24 HOUR PROJECT

15/11/18: 

10:30am

I felt excited but nervous when arriving at CSM today. Being put into the Graphic Design pathway has given me a lot more confidence in my design abilities. This morning we were introduced to the brief Imagined States, and given a presentation of various flags and an insight into their heritage. I found this presentation to be really inspiring as each flag had a similar appearance - most were rectangular and landscape - and each had a recognisable symbol.

11:30am

After the presentation we got into groups of three. I personally wanted to work with people I hadn't worked with before, as I wanted to see whether this could adversely affect our work - as we didn't know each others way of working. Joshua, George and I decided to work together to create our Imagined State.

We began by answering the questions that Will gave us. The questions we were given reminded me of the Interact project I did with Amelia in Part One. To summarise our discussion, we all agreed and had a lot of values that we shared. We all enjoyed being outside with nature and travelling - however, a recurring theme that we all agreed on involved environmental issues, such as global warming. We wanted our Imagined State to take these environmental issues and make the world a better place. As a group, we decided on four rules/laws that should be followed in our state, these were;

• nourishment
• conservation 
• subsistence living
• ethical

From there, we began thinking about the design of the flag. Due to our laws, we wanted to use organic materials such as leaves and twigs. We found that if we used these materials we could express the real issue surrounding global warming and the environment. Originally, we wanted to construct the flag from just twigs and leaves alone, but. after designing the flag this way, we realised that it would be too ambitious for this 12 hour time frame. 

We then decided that we could buy some fabric that had an earthy colour to it and was stable enough to hold twigs and leaves (canvas). We went out to find some organic materials in nearby parks before returning to college at 6 o'clock.

06:00pm 12 Hours Begin

Arriving this evening, I felt prepared for the night ahead. After a talk with ....., Tim and Lucy made us all create three circles around the centre of the room. There were 3 set of rules - the first rule was to do whatever Tim told us to do (i.e. jump in, out, left or right). This was seemingly easy to do. The second rule was slightly trickier, we had to do the opposite of everything that Lucy said (i.e. jump in (out), out (in), left (right) or right (left)). This confused some people, making the chains there were formed look uneven and scattered. The final rule proved to be the most challenging, Tim would give us an order, and we would have to repeat what he said - but instead of going in that direction we would have to go in the opposite (i.e. jump in *in* (out), out *out* (in), left *left*(right), right *right*(left)). I think the point of this task was to see how well we could cooperate with one another, as well as keeping us awake. 

We later went back to our classes had had a further two presentations on our rituals and flags around the world (research page). Before creating our designs we began by visualising our four laws. Starting with nourishment, we thought about; the nutritional value of food and how that nourishes living things, the symbol of hands offering something (help? food? love?), nourishing someone back to health, necessities (i.e. water, sunlight). Next we decided to visualise the word conservation. This reminded us more of global warming, and how we should conserve forests - we depicted a shield as a symbol of protection. We also thought about balance, and how a balancing scale could be a symbol of a healthy conserved world? 

07:30pm 

After looking at all of our materials and visualisations, we began designing our flag. We thought it would be interesting if we all did a few designs separately before sharing any ideas. I think doing that was clever, because we all managed to come up with very different elements and ideas. We looked at one another's designs and spoke about the elements we thought worked and didn't work. This was sort of like a self-constructed mini crit, we gave each other feedback and constructive criticism as to achieve an impressive outcome. After understanding each others ideas and thought processes we decided to take elements from each of our designs and merged them into one. 

09:30pm: DINNER 

We were able to unload and relax for a while before finishing our designs, I thought that this would be a really good time to reflect on what we had done so far in the project. it was interesting to be put on a table in our groups and talk about our projects with groups from another pathway. I spoke to a group that were in the Photography and Moving Image pathway, and they explained their concept of 'bleeding objects.' 

I am really enjoying this project so far as it is a completely different way of working, I feel as thought this experience is challenging us to try something new and out of the ordinary. I think the point is to find ways of releasing dopamine, which usually comes from novelty and surprise. I think that generally stimulates new inspiration and gives us a new idea for motivation and thats what this project is all about. Not only has this project been useful int he sense of finding new ways of working, but I also feel that having been locked in a building with a group of people for 12 hours, forces you to get to know one another - and almost acts as a character building exercise. We all have to work together, and collaborate our ideas collectively in order to create a finished piece.

10:55pm: Lecture

At this point I had already begun to feel tired but knew that once I began working again I could be able to focus and the adrenaline would kick in. We had a really talk from one of the tutors from CSM BA Graphic Design - Paul Finn

He started off by stating: the pen is the revolution & the paper is the opportunity

In groups of seven, we were asked to create a mind map on a revolution in the 21st century. We were encouraged to think about politics, social media, the environment and many more. Luckily, the group that I was out in were also interested in global warming and environmental issues. It was interesting working with so many different pathways as we all had ideas that alone wouldn't have thought of in our pathway groups - such as virtual fashion

A list of our thoughts on what a 21st century revolution could include: 

11:11pm

We had to come up with a statement that summarises all of our points. We decided to focus on the World as a whole and the environmental and social issues that might occur in the future. Our final statement was: 

MASS DESTRUCTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHAOS WILL LEAD TO A HUMANITARIAN CRISIS

11:25pm Lecture

Fraser Muggeridge gave the next presentation (research page) He believes that individuality has been lost- everything looks the same and its boring. He expressed is interest in letter forms and fonts, the idea that each letter has a history, emits an emotions/feeling. 

He mentioned going to Heathrow and their being two restaurants - one called The Curator and the other The Commission - with this research, he wanted to justify his argument that graphic design has entered the mainstream world. The world of a graphic designer is constructed based around vision. You train your eye to look at the bug picture and the detail, giving you a different insight on the world. 

Fraser spoke about how he brings quirks into his own work - which gives it a unique style (research page) I found his talk really interesting and I plan on researching more about his work tomorrow - once I've slept.

16/11/18:

12:00am WE'VE BROUGHT THE OUTSIDE IN

Joshua, George and I came back to the class at around 12am, ready to experiment with trial and error. We were still unsure as to how we would create our flag and how it would look- so we decided to discuss our ideas again whilst separating the leaves into collections. We separated the leaves based on colour, and then again based on size/shape. Once we had separated the leaves into their respective groups we still hadn't quite finalised our idea, but were certain we wanted to have the 'sun' and 'cross' as part of the final flag. Having agreed on those two aspects of the flag we began to use hot glue guns to stick the leaves to an already measured piece of card. This process was not as time consuming as the sewing and still produced a sleek look - sewing broke the leaves when piercing the needle through making it difficult to actually get them onto the page. 

02:30am 

The dopamine levels are high around the college, everyone is working hard and talking to one another. Once we cut the shapes for the 'sun' and 'cross', still unsure on what to do we decided to revert back to our visualisation drawings from earlier that evening. This was useful as we wanted to make sure we had the idea of 'protection' fully involved and obvious in our flag. The word protection/conservation reminded us of a shield and we wanted to incorporate this notion into the actual flag. We came up with different designs alone again, and decided that the most successful design was the four triangles one. 

04:00am: Completing the flag

Feeling fully awake now, we have decided to leave only one triangle with the plain canvas background. We were finding it difficult to know where to place certain things and how the colours would match up - questioning whether there was 'too much' of something. We finally decided that having one section plain with the cross in the centre of it would look best. Initially, we planned on having the health sign cross in the top left of the flag. We also knew from the start that we wanted the circle/sun in the middle - as we believed it is the centre of the universe, and vital to life on earth. As for the fourth, outer most section, we were unsure as to what to put inside it. We started off by thinking about creating a water droplet and placing it parallel to the cross - but making the leaves blue meant that they were artificial and in many ways rejected our laws. We finally decided that the fourth triangle should have the freshest leaves - much like that of the health sign. 

We thought about the orientation of the flag and tried it from both angles. We thought about using the conventional landscape format, but when turned portrait, the flag had a whole new meaning to it - we were all reminded on the Game Of Thrones War flags, and thought that having the flag portrait instead could symbolise that we as a state will go into battle to fight for environmental peace. 

Having finished the flag, we then finalised our ritual. Throughout the night we had gathered a range of ideas that we could do - and so decided on using the left over twigs to create a tree. 'The Tree' is almost like a spiritual or religious symbol for our state - the idea that you have to keep it alive or worship it. For our ritual, we plan on using the left over leaves and giving one to each person in the room. The idea is that they will sit around The Tree in a circle - almost like a spiritual sacrifice - and write what they will do to stop global warming on that leaf. Once they've written their pledge, they will place the leaf on a 'branch' of The Tree - almost like an oath.

05:00am

The night finished with our GD group coming into room 102 with our flags - almost like a precession - and a short discussion about the experience with Chris Roberts. 

06:00am 12 Hours Completed

I have really enjoyed this experience of working for 12 hours on one project. The collaborative approach it has gives such a different creative energy then what is usually there.

What's interesting about our project in particular, is the sense that due to the organic materials we have used, there is no guarantee that it will look the same next week - could this be down to global warming too? maybe if people see their national flag dying, they will try and do everything they can to save it? or could it be that this is an ever changing symbol - the idea that certain aspects will stay the same but as the seasons come and go the colours will change or new flowers/leaves may grow? 

We thought that the fact that the leaves will decay over time shows that it is pure. We are intrigued to see how the flag will look when the leaves have all died, and whats left is just a skeleton. 

