti easier.
This is an idea developed from my sketches however I couldn't find a correct image to use this idea on. This is the idea of doors with windows with a vinyl sticker on it to let you know what floor you are on, this idea would work well as it would be simple and easy to understad from a students and visitors point of view.
This is another similar idea apart from the number floor it is has been printed on the wall this is to be shown when you are entering from the stairs to let you know what floor you are on, which would also be a helpful way finding system.
This is the paper that I have purchased to print my designs on, there was a limited amount of colours so the two colours that I could get were yellow and an orange/pink colour which should still work well. Using this paper will make the college less dull and make it more vibrant and attractive and link to the college being a creative college.
These are also the clips that will be used to clip the posters to the wire, the chosen clip is sliver as I feel silver is a colour that goes with quite a lot of different colours and I also believe that they look more modern then gold.
Overal I am happy with my ideas, as I think that they are unique and different and havent been seen before in other way finding. Due to the idea of the fluorescent colour's I believe this will work better tenth previous way finding system at leeds college art as it's a big colour change and i think the previous design lacked artistic flare. I think my designs communicate better to students,new people and visitors as there clear, simple, and attractive make it easy for them to find there way round the college. I've found difficulties creating this idea due to the use of the fluorescent colour being used and how it doesn't show on the computer which makes it difficult to visualise the final out come in others minds, however I'm confident when it;s printed that it will be worth the work. I also found it difficult due to my lack of quality primary imagery and photoshop skills which I will work on from now on as it will be helpful for future mockups. If I were to do this design again I would begin the project earlier so I would have more time to create a wider variety of experiments, and better quality out comes. Overall I am happy with my final idea and will learn from the mistakes i've made in this assignment and won't make them again.
During the design process we had ann interim critique which I was not there for as I was away, however because of this I organised my own private crit at my flat and these were the following comments: good idea, experiment with type and the boldness, good unique idea, connects to your target audience well, be careful of the vibrance. Overall I am happy with these comments as most of them are positives and have took them into consideration by the impact of the type of typeface I will use.
Final printed outcomes:
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