Submitting for Creative Conscience 2022
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Submitting for Creative Conscience 2022
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Final Major Project: Final Submission
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Art31 BounceBack
Explore Southeast
Final Major Project Evaluation: Personal Working Practices
How was my time keeping?
My time keeping could have been better for these projects. The Art31 brief was prioritised in the time it was set, as required for its shorter time allocated for completion, but ideally I could have used more of the time it was set for to work towards it, possibly expanding the outcomes to show more versatility of the concept and adjust design choices more. The app project was completed over a far longer period of time, during which other obligations including the Art31 project, and essay tasks, slowed progress on the app project to a halt. If I had used more time to keep this going, I could have arrived at the part of producing outcomes sooner and spent more time researching. There was somewhat of a rush towards the end where time-keeping struggled, so I need to make sure I improve this and don’t let projects slip out of focus in the future.
How was my analysis of the brief?
For Art31 I carefully studied the brief and followed up what it said in initial research, such as looking at who uses Art31 and what their previous work looks like. This was an essential starting point for the work, to establish the message and who the design needed to appeal to. For the app project, I spent time carefully crafting the proposal which became the brief myself. Doing things this way granted me an understanding of the brief clearer than most other projects might be, and I aimed to address the message and audience I set out myself.
How was my research?
I spent time needed on research for both of these, though research was far more brief for Art31. The brief of that project outlined the audience, message and deliverables quite clearly so there was less to establish myself in that regard. I found visual inspiration to think towards the kinds of design that would be appropriate, as well as looking at certain formats that were set out as options. Research for the app project started in the same place as the essay’s focus of ethical branding, and from this was able to move on to the focus of apps for walking to analyse and take inspiration from. Time spent on research was essential for developing designs.
How did I draw conclusions from my research?
Taking in different sources of inspiration for research, a consensus would build up on what appears to be appropriate for the message of the pieces. For Art31, seeing what design was popular as visual results for key words associated would lead me to conclusions about which colour and style choices will best speak to the audience – a very important knowledge to build up for my approach the design. Observing previous Art31 designs’ use of pink in my research made it clear this should come into the concept somewhere. My more expansive research for the app project saw me look at designs for many different apps and tourism services, to see what inspires and what the design generally needs to compete against. Another point of research was looking directly at the opinions of people that may be a part of my target audience in forums to draw conclusions about what features the audience need to see promoted from such an app.
How did I use research to generate and develop ideas?
The general direction of my ideation for Art31 was sparked by research. In my research I identified that a sense of making progress, of being bold, of optimism, and the colour pink among other things were important. From this research I made sure that my ideas met these aspects in some way, using arrows and arcs of bounce in different ways to capture a look that research showed to be appropriate. For the app branding, there was more research and so a larger basis for ideation and development. I research the southeast region visually to gain an understanding of what the most recognisable and appealing features are, and with this knowledge I generated and developed ideas that used these features in the southeast that came up in research. I would then research existing apps and colour palette options to improve my first concepts, and further on paid attention to relevant app design to guide my Adobe XD approach. I would always take visual inspiration from relevant places before designing.
How did I use evaluations to help with my ideas generation and development?
Evaluations were used in certain parts of the projects. It was important to pause design work to identify which choices are working well and which may be a hinderance to sending the message. When developing my ideas, I evaluated each option before deciding on the most effective way to proceed. This was done in my many different options for the Art31 identity, and for my options in the icon for the app. The critical eye on the work identified ways that ideas could be mis-read, like how ideas that I initially favoured could be identified as going too far to resemble a general GPS app.
How did I use experimentation during the project? How can I make this more effective?
I did not effectively utilise experimentation to meet the Art31 brief for the most part, aside from trying out a broad range of colour choices before committing to a direction, and bringing in the medium of animation further on as something that was not directly requested in the brief, but which turned out to enhance the design. Experimentation for the main app project in one part was regular visits to places in the target southeast region myself, and taking a lot of photographs – most of which never found a place in the actual design outcomes. This experience of inserting myself into the audience for the app and appreciating the region and the experience myself seemed to put myself in a better place to design the app around the experience of walking – for example at one destination it was difficult to navigate due to tree coverage over paths on Google Maps, making getting lost a real possibility and finding the best spots near-impossible, and so from this I made sure one of the features was aiding navigation for such destinations.