I think the point of working in this intensive environment is to find ways of releasing dopamine, which usually comes from novelty and surprise. I think that generally stimulates new inspiration and gives us a new idea for motivation and thats what this project is all about. Not only has this project been useful in the sense of finding new ways of working, but I also feel that having worked in such a close proximity and  having been locked in a building with a group of people for 12 hours, forces you to get to know one another - and almost acts as a character building exercise. We all have to work together, and collaborate our ideas collectively in order to create a finished piece-  and I think that we have produced some really interesting ideas some that wouldn't have come from a normal day at college.

17/11/18: self directed study

Today I went over the work we had produced in the 12 hour period yesterday. Although some of my work was not technically very good, I think that in our group we managed to come up with some really interesting and good ideas. The final flag we created turned out really well and I personally think that we developed a thorough exploration of the concept. 

Looking at our final flag again, I am really pleased with what we created. I think the fact that we brought the outside in to this enclosed environment is interesting as we have almost stepped out the boundary of a conventional flag. 

I decided to use today to finalise our ideas and print off some images of the process we took in creating our final outcome. Tomorrow I plan on doing the weekend task to prepare for Monday's lesson.

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18/11/18: self directed study

Using my British  Passport and Driving License I decided that I would explore the words, images and numbers the are on them. 

Starting with my passport, I explored the imagery and text on the outside and inside of the booklet. The front page was simple, with the name of the country clearly labeled, a symbol in the middle, and the word PASSPORT at the bottom. I thought about my imagined state, and decided that this would be a simple, yet effective format fro my passport. I wanted to explore what the crest/symbol could be for this imagined state, and have created a set of drawings that resemble could it. Continuing with the theme of conserving and nourishing nature, I have produced imagery of plants. When looking at the ID in the passport, I started to wonder about the importance of the numbers. Have we been numbered since birth? 

I produced some collages and sketches on the next couple of pages. I masked my face in the ID photo with green pen, and included my 'number', overlapping a sketch of foliage. I wanted to explore the numbers further, and consider them to be the most important aspect of our passports. I also looked at the almost hidden number, embossed into the top right hand side of the passport. I really like how it is imprinted onto the page with no ink, and yet you can still see it (part one - white space project research - embossing). I also wanted to consider the importance of ID's, and from experience of being asked for an ID before,  I wanted to include that somehow. I photocopied the ID in my passport, and drew a green hand on top. I made the hand green almost to symbolise 'green fingers' - a concept often thought of when describing farmers. I included the words, 'let me see your ID please.' I found this sketch, although simple and quick, sends a really powerful message -  the idea that you are ID is part of life, and without it you are nothing, or can not do something. I then moved on to looking at the imagery within my passport, and noticed that there was a map-like background on every page. Interestingly, when drawing it out, it reminded me of the veins found it petals and leaves. I used masking tape to show the textures within the plants and how I picture the rough surface if the earth to feel. 

I decided to use my driving license as another ID source. I wanted to create a 'Conservation Licence' - maybe it is obtained by being kind to nature? The idea that just like a driving license, you have to pass a test to get it. I looked at aspects within the card that I could use and change into this new licence - such as, a photo, flag, national symbol? I thought about other cards and symbols that can relate to a culture/tribe and thought of Tarot cards (ECOtarot card research)

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19/11/18:

I was excited to continue this project on Monday, as I feel my team and I have come up with a great concept. Today we began by exploring the aspects of passports from around the world. I found this fascinating because all though I spoke to Joshua (who also had a British passport) we both had different views and ideas when approaching it. I think explaining your ideas to someone who has a similar mindset is really interesting because we both have similar yet conflicting ideas. 

Creating a passport for CSM was tricky. I suggested to my group that maybe we should take the KX building into consideration - the idea that it has an office like, plain simple aspect about it, but when inside the students create this creative energy, with their elaborate styles and personalities that make it come alive. The industrial like building is a complete contrast to the people inside the building. I thought that this would be an interesting approach to the ‘csm passport’. Our idea based around the front cover of the passport being simple and plain like the building in KX - Anny and Katy suggested we have a mirrored surfaced in the front- to represent the windows, and to mask the person looking into it we used Joshua and Guangyou’s research in csm, and use the ‘colon’ symbol for the university as an emblem. Katy thought that by having the colon as a matte black surface would contrast well with the mirror. Overall I think the design of the cover page works well. For the inside of the passport, we thought that we could make it a customisable feature, you can choose: the colour of the background and the information you wish to share. We thought that the ID photo for this could be much more related to graphics in particular  - by introducing a changing/holographic image of the person. The idea that when you view the page from different angles you can see different ways in which the person chooses to express themselves through the way they dress, they facial expressions and hair styles. Working in a group of 5 has been really fun and inspiring - we were able to come up with loads of variations for this quick 30 minute task. 

Today was an independent taught day. In the studio everyone was doing their own thing, this created a very creative environment as everyone began to work solidly in creating their outcomes. Although deciding to work independently for the rest of the project, Joshua and I thought that it would be good to exchange ideas and develop the imagined state as a whole together. We thought it would be a good idea to come up with a name and create a short paragraph explaining the overall community and country we created. 

We found it difficult to think of names to begin with, and so began by choosing words that we thought connected well with our world. These words included: nature, new-lifestyle, conservation, sustainability and honour. We looked at various synonyms but couldn't choose on any for our name - this became frustrating as we couldn't continue with the project unless we chose a name. We decided to look at real countries/states in order to inspire our decision. We were intrigued by the use of Republic - Dominican, Congo, etc - as well as the use of New - York, Jersey, England. We thought that the word New would tie well with our overall concept of a 'new' way of living and a new country. We also looked different forms of spelling new and found - Nui, Nuie, Niue, Nu and Nü. We were intrigued by the phonetic spelling 'Niue' came to the conclusion to morph words together. We chose nature and honour and created - Nonour. After deciding on this name, we thought it would be interesting to think of this spelling as a language that the people of Niue Honour would speak.

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20/11/18:

Today was another independent study day. I began today by experimenting with maps and the whole look of the country. I thought that incorporating the shape of the island into the ID cards would make a much more interesting outcome, and would give a sense of place to it. I thought about various colours found in nature - such as orange, green and blue - and wanted to use these in my conservation card. I thought about the 'watermark' element that is found on a normal driving licence and decided to create a leaf design that would work well here - it almost acts as another national symbol for Niue Nonour. 

I thought about different materials that would work well when creating this ID card - maybe 

I thought about the other things we needed for the country. I am interested in creating a national costume/dress code, postage stamps, currency and a newspaper/letter (communication form) etc.

I questioned:

How do you pay in this country? -  is it with leaves? flowers? can you only pay if you have passed a certain amount of tests/received a certain amount of stamps? These are all elements I am going to explore for this project. 

How do people communicate here? - is it like living in primitive years? research history between tribes. smoke signals? shouting from each tree house? - where do these people live? is it underground? in the trees?

is there a limit into how much you can spend? 

is this the ultimate unionisation between man and nature?

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21/11/18: self directed study

I began designing my stamps for country today. I looked at a normal set of stamps from England and noticed that in the majority, they just include a price and some symbol (the Queen in this case). I was fascinated to learn that the UK do not include the country name in any  postage stamp, but most others do. I wanted to employ the same ideas into designing my own stamps. 

I thought of ways that could be environmentally friendly for these stamps. I thought about pricing in real day stamps: 1st class is the most (large 98p) (small 65p) 2nd class (large 76p) (small56p). Depending on the size of the package the more expensive side it is. I wanted to incorporate this idea into my own stamps; but instead of basing the price of weight and size, I wanted to base it on how it is transported - and how in turn that transport effects the environment. I thought about training pigeons to take small letters - which would be cheap and the fastest mode of transport, walking (hand to hand delivery) - which would also be cheap but would take longer to arrive (2 days), cycling (hand to hand delivery) - more expensive than walking, but would arrive faster. I also thought about International shipping - by paddle boat. This is the most environmentally friendly way of sending a package over seas but would take a longer time. 

I also thought about there being limits in what you can do with postage. Is it that you can't send letters to other countries? Or that it takes an ultra long time to send something? i.e. a small package from Niue Nonour to Spain may take 2-3 months because it is over seas.

Using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop I created 3 types of stamps: 2nd class, 1st class and overseas. 

For my 2nd Class Stamps I decided to use a shaking hand as the symbol. On Adobe illustrator I traced an image of two hands in embrace. I was unsure about how much detail I wanted to include in the stamp and so kept it simple with just the outline of each hand. I wanted the colours of the stamps to look natural - as an artificial colour would completely disregard our beliefs in the community. I used pastel tones in all three stamps, and included some 'rough' marks on them (almost representing dirt) - this gives the impact that they have been made from recycled material - although not completely noticeable- every stamp is unique, which the number and colour of marks on it fluctuating - this almost resembles the idea that nothing in nature is identical, and anything that is has been mass produced. I used orange as I felt it symbolised the earth and how the community is grounded, and nature-loving. My 1st Class stamps included a bike. I usedAdobe illustrator again and traced the key features from an image I had taken of my friends bike - I experimented with the size and shape of the actual bike and whether or not to just include the wheel for the composition, but I thought that the image looked too incomplete without the whole object - the same goes for the boat. I used the colour green for this stamp as it represents the greenery in the surrounding fields. For the Overseas stamp, I used the colour blue - to represent the ocean. The paddle boat was difficult create in adobe illustrator as I didn't want the image to have too much detail, but without showing the depth of the boat, it appeared to be under developed. 

