OUGD504: SB3- Final Designs and Website Explanation

As a final way to tie up studio brief three I decided to show how the website would look on other devices as well as giving an explanation of the various elements of the site (links, interaction any changes I want to add) just to guide people through how the site works. 

OUGD503: Responsive Presentations

Today we gave presentations on our responsive work so far; what briefs we're doing, how far along we've gotten with them and any potential problems we might need suggestions or feedback for. 

Here is the feedback I received on three briefs I'm currently working on.

Penguin Brief:

Play around with the 'freak' art of freakonomics.

Look back again at the work of Stephanie Posavec and see if there's any way to produce a data visualisation looking pattern inspired by her work.

Joe Point/LCM Brief:

Try using imagery with the logo to make it more interesting. 

Play about by putting the logo into a shape to give it a more interesting/complex quality.

Look at music sheets, a lot of characters in his name are similar to symbols used in music.

Be more forceful with design decisions, don't consistently ask for feedback, I am the designer, I know what will look good and I have to prove it to him.

Heritage:

Potentially look into the history surrounding transport in leeds including the trams on boar lane.

OUGD504: SB4- Research Part 2

Knowing that I want hand made paper filled with seeds to be a key part of my printed campaign I thought it would be best to find out if seed filled paper can be bought or how to make it. 

Instructables gives step by step instructions on how to make paper, but it requires a mild and blender. I want to see if there are easier ways to make this.

Botanical Paper Works not only seek seeded paper with wildflower seeds at a reasonable price but also ones in many different colours at 8.5x11" size. Depending on the delivery time this may be the easiest way to get the stocks I need.

Paper Slurry also give instructions on how to make handmade paper. This method too requires moulds and a blender which may be an annoyance but the rough edges look so very pretty and I think there's something charming about the idea of it. Its just weather it's practical to do so.

The David Suzuki Foundation gives instructions on how to make handmade seed paper, which is wonderful. It also says that a blender isn't necessary so that's certainly an easier method by the looks of it. The instructions give clear direction when it comes to the types of seeds to use and gives the option of using an old picture frame as the mould. 

OUGD504: SB4- Initial Ideas

For studio brief four we have to create printed adverts for our website that include an element of augmented design. They need to be interactive and interesting so here are my initial ideas about it.

I want to create two different sides of the printed campaign.

The first uses billboards, magazine ads and large posters that contain the bee aware logo and a barren landscape with the worlds 'a world without flowers/bees- use your phone to see more'… or something like that. When an member of the public uses their phone with the advertisement sudden the message changes 'simple actions can save bees' or something like that... and the landscape becomes filled with flowers.

The second is printed materials such as leaflets and business cards that will be made out of handmade paper containing seeds. Screen pretend type and logos over the top will contain the website, and basic instructions 'plant me to save the world'… or something like that. When a smart phone is used with the leafless it will show you the potential flowers blooming out from the card but also take you through a guide on how to plant the flowers and maintain them. 

I also had an idea of an 'eco box' made similarly out of the seed filled paper but a flat design you fold into a box, fill with soil and bury. This might just be an awkward version of the little cards and leaflets but I still like it.

Hopefully the leaflets could contain a loose page of seed filled paper or in magazine ads the little 'plant me' cards could be attached to the page. This will scare people with the harsh truth but then give them a simple and easy answer to the problem. 

Though this campaign I want to make people not only care or sympathise but also take action and actually do something and I believe providing them all the tools for doing so will encourage people to participate.

OUGD504: Study Task- Print Finishes

This session we were set the task of finding out about print finishes. I was lucky to be given a book to flick through call the production manual, it had an entire chapter on finishing which included folding binding as well as the all important finishes applied to print.

Perforation

Perforation comes from the Latin word “foramen” and means hole or opening. This is a process that creates a cut-out area that can be detached from the page. Potential uses include mail out packages, or contact information that can be torn out and kept.

Duplexing

When two stocks are bonded to form a single sheet this is called duplexing, it's a technique used mainly on business cards or invites. 

Thermography

This print finishing process produces raised lettering using powder fused to the page in an oven. It gives the overall look a bubbly and mottled surface that is very touchable and eye catching. This can be used in any statement piece such as cards, high end promotion materials such as leaflets, and decorative posters.

Foils

Foiling an image adds a 'shiny' layer to the page and is produced by pressing a heated die to the paper. Also named foil stamp or foil emboss it is a widely versatile finished process and can be used on leaflets, book covers and promotional materials such as leaflets or business cards. They can also be used as watermarks for samples.

