OUGD505 STUDIO BRIEF TWO - END OF MODULE EVALUATION

What were the strengths?
I feel as though comprehensive research has been undertaken for studio brief two, and I have successfully tackled researching an extremely broad topic, covering, if only briefly, a wide range of topics within it. I felt I have covered both sides of deforestation in studio brief two research, focusing mainly on the negative impacts of deforestation, but touching on things that are being done to slow down and prevent deforestation as well, such as changes to cattle ranching.
In studio brief one, I feel I have represented Brasilian culture accurately using the bright Brusho colours to create a fairly abstract, dynamic colour. For this brief I also completed it really early before the deadline, fitting in with the actual deadline for the brief, with the blogging and design boards, which allowed me to focus on studio brief two when the time came for it.
The outcomes for studio brief two are also appropriate for the target market, and feel represent deforestation and the rainforest in a positive manner rather than focusing on the doom and gloom aspect. This is more likely to incentivize people to pick up the guide or download the app, and start making a change, as the tone of voice isn't forceful or shameful.

What were the weaknesses?
For studio brief one I wish I had done more research initially into what constitutes a bank note aesthetically, so that I could of applied this to my own banknote designs so they would look more realistic. More design consideration should of been undertook into the aesthetic of the final banknote, with the text and image combined, to ensure a more realistic and "full" design. I don't think I did enough research into artistic styles of existing bank notes either, which in hindsight would of allowed for a more proficient final design.
The binding method for studio brief two guide also had flaws, with the thread covering up the title on the middle content spread. This could of been avoided but thinking ahead, and possibly finding different ways of still saddle stitch binding but that doesn't cover the text. The front cover stock of the guide ideally should of been recycled stock, to fit in with the sustainability of the guide. This could of been avoided with future planning when purchasing the stock initially.
I didn't concentrate on the outcome aspect of studio brief two enough at the start, but kept on researching instead, which resulted in me having to rush and finish the outcomes in the last 2 weeks or so before the deadline, which really isn't ideal, and has resulted in things being missed that I would of liked to of done, and not having enough time to take my time with the outcomes. Not being able to decide on what specific direction to take the research and final outcomes due to the topic being so broad also delayed me in my progress by a good few days, as I was just going round in circled not really being able to focus on one point because the topic was so broad, and I wanted to cover everything but that is just impossible.

What would I do differently?
I would of come up with a research question, similar to COP, which was quite specific, to ensure that my research was much more focused and I could go into more depth with it, which would in turn make it easier to define final outcomes and target audiences. I would of liked to of spent more time on the design of the guide, thinking about different potential front covers, as I bought some green tracing paper I would of loved to experiment with. I would also of liked to refine my poster designs more, to make them more gender neutral, as at the moment they are leaning slightly towards feminine.
For studio brief one, I would of done a bit more research into what constitutes a bank note, what elements are included in it, and I would of referred back to this when I was designing my own bank notes, to ensure they look more realistic and have all the content on there. I would also of experimented more with the final banknote designs digitally before going ahead and screen printing, to ensure that I am completely happy with the outcome first.

What have I learned?
I have learnt that planning ahead is key to ensure everything goes smoothly and you can do what you want to do without so many hiccups. This can also save you time and money as well, which is crucial when time is of the essence. I also learnt that when researching something, it's important to have a specific focus in mind initially to ensure the research itself is focused and has direction, and it also makes it less daunting as well. I have once again learnt that time management is crucial, and this is till something that I need to work on but it's definitely improving.

OUGD505 STUDIO BRIEF TWO - FINAL GUIDE & POSTER PHOTOGRAPHS

Guide:

All three languages of the guide.

You can see the saddle stitch binding and the green thread used to bind the guide. The green thread blends in really nicely with the green stock front cover and green leaves.

Close up of the recycled stock next to the green stock.

An issue with the binding method was that the thread went through to the centre of the guide, and cuts straight through the title text, which is a shame, though you can still read it.

Evaluation:
This guide is effective in teaching companies how to be more sustainable, not only in how to tell if wood is legally and sustainably sourced, but also in their daily lives, and how they can show their support of the rainforest, and do their bit to help, through the content featured within. The stock used was all recycled as well except for the front cover, which promotes sustainability. Ideally I would of liked the front cover to be recycled stock as well, however I didn't have any green recycled of the right weight, which is something I should of thought about when buying the stock initially. The thread used was 100% cotton so it is biodegradable, however whether it is produced sustainably I have no idea. This is something I could of looked more into finding recycled thread if I had had the time. The 3 different languages ensure a lot of people from around the world will be able to read it and take inspiration from the content.

Posters:

English poster.

French poster.

Portuguese poster.

This is a close up of the QR code in the bottom right corners of the posters, which you can scan and it takes you to the digital version of the guide on ISSUU.

Evaluation:
I am fairly pleased with the posters, as they convey the right message of supporting the rainforest, however the leaf pattern does edge them slightly towards the feminine side. The message itself however is bold and obvious, which is great. The inclusion of the QR code was a real last minute afterthought which is a really effective idea, as it links the posters to their respective guides, which connects the two together and promotes the guide more extensively for those who happen to see the poster.