I really enjoyed creating these stamps and using Illustrator and Photoshop to do so - I definitely will use these applications again in future work.

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22/11/18: Crit

Today was crit day, although it is the final day of the project, I have decided I will carry this project on after today to create the immersive world I was after. I plan on refining my already made outcomes - as well as creating more such as: national dress, currency and souvenirs, etc.

We had the opportunity to go round to see everyones Imagined State, and I found every state really interesting. I was really interested in the state Skye. I think that this state was really well developed as the group decided to work together to create their Imagined State. They thought about how the world would be effected and produced images of it after Skye took over. I found this really interesting because they showed context. 

some of the feedback I got:

Is there a clear design thread with a consistent visual language throughout the objects? if so how?

• yes, the natural colours are pulled through the whole project. The illustrations on the stamps are all done in the same style. 
• yes, consistent environmental theme is shown by earthly colours. Uses a lot of white space which suggests healthy living

Has the designer brought an imagined world to life through the objects and how have they achieved that?

• I think you could add more objects that represent this state. Maybe show how the island is built. 
• the concept is very nicely developed however, it is not immediately clear where on Earth it is located (there was a red circle on the map buy we just couldn't see it right away!)

Through the designed objects do you understand a value system or ideology and how is that evidence?

• Yes, there are clear rules;es and goals for the society. The passport clearly follows these goals. However, id not really understand the meaning of the numbers on the stamps ( maybe explain the meaning of the naonocurrency - what is it?

Is the identity of the state clear? what do you think it is and how is that clear visually?

• clear but missing some elements that would normally make a human sub tribe to the idea of the country. I want to see more !! 

22/11/18: afternoon

We began this project straight after lunch. Having just completed the allotted class-time for the Imagined States project I felt a bit overwhelmed - I was still thinking about various aspects about my state, that I was unable to focus entirely on the new task. 

Having looked at the powerpoint that Will provided us made me more confused than I already was about this project. The variation in outcomes and references has really thrown me off as the boundaries are so broad. When creating a product or idea for the 99% of the population (who don't have access to higher education) its important to include them in this communication process. Typically in my work, I want people to have some opinion on it, and hope that it will make them think - impacting their way of living, behaving and consuming. I want people to remember what I create, and either love it or hate it. That thing in the middle, where people 'like it'  or think that 'its okay', that for me is the worst possible reaction. 

Will gave us all a set of questions, ranging from: what frustrated you this morning/week/year? to what habit would you change about yourself/someone if you could? - WHY??

Creating 30 ideas in 30 minutes was challenging. Still being in that mind set of my Imagined State I began to think of ideas that had environmental impacts. I think we were all overwhelmed today from all the information we were given, and so decided to come up with a few ideas together. We took it in turns, where one person would say what frustrated them, and the others would have to come up with solutions - and then together we would create a product that could help this. I really enjoy communicating my ideas with my peers and getting feedback/suggestions about it. I find that our GD group all communicate well with one another, and although from very different backgrounds we all share similar values. It was interesting to here about how some of my Turkish peers related this project to the political issues in Turkey, and how many of us - who are from the UK - associated problems and frustration with typical life here. For example, we spoke about how the people in London often find themselves irritated easily - wether thats by people - tourists - or things that people do - walk slowly, step on the back of your shoe . In conclusion we laughed about how, in comparison to the international students in our course, we complain much more.

On my way home I thought about the title of the project Made to Persuade. Its an interesting phrase in the idea that something has to be created in order to change ones opinion. 

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23/11/18: self directed study

Still feeling slightly unsure about this project and how to approach it - I decided to go around my local area and see what issues or problems surrounded it. I was immediately transfixed by an anti-brexit billboard nearby. Almost every other advert that was screened had some connotations towards Brexit and the political leaders involved (research on @wefail). 

I went back home and decided to look at current events (locally and globally).  

• Brexit (research)
• environmental issues (research)
• local issues, any personal ones

After having thought about and researching these events I began to create visualisations for each:

IDEA 1: I started by using the discussion we had yesterday on our table about global warming and the impact we have on the environment. We thought about plastic in the oceans, and how animals and the environment are affected by it. Upon more research I came across images of birds, dolphins and turtles all affected by plastic. I thought it would be an interesting idea to have these images presented on bottle software water - almost like the labels you now find on cigarettes - the idea is that its supposed to put you off from buying them. 

IDEA 2: I then thought about how the population has become so consumed in social media. I thought about hashtags and their importance when persuading people to like images (research) and realised that when places, people or things were mentioned - that they would generally create the 'influencer' to have a higher amount of followers, likes and comments. I wanted to create hashtags that would immediately make the viewer/audience question what, where or who has been photographed. The concept for this was that there would either be an Instagram profile - or dedicated book - to one of these three hashtags: #somewhere, #someone and #something. Interestingly I thought that this would cause people to wonder, and want to know what it is. The hashtag is meant to make the audience curious. I think that this idea is heavily focused on how we are so influenced by what we see online. 

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24/11/18: self directed study

Carrying on from yesterdays visualisation, I have thought about various other things that could initiate an audience to interact and give a reaction.

IDEA 3: I wanted to question what our purpose was, asking the question - why are we even here? I planned on having a box and placing it in a random location - somewhere where there would be enough traffic of people, curious enough to look inside. I think if someone were to put a thought or a reason (to the question) and take someone else's in return would be an interesting idea - it almost represents the idea of a community building and sharing ideas without having actually met. Maybe this can relate to the fear of the unknown? I also thought about how each person could write their answer on a sheet, and ultimately their idea would be shredded - and everyone would be given the same generic response. 

IDEA 4: This idea followed on from the same concept as the previous - but instead of asking a question and creating a conversation, I would make the audience feel as though they needed to see what was inside this box. Maybe they had to pay how much they were willing to in order to see what was inside? The idea is that the box would be really inviting - making people wonder whats inside and come see, or when they leave without looking they would still wonder what is in it. Society is very materialistic now. We all want to know everyones business - which is why we read magazines and follow celebrities on social media. We are nosy. By having this box it would be a sort of notion that our materialistic world has over consumed us and we will believe everything we see. I also thought about maybe asking the question - if you had only one pound left, would you use it to buy the contents within this box? This is why inside the box I would want to have either a blank space, or a phrase (i.e. LOL congrats, you just wasted a pound on an empty promise) This in turn, would make the audience think about how they are too involved in this materialistic world - and how many things they pay for are in fact a 'waste of money'. 

From having researched Brexit, I thought that this would be an interesting route to take for my persuasion project.

IDEA 5: I began by thinking about how physically and mentally, we are affected by Brexit - as a nation. My idea surrounded the physical appearance of the UK today. I planned on having a large scale image of the United Kingdom - separating it into its four major areas (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). From afar, the image appears strong and connected - each country is in harmony with one another. However, as you begin to approach it you can see that it has begun to break apart - the image appears pixelated - the UK is disjointed. A Big Old Mess. 

IDEA 6: Following from the last idea, I wanted to play more on the idea of the UK being a mess. Visualising this was tricky, but I thought about children toys (jigsaw puzzles, Rubik's cube and hand held plastic jigsaw puzzles) The idea surrounding the Rubik's cube is that it is a difficult puzzle for kids and adults alike to solve. Having all political leaders/leavers and remainers in one cube shows a united nation, with subcategories. However, once moved and jumbled up there is a 'mess' - signifying the state of the UK. What's funny is that once one side is completed and in place, it does not mean that all the other sides will be as well. For example, just because Theresa May is clearly depicted, it might mean that Jeremy Corbyn is not, among with the rest of the EU countries. 

IDEA 7: Following on from this idea of a wrecked nation, I thought about having a 'first aid kit for Brexit.' The concept derives from the idea that people are worried about what will happen when Brexit happens and want to be prepared - almost like, you buy plasters in preparation for being cut - the same concept is used here. It almost acts like a survival kit for Brexit. I want the audience to want to buy this as an insurance for Brexit. 

Later this evening I went the cinema - although not one of my original ideas, I thought about how annoying it was that you had to buy a cinema ticket with a specific seat number and letter. When me and my friend arrived we saw that there were people in our seats, and so reluctantly sat behind them. Unfortunately, the seats we sat in belonged to someone else, so we had to move to another seat. This got us talking about how having a certain seat number and letter causes aggravation - and how it would be easier fro everyone to just be able to buy a ticket and sit where ever they please. Obviously, seat numbers are given in order for there not to be a mishap during the films and so that everyone can have a specific seat which they are assigned to. We spoke about how it would be clever if before you enter the cinema, the sign which shows you the layout of the room and seats could change accordingly. The idea that once you choose a seat you have to remove something from it or press a button which would immediately make the sign at the entrance of the cinema highlight the seats that are occupied - obviously the earlier you come, the more likely you are to get the seat you want. This could also stop people from arriving late, and spoiling the atmosphere of the film - which they did. 

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25/11/18: self directed study

I used today to create 5 separate ideas surrounding the 'First Aid Kit for Brexit'.

