Brief: Collection 100 - Research Proposal

My subject matter is..

Maps

Possible categories will include..

- Places

- Co-ordinates

- Time Zones

- Holidays

- Places lived

- Places visited

- Places of birth

-Documentation of travel

Research processes will include..

- Collection of maps

- Atlas'

- Asking people for: favourite places, where born, where lived, where visited

- Functions and uses of maps

- Map reading

How will you research?

Primary: Surveys, questionnaires, my own experiences, photographs

Secondary: Maps, atlas', symbols, systems

Who/Where will you research?

Primary: Friends and family

Secondary: Map makers/ publishers, Journals

Research processes will include..

Primary: Surveys and questionnaires via email and facebook, my own photos

Secondary: Collecting exsisting map forms and atlas'

Brief: What If? Self Evaluation

What problem did you identify?

When first put together in a group our starting words were all based around travel and journeys and so we decided to investigate transport in Leeds and how people get around. More specifically we went on to identify the problem of cyclists being unaware to the potential dangers of cycling in and around Leeds city centre.

What evidence did you find to support your decisions?

Secondary:When gathering evidence my role was to collect as many types of exsisting maps and as much information as possible that was targeted directly as cyclists or travel issues relating to Leeds residents. To do this I visited tourist information points at places where large volumes of people enter the city such as bus and train stations where I found a huge selection of maps, but only one directly aimed at cycling in the city - and this wasn't very clear or easy to follow.

Primary:Whilst out and about collecting maps I decided to document my views of cycle lanes and facilities that I encountered. I discovered that the cycle lanes that currently exsist are quite disjointed and erratic which would cause any new cyclists to the city much confusion that could easily prove off putting when faced with busy rush hour traffic jams. In terms of bike parks I found that in many cases it was private business and places like universities that had their own as I found there to be a lack of public ones which meant bikes were found chained to railings around the city.

Primary: After collecting some initial secondary research as well as some images, our group set about canvassing opinion by conducting a questionnaire based around problems gathered from previous research. The results are shown below:

1. For what purpose are you in Leeds?

Study: 19

Live: 58

Work: 8

2. How do you currently travel around/to Leeds?

Car: 10

Walk : 40

Bus: 18

Train: 7

Cycle: 6

Taxi: 4

3. How much on average does travel cost you in a week?

£0-5: 39

£5-10: 14

£10-15: 8

£15-20: 16

£20+: 8

4. Would you ever consider cycling as a primary form of transport?

Yes: 42

No: 33

Maybe: 4

Already Cycle: 6

No because..

Practicality: 4

Safety: 8

Can't ride a bike: 1

5.Do you think there is enough information about cycling around the city?

Yes: 11

No: 61

Don't Know: 13

6. Would you feel safe cycling in Leeds?

Yes: 19

No: 66

7. Do you think there is ample opportunity to cycle in Leeds?

Yes: 44

No: 28

Don't Know: 13

Quantitative: Statistics gathered on cycling in Leeds compared to other cities in the UK an Europe.

Birmingham: 1.4%

Liverpool: 1.73%

Newcastle: 1.75%

Manchester: 3.24%

Nottingham: 3.67

Leicester: 4%

Bristol: 4.8%

York: 12%

London: 13%

Copenhagen: 46%

What methods of research did you find useful and why?

Personally I found going out to specifically look at at, document and photograph cycle lanes and facilities was very useful as prior to this I wasn't very knowledgeable about what already exsisted.

In terms of what aided the project most I would say that the questionnaire was most useful as we gathered eighty five responses that provided more in depth, higher quality research. The secondary research was another part I found very useful as initially it was difficult to decide what to go out and research specifically but the secondary data gave us some good starting points.

How did these inform your response to your problem?

By obtaining this higher quality research we were then able to more accurately pin point problems to focus our attention and subsequently address them through our work. Also the secondary information proved very useful as it was often gained from reliable sources such as government and councils which increased the validity of our data.

What methods did you encounter as problematic?

At the same time as being the most useful I found the questionnaire one of the most problematic methods as it was quite difficult to get responses from a wide age group in a short space of time.

How did you overcome this?

Due to the time limits, in order to get responses from a more varied age range we asked parents, relatives and tutors but most of the responses from the questionnaire came from students.

What research could you have carried out that would have proved more useful?

Ideally If given more time, I think our project could have benefitted from a focus group where we could have gained valuable, in depth views that could really have pushed our project towards solving a specific point or problem that regularly affects cyclists in Leeds.

5 things I have learnt about the design process over the last two weeks:

- Sometimes you have to work with group decisions that you may not find as interesting or motivating.