In what ways did I show that I had achieved the Learning Outcomes? How can I improve this next time?
“Developed their awareness of the needs and requirements of professional practice, manifested in the ability to produce practical work of good technical quality.”: I took inspiration from professionally successful industry pieces and have resulting designs which respect professional practice. My designs have mock-ups to demonstrate their format and ergonomic considerations of where the audience would see and interact with them.
“Developed intellectual and conceptual involvement with their chosen subject area, including skills of project proposal, documentation of project development and the presentation of outcomes.“: I chose a subject area first based on adding to my portfolio with a more successful set of branding outcomes, and also to make effective use of my means of photography. The proposal for the app sets out a realistic message and intended action, understanding the appeal of exploring the southeast leading people to an app which directly helps with this, delivering this to an audience I understood as vague and went on to use personas to establish. I documented my development with presentations and critical blog posts which came at times to pursue a certain design direction upon ideation. My sources of inspiration for my development were made clear. The resulting outcomes were presented as needed in the portfolio.
What parts of the project did I enjoy most? Why was this the case?
For the Art31 work, the later parts of development where my foundation of research and ideation brought me to a working concept, where I was applying a set vision to different pieces of design, was enjoyable to see how a wordmark of 3 colours could strongly guide the direction of the rest of the parts. The final improvements to the Art31 work based on feedback – adding an image to the poster and using animation for the card – were surprisingly enjoyable additions as I was in the position of understanding why these changes were certainly worth making and wanted to put forward the best versions of the concept.
Exploring the southeast taking photos was certainly the most enjoyable event related to the app project, but in terms of designing I found making screens for the app on Adobe XD quite rewarding, since I had features only listed on paper for the app and did not expect to be able to visualise them to the point they could be used in promotion, so efficiently. The fact I was using photos I took myself and had experiences in my mind linked to, raised later parts of this project up for enjoyment.
What parts of the project did I enjoy least? Why was this the case?
Earlier parts of the project where the direction and objective remain unclear would again provide less enjoyment than later parts, since initiating such a large project takes careful consideration that will go through unappealing ideas before landing on the best approaches. Stepping back from making progress with designing may have brought down enjoyment, but these parts were ultimately essential to keep going in an appropriate direction, so these areas of less enjoyment did not become a problem in any way. Struggling to balance different projects at times that brought on some procrastination are the areas that I certainly need to look towards avoiding.
At what times did I work best? Why might this be the case? How can I ensure that I work well at al times?
I worked best when I had other projects and obligations at a satisfactory point where my focus could be on designing towards the final major project. The best process was when my designing progress would take pauses to post in the blog evaluating the point I was at, taking in further relevant inspiration and refining my direction. There were times where my development went some time without taking the time to stop and think critically, and this was down to time management. To work better at all times, I need to account for all of my different obligations more and leave time not just to make the designs (even from a place of confidence upon research), but to make the designs with time to stop and reflect more.
What areas inspired me? Why was this the case? How could I follow these up?
For Art31 I found inspiration in the first visual research of the most bright and bold design work. I would like to apply to a project in the future, a design identity which breaks past the more mild and welcoming focus to making a stronger impact, such as the brightly coloured designs prompted by BounceBack. Later in the project getting to use animation briefly made me wish to improve my abilities with this skill, which there may be potential for in a design.
In terms of design for the app branding, I was inspired by the success in using InDesign to consider potential of revisiting this software in the future for a more extensive app design that may include using the function of buttons for some kind of working prototype – if this ever becomes relevant to a design brief.
What areas were challenging or difficult? Why was this the case? How can I go about developing and improving the parts I found difficult? Do I need to develop certain skills? Do I need these now? Or later?
Aside from challenges of balancing different tasks and managing time, selecting the best colours came up as a challenge that required carefully thinking through for both the Art31 work and the app branding. My approach to colour may have been too simplistic and not properly thinking about what colours work together – just thinking about a theme and the most obvious colour choice and combining those colours was not a good way of making a palette, so I found the importance of forming a well-balanced palette something important to grasp, developing my skills during the project by taking sources of inspiration I hadn’t initially considered focusing on colour choices.
