OUGD505 - SBO1 - Research

I spent some time online and found a whole host of articles surrounding the issue. I collated these together into a PDF to display the articles which will benefit me the most. I have emphasised certain quotes from both articles and TED talks which I feel will be benefical to my practise. This publication also includes some satirical artwork tackling the issue of our dependance on technology. I also found some 'anti Wi-Fi' signage. These signs advertise the fact that the establisments do not provide WiFi but instead expect people to speak to one another. I feel this is an interesting way of tackling the issue and making people aware of it.

OUGD503 - D&AD airbnb Brief Initial Idea

We began by looking at the brief and clarifying this ourselves. The outcome should work across both digital and physical platforms. It should not only help to grow the idea of belonging but also incite new customers to join airbnb.

We looked at existing campaigns by airbnb and other travel companies. A lot of the ideas we were coming up with had already been done by airbnb. They have a lot of advertising material out there which made our job of coming up with something original much more difficult.

We spent some time as a group brainstorming some ideas. We decided that we wanted to create outcomes that were physical and tangible. This would make customers more inclined to share this with their friends than if the outcome was solely digital. After looking into designing postcards and letters we settled on creating a faux passport. This fits perfectly with the idea of travel and the outcome will seem important as its based on such an official document.

The passport would work more as a travel journal than an actual passport, it will be a way to document your journeys and remember the people that you have stayed with along the way. We wanted to keep some elements of an actual passport within the design so we decided to make an equivalent of the stamps you get when travelling outside the EU.

After looking on the airbnb website we came across this feature. This allows you to create your own airbnb symbol. Each traveller would have their own symbol which is completely individual. This would then be printed onto stickers which the customers would recieve, alongside the passport when they sign up. These stickers will work in the same way that the stamps work on real passports. Hosts would also have their own sticker which they could put in your passport alongside a page for comments, drawings or diagrams. The hosts could use this page for whatever they would like, they could make comments on how you were as a guest, write some travel tips for the place you are staying or just do a little doodle. This would strengthen the connections travellers have with their hosts.

Hosts would recieve a passport if they plan to travel with airbnb but they would also recieve an airbnb guestbook. This would work in a similar way to the passport, travellers would put their individual stickers in the guestbook alongside any comments they would like to make.

The passport and guestbook would not only strengthen connections within the airbnb community but it would work to build trust. The passport would be something that we feel the travellers would like to share with friends which in itself works as a promotional tool. 

The traveller icon stickers could also incorporate a QR code which takes you to the travellers online profile. This is a pre-existing element of the airbnb website which the passport slots into nicely. 

OUGD505 - Studio Brief 01 - Initial Ideas

For this brief we were asked to look into design relating to social, political and ethical change. We were to choose a current issue which we are personally interested in and passionate about.  We were then to collate a body of research surrounding this topic which will later inform practical work aiming to provoke social, political or ethical change focusing on the identified issue.

It took a while to choose an issue to focus on but after some deliberation I narrowed my choices down to two topics; our reliance on technology and overpopulation. 
I began looking into both topics online and attempted to find information and visual outcomes relating to both.

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There wasn't much visual work surrounding either topic which I was pleased about as I dislike working on projects that have already been done. I don't feel there is any value in producing work that is too similar to existing projects.

I did find some nice design and illustrative pieces which attempt to tackle these issues, a few are shown above. I especially like the illustration by John Holcroft shown directly above. This is part of a set of illustrations looking at various current issues but this piece was most relevant to my project. The use of vintage style illustration juxtaposed with the very modern issues is effective, it adds to the humour behind the work. 

Overpopulation is an issue which definitely needs addressing however it is very difficult to do this. People don't want to hear about it as the only real ways to tackle it are very extreme and I don't want to produce propaganda inciting people to cull a large portion of the people on earth or telling them not to bother reproducing. Although there is scope to be a bit tongue in cheek with this, I feel it is too sensitive an issue and this would be a massive restriction on what I could produce.

Looking into our reliance on technology and how this is affecting the way we think and the way we interact with one another is something I have been able to find reams of articles and scientific studies on. This will be invaluable when gathering research. I also feel it is a topic which is relevant to the majority of the population. 
The issue is something which I feel strongly about as I see it in day to day life. I work part time in a restaurant and the amount of couples and families I see sat on their phones and tablets, when they should really be conversing with the people they have chosen to go out and eat with, is shocking. I myself am also guilty of focusing on whats on the screen in front of me rather than what the people around me have to say. This is an issue I am attempting to address in my everyday life and the prospect of getting others to do the same is exciting. 

OUGD503 - Licht Concept

I was commisioned to brand a lighting company based in Belgium. The client had some ideas which I didn't agree with but I decided to move forward with them and also some ideas of my own so that the client could make a decision themselves. I started by sketching out a few different ideas.

I developed these sketches further, shown above is the idea that i personally prefer.

The client had the idea of using he text as a wire so I experimented with different typefaces and also tried producing the text by hand.

Shown above are three outcomes that I produced, I feel the lightbulb design is by far the most effective. The client agreed and we decided to move forward with this design. There are still a few changes that I intend to make.