1. This idea mimicked a 'break in case of emergency' box - typically I would want this to be hung on a wall in all the homes in the UK. The idea is that once the deal has gone through and we have actually exited the EU, people in their homes would be able to break the glass if they needed to. I think that this would be made from plastic and glass (like the real ones) and would include necessities that we would need. Due to Brexit, there are many things that we may not be able to buy, or may be much more expensive and so I wanted ti create this box and have all of these necessities inside. i.e. toilet roll, medicines, foreign currency, food, International driving permits, instructions on what to do/expect after we leave and maybe a list of things you need to know - incase asked to sit a citizenship test. I like the irony of this idea and think that it could be an interesting and comical outcome.
2. A care package - monthly subscription, the concept behind this is that before March 2019, the public would be able to sign up to this package - and once we leave the EU they would begin to receive these packages. Inside them would include condiments from other countries in the EU that no longer send things to local supermarkets in the UK. I think that this idea would also work, as many people are worried about financial issues that may arise due to the Brexit deal - How much more expensive will simple things be? Will we be able to travel without visas? Can I still buy things for the same price or will it rise?
3. Pocket your Life: Brexit Edition. The idea behind this concept revolves around being prepared for Brexit at any given moment. This Pocket handbook would include all necessary documents that could make the transition much more bearable for you. It may include instructions on what to do/where to go in certain situations. It would also include any documents that could help you travel easily across Europe - ID card, Health insurance, Currency converter, family tree, etc.
4. Time Capsules for Future Generations. I thought hat it could be interesting to create time capsules of objects and images from life in 2018 - before Brexit. and having them hidden for 50-100 years. This, unlike my other ideas, holds a future element. The idea that our generations great grandchildren would be able to see what life was like for us back before Brexit. They would be able to contrast their lives to ours and see how much the UK was affected. Maybe in the future there will be another vote for the UK to remarry the EU, or maybe we are still battling whether or not we are leaving the EU in 50 years time. 
5. Emergency Kit in case of Brexit Deal. Revisiting the care package and break in case of emergency ideas, I wanted to expand the idea of a First Aid Kit for Brexit. The concept derives from the idea that people are worried about what will happen when Brexit happens and want to be prepared - almost like, you buy plasters in preparation for being cut - the same concept is used here. It almost acts like a survival kit for Brexit. I want the audience to want to buy this as an insurance for Brexit. Within this kit there would be a Post Brexit Insurance Policy, stipulating what you would have to do before it, i.e. buy your new car, review the family tree learn basic skills, etc.

Tomorrow I am excited to see what ideas my peers have come up with. I will be interested to know whether anyone has used Brexit in there work, or other news reacted problems.

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26/11/18: 

Today we began by going into small groups of about 5/6 people. I like having to share my ideas with small groups of people that I don't normally talk to, as well as my friends. They all bring different ideas and solutions to my concepts. We pitched our ideas to the group we were put into. Zac pitched his sticker idea to us first - I thought his idea was effective and would work well, but I said it reminded me of labelling and how people are labeled and categorised. Next it was my turn to pitch. I felt confident In telling my peers what I planned to do for this project and in return I got some good feedback for my ideas. My peers seemed to like my Emergency Box and Brexit Kit the best. In relation to the 'Emergency box' they all said that I should consider how big it was - depending on the objects I included inside. One of them said that my idea was really easy to understand and it didn't even need an explanation as it was applicable in the real world. Someone also suggested being able to choose what you put inside this box - maybe the public would include what they see as being needed for an emergency. The idea of 'what would you take if you were on a desert island?' applied here, but instead of generic objects and possessions like phones or wifi, people would actually choose objects that they really wanted or new they couldn't live without.

After listening to the rest of my peers talk about their proposals, we went around the whole room and had to choose 2 books, which showed an impressive visualisation of their product. I was happy to have received a few post-it notes, and be called to talk about my work to the rest of the group. This has boosted my confidence in my drawing and visualisation abilities. 

For the remainder of the day, I decided to begin making my 'Brexit Insurance Policy' and a list of what would be included in the 'package'. Unfortunately, I was still stuck between which product to create. Answering the questions that Clare gave us to refine our ideas really helped me with this process. I realised that doing the Emergency Box, although it would be effective, it would be too costly and time consuming for the project deadline (Saturday). 

Going home today I was excited to think bout how I would create this box of necessities. I decided to look on amazon for any boxes that could easily fit what I plan to put inside them. Tomorrow I plan on refining what I will include within my Brexit Kit, and how I plan on designing the whole box - making it aesthetically pleasing and inviting.

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27/11/18:

Today we spent the morning reviewing and starting our perosnal statements for UCAS. I have been to the open day at CSM for the Graphic Design BA course as well as talking to some of the tutors on Fashion communication courses. After attending these open days I have decided to put CSM Graphic Design BA as my first choice. I plan on looking at other universities within UAL and across London. 

I felt confident in carrying on my idea of creating a Brexit survival kit. I started off by reviewing my Brexit Insurance Policy and looking at the list of contents. Happily, I decided to use today to research more about Brexit, looking at who is involved and what issues have risen from it. 

When Hannah came round for our individual tutorials, I explained my idea and concept to her. Unfortunately, she found the idea quite boring and almost too realistic. Taking her feedback on board, I have decided to do further research into my topic and see if I can develop it in a much more interesting way. 

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28/11/18: self directed study 

Having Wednesday’s as a self directed study day has proven to be really beneficial for me. I enjoy having the opinions of two different tutors on Monday and Tuesday and then having Wednesday to reflect and build on my ideas. 

Today I plan on designing my box and choosing its contents. After my tutorial with Hannah yesterday I really wanted to explore different ways of visualising Brexit, and carried out some research on various artists and designers that have used politics in their work. I have been inspired by the Instagram page @spellingmistakescostlives - Darren Cullen (research). His use of politics and global issues is what I find most fascinating about his work. 

Thinking back to last Thursday when we had to answer questions based on what we hate/frustrates us, I remember talking about Black Friday deals. The idea that this day/weekend causes unnecessary spending, trying to find the biggest deal- when in reality, the product is still far more expensive than it cost to make. I thought about how when things are ON SALE the public immediately rush to buy whatever it is- even if they don’t need it. Using this idea, I wanted my Brexit box to have some connotation towards Black Friday. I created a ‘Black Friday Brexit Special Deal.’ This concept surrounds the idea that the public would buy my Brexit Kit at a much cheaper price than before- yet it is still very expensive. 

Listening to LBC Radio and Classic FM I was interested in hearing the debates about Brexit, and how they classify the ‘leavers’ as being stupid. It was interesting to hear that Theresa May described the Europeans as ‘jumping the queue’ when moving to Britain - the European man speaking on LBC, said that when he ‘got a job at the car wash, there was no queue to jump.’ I think that this phrase relates a lot to Black Friday sales too. (Research) 

Once I created the stickers I turned to my box. Seeing the box bare has given me a lot of space to think about what and how I should decorate it. Thinking about Brexit and whether or not we would come to a deal, I thought about the TV show - Deal or No Deal. The boxes that are used are fairly similar. I like the simplicity of the DOND boxes and I want to employ this into mine. After carefully thinking about the design I have come to the conclusion that I would used the bright red colour palette also, but only covering the sides of the box (the top will be covered in my Black Friday Brexit stickers) Like in DOND, I wanted to include a number at the front of my box. As Brexit is said to happen on the 29th of March 2019, I thought it only fitting to use the number 29. I plan on buying a similar red paint to cover my box in on Friday.  (research)

Inside the box, I have included some inverted coloured stickers to coat the inside. I have kept the stickers quite separated and random as to show the chaos within the UK. This Brexit kit almost resembles the UK today - all over the place. I have used some tissue paper to fill the box up (like a gift box)- in the colours red white and blue - to represent the Union Jack. 

Whilst researching Brexit, I came across the ‘BOJO laughing stock’ (research) and the ‘Brexit Shop’ in South East London. (Research) I found these products laughable. I thought about how instead of just having the traditional product inside my box, that I would reinvent them - creating a BREXIT BOX, with Brexit approved products. The products would have some connotation to either politicians or typical words used in parliament and in interviews. 

Looking at products that would be difficult to come by after Brexit I immediately began to research various brands and products that would no longer/be in short supply after 29th March . I have decided to rebrand some products and give them a ‘Brexit’ feel. From my research, I saw that Nestlé (research) were concerned about how their brand would work after Brexit - so I have used Nestlé's Nescafe’s espresso powder, I thought about play on words and packaging design. I came up with the brand ‘Brexcafe - rich with empty promises. 100% bullshit.’ I wanted to keep the same design on the labels so that they were recognisable to the public. 

Tomorrow I plan on finishing my box design and also creating a further two products. 

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29/11/18:

This morning we had the opportunity to finish our outcomes in preparation for the crit in the afternoon. I have completed the majority of my box, and one product - the Brexcafe Coffee. Seeing as I had focused on food already, I wanted to think about other worries and issues associated with post-brexit life. I decided to look at medicines. I thought about how Brexit affects people not only physically but mentally as well, the idea that people get headaches from all the Brexit conversations they had. I have based my design on the Migraine tablets - Migraleve - and have created 'Migrantleave'. Using the original design and concept of the packaging, I have rebranded it. Instead of being a continued relief from headache and nausea, it acts as a relief from your Brexit worries. 