The app branding icon needed simple illustrated elements to bring out the southeast, which was a challenge with my limited illustration abilities. I looked at clipart for inspiration of making simple forms, and whilst there was some success to bring the look of the logo to a satisfactory point, the skill of illustration might be an ongoing thing I should look to improving. This is not to the point where I want to be producing full-scale illustration outcomes, but as an important basic skill for the versatile designer to implement where certain briefs will call for it.
Final Major Project Evaluation: Good Design?
In what ways did you consider Designing Backwards or application of Systems Thinking to your project?
I did not properly apply designing backwards and systems thinking through these projects. I can identify how design materials I produce are not likely to quickly become waste – the print outcomes I produced have been posters, which would require quite extensive large printing to the detriment of the environment – but would be intended to last in their place. Some design outcomes that need far larger scall printing to hand out to people, such as a flyer, would likely create more waste as it can be relied on that many people who recieve the flyer would very quickly add it to their general waste and not be recipient to the call to action on it – so producing a poster to last longer was a good approach looking to the future of the outcomes. Other pieces would certainly require internet access to use, which certainly uses a lot of energy to sustain itself, which can mean more polluting energy sources which contribute to climate change and impact certain parts of the world in particularly devastating ways, like how rising sea levels make places of low elevation and low financial means for flood defences, suffer serious water damage. This is why it is important keep aware of and limit contribution to this. I avoided some of the worst choices such as creating highly disposable pieces but this could have guided the projects more from the beginning.
In what other ways have you considered the sustainability of your project process and outcomes?
I did not evaluate my process against sustainability throughout the project, though I can identify factors to understanding the sustainability of my project process and outcomes at this point. As a small part in process that would be relied on – large scale printing, hosting apps, putting events together, my control over the lack of sustainability (in energy sourcing and waste not being in my control), is not an ideal position. Looking towards the actual message of the project outcomes, I can see potential good towards sustainability. Art31 empowers young creative people to use their voice and impact the world, and it is the young generation that has the most potential to influence the world in the future, and they have high general awareness of green issues which means when they have the improved support to express their own messages, they will be more likely to start to spread the message towards sustainability. The exploring app is about getting people to appreciate their surroundings, and get the most out of a location that is either very local, or at least more local than taking a flight to a destination out of the country. Making the southeast a more appealing choice of destination for a UK-based audience would mean tourism that is at least more sustainable than international tourism for the most part.
In what ways have you considered the ethical implications of your project process and outcomes?
Through the project, I did have some ethical considerations in my design choices. For Art31 I considered inclusivity, which is ethically motivated. There was a responsibility not to make anyone in the audience feel excluded, for anything about themselves. If I had used photography I would have been looking to diverse representation, but what I did consider was an overall look that seems inviting, particularly to those who may need encouragement and not for the event to appear too harsh or advanced. For app branding I considered how diverse the audience may be, and tried to keep things very visual in the apps so as not to exclude people who some issues with reading large blocks of wording at the most public-facing parts of design, particularly making sure text was not too small.
In sustainability and ethical terms in what ways was your work in this project an improvement or a backward step for you as a socially conscious designer?
I would consider this project a marginal step forward for me as a socially conscious designer. There wasn’t a major focus on social consciousness for these outcomes, but I recognise the importance of the Art31 event for people using their creative voices, and I recognise the benefit of keeping people appreciating more local surroundings which may mean less environmental harm. I made a point to avoid the most disposable design outcomes of a flyer, which is an environmental consideration I can carry forward and think along these lines going forward.
What targets can you make at this point for your work in the future as a socially conscious designer?
- Find opportunities to more directly impact society where projects are self-initiated – the app provided some but it was limited in this regard.
- Implement designing backwards thinking into the planning stages of my work consistently.
- Expand my knowledge of sustainable and ethical good practice in design to enable myself to approach this work from a more positive perspective.
