V I S U A L L A N G U A G E : object/audience

The object I have selected for my museum exhibition is engineer boots. The audience this exhibition would be aimed towards are the people who wear these boots, which mainly consists of engineers (obviously) but also include construction workers and people who simply appreciate them in regards to current fashion trends. 

I chose this object because it is designed specifically to meet the demands of the working conditions in which it is worn. Also, it beautifully shows the signs of age to the point of constructing a narrative of the person who wore it. 

V I S U A L L A N G U A G E : process link

I'm having some difficulty uploading to my personal sight. Thankfully Matt was kind enough to let me use his temporarily. 

Check it.

V I S U A L L A N G U A G E : campaign poster completion

Here they are. There are several changes that have been made since my last post. 

1. Scaled down the size of the "vote" stamp in the upper-left corner
2. Removed the background texture from over the images
3. Reduced the size of the distressing on the text in the lower-left corner
4. Made the sleeve smaller to allow the text on the Mudra poster to be placed in the same area as the Lotus poster
5. Revised the text colors to match the stamp colors more closely

My critic with Josh was very beneficial. He recommended that I introduce more texture into the text and the background because the crispness of those elements was contrasting in a negative way with the aesthetic of the imagery and the stamp. He also felt that the text placement was working more effectively on the Lotus poster because it created a strong, left alignment. The placement of my text on the Mudra poster was at the time right aligned because the sleeves hung too low to allow it to be placed in the same position as the other poster. Because Josh recognized that I was trying to creating a system in order to create a series, he advised me to modify the sleeves in order to allow the text to be placed in the same position and both posters and thus unify them more. 

I was fortunate to receive such genuine feedback and I'm glad I took Josh's suggestions because I feel it made a positive change in my posters. 

V I S U A L L A N G U A G E : 97% complete

V I S U A L L A N G U A G E : digital rendering

The two directions I chose for my posters are...

1) Mudra (parody)

2) Lotus flower (allegory)

There was a general consensus during critique that my hands for the mudra poster weren't quite reading as being Asian. It was suggested that I try making them look gold to reference the sculptures. 

Below is a combination of a digital rendering and digitally manipulated cut-paper. This was a great exercise in learning how to use PhotoShop to make objects appear dimensional, however, the huge amount of time and effort was not well spent. 

Lets just be honest... the hands are a bit weird. Period. 

By doing this I have moved too far away from the natural qualities of the materials I'm using. Back to the drawing board... and sewing machine... and stencils... and collaging...

V I S U A L L A N G U A G E : sketches

V I S U A L L A N G U A G E : mark making exercise

One of the major things I wanted to convey through my posters was the rich aesthetic qualities found in Asian artwork. I began by researching traditional mark-making techniques and compiling examples. 

Throughout history, Asian artists have utilized personal stamps as a way of branding their work and putting their name on it. 

I took a history of graphic design course in which I was exposed to a Chinese artist by the name of Xu Bing. One of his works in which he dealt with the language barriers of Asian countries really struck a note with me. In order to illustrate this barrier, Bing developed a massive set of letterforms that characteristically resembled Chinese letterforms yet they were completely meaningless. 

From my research I found that one of the main issues Asian-Americans aren't engaging in civic participation is because of language barriers and mistranslations at the polls. By taking the aesthetic qualities of the characters from multiple Asian languages and merging them with English characters, I could address this issue and at the same time communicate to the entire demographic. 

Above is an image of the linoleum stamps I carved. 

Below is are a couple images of a Mudra parody. Mudras are meditational hand positions often seen on sculptures. They have a multitude of purposes such as balancing one's self, guiding our energy flow, creating inner peace and strength, sharpening intuition, and promoting prosperity. 

These were executed as stencils done in silver and gold paint and upon a brief look, are to be read as the word "vote."

Below is a piece referencing Asian textile work. 

I gathered a bunch of beautiful Asian papers to be used for collaging. 

M U L T I M E D I A E X P E R I E N C E : community model

M U L T I M E D I A E X P E R I E N C E : research poster mind mapping

Below is the aftermath of my partner Matt and I's brain storm. This exercise helped us determine the most fruitful self driven, real-life activity to pursue.

M U L T I M E D I A E X P E R I E N C E : e-news letter online

check it.

D E S I G N S Y S T E M S : audits

HISTORY

1960s

In Amsterdam, a visionary by the name of Luud Schimmelpenninch starts the first ever city bicycle program. The concept behind which was to provide free bicycles that would be used for one trip and then left for someone else. Within a month, most of the bikes had been either stolen or vandalized. 

1974

La Rochelle, France launches a free bike program with yellow bikes which are also free. Again, a large amount of theft ensued. 

1994

Environmentalists Tom O'Keefe, Joe Keating and Steve Gunther start one of the first U.S. city bike programs in Portland, Oregon. They simple release the bikes into the city with un-restricted use.

Some people never learn.

1995

Copenhagen launches a free bike program called ByCyklen which utilizes specialized parts to help deter theft. The system also incorporates a returnable coin system.

Are we getting somewhere? Maybe. 

PROBLEM

Few city bicycle programs exist in America, despite the numerous attempts to get them off the ground. The few in effect result in varying degrees of success and myself, and others, agree that they aren't doing enough to create a movement focused on environmentally friendly transportation.

Another huge problem is the issue of theft and vandalism. Anytime a person or a group of people create something beautiful, there is going to be someone who wants to destroy it. We need to prevent this! 

One free bike program tried in 1993 in Cambridge, United Kingdom, had all three-hundred bicycles stolen on the first day of operation. 