Talking to Will for a mini tutorial was really useful. He asked questions like; do the objects and rebranding relate to my own position in the Brexit vote? In preparation for Saturday, and the crit later on, he asked how I planed on presenting my outcomes. I unfortunately didn't bring my box in today, as it is not finished - but I still had two products which I had created to present, along with my Brexit insurance and developmental sketches for the box. I was unsure as to whether I wanted people to approach me or whether I should approach them, and bring them to my pitch. He suggested I test both approaches this afternoon to see which works better for my project. 

During the crit, we were split into two groups, the sellers and buyers - before swapping. I was a seller first, and decided to wait for people to approach me. I think that this was a good stance to take, as I want people to be interested in my idea before coming to me. I want them to ask and question what it is I am trying to show and what they want to ask about. Giving them the time to think before approaching. I think, is a much better way for a genuine interaction with the public. 

For my interactions, I began by asking them the question Deal Or No Deal. Immediately, many of my peers realised I was playing on the original TV show idea. This made lots of them laugh, and instantly broke the ice and tension. I then carried on by explaining the contents in my box. As I only had two products during the crit it was much more difficult to get a full review on my outcome. Lastly, I decided to show them the Brexit Insurance and explained that this is what you should probably do before the deal goes through. Below are some of the thoughts and ideas people had:

student 1:

• why not add a game element to your project?
• I really like the idea of rebranding and find it amusing.
• Maybe give the insurance plan out to the public?

student 2: 

• I would buy it if I could
• I really like the idea, and you've sold it well
• its clever how it gets rid of your Brexit headaches
• the items are well made and believable 
• The deal or no deal feature is funny 

student 3: 

• why don't you dress like a really traditional English person on Saturday?
• a Brexit extremist?
• really nice idea, its really clever

student 4: 

• I like the idea, but I'm confused on the number choice and what the product is
• can you buy it?
• does. it come as a package?
• maybe explain more in detail?

I will take all these feedback on board for Saturdays sale, In groups of 5, we answered some questions on what was successful, uncomfortable in the pitches. We also spoke about what behaviour, strategies and selling techniques worked best. I found this really useful as many people could comment on how we felt each person presented and what we could do better on a personal note.

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30/11/18: self directed study 

I have really enjoyed this project - although at the beginning I was really confused in which way I should take it, I am glad that I have managed to create, what I think, is a creative concept - that will get people thinking. 

Today I have focused on the box and my third product. After carefully planning how I wanted my box to appear, I decided the best, and probably most light hearted way, was to decorate the outside to resemble the Deal or No Deal boxes (research). I chose to use the number 29 for the outside of the box, as Brexit is going to go through on the 29th of March 2019 - supposedly. As I had already designed the inside of my box, with the Black Friday stickers and tissue paper on Wednesday, I began to think about my third product.

I found it difficult to come up with a concept for my third item. Having already used food and medicine as two things that the UK will fall short on in the coming years, I wanted to use a completely different item. I decided the best option for me would be to go to the supermarket and see what objects and products were there that I could in some way incorporate a Brexit approval into. 

Whilst at Sainsbury's, I decided to go to the cleaning aisle. I thought about how the UK is described as being a total mess and how the fact that we can not agree on a deal, we have created rivalry and chaos. I noticed that there were sponges that on the packaging stated to be able to get rid of all stubborn stains - The Miracle Sponge (research). I thought about play on words, and realised that I hadn't really used any politicians real names in my products. Therefore when I got home, I decided to create the Mayricle sponge - which is Theresa May's Miracle sponge - can remove: politicians, immigrants and EU boarder forces. I found redesigning the packing and brands really enjoyable throughout this project, and has made me think about advertising and branding after BA. I have enjoyed reappropriating these products, as if Theresa May and the Conservatives have had some input into the design and labels. 

I am nervous and excited for tomorrow, as I am not sure what to expect from other kids around my age, and their parents. Hopefully, they can all see how this is meant to be humorous and not to be taken too seriously, as I am just visualising what I believe - if we lived in an extreme post-Brexit Britain - that life would be like. 

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01/12/18: Open Day - Testing product on audience

Today was test day. I arrived at college at 10:30, as my set up was very quick and easy. I placed the box on the plinth with the Brexit insurance plan in front of it. Having arrived early I was able to speak to my peers about their own products and see some that I hadn't seen before in previous lessons. I think this this project has been really interesting as although we were all given the same brief and preparation task, we all managed to come up with very unique and different ideas and outcomes. I was really interested in Joshua's Masking Tape and Zooms iMilk, both of which I found really interesting and funny. 

As the kids and parents began to gather in the room, I decided that the approach that worked best on Thursday was when I waited for people to interact and approach me.

The first parent that came up to me asked me what was in my Black Friday, Brexit special box. I opened it and showed him/explained my concept and how I had rebranded brands and companies that would no longer supply the UK - like Nescafe. Interestingly he was really curious as to why I had chosen to create a Pro-Brexit box. I explained that I was trying to visualise life as an extreme post-Brexit world. 

As the second person approached me, I said 'Deal or No Deal' to which he replied No Deal. He instantly knew that I was talking about Brexit in relation to the game show and showed a lot of interest. He asked a lot of question about my project and said that it was a really funny and good idea to think about the small details that we will probably overlook when Brexit really does go through. He also asked a lot about the course and how I was finding it - which I was happy to discuss with him.

Once I had had a few conversations I felt much more at ease and knew what to say in order to the captivate the audience. Weirdly, I felt much more comfortable explaining my idea to the parents rather than the people my age. However, to avoid the awkwardness between us I often asked whether they took much time into learning about politics and whether they thought it would affect their futures. There were a few international students who were visiting that were worried about Brexit and how it would affect their studies. A few people said that they completely shut themselves off from Brexit and didn't really pay much attention to the news. When asking them whether they had any idea of what sort of products would be hard to find, they all answered with 'no'. I thought hat this was a good starting point for the conversation as I was able to explain, on a personal level, what companies and products would be in short demand. I think that this was an interesting approach because it made the audience, not only more aware of politics, but also much more aware on what on how they would be having to adapt to post-Brexit life. 

One parent that approached my box was really intrigued by how I had thought about every detail to show case my work, The Deal or No Deal box resemblance was clever, and the Black Friday inspiration was also funny. After talking to her son about my box, she asked if she could photograph it to send to her friend that is thinking about moving to the UK. She was really fascinated by this idea of a dystopian world. 

I was happy that I received mostly only positive feedback on my work. I did however, have some form of criticism from some parents. One asked why I had decided to use such a pro-Brexit approach to my work whilst another said that it was almost too rude in some cases. Although I have taken this criticism into consideration, I feel that if I had only included humble and less offensive observations, then my outcome would not have been that interesting, nor would I have got the reactions I was hoping to get. Throughout the project, I constantly thought about - you either go big or go home - which is why I didn't hold back. I think I that I have not stepped over the line, as this is just my own interpretation of Brexit and how I see it in relation to the rest of the EU and the world. Again, I wanted to emphasise that my work was not to be taken too seriously. 

I found today to be rewarding and fun. Due to the fact it was an open day, I was not surprised that most people when approaching me wanted to know more about my experience on the course rather than what I had created. I was prepared for this, as I remember walking around last years open day and seeing the made to persuade project - however, I was only really interested in what the course was like and how they found it. I spoke about my own personal experience from the interview and selection process to talking about how I cope with the workload and briefs. I hope that any advice I gave them was as beneficial and as useful as the advice I was given last year. 

After being in the studios until 5pm, Ignacia and Will shared their own experiences with us about their time on the foundation course and their BA courses (CSM & LCC). I thought that this was a perfect opportunity to ask questions based on what I want to do next year. I am still unsure as to what I want to apply for next year within graphics as I still feel I haven't been able to explore all the disciplines within it. That is why I think that I would be more suited to the CSM Graphic Communication Design pathway - as I still want to explore and develop my skills further. I am interested in learning all aspects of graphic design from illustrations and photography to coding and advertising. 

02/12/18: self directed study

I read the brief when I arrived home after the Open day yesterday. The title App Store initially made me ask myself a number of different questions. What is an app? What types of apps are there? Are we reliant on social media and other apps? 

After thinking about these questions I began the research task for this week. I decided to focus on my three main apps first- which I use for different purposes; Instagram, Spotify and the Starbucks App. I began with Instagram - probably my favourite app of them all - and took screenshots of my user journey. I showed the journey for accessing my sharing code/name tag and also how I usually view my insights. Insights show you a percentage of all your followers (and stalkers) ages, genders and residence, as well as seeing how many people have visited my profile in the past week. I was really interested in looking at this app in a much more graphic approach, as I would usually skip or not pay much attention to the graphic design elements used. I enjoy using Instagram as a sociable networking platform, where I can inspire and be inspired by other peoples - whether thats their aesthetic or their content. I also use Instagram to talk to other working graphic designers and artists - something that without, would be quite difficult to do. I also screenshot my journey in the Spotify and Starbucks apps. These both preform far different tasks than Instagram, allowing me to listen and create playlists as well as order and pay for meals/drinks. 