Final Major Project Evaluation: Visual Communication
In what ways does the visual communication/message of the piece meet the needs of the brief?
The Art31 work needed to convey the positive energy of young creatives in the performance and visual arts, for an upcoming event named BounceBack. My visual communication choices started with the logo formed in part of a green text conveying strength and growth, and in part of pink text conveying bold creativity, and bringing these together to form the message of being resilient and creative. I use arrow and line motifs prominently, in the logo for a representation of the arc of a bounce, and in the rest of the design to appear loose and made up of many different parts, with an abstract resemblance to fireworks in mind for a recognisable symbol of celebration.
The App Branding work had a set out brief needing to promote the appeal of walking in the southeast, specifically when guided by the new app (which I named Explore Southeast). It was necessary to make all features clear, which I have in the screens I produced for the app and the way the promotional materials use these screens and provide captions outlining the app’s features which directly help people to have the best experience walking in the southeast. I prominently use photos at locations in the southeast which offer a visually pleasing walking route, at a variety of different locations between coastal, woodland and countryside destinations. The logo and design identity was put together with the message in-mind, using colours linked to elements in the landscape (light tones of chalk cliffs, green of forest areas).
What are the strengths of the visual communication? Why?
The Art31 work has an animated element for the arc of the bounce which I worked into the logo. I find this element for the video submission intro slide helps to elevate it to the point that brings out the idea of movement, being dynamic and creative. It helps that this plays into the logo itself so that it can be worked into part of the identity and not a one-off separate element.
The App Branding work benefits a lot from the extensive photos I have taken, as they have been applied to carry the design outcomes, such a photo can form a visually interesting complex which does a lot to communicate the appeal of being in the Southeast, in an authentic location that the app would be designed to navigate the user towards. Having a well-constructed identity which is specified in the style guide made going on to the other design outcomes I have a structure that I will know not to deviate from, which helps the identity to be consistent, which is important as the aim is to lead the audience to using the app.
What are the weaknesses of the visual communication? Why?
I observed my peers’ submissions to the Art31 work and I do find ways in which the effectiveness of my visual communication is limited. My colour choice with the warm light yellow tone does help the green and pink of the logo stand out (though the pink and green don’t stand out well against each other, which is also not ideal upon reflection always needing the light background tone for placement), but the result is that much of the design pieces are taken up by this tone which isn’t best suited to Art31’s youthful, bold, unapologetic identity that typically features pink and darker tones more heavily. I wanted to be inclusive of people at different levels of experience and in different arts so I was lead towards bringing in warmth, but I should likely have prioritised sticking to what the most actively involved youth participants tend to gravitate towards in the more punchy, almost avant-garde at the cutting edge of young creativity, design. My range was also somewhat limited when I consider how some of my peers brought in a larger range, with illustrative and photographic elements on more design outcomes. I met the brief’s need for 2 situations but I could have showed the potential for my concept more if I had taken things further.
The App Branding work has its identity focus on being in with the surroundings, taking colours from features in the landscape to form a scene. When pairing these tones with photographs, the resulting designs somewhat struggle to stand out and make a really strong impact that could be read from far away and demand attention. My approach to counteract limitations in boldness, as well as having light tones in the colour palette that contrast well with darker tones in the colour palette, to allow photos with appealing and relevant subjects (southeast landscape) to stand out and allow the audience to see the appeal of the locations, which would perhaps be more effective than using bold colour choices that don’t reveal the appeal of exploring the southeast other than with wording.
In what ways could the piece be mis-read or mis-understood by the audience? Be specific about who the audience is.
The audience for Art31 was specified as, primarily, young creatives between the ages 13-25. This is a diverse range of people in Kent with varying levels of experience in the creative and performing arts they pursue. I considered the risks of mis-reading throughout, which lead me to the design which doesn’t signify the arts in a very direct way beyond the literal wording. I didn’t want to lean to heavily into a certain type of art, particularly looking to avoid the risk of appearing to be relevant only to those involved in fine art. This came back to the concern not to exclude anyone in the potential audience. Upon reflection, the direction I took it does leave some mis-reading potential in a different way. I do have an image of a performer in the poster, but it is quite abstracted. I might not have communicated the arts and relevant themes of creativity enough to grab the audience as strongly as would be ideal, perhaps leaning more into imagery of dynamic performers balanced with tools associated with fine art included. More imagery of the arts, as well as a colour palette with more of an edge to it might draw in the audience so that it is not mis-read as simply not relevant or not appealing to them – a potential risk in my design that I ultimately don’t find too troubling given the strengths in visual communication I have mentioned.