Several other issues are the lack of availability of bicycles even within the relatively functional programs. The program needs to be reliable as a means of 2-way transportation, not people being unable to find a bike to get home after they have gone to the grocery store. 

Also, the bikes are rather limited. Actually, extremely limited. Every organization I have found has offered only one kind of crappy road bike. What if someone wants a mountain bike, or a fixed gear, or a ten-speed, or a BMX? We need to be providing the users these options in order to start this trend. 

TYPES OF PROGRAMS

Unregulated

Bikes are simply released into a city and expected to be left unlocked in a public area once you reach your destination, as to be available for someone else's use. 

problem? theft, lack of availability

Deposit

A small cash deposit releases the bike from a locked terminal and can only be retrieved by returning in to another.

problem? since the deposit is usually only a few coins, this does little to deter theft

Membership

Bicycles are kept either at volunteer-run hubs or at self-service terminals throughout the city. Registered individuals identify themselves with their membership card at any of the hubs to check out a bike for a short period of time (typically less than two hours.)

Long-term Checkout

Bikes are given free of change, for a refundable deposit, or sold at a reduced price. They are assigned to one person who will typically keep the bike for months or years.

problem? much lower using frequency, around three uses per day as compared to between 10-15 uses per day in bike sharing.

Public-private Partnership

Private advertising agencies supply the city with thousands of bicycles free of charge (or for a small fee) in exchange for permission to advertise both on the bikes themselves and on other select locations in the city. They prevent theft by requiring users to pre-purchase user cards with credit cards and by equipping the bike with complex anti-theft and bike maintenance sensors. In case of not returning the bike within a day, the bike sharing operator is allowed to withdraw money from the given credit card account.

TACTICS

• Employ a unique frame and part design to deter theft and prevent disassembly and resale of parts
• Docking stations which lock the bike until a debit, credit, or membership card is deposited
• Incentive to return the bike comes from the return of the initial fee upon return of the bike
• Offer different bike options
• Membership and deposit instills a sense of accountability and builds a sense of community and ownership within the program
• Provide a lock, helmet, and basket upon checkout
• Computerized chips tell where the bike is docked, who is riding it, and how long it has been checked out

THE COMPETITION

MARKETING AUDIT

Logos

Brand Applications

kiosk

webpage

kiosk, docking stations, bicycle

bicycles

dispensing station

docking station

maintenance/bicycle return van

V I S U A L L A N G U A G E : mindmap/matrix

M U L T I M E D I A E X P E R I E N C E : revisions and slices

My critic group and myself were in agreement that my horizontal concept was the best direction to pursue. It is the most tailored to my audience in that it provides an immediacy of the received content. The bold treatment of the article titles allows the reader to determine without much effect whether the included information will be of interest or relevance to them. 

Since the critique I have integrated an option to share an article and the ability to access further recommended content. To expand on the personalization I added a header that greets the receiver by name. Some formal changes were an increase in the point size and leading of the articles and an introduction of more hierarchy through bold and enlarged opening paragraphs. This also assists in the time it takes for the reader to tell if the content is worth their time. 

D E S I G N S Y S T E M S : industry selection

I have chosen to do a city bike program, which falls under the transportation category. I am drawn to this industry because although it has been successful in Europe, particularly in France where the concept originated, many attempts to start the system (and the trend) have failed in the United States. 

My goals are as follows:

-reduce traffic, especially in congested part of cities

-provide an alternative means of transportation with little or no wait

-inspire an eco-friendly means of transportation

Points of contact needed:

-bike stations

-bicycles

-docking points

-user card (ordered via online website)

-website

-rental kiosk (for rental and checking availability of bikes at neighboring stations)

-repair and return vans

-advertisements (magazines, billboards, bus stations, posters)

The program benefits anyone who does not have access to a car, as well as car owners who are tired of slugging through dense traffic. It also provides an alternative to those who lack the storage space to own a personal bike. Also, it removes the fear of having your own bicycle stolen and frees you from the hassle of maintaining it. 

M U L T I M E D I A E X P E R I E N C E : initial layouts

The above layout provides a quick overview of the articles chosen for the recipient. Article summaries are provided along with navigational links to the website to access the articles in their entirety. 

For this design I developed categories for the different types of information. The categories are travel, manage, and office. The edge contours at the top and bottom are derived from the outline formed by the letters in The New York Times. I wanted to make the name of the news organization most prominent, then followed by the date the news is released. 

In this design I utilized a horizontal navigation. The "header," or landing page, on the far left would be the first thing seen upon opening the email. From this point the reader can select one of the three articles of interest and jump to the article without having to manually navigate. Colors are used to differentiate the articles. I also wanted to emphasize the importance of the date by making it dominant within the masthead. 

M U L T I M E D I A E X P E R I E N C E : audience research

Urban Professionals

(married with no kids, boating enthusiast)

An urban professional holds almost always a bachelor's degree and often a master's. They are educated individuals covering a wide age range. While their is a fair amount of negative connotations regarding urban professionals, there seems to be a general appreciation amongst them for intellectual pursuits and many people falling into this category live rather modest lives. Many have difficult and important positions and work hard to have nice things and in order to take vacations. As the field requires, they are typically highly groomed and concerned with the manner in which they present themselves because they understand how it affects other's perceptions. There are both socially liberal and fiscally conservative beliefs. The decision not to have children comes from a number of reasons including the added stress it would bring to their already rather stressful lives, the desire to wait until they are more financially secure, or simply because they wish to enjoy married life to themselves. This group enjoys boating because it provides a sense of freedom and is a way to relieve stress. On a boat you don't have to deal with lines, tourists, or airports. Boating provides easy long or short trips and a break from the hustle and bustle of the daily routine.