Overview on Technologies
In my opinion we can't escape from technology, it has become part of our everyday lives and near to everything is ran by it. It has become second nature to humans whether we like it or not. Nowadays you don't have to be a designer and study for years to create something, it can be done in a click of a finger often by asking Ai to do it for us. Ai is often seen as a 'scary' feature because we have never had something that produces outcomes so quickly. Before this module, I was hesitant about using it as I made up in my head that it was just a way of cheating and getting a robot to do your work for you but now I have a completely different outlook. Ai has helped me understand briefs better and given me some ideas especially with coding. 5.2 has helped me understand technology and realise that there are so many different kinds of software to help support my work.
Overall, this module has been so rewarding. I am amazed at some of the outcomes that II found thi have made along the way. I have created things that I thought i'd never be able to. I am taking many skills with me after this module and plan to use them in the future. It has been an eyeopener to new possibilities and boosted my confidence with trying out new technologies.
Week 1 - Visual Framework & Neurodiversity
In week 1, we got set a task to choose two laws from John Maedas 10 laws of simplicity that we felt connected with our workflow. After we chose two subjects, we were asked to create a visual framework. One of the laws I chose was 'time' because it resonated well with 5.2 and learning new technologies. A new piece of software can take up to 1000 hours to learn and become good at so before we got further into this module, I thought it would benefit me to remind myself to have patience and manage my time wisely. The other law I chose was 'emotion' as sometimes I struggle finding the motivation to get ahead of the workload if i'm not keen of the brief. I believe that your emotions throughout a project will dictate how well you do. A positive attitude creates good quality work! I chose to create my visual framework on a new piece of software called 'Miro' which is Ai powered. I found this website easy to navigate and would highly recommend for mood boards.
https://leeds.graphics/ghost/#/editor/post/677dbb9b3f26ec8b4fd0af53
For our next project, we had to collaborate in small groups of 4 to design a campaign aimed at raising awareness about neurodiversity issues in public areas. We started off by researching what neurodiversity meant and its impact, we discovered that 1 in 7 people in the UK experience conditions such as Dyslexia, Autism, ADHD and OCD daily and that public spaces often amplify the triggers of these conditions, discouraging individuals from going out into the world. This really inspired us as a group and we were determined to create a campaign that not only raises awareness but also make something fun and interactive that brings the community together.
We chose to focus on dyslexia, a condition that is frequently misunderstood and dismissed as an excuse for not knowing how to read or write. To tackle this, we educated ourselves on the needs of people with dyslexia and learned that coloured overlays can significantly improve their ability to read and process information. This gave us the idea of installing five large coloured overlays hanging from a pole in the centre of Millennium Square, Leeds. The overlays would be a representation of how we can support those with this condition.
However, we realised that this might not capture that much attention or encourage people with dyslexia to participate. To make this more engaging, we decided that we would add a large interactive screen positioned opposite the overlays. The idea was that we screen would invite the public to donate by scanning the QR code, which then allowed them to draw something on their phone and send it to be displayed on the big screen. This would then make our campaign fun and interactive drawing people into having a go.
All donations would go towards providing coloured overlays to businesses and schools across the UK, helping to make day to day life easier for people with dyslexia.
Neurodiversity Campaign
Week 2 - Innovations
Week 2 was all about emerging technologies and realising how much technology can support your work. In this week, I learnt about may different tools and softwares that can can be used for experimentation, essays and final outcomes. We were shown a few of these such as AR and date driven design in the seminars. To get us thinking, our first task was to reflect on a previous project of our choice and see how we could've applied a technology to that piece of work.
In the 4.4 module task, I designed an app prototype for a chosen brand using Figma. Reflecting on this project, I have realised that there was potential to make it more interactive given as my target audience was Generation X. One way I could've achieved this was by adding Ai features into the customisable sandwich section. My idea was to use augmented reality to create an interactive section where users could select sandwich fillings by moving their camera to locate them around the room. Once collected, they could then select their preferred bread and the app would show a visual representation of their sandwich being put together. I believe that this technology would've added a unique, immersive element to the app. I also mentioned that it would improve the accessibility features as AR would help make my app much more inclusive. For example, adaptive interfaces for the visually impaired users or text to speech options which would lead to my sandwich shop app having a competitive edge by offering features competitors might not have.
Looking back on how technology could improve my project, I am motivated to use it more confidently in my future work.
Also in this week, we were given a short tutorial on Adobe Aero (AR) which I had never heard of. Our task was to take forward the skills we had learnt in the workshop and create a site specific AR project that interacts with an environment. I used my idea from the dyslexia campaign of having show the audience what words can look like to people with this condition. I also took it upon myself to experiment with the image anchor option on Aero and did my own little outcome for practice. I enjoyed working with this technology and it was easy to navigate. However, I feel like there is a lot more to it and hopefully overtime I can use it more comfortably.