The audience for the App would be a wide range of people in the UK, since it is an activity that should appeal to people of all different ages and backgrounds and it is important not to exclude people by aiming too specifically. The app should appeal to those who already have an interest in walking, in getting out and appreciating natural surroundings, and perhaps in photographing these surroundings. My identity uses colours based on photos in the southeast of England, which is seen prominently in the designs I have produced and where relevant in the app. With the name “Explore Southeast” going with these landscapes – some of which are particularly recognisable such as the seven sisters chalk cliffs in Sussex – it seems there is little room for the app to be mis-read. It is all about servicing scenic walks in the southeast with features plan routes, find destinations, find the most appealing spots, and share experiences with posting photos, commenting and leaving reviews. The only aspect to this which might not seem to be directly linked to images of natural places for a walk, is the connecting side of the app about sharing experiences with others. I use the heart shape to bring in this human aspect, but perhaps going further with this such as exploring different ways I could have included the figure of a person, could have taken things into a direction which brings this in more.
In what practical ways could the piece be developed or improved?
The Art31 concept would need to be applied to a wider range of materials to show its versatility. Perhaps in doing this, refinement of the core identity it could benefit from would become more apparent, such as adjusting the green to stand out more against the pink. Adding more visual elements to the designs would also be essential, which would come with applying to different forms which the brief listed as options. These visual elements would come in to more directly link this to the arts, and increase the feeling of excitement and creativity needed. I considered the colour choice quite extensively, but I would look once again to adjusting this, looking to more bold choices to support the identity.
There are also a lot more different types of design that the identity for promoting the app could be applied to. Creating different social media sized pieces or a landscape poster/billboard may be a next step towards showing versatility of this identity. Creating more screens for the app may open up more promotion aspects too, such as creating a screen which shows a user profile, or a review, more extensive categories. The brief does not call for a functioning app, but the Adobe XD software does allow for this, and having an app which functions to some extent may improve my understanding of what using the app is like to use, thereby potentially promoting it more effectively. I would also like to explore more locations that may be useful for promoting the range of locations in the southeast, particularly looking to Surrey and Kent (ideally), looking places like quant villages and rolling hills since my body of photography could benefit from that to use for the app promotion.
Final Major Project: Slideshow Summary
FMP Branding: Social Posts
As an extra means of promotion, I used the Instagram format which I became familiar with in working towards the Creative Conscience brief, to inspire a few images which promote the app with the logo and a caption over a photo I took in the southeast to the side of a relevant screen of the app. The concept is similar to a poster but a smaller size that shows the message can be spread online, not just through conventional print design.
This first social post version carries out a niche exploration appeal I had considered from the outset, comparing a photo submitted by someone else on the app to the person seeing it for themselves, in a different environment. This is the only location I could provide the photos for as I visited it twice – two different times of year. The concept for this composition is the person has been directed to this exact view from the app. Having the photos line up in this way helps the views to be understood as the same place.
I use the smaller wordmark logo for the tight space left in the bottom-right of the image as the caption sits in the sky. The middle finger of the mock-up looks like it is pointing towards the logo which is helpful to keep attention towards this specific service. I added a subtle dark gradient to the bottom of the background photo to help the logo stand out also. Mixing the colour palette into the caption is another touch to keep it slightly playful and the identity present.
I keep the format the same with consistency in mind for the promotion of this service – the logo in the corner unmoved and the screen displayed in the same place. The caption is also in the same place (by necessity in this tight size) which meant finding another photo which could provide a relatively clean background for the caption and the logo. The caption shows the planning screenshot and shows a photo taken at the place in the screen, Abbot’s Wood, with the idea being that the user is about to go on a walk which they have planned out in the app.
