Category: Final Major Project

Protect and Survive

This book was produced by Margaret Thatcher’s government during the Cold War in May 1980. It advised people on the safest way to stay alive after a nuclear attack. I had used this as inspiration before. It helped my type out the paragraph on the information sheet.

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This booklet also has an action checklist much like my early ideas of leaving and returning home checklist. This makes me think that it would be a great idea to add this concept within my work.

MAP (Manual of Architectural Possibilities)

This is a collection of speculative double sided A1 manuals on individual issues. I had looked at these before but not in great detail. They use real information then add a twist to exaggerate the impacts and implications, which is exactly what I want to do with my work. However, the detailing and time spent on these MAPs create a new level I only wish to slightly achieve.

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I believe my changing my concept to a booklet will allow me to explore more areas of interest and can help me map out my future world in a more clear way. This will look less like the MAP which I cannot stand against but instead I can sit with the more real life informative booklets.

My feedback was a little confusing at the time and I didn’t really have any idea of where to go and what to do. So I took some time off to get my head together and figure out what is needed. The feedback mentioned the logo seemed disjointed to the rest of the styling. It needed structure and panic. The arrows worked the best. I recreated the shield with sharp cutting lines as if it was protecting us more from the greater evil, creepy biohazard virus.

This had a stronger response but the bottom right logo utilised the arrows and the feel of pushing away or spreading like a virus.

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I then thought about the pack. The idea of having an information print out was greatly liked however, the design was off. I needed something easily recognisable and cheap to mass print. I took the idea from Suits and seeing tip sheets from stock markets only printed on red paper so that they cannot be copied easily. So what if all my print was on yellow sheets to be easily replicated and for a Government ran scheme the print will only be in black ink for the cheapness.

In the formative feedback it was said that I needed to adjust the hierarchy of the functions and controls page. By removing some elements and making the information travel directly to the backpack the page flows better.

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I kept thinking from my other projects add context, bring it to the real world. What better way than posters. These are used as simple reminders in public places to wear the PPB, such as public transport where they are crowded.

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So far I haven’t shown how the bag can actually be used in real life situations. I needed to show how the bag will be worn so created these red and blue men walking to the supermarket. When the men get too close the PPB acts changing colour. With more time I will add sounds and other elements.

Overall, I know I can push this project further and experiment with other visuals.

Unsure about the logo, I created this shield idea that the pack will protect against enemies such as the other people with their illnesses. This sparked the idea of how PPE is a shield we must wear thus the PPB was created.

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I wanted to be sure on the styling of my FMP as the more decorative broken style was more interesting yet the sans serif is clearer and is simular to other government campaigns. Going back to design fiction it uses what is out there (the facts) and adds the the speculation (with fiction). The simpler design holds to that stable core of criticality so that my idea can be read easily.

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This is an A3 foldable leaflet. The idea for this outcome is to join the bag to explain what each element does. I spent some time on the wording of each element on this sheet so that they could fit into the world of survival and information booklets.

Following my feedback, I needed to work on what I will show and boost the visuals as the idea is there. How can I best show this idea, what is the outcome, how will people interpret it? First, I needed a logo or icon to keep going back to. I kept coming back to the hazards of humans and what we create such as the pandemic its self.

Using a biohazard symbol I created I started on the visuals and went against what is normally seen. In the current world there is speculation that the NHS will be privatised; how would that look and I kept thinking it would change everything. In this dystopian world, everything will be broken and futuristic.

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In a different dystopia everything is clean and lined up, orderly. This idea has a protection style with bold clear regulations. This concept is that everyone is sent this in the post with the packs.

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I wanted to add to the theme of the pack and add more elements for the theme of dystopian and add to the level of speculation. When you enter a store you are provided with blue paper and spray so what if that was attached in a different form. The paper design is taken from the great bulk buying and running out of loo roll. I also thought about how there is speculation that in 20 years we will be 100% cashless and we will pay with cards or our phones. I remembered back to 1st year in Plas Gwyn where I didn’t have a key it was only a card to buzz in. That was the same for the main door, the flat and even my bedroom. I speculate that the whole world might become like that so added the useful fob.

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I first created my backpack in a colour vector shaded way but then realised that it would not sit well within my chosen field.

Researching the pandemic and the designed responses, they fitted into 2 categories. The first a government lead basic, blue and white theme that you see in the motorway or everywhere outside. Or the second a bright yellow and black, hazard theme. Both however, used line vector deigns and filled the white space with information.

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The word that keeps popping up is ghost-busters proving that my idea has humour and wit. However, I do need to improve and have an outcome. Feedback suggested a brand and asking how do I do things in this pandemic world. How do I hug?

My first thought was to create a brand for the pack and create a timeline of the future.

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My Brand would sit in with the time frames but have an official government style.

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The future could include implants of digital technology as I was reminded that even I have an arm implant so the digital world isn’t too far off.

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The idea was to create the backpack big and over the top so that the making of it smaller is exaggerated. However, when discussing this it made me realise that this idea is not critical. It is only following the trends. The bag is strong enough to be by its self and be bold.

To start I looked at what is happening now to progress to the future or fiction. I came across a website that builds your own dystopian story through a few words you type in. Using that plot as a base line I began to mind map, getting out all the bad ideas to get to the better.

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These basic ideas started to meld together a picture of what life could be like in a few years.

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The feedback so far was positive so I’m on the right track but I just need to get the visuals and progress into the what type of outcomes can I make. The group loved the 2 metre alarm system and the course. They questioned the interactions and the story I could tell. Using the example of a cave man, how would they react if they found out they weren’t the only people to exist? How can my work visualise that.

DESIGN METHODS & METHODOLOGIES WORKSHOP

This workshop was to figure out what type of design world I would sit in. For instance, design fiction, typography systems, social or service design. Although, I had heard of all these it was great to look into them with more detail and pick out differences.

In my own time I looked into speculative design as I know I want to ask questions why and what if things were different. My brief is provocative and to challenge views. This lead me to design fiction, which I was not sure I understood till today. This methodology is to take real facts and link with fictional (generally over the top) ideas to stretch imagination.

Researching further, I summed up what I had to do; An everyday utopian world view is necessary as a stable core or base to build experimentation and create those unstable views.

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Linking this back to my project; the box or somewhat utopian world is now and my work will fit outside of that box.

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To get a better idea of where my design sits I looked into other dystopian ideas. They all has technology advancements even if they were in 5 years. After Earth is where people live on mars but came back to earth had now everything is out to kill them so they developed oxygen supplements. Valerian & the city of 1000 planets uses head gear to see a market instead of being there. Monsters, Inc has a special squat team to remove harmful elements. This makes me realise I want to keep it lighthearted and use humour and wit for a powerful statement.

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My initial idea was to look into the shops and only covid. However, it was stated that I could push further and think bigger so I did. I looked at major pandemics and how they ended. It wasn’t pretty. Covid-19 has been the least hit in terms of quarantine and vaccinations as previous pandemics have not been so lucky. However, we are still at risk so why are we not doing better and illuminating the virus quicker? For my brief, I will look from a critical angle of how the UK Government has handled the pandemic.

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