- Must be conscious at all times that the resolution must be appropriate to the subject.

- Stay committed to the project even when the subject doesn't inspire you.

- The design process is often more important than anything else as the way you go about this will be apparent in what you produce at the end.

- Importance of informing myself thoroughly about a subject when tackling issues I am unfamiliar with.

5 things I would do differently next time:

- I would have tried to change the direction of the project at the very beginning as cycling isn't really a subject that interests me very much.

- I would make sure that throughout the project, the resolution stays appropriate to the subject.

- I would try to gather more focussed research so that we could have addressed a more specific issue.

- I would have tried to implement more original hand drawn design work as I felt our work was based too much on symbols and simplistic imagery.

- Finally I would also have encouraged the group to set up a brand new campaign rather than developing the exsisting 'THINK' campaign.

Brief: What If? Resolutions

Brief: What If? Concept Feedback

Brief: What If?

The 'What If?' brief is the second group task encountered on the course so far and before the briefing everyone was asked to collect one hundred photos that covered five different areas: People, Places, Textures, Objects and Words. We were then challenged to categorise both our own and other peoples images in ways according to different criteria such as shapes, colour, environment and numbers. After this we were asked to come up with a specific word, theme or sentence that covered the majority of our photographs and my chosen word for this was 'Journeys'. Our tutor then put together groups of six students with similar themes or words to work with each other for the main brief.

The brief itself stated that each group had to establish a 'problem' through our common knowledge, research and interests that affects some sector of the general public within Leeds. As our groups words were all centred about travel and journeys we ended up looking at transport in Leeds and how people get around. The first week of the two week brief was to be based purely on research and collecting as much of it as possible in order to inform our decision on what problem we choose to solve.

End Of Module Self Evaluation

1. What practical skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?

Through this module I have began to use Adobe Illustrator for the first time and my skills in this have developed quickly through working on the 26 letter brief and by also using it heavily during the 'No News Is Good News' brief.

2. What approaches to/ methods of problem solving have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?

I feel I have maintained a more constant analysis of my work throughout this module by carefully considering and questioning each decision I made as the projects developed. This helped to overcome problems I faced as I was asking why I had chosen certain things and what would they achieve.

3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?

I think I have maintained a pleasing consistency across different media during the 'No News Is Good News' brief through the posters and mailshot whilst developing creative, subtle solutions to communicating messages in my work.

4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these more fully?

I want to make sure I can develop each idea to its full potential through managing my time well whilst making sure that I initially look into a range of ideas instead of selecting one and carrying it forward straight away.

5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what you expect to gain from doing these?

- Ensure time management allows me to develop my work to its full potential.

- Continue to practice and develop my Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator skills.

- Strike a balance between technical and manual skills.

- Explore a bolder use of colour.

- Develop a range of ideas before selecting one to carry forward.

6. Are there any things we could have done differently that would have benefitted your progress?

Consider how many briefs are running at one time as it can restrict the development of some work and also makes it difficult to attempt extra work such as live briefs.

7. How would you grade yourself on the following areas. ( 5 Excellent - 1 Poor)

Attendance- 5

Punctuality- 5

Motivation- 4

Commitment- 4

Quantity of work produced- 4

Quality of work produced- 4

Contribution to the group- 3

No News Is Good News: Message and Delivery

Above is the final resolution for the 'No News Is Good News' mail shot.

When considering and constructing the mail shot I looked back to see what had proved successful in my three impact posters. Key elements such as the colourscheme, typeface, stock and layout had combined well and I intended to carry these forward into the design of the envelope and its contents.

The only extra restriction added to the brief was the dimensions that the envelope had to conform to. (11.5cm x 16cm)

Upon designing the mailshot I felt that it needed to be interesting to open whilst retaining its pleasing visual simplicity. I then came up with the idea of using perforated edges on the envelope which I thought would make the recipient more intrigued to open it but more importantly i felt it was a good way of including a subtle message about wasteage. The action of tearing paper and throwing it away links directly to the subject of the mail and posters which is all about human consumption.

Once opened the mail would be lined with the pac man designs used in my posters and hold inside some informative postcards with various statements and accompanying visual imagery. In terms of the mailing list, the piece was to be sent to companies that deal with large volumes of food such as the major UK supermarkets as well as our own forest protection agencies and environmental charities.

The overall design was kept consistent with that of the posters whilst adding extra little details to develop the piece further.

Im really pleased in particular with the envelope as the deign is clean and contemporary whilst being intriguing to open. If I was to develop the piece further I would have liked to have been a little more creative with the contents by maybe including a fold out poster for example.