OUGD505 STUDIO BRIEF TWO - DIGITAL GUIDES & QR CODES

As well as printing the guide off so it's a physical outcome, I have uploaded all three versions to ISSUU so that you can access it online as well, or print it off yourself, which saves printing costs and resources.
A peer used a QR code on packing that people can scan when send them to the digital version of their book, and when seeing this I thought it was a great and really useful way of getting people to know about the guide. I thought I could apply the QR code to the poster in the corner, so that when people see the poster they can scan the QR code and find out more information in the guide digitally, without the use of extra paper expenditure. However, having already printed the posters, this would of been great to put on beforehand, however now I will simply print the codes out on the same stock as used for the posters and stick them on, mainly to show what they would look like.

English version:

QR code to apply to poster.

Portuguese Version:

QR code to apply to poster.

French Version:

QR code to apply to poster.

OUGD505 STUDIO BRIEF TWO - APP DESIGN & FINAL APP MOCK UPS

Starting loading page developments:
I had real difficulty designing the loading page, as I wanted to include the app name and tagline, and the colour for the app as well, however with just minimal information it looked a little plain and simple, like there wasn't much initial impact. This was where the leaf design came in, however initially I didn't want to use the leaf sketches as I thought they would make it look too complicated and possibly feminine, so I started off by just using an basic shape of the leaf rather than including all the detail, as I thought this would indicate nature but still appear bold and dynamic. However it just looked a bit odd with the bold leaf shape, it needed more depth to the page otherwise it was way too simple. The image traced full colour leaf was then applied in different positions at different scales and with different background as well, to see how I could make it work. In the end I changed the background colour to a lower opacity so it was still a colour taken from the leaf but was lighter so that the leaf stood out more, but the background wasn't white as this interfered with the legibility of the app name.

Content screens:

I screenshotted the home page of Instagram to use as a basis for the home page of the app, as I wanted a photograph feed to be the home page, so that you can see what your friends/followers are doing to be sustainable, but also see the latest tips posted as well. This makes for more of a social media home page where you can interact, and also acts as something that you can scroll through when you're bored as well, which I know we all do. The circle and cross in the bottom right corner expands, the same as on the Facebook Messenger app, to options for you to make a post, and search for followers, posts etc. The icons at the bottom of the photograph are save, like, comment and share respectively. The question mark at the top banner is the button to go to the tip of the week page, which shows the featured tip on how to be sustainable. This changes on a weekly basis. The picture on the top banner is your page where you can view your profile and posts, and the four lines is the menu bar.

This is the page where you can input your information, such as if you've recycled some cardboard or plastic tub, how long you've spent in front of a computer, if you've walked to the shops instead of drove, if you've bought anything such as a new knife or dishwasher etc. Also if you've printed anything off at work, how much paper you've used, and what appliances you've used such as dishwasher, washing machine, work machinery. The other button lets you add in any information that doesn't fit under the other categories.

Say you clicked on travel on the previous screen, this would take you to this page, where you can insert your mode of transport, so bicycle motorbike, car etc, and then how far you travelled in it as well. This then adds it to your log.

This is a track your progress screen, which works on a weekly basis, so you can see how many hours you've spent in front of a screen each day, and compare it to last week. It shows the information in a bar chart format which is easy to read and compare data. The arrows either side of the chart allow you to view previous and and future weeks so you can review your progress.

I really struggled with the "me" screen, as I was unsure what sort of information and layout to give it, and with the layout I chose there seemed to be a lot of white space at the bottom. This space was attempted to be filled using the leaf at different opacities, however this just like it's there to fill space, which it is, but I don't want it to look that way.

Final app design:

Loading start up screen.

Home screen.

Menu selected. This shows the different options available in the drop down menu.

Track progress page, once selected in the menu. You click on a heading which takes you to the record.

Selected screen time track record. Shows the latest week's data.

Selected the Add to log page in the menu, which takes you to this screen, where you select an option to add information to.

You selected travel, input the information into the page and press submit to save it.

My profile page, where you can view your posts, posts of others you've saved and tips and tricks you've saved, posts you've shared, and your personal target as well, where you can see how well you're doing so far based on the track my progress information.

Mock ups:
These mock up photographs show how the app looks on an iPhone 6, how the scale works and the sizings of everything. It also shows how it would actually look if it was produced as an app and you could download it on your phone, it gives an idea of what it would actually look like.

Evaluation:
I am really pleased with the design of this app, as it is gender neutral in colour and design, and reflects sustainability in it's colouring as well. It has achieved the simple and minimal style that was being aimed for initially. I feel I have designed it with a easy user experience, so it is simple to navigate around the features. Given more time I would of loved to of done more screens, however in these I feel I have covered the basics, and you get a general idea of what you can do on the app and how it would work. If time allowed I would of liked to of thought about how things changed when you interact with the app, such as moving from screen to screen, and when you touch a button as well, does it change colour? However this is just an indication of what it would look like and how it would work.