When thinking about what object had a personal or function significance to me and my life, I immediately thought of heirlooms, presents and family. When I was born - much like everyone in my family - I was gifted a necklace which has on one side the Virgin Mary and on the other my name and date of birth. As I have gotten older, I have added other charms to my necklace and have also received another chain. Although sentimental and personal, I thought that this object wouldn't be the best to help create an 'App'. I decided to think of hobbies and what I enjoy doing with my friends and family, and remember being gifted a set of wooden spoons by my grandmother for one Christmas. I thought that choosing one spoon to bring in tomorrow, I would be able to tell my story for my love of cooking and being with my grandparents. My grandmother is an excellent cook and I always spend my Friday's and Sunday's watching her cook and eating her food from a very young age. The spoons remind me of times when we have cooked together and how we bond over our love of food. Being from Northern Spain, her flavours are typically Spanish, and I love showing her different recipes I have found and seen on TV, and we enjoy recreating them together. This is why I have decided to bring the wooden spoon as my personal and functional object. 

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03/12/18: 

Having to leave my phone on a table in the room really wasn’t a problem for me. I think our generation has a stigma and stereotype that we are all obsessed and addicted to our phones. However, I feel that whilst at college the only issue I had with leaving my phone was the fact that I was uncontactable by my family - had there been a reason for someone to call me I would’ve be unaware. I use my phone for contacting friends and family as well as networking with people on various different platforms. I don’t feel as though it distracts me from my learning, but rather enhances it - as I can get inspiration from more sources that aren’t situated in my head or in the college. I did find not having my phone a much more fulfilling experience as I had to use only what I could remember and think of, rather than googling for answers or inspiration - the rest of the class became much more interactive and we all spoke to each other much more. I think I will work more without my phone at home and in college as it helps to release ideas that are inventive and individual.  

Being mixed with the illustration and printmaking pathway today has been really interesting. I began the day by explaining my object and chosen apps to the people I usually sit with from the graphics pathway. Initially we all discussed our objects and were intrigued by each others backstories surrounding them. When we were split up and paired with an illustration student I was quite nervous, as I felt that being from two different pathways our ideas and understandings might clash. Luckily, I got paired with Miriam who I had spoken to roughly throughout the foundation course. We explained our objects to each other, and I was really interested by how sentimental Miriam's object was. She chose a note book, which she carries with her when she travels and moves. Inside, she has some personal photographs and showed me some extracts of her journal. I really liked how open she was to showing me what she had written and included. I think by using this as her object, she has really engaged and opened up to me without even speaking that much. The object speaks for itself. I really like this idea of sharing a part of yourself with someone that you don't know very well as it makes you realise what others have been through and you can show some empathy towards it.  

During our mini interview I noticed that Miriam referred to herself as an 'old soul.' She explained how much she disliked technology/apps and how she was not sure how she would use this project in her advantage as she didn't use them a lot. She also mentioned how she really wished that she could go back in time and experience other eras. She is heavily influenced by music from different cultures and times and I thought that this - combined with her book - could produce an interesting app.

Spending lunch with Miriam, really allowed me to see what kind of person she is. She didn't have any food as she said she was going to have lunch later and ordered a black coffee from Starbucks. What was different between both of us was the fact that she took the lid off of her takeaway cup and I kept mine on. I think that these reveals a lot about her. When we arrived back at college after lunch, our table had a conversation about shoes. We all turned to look at one another's shoes. When I saw Miriam's shoes, I noticed the bright blue and red colours on them and asked her where she had got them. What was fascinating was that she had just bought some normal doc-martin-like shoes and painted them herself!! I think this shows her personality and ability to change things in order to fit her - rather than changing her self. She explained how she gets bored easily, and explained that that was the reason why she shaved her hair! This is what I like about her, she's fun, unique and open to chnage- an extrovert. 

We had to come up with three ideas to propose to our clients: 

idea 1: Time Machine 

 This App idea would allow the user to immerse themselves in a different era. You have the ability to navigate through the app to find music, fashion styles and the 'celebrities' from that era. The user could also make their own profile and share their own unique experiences with the other registered users. 

Using the iterative design process, I have decided to adapt my original idea in response to the feedback I got from my client. She was really interested in my idea and said that she didn't know much else to do to it. I asked her what type of things she would like to see in the app. Miriam thought about having a map, where you should choose any specific place and could get more facts which were specially for that area. I thought this idea was interesting, and seeing as Miriam is my client, I have decided to go forward with this idea. I also asked her what apps she enjoyed using. Although she doesn't really like technology or using her phone, she said that music was very important to her as it helps her think back to times in the past and memories she associates with it. Therefore, I have decided to research and find old music that she likes - classical, R&B, etc. 

idea 2: Time Machine 0.2

Expanding on my first idea I wanted to think more about the user journey aspect of the app. I took the word 'disconnect' as inspiration. I think my client uses music as a way of disconnecting with the world and entering her own. I think that app could be useful in that sense as the user would be able to choose any music from any era - maybe with a brief description about what was happening in that period - and completely disconnect form the outside world. Building on from Miriam's map idea, I thought about having checkpoints in each country and city, where the user could click on that point, and see images and sounds from that point in time. I know that this is a difficult concept to achieve as we are unable to go back in time and record sounds, but i think it would be really interesting for future generations, if they use this app to see what is going on today. 

idea 3: Memory Box

For my third idea, I wanted to think of something completely different to see if it could spark any more ideas for my other concepts. I used her memory book cover as my inspiration, and copied the illustration she had put on the front. I think this is a good idea as the app could be customisable to each client/user. I think this app is very similar to e-books, and would be used in a similar way. I thought about bullet journals and how every year you could make a new one and customise it in anyway you wish. I think this idea is my favourite out of all three, and I think I could develop it and make it much more personal to Miriam, and for others.

Showing all three to Miriam she said that she liked all three and would use them all, but really wanted to see how the Time Machine App could develop. Unfortunately this was not my favourite idea but seeing as Miriam is the client and I am creating this app for her use I have to go on with it.

I asked Miriam whether she enjoyed playing games, to which she said yes. She stated that she plays games on her phone more than anything as she gets really bored really easily. I thought that this could be a fun element to add to my app. I thought about having the user take a test which would put them into some category/era. Once placed in a group they would have access to the music, fashion, etc from that era. However, once I designed this I realised there was a massive flaw. What if they didn't like the Era they were put into? I couldn't think of another way to add a game element to this app, but when I asked Miriam she said she prefers just reading and seeing what the world was like before, rather than being put into a specific group and not being able to explore the whole world. 

Tomorrow I plan on creating a logo and designing my app.

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04/12/18:

Being asked to draw the app icons for Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter and Spotify turned out to be surprisingly difficult. I use three of these four apps daily, and felt that I had to think really hard about what the app looked like. For Snapchat and Instagram I got the general shapes and colours of the apps right, but still left out some details. For example the colours in the Instagram app, I thought all came from the upper left hand corner to the bottom right, but once shown the actual app it was not like this. For the Spotify app, again I got the basic colours and shapes right, however, I added a dot in the bottom of the 'signal' image. What I found interesting and this task was that everyone had a different variation for each app, but they all looked similar. I think the Twitter images were the most interesting. Almost everyone put the bird in the wrong direction. After doing this exercise I have really payed attention to the icons for my apps and will appreciate them much more. I think its interesting to note that all of these apps, which are probably the most famous apps in the App Store, only have 2-3 colours in them, and they all include negative white space. I want to use these ideas in my own logo design. 

Unfortunately Miriam was not in today so I had to base my logo off of what I thought she would like best based on what I know about her. As she enjoyed the idea of a time machine app I think this is what I will try and focus on in my icon. When I think of time it reminds me of a clock/hourglass. I have designed a few logos with a clock in mind and realised that this was probably not a good idea as it resembles the clock app which is already on the phone. I moved on to thinking about time traveling and my initial thoughts for this was the World or a map. I thought about reverse signs and put them together. I think that this worked well as it was a simple approach and easy to understand. However, Hannah chose my book to show to the class and when asking my peers what they thought my app was about I got a wide response. Some people said it looked like a travel app? maybe its an app where you can talk to your family in a different country easily? Does it have something to do with ecology and recycling? interestingly, Ana (illustration) thought it was about travelling back to somewhere as she recognised the reverse symbol.  She suggested that maybe if I used an hourglass it could work better and people may connect the dots quicker. 

Creating our wireframes at the end of the day was a fun task as we were encouraged to stick our pieces of paper to the wall and floor and to use as much space as possible. I find doing exercises like this really fun as they make tasks much more interactive. It's good as we can see other peoples work around the class and interact with each other more. 

Tomorrow I plan on refining my ideas for the app and will message Miriam to see if she has any other ideas for the app.

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05/12/18: self directed study

I have used today to design my app and the user journey. As we can only use six frames I have decided to use one for the opening page, one for the home page and two each for the user journeys. I have used my logo and slogan for the opening page as this is what I've noted whilst researching how other apps works - i.e. Urban Outfitters App. I then created the home page. This included the name of the app - Twinkling - which is almost like the Instagram home page. At the bottom I have included a back arrow, search button and profile. I have used 8 icons on this page - for each action the user can take. The first journey I have showed is as if you have chosen the music icon. From there it takes you to another page. Still in the same format It gives you another search engine, a list of your top most played genres and a browsing section. I have chosen these genres as I based them on Miriam's musical taste. Having a range from classical and renaissance music to R&B is quite humorous and specific to my client. The fact that these two genres are so different from each other and were created in such different eras is what I find amusing. From here the user can use a genre - in this case classical - and another list of popular playlists and artists are shown. I wanted to keep the browse more/see more and search engines as to keep the design simple and understandable. I want my client to be able to easily navigate through each app. 