This final social square also follows the same format with how each element is placed. I swapped around the green and pale colours in the caption emphasis because the lower part of the sky is slightly darker and I remained conscious of readability. This concept uses the highly recognisable Seven Sisters chalk cliffs, which I might have used more prominently in my work if the weather forecast was clearer and I was closer, to make it appear more inviting. Still the natural feature stands out, and ties conveniently into the concept for this one. Cuckmere Haven is quite a short walk from where the background photo was taken just to the east of Seaford, so the concept is that the person is using the app as a guide and heading towards Cuckmere Haven as their next destination. There may be a double meaning here also as the audience – particularly not knowing where Cuckmere Haven is – may take this as meaning they are heading towards the cliffs, which would also make sense and be valid interpretation that could still bring attention to the navigation uses of the app.
I applied one of the images to an Instagram feed to show its use, where the audience would be exposed to it and be encouraged to take the action of downloading the app upon seeing. I added the logo icon to the profile picture area and added a brief caption that would make sense, but I didn’t go as far as changing the profiles of other users as this would be irrelevant. The image fits in this context as intended.
FMP Branding: Poster
To meet the requirement for promotional materials for the app, I looked to making a poster for the app with simple, concise information about the app and a view of some of the app screens.
I looked to posters which serve to promote an app for inspiration. Information appears adjacent to the image of the app to keep them linked. The poster seems to offer professional look with the subtle touches of shadows, reflection in the phone and screen surfaces that give depth and seem very clean. It seems to want to impart confidence in the audience to rely on this service which deals with valuable items. The poster breaks up the area with the divide between the white background and the darker colour tone, and use a slightly blurred photo in the background which can be identified as a car but does not prevent text set over it from being read.
I created the poster above to promote the app with Cuckmere Haven as the focus since the screen which features it is there, and I have photos that I can use to showcase it as an example of a location to be explored on-foot in the southeast. In a similar placement to the App Store promotional screens, I found placing a photo in the lower portion of the poster helps to create a landscape, which is beneficial to start to bring the audience into the environment and see the potential for them to appreciate these surroundings.
I used the screen with Cuckmere Haven over the top of the screen of the list which precedes it, that the location was selected from, to help to back up the idea that there are different options and the service does not exist solely for this one destination. I wanted to highlight the appeal of seeing different picturesque sights by placing some further photos around the app, so I have used 3 extra photos that are linked to the same destination whilst showing some variety. I made an effort to draw the eye up towards the app screens in how I placed the smaller photos in a way that leads up to them with increasing size and arrangement bringing them forward to the foremost screens. I black outer glows which I removed most of on each of these photos and screens, to leave a darker glow where one element covers another. This was done to add depth, thinking for example about how a tunnel might be illustrated by adding a fading dark glow to each end of it to show it blocking the light source. It is needed to make the depth obvious in my effort to guide the eye to find the foremost element, the app screen. As one of the largest visuals on the poster near the centre of it, it should be primed for the audience’s attention.
I used the icon heart shape as bullet points for the key features which sit adjacent to the “screenshot”. This keeps the colour identity present and offers a symbol people associate with a warm, human touch. The points are very brief so as not to make the text too bothersome for an audience to read, and they get to the main features as needed. Adding “DOWNLOAD APP” prominently was needed as a call to action which brings out the obvious but important thing as quickly as possible – that this is an app. I used the dark grey tone of the official Google Play and App Store buttons for that text to sit most clearly against that background.
The photo at the bottom of the poster fading out as it stretches by the app screens has an added touch of the orange colour to subtly counteract the colder blue tones in a small way which had to take up much of the top portion of the poster. I added a separate photo, this time of the interesting sky on my visit to Cuckmere Haven, to break up what was a fairly dull block colouration for the background of the logo. I was careful not to let this harm the clarity of the logo with limited opacity of this. I made the caption, “Your Guide For The Best Local Walk” to mark out this poster as something to be displayed in the target area of the southeast, to put the service of the app into the mix on the first glance. The app is the guide so it ties in to the call to action that the (imagined) client wants to see happen.
Luke Whatley Design WestKent PART 2 