Embossing and Debossing

Both embossing and debossing involve a mounted plate being pressed into the stock to produce the finish. The difference between the two is that embossing creates a raised impression on the paper where as debossing creates an indented look. Both have many applications including watermarking, book covers, adding a textured dynamic to business cards or letter heads, invitations etc. If doubled with a foiling technique it adds a really interesting look to printed material.

Die Cutting

Die cutting is a process where shapes are 'cut out' from the stock using blanks or templates; blades formed into the desired cutting shape; and a press. When manufacturing mass amounts of one cut out product die cutting is the easiest method to use, however producing a new design takes time and effort and if it is for a small number of jobs it becomes more effort than it is worth.

Laser Cutting

Similar to die cutting; they both remove shapes from stock; but more flexible with what you cut. Laser cutting is all set up digitally and then produced with a laser cutting machine. For smaller numbers of cutting products this is the tool to use, however is mass production is your thing then die cutting is the better option. It takes less time to set up, once a digital 'cutting' file is produced but takes longer toy cut; vice versa for die cutting.

Varnishes

There are many types of varnishing finishes for many different effects. They are: gloss for a shiny look, making photos and images look sharper and the colours brighter, matt for the opposite of gloss, neutral for an almost invisible look useful for quick turnarounds as it dries very quickly, pearlescent for a luxurious effect, satin and silk for that midway look between matt and gloss, textured spot UV to apply texture to paper such as leather, crocodile skin etc, and UV varnish a form of varnish that will dry when exposed to UV rays, a page with this varnish on it will be shiny and a little sticky. 

Laminates 

Like with varnishes, there are many different types with many different effects. Matt, diffuses light and reduces glare, satin for somewhere between matt and gloss, gloss, a shiny highly reflective laminate, sand, for creating a subtle sand grain on a design and leather, to give a leather texture to the page. 

A shape with foiling and UV spot varnishing.

 A two colour image with foiling.

A three colour image with spot varnish. 

OUGD504: SB4- Research

Printed Advertisments

Found on 25 creative designs- From up North

From Creative Bloq's- 100 Brilliant print adverts.

I've been keeping an eye out for conservation related adverts seeing how my site is a conservation related site. However, I am yet to see an advert that doesn't attempt to scare and shock audiences; it's still a powerful message but one that I feel has been drastically overused. I also feel the smaller scale of my project (UK based) and the simplicity of the actions required to make a difference will make it easier to produce a positive friendly campaign as opposed to a fear mongering one. 

I had to include this design because it's a great example of a digital campaign translating itself into a printed one. The iconic style used in dumb ways to die works just as well in printed physical version. I think because of how ingrained the animation has become to audiences you can't help but hear the song as you read. 

For a bed and breakfast, brilliant isn't it?

This one just makes me smile. It's also very clever taking real life and turning it into a single colour. Quirky ideas with strong ties to the product or brand seem to be what makes my favourite printed ads the strongest. 

Augmented/Interactive Design

The capabilities of augmented design range widely. Using technology it seems the possibilities are endless when it comes to what can now be done with printed media. 

Adding an interactive element to it's catalogue Ikea engages it's audiences with the products and allows them to visualise what furniture could look like in their homes. It gives virtual tours and 3D examples and immerses the customer in the ikea world. 

Sometimes it's easy to assume that a smart phone is the only way of adding augmented elements to an advert, however Pepsi manage to turn a bus stop into something special without a smartphone being needed. This advert gets people exciting and makes them interact with the camera and video. And most importantly it makes people look on the other side of the bus stop and view the large poster for Pepsi Max. The combination of enjoyment coupled with product placement makes audiences connect those positive feelings with the soft drink as well as photograph, film and share their experiences ultimately sharing the campaign with the world. 

Preparation for Print Workshop

When preparing a document from Photoshop always convert file into CMYK or greyscale and save as a .psd or  a .tiff document.

Consider resolution- 300 dpi/ppi as average and prepare images at actual size.

Opening a duotone document in indesign- there spot colours are automatically added to the swatch pallet. For using a limited number of inks and retaining the same colour these added swatches will mean the colours remain consistent in printing. And the same applies with illustrator and vector files.

Before printing checking the links pallet will allow you to check what ppi each image has. 300 is the average and these images only have 72, completely inappropriate for print. However shrinking the image can improve the ppi. 

Separations preview allows you to see what will be printed in CMYK as well as spot colours that will be used.

  Clicking on any of the CMYK options allows you to see a grey scale version of the image, perfect for screen printed positives.

Printing angles are important. CMYK makes up images by using different coloured dots all layered at different angles so as not to cross over each other. This can be manually done in illustrator.

Overprinting can only be viewed using the overprint preview. When used it means that colours can be 'layered' over another colour/image creating a transparent look. It will print the text/colour over the existing image/colour.