Going back to the home page - via the back button - the user clicks on the map icon. This takes the user to a map of the world/or recent place. On the drop down menu you can choose  a year, country and what specifically you want to know. Or just zoom in and out with the buttons (right hand corner) and choose a point you want to explore. 

I have used the basic shaped/silhouettes for each icon as I didn't want to over complicate or make the app to difficult to manage. As Miriam doesn't like technology or using apps I wanted to make it as simple as possible.

I have enjoyed this process a lot. As I am still getting familiar with Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator I think that these 'screenshots' are effective in showing what I want my app to look like. 

I decided to used a yellow hue throughout the app. I normally use my phone a lot at night and find that the bright white light is too much for my eyes and leads me to having severe headaches and migraines. I use the night shift mode almost all the time, as it adds a soft yellow colour to the screen. On an iPhone, Night Shift automatically adjust the colours in your display based on the night and day. The new feature uses your iOS device's clock and geolocation to determine the time of day, and it adjusts the spectrum of your display accordingly. It also helps you to have a better nights sleep, as the blue light is known to affect melatonin levels. This disrupts the body's circadian rhythms and sleep patterns. This means that reading an iPhone or iPad before going to sleep, as many do, can result in a poor night of sleep. The Night Shift feature allows the display to be shifted toward the red end of the spectrum where the longer wavelength light, in addition to being easier on the eyes, does not hamper melatonin production to the degree that blue light does.

I am looking forward to the crit tomorrow so I can see the other apps that were created today. I hope that Miriam is in tomorrow as I would be really interested in seeing the app that she has created for me!  

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06/12/18: CRIT

I was nervous coming to college today. I am quite disappointed in  how my app turned out. I didn't have much client feedback for the process and was not sure in what style she would've liked the app. I based the design over what I know of my client and what she asked for. I hope that it fulfils my clients needs as well as her overall aesthetic. I arrived at college at 10 am to give me enough time to print my wire frames to an A3 size. Unfortunately two of the printers were not working, and I was unable to log into any of the computers. I couldn't find a technician to help me so had to ask a girl from the fine art pathway if I could use her computer to make my images a larger file on my memory stick and as a JPEG. I was only able to change my first three wireframes into a JPEG and had to use my last 3 without the iPhone as a frame. This was annoying but I still think I managed to get the overall point across when pitching to my client.

Although not working with my client the whole time, and having to get advice and criticism from other people in the class, I have really enjoyed this process of getting feedback and working to a client brief, as it is almost an experiment to see how we will work in the real world. Although I Miriam wasn't in on Tuesday and didn't answer my messages on Wednesday I still feel as though I have worked well in this sort of environment. I am really interested in working freelance and accumulating a set of clients to whom I can show my original style along with their set rules. From what I learnt about Miriam on Monday was that she liked muted colours and liked to keep things simple and so I have tried to replicated that in my app - using very simple images and icons. I used the yellow hue for my own personal choice as I explained before about using Night Shift Mode. 

I was a bit disappointed that Miriam hadn’t finished my app for today. I was really excited to see what it was going to look like. She explained how the app would work and had a few illustrations to show me. Although not complete, I really liked the idea she was pitching to me, and was pleased to see she had taken my suggestions on board. I gave her a few more suggestions of what I would want to use in the app. Hopefully she uses these suggestions to tailor her app for me particularly. 

Going round the classroom labelling the work with best concept, best user journey, best visualisation and overall app, I was pleased to see that I had gathered a few stickers for the 'best user journey' and I feel that my feedback was constructive. I plan on refining my app and using the suggestions and criticism I was given today to make it better. 

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07/12/18:

I am using today to complete  work from the projects we have done this term and preparing my workflow and books for my Progress Tutorial on Monday.

27/12/18: self directed study

After giving myself a 20 day break, I feel as though I have taken a bit of a U-turn, although constantly drawing and creating illustrations in my own personal journal and completing my own projects - I feel as though my work ethic has slightly dipped.

For the holiday work I looked at the typographic terminology and didn’t know how I would be able to visualise these terms in a unique way. I began my experiments by just taking the words as they are and showing them (using typography) how they work in their own sense in my sketchbook. However, once I had created 5 or 6, I realised that these were quite mundane and didn’t really show any visual language. Critiquing my own work like this has been something I’ve been able to do throughout the foundation course, and I feel as though i have become much more critical of my own work. Therefore, I decided to start again. Although trying to complete my online portfolio and it being close to New Years I felt that it was important for me to finish all this work before the New Year, and start fresh in 2019. Giving myself this pressure and time restraint means that I have to work quickly and effectively. 

Going back to my research of each term I wanted to think about simplistic ways in which I can show the terms. My initial idea surrounded: abstract art - lines/illustrations, using people/objects (photography), drawings of people, buildings and even Christmas tree decorations. Throughout the Christmas period I have had many celebrations (my birthday, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day) and will be experiencing more (New Years Eve, New Years Day, 6th of January) surrounding myself with friends and family, I thought that this could be a good influence for each word. 

I began the project again by attempting to create some quick sketches of people I am with and creating characters in order to give me some sense of uniformity for my final pieces. However, I found it difficult to think of ways to illustrate all the words with my characters and am a bit unsure as to how I will incorporate it to fit all the words. 

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28/12/18: self directed study

Reflecting on yesterday's experiments, I have decided to use the same characters that I have created in my own personal projects, I have decided to use these in order to create the terms. I use a distinctive colour scheme, of blue, pink and black in my illustrations as these are my favourite colours and I think that they work well together. Although, I also feel that these colours represent a whole set of emotions, and my ‘character’ is meant to represent everyone in the world as one single entity. After finally coming down to the idea of using a uniform image to represent the terms I feel as though I have created a set of interesting outcomes. I have decided to go over the original words that I created earlier on with tracing paper as I feel that mistakes turn into possibilities and that they shouldn’t be ignored. 

Overall I am really impressed with how each of the terms came out, although some are better than others I am pleased with what I have achieved in such a small time frame that I set myself. 

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29/12/18: self directed study

I am using today to photograph my work and annotate my online portfolio. I made sure to wake up early and charged my camera last night in order to get the best quality photos possible. At around 8am I decided to go through all the work I had produced in the foundation course and selected my favourite projects. From there I got coloured post-it notes (yellow - research, pink - ideas/concepts, blue - visualisation/experimentation and green - outcome) I thought that this was a good strategy to take as for each project I chose I was able to highlight key points in my sketchbook and work process that I could show to the tutors. I decided to take photos of all the pages that I initially thought would show a set of skills, as I wanted to ensure I had enough photos to choose from before the lighting changed dramatically and I would be unable to take more. 

At around 2 pm, I began to edit all the images I had taken on Photoshop. Ensuring that they all had the same lighting and contrast and that the colours would be vibrant. Tomorrow I plan on choosing from my selection of photographs and creating my online portfolio pages.

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04/01/19: SUBMISSION FOR ONLINE PORTFOLIO CSM BA GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION DESIGN

Annoyingly, although I had already thought to myself that we did not have to complete any online portfolios, I received an email stating to ignore it. Although this had made me feel as though I had wasted valuable time it has also taught me many things. It has also allowed me to consider what I will want to include in my actual portfolio and has in fact made me feel much more prepared. 

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05/01/19:  self directed study

Looking at my experiments and ideas in my sketchbook, I have decided to continue this work and make it digital. I think rendering the illustrations to simple black and white designs and incorporating typography into it has worked really well and I am pleased with my results. However, I have had trouble showing some of the terminology through my illustrations, and so have only completed 10 out of the 14 we were set. I hope that when I return to college on Monday I get some inspiration and feedback from my peers as to how I can improve, and also how I can create the last four. 

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07/01/19: FIRST DAY BACK

I  was really excited to come back to college today and see what my peers had done over the holiday in regards to the typographic terms. Speaking to a few over the Christmas break, I already had some idea of the different possibilities this project had and was keen to see more. Overall, some of my peers spoke to me about how I had created an interesting character to show the typographic terms and how it was vastly different to the rest of the classes. 

After the presentation that Clare gave s, we were each given a set of three letters from a typeface. Or job was to predict what some of those letters wold look like. I originally got the letters a, b and k and had to create the letters p, x and w. I began by breaking down each letter from and firing to a set of rules that applied to all, and also to see what parts were included in each letter. From looking at my interpretations, I was pretty certain that I had come up with a a good response that fitted with the original letters. However, it was clear that my final letterfroms were slightly different to the original alphabet. I later came to realise that this was the alphabet created by Josef Albers. (research)

That afternoon we began to use the insulation tape to create our own alphabets. I enjoy using tape in my work, as I feel it is a quick and easy way to create images. The thing about tape is that it is permanent. You place the tape down and that's it. Many people wanted to draw their shapes first, but I decided the best and most efficient way for me to come up with my own alphabet wold be through the organic process of using tape. By creating the letter A first, we cold see how the tape could be manipulated into different shapes. I thought about many things that are used in the construct of the letterform - white space, angles, rounded edges, etc - and finally found a few designs that I thought I could take further. After careful consideration of which style I preferred, I then continued to Mae the o, r, t and w. Instantly I knew that my original plan would work fro the rest of the alphabet so was pleased to carry on creating it.