Week 3 - Workflows
In our third week, we got set a task to analyse our current workflows and recognise technologies that could support us. I found that when starting a design task, I typically read the brief and highlight key points to focus on. However, I often struggle with understanding the overview. To address this, I found a tool called iA writer that could be particularly helpful, as it removes any form of distraction. The software offers a focus mode which would help my reading and a style check feature to improve my writing. iA writer would enhance my time management and reduce the amount of errors I make. Reflecting on my workflow has shown me the importance of planning and using available resources to improve my approach to tasks.
In this week, we also got shown Processing. At first, I felt very overwhelmed as I had never come across coding before. I had no knowledge of the language we had to use such as 'h1'. It was all very confusing to me even after our short tutorial on it. Straight away, we got set a task to create 100 different variations of book covers using code. This felt very daunting at first and I struggled to come to terms with the software. However, a few tutorials later I finally had an outcome. I carried on practicing using some of the Processing tutorials and felt much more confident. This method is great if you have repetitive designs and need something time efficient.
Week 4 - Production
In week four, we got set an open brief. There were 6 different briefs all with a unique outcome. We got given the opportunity to choose from any we wanted to. At first, this felt a little bit out of my comfort zone as all the briefs I had previously done were very restrictive. However, this was a good opportunity to show off my passion for creating three dimensional animations. The open brief allowed me to use a software i'm really passionate about, Cinema 4D.
The weekly Cinema 4D workshops really inspired me. I was very determined to not stop expanding my skill set on this software. I bought it for my laptop straight after the sessions ended as I didn't want to forget what I had learnt from John. I had only had around 6 hours of training but I was driven to create something myself. Using Cinema 4D for this 2 week project was a big risk for me as I wasn't sure if i'd even be able to figure out what to do. I had created a mood board of many different ideas that fit to different briefs to help me narrow down my options. In the end, I decided to go with brief number 4 which is about showing off a practical object in a unique way, giving it a new perspective while being able to show off its patterns and textures. I came to the conclusion of using some pillows/cushions as my practical, every day object. My goal was create an animation that was out of the ordinary for this object but emphasised the beauty. This brief allowed me to reate something I didn't think I was capable off and expand my Cinema 4D knowledge to another level.
Week 5 - Brutalist Website Research Task
In the last week of this module, we looked at Brutalist websites from https://brutalistwebsites.com/?ref=leeds.graphics. Our task was to choose three that stood out to us and reflect on some of their design principles but also what we personally thought about the layout. I found looking through the websites quite inspiring and it gave me ideas for future projects.
We then had a seminar on CSS Theming online, I watched the video through and then attempted the task which was to edit one of our posts from the Leeds.Graphics website and alter the colour, text and overall layout using code. This was the most challenging task so far and I definitely need to practice this. I got there in the end and it was rewarding to see how I managed to change my document. This task and the brutalist website research really made me think about web design.
Technology Workshops - 3D design and motion
The animation workshops with John was probably my favourite part of the module. Over 5 weeks, I learnt so much about multiple different technologies but also computers in general. I have gained skills in Adobe After Effects, Cinema 4D, and Photoshop with Wacom graphic tablets. I went into these workshops not knowing anything about these 3 softwares and i've left with valuable skills and confidence. Each week was exciting to me and I was so eager to come to these sessions. Before attending, I had never heard of Cinema 4D and now it's my favourite technology. I feel like I have really grown and challenged myself as a Graphics Designer over the past few weeks. I have independently been practicing Cinema 4D in my spare time, with the skills I learnt from John I have managed to create an outcome for the 2 week project on my own which feels so rewarding after getting through the complex workshops. Unfortunately, I forgot to save my Wacom animation and after effects work on my laptop but I will upload once I go back to university.
Reflection
Before this module, I had no idea some of the technologies I have now discovered existed. I have always been a bit nervous to learn a new software as it can be very overpowering and would tend to just stick to what I knew. However, with the tasks we got set there was no escaping this. I was forced to go out of my comfort zone and explore other avenues. This has changed the way I plan to approach upcoming briefs, I will now be using different browsers that offer tools to support my work when writing and designing such as AI. I recently felt like I couldn't find my passion in Graphic Design, I only knew what I didn't enjoy. The course has highlighted areas that I know aren't for me but it has also helped identify specialities that have peaked my interest. This has been the most rewarding module for me so far and I look forward to what's next.