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08/01/19:

Today we created or modular object typefaces. We began by using the 10 recognisable objects we brought in. I decided to bring a vast array of objects with me which all had different textures and shapes. On my way to college I thought about other objects I could collect before arriving. I went into Sainsbury's and had a quick look around. I was originally drawn to the food items but then stumbled across some toothbrushes. I was particularly drawn to the bristles and thought about creating letters with them - so therefore I bought it. The other objects I chose were: keys, headphones, phone, pen, paintbrush, tasing tape, money, string, needles, pens. I was pleased to be sitting with other people that had brought in other objects, and we all decided to share what we had brought in.

After doing some visualisations of each object, we created the letter a by removing areas from the object and putting it into its simplest form. I found this difficult for some objects as they were not as easily recognisable after remming areas. Still unsure about what object I wanted to use - toothbrush / colander / ribbon - i created the letters r, w and c. I found that the toothbrush bristles worked much better for this project and was also my own original object so decided to go for this. When I made the plan for each letter, I couldn't help but notice that each letter looked like an open mouth, or a set of dentures or something which was completely unintentional.

Using photoshop, I removed the areas of a toothbrush to reveal the letter underneath. Hannah suggested cutting the areas out and placing them back together. However, after I tried this approach I realised that it was difficult to keep the same shape and size constant throughout. Tomorrow I plan on creating my specimen and some A2/A3 posters for each typeface alphabet.

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09/01/19:  self directed study

As ever, I used today to complete some preparation work in my sketchbook and planned out my final outcome. After looking at both of my finished alphabets I came to the conclusion that the object typeface would give a much more interesting result. After speaking to Hannah yesterday, she gave me a few ideas on how to present the final images. I was interested in using the whole toothbrush and so have created a few tests using the whole toothbrush.

I thought about different catchphrases that were often used in regards to teeth. At the dentist your usually hear things such as 'minty fresh breath' 'pearly white' or 'open wide' and so I wanted to incorporate these catchphrases with my own typography.

I originally thought that the object typeface would work best if I bought 26 toothbrushes and actually cut the bristles off. However, I new that it would be difficult to get the exact same toothbrushes and make them presentable as a final piece. I also plan on using the actual toothbrush and creating marks etc that could resemble the letterforms.  

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10/01/19: Crit

How did your choice of object affect your modular typeface? 

I think the object was a good choice. Many people could tell what it was and they could understand the letterforms. I think using such a recognisable object meant that people would expect it to be more related to the text and which is why I decided to use the phrase ‘minty fresh’. 

I removed areas of the toothbrush bristles to create the letters. This proved to be difficult as I was unsure as to how much I should remove in each letter and how to keep the typical form of the toothbrush. 

How did working with a series of reductive forms affect your outcome and working progress? 

I think using the tape and object and having to reduce the amount that I included to show the letters was difficult. Making the letters with the toothbrush proved to be challenging as I didn’t want to remove so much that it would mean that the object was recognisable - but at least enough so that the letter could be understood. 

As it was a modular type face it was difficult to keep the same forms in each of my letter so I had to remove certain areas for individual letters. Alone, the letters may seem way too different but together as a set they all work well together. 

How did the type terminology research help inform your design work? 

The terminology research was really useful as it made me think of the areas within letters. It allowed to to add emphasis to areas that needed it and to also over exaggerate certain terms and areas. It also helped me to understand how letters are created and what is important when creating type and using it. For example- kerning was a really important aspect of my work. The tape typeface did not have enough kerning so it made it difficult to understand and read the letters. Had there been more spacing between each it would have made my typeface much more legible and easy to understand. 

For my object typeface I didn’t really think about any of the rules. I kept the kerning and cap-height equal throughout the whole alphabet 

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11/01/19: SOMERSET HOUSE BRIEFING AND TOUR OF EXHIBITION

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12/01/19: self directed study

After attending the exhibition at Somerset house yesterday, I still feel slightly confused on how to do this project. I began today by looking at the comics that I had photographed and seeing which character trait I wanted to follow. I looked at the themes that Schulz used in his comics, and realised that he was badly affected by the war and no long after, his mothers death. 

I think his portrayal of loneliness and mental health is clearly visible in the majority of his comics, along with sarcasm and humour. I have created a few visualisations of this in my book and have looked at the various character traits within himself that he has depicted in each of the characters.

I feel as though Woodstock is representative of someone who feels misunderstood and alone in the world. The idea that he feels small ( which is a physical trait Schulz uses to depict him ) and that only Snoopy and other birds can understand his feelings. I want to focus on Woodstock as I feel that he has the most relatable character sequence. I think Woodstock can be seen in every person living in the city.

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13/01/19: self directed study

I used today to do more research into Woodstock and how he came about as a character in the Peanuts comics. I am excited to see who else has chosen to focus on Woodstock and what he means to them. 

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14/01/19:

Today was our inDesign workshop with Clare. I have used inDesign before in other projects (App Store and FC) but I never really understood all of the tricks. I am fairly confident with illustrator and photoshop so I was comfortable with the similar tools used throughout all three softwares. 

The workshop was really useful as it showed me how to create a professional piece of work as well as using the software properly. Working in a grid format has made it easier to edit and experiment with layout. Leaning about the bleed and slug was really important, as it helped me to place larger images/colours across the page, spanning off of it, which is something that I will want to include in my publication. 

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15/01/19:

Not being in today was quite annoying, I feel as though I couldn't discuss my ideas with my classmates or my tutor so I was quite unsure as to how I would create my publication. I decided to use today to do further research into my chosen character (Woodstock) and keep up to date with my workflow. 

I messaged a few people in the class to ask what had missed and whether they could get me any information from other people uses Woodstock as their influence. Fortunately, they sent me a list of what they had done during the day and I was able to catch up relatively quickly on the work. 

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16/01/19: self directed study

Today I planned out what I wanted to include in my publication and how I wanted it to be presented. I chose to go for a landscape format, looking at stories from children books as a reference. I thought about the imagery I wanted to include and a title for my publication: Urban Loneliness, according to Woodstock. As I thought that Woodstock represented the lonely feeling one gets from a city environment, even though we are constantly being pushed and shoved on the tubes, we are alone, almost suffocated by the people. The people around us don't seem to see one another. This is something I want to explore in the publication.

I thought about creating a poem for the publication. Or a story of some sort, that would flow through all the pages and would conclude at the end of the publication. I want to question and challenge the reader, so that once they finish reading it, they will think and reflect on the words I have used inside. Hopefully changing the way they live for the better. 

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17/01/19:

I used today to see what my classmates had produced on Tuesday, and seeing how their ideas evolved. I enjoy doing this as it inspires me to create and reflect on my own work more and more. Looking at work that was about different characters from the comics was good for me as it helped me to see how they have been perceived by everyone else. 

Will showed us a few examples of publications and gave us a list of places to go to in order to get ours printed and published. He showed us a range of binding methods, which I have become recently interested in exploring. I think for my publication, the best binding method would be to either staple or a three point bind. However, I really like the use of a concertina and having an outer case for it also, so will play around with both ideas to see what works best. 

Will suggested we all create a dummy publication. I think this was good for me to visualise the number of pages and the content I wanted to include. It also gave me some practice on binding, which I found really helpful. Looking at other peoples book proposals was interesting as it made it clear to me what worked and what didn't. After talking to Will, he said that the layout and binding type that I had chosen worked well for my publication. He asked about the font I was going to include, and after talking to my peers during lunch, they all liked my idea of having hand written notes inside the book - to give it a rough edge feel. I told Will, that I planned on scanning the pages in and having them displayed on the sheet.

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18/01/19: self directed study

Looking back at my plan and my visualisation I think I will follow quite a simple colour scheme, using just red and black/white images for each, giving a much more concise and consistent set. I think this will work well together and I am excited about using a mix of photography, text and illustrations in my publication. I plan on using today to write a poem to put inside the book and creating images for each page and sentence.

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19/01/19: self directed study

I used today to finish my portfolio for the tutorial on Monday.

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20/01/19: self directed study

I used today to finish my portfolio fro the tutorial on Monday.

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21/01/19:

I am finding this project quite difficult to find the balance between personal and for public use, however, I think my theme is something that a lot of people will experience in life, and from speaking to my friends about it they all seemed to relate personally to it. I am really enjoying this project though, as challenging as it is, working with a live brief is something I have always wanted to do. I am so excited to see everyone else publications for this project!

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22/01/19: self directed study

Today I went to get my publication printed. I had so many issues with this, from not being able to print landscape, to paper type and file type. However, I knew that it needs fro be done so I decided to go back home and save my publication in as many ways as I possibly could to avoid any miscommunication. I decided to go to Edox Design Copy Print Ltd. in Queensway, as it was quick for me to get to. They were really helpful throughout the whole process and I even managed to get my magazine from FC project in Part one printed there today too. They were really interested in what I had produced and asked me lots of questions about my work. 

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23/01/19: self directed study

I used today to begin re editing my portfolio as I wanted to get a head start on it. 

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24/01/19: CRIT

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go in to college today. However, I knew that to perfect my publication I needed some criticism and feedback from a range of people, so I decided to send my digital copy to a few people in the GCD pathway. They seemed to really be interested in how I had decided to layout my publication and were impressed by my use of photoshop and illustrator. Some of them suggested various ways I could improve my publication, such as the front and back cover should carry on the design from inside - which having done now proved to be the right choice. 

I will be spending the rest of the week preparing my portfolio for my interview on Wednesday!!