Context Of Practice: December 2018

Tuesday, 18 December 2018

OUGD601 - Project Statement

Project Statement

For this module, I have been looking at the way on which graphic design impacts inclusivity within the fitness industry and the gym environment. The research conducted has shown that inclusivity is a recognised problem and there are a growing number of brands and campaigns that are looking at ways in which to solve the issue. Research into gender stereotypes and body image issues made it clear that the way in which the fitness industry advertises can have a big impact of the way that people perceive themselves. Gaining knowledge of this lead the design decisions to make something to diverts away from the use of photography and the use of models. This therefore would help to remove these stereotypes and the intimidation that people feel due to the choice of models.

The research and primary research suggests that some solutions should be discussed to change the way in which certain groups and individuals view the gym for it to become more of an inclusive environment. Some of the participants who took part in the primary research gave some different solutions that they felt would make the gym a less intimidating and more inclusive environment. The results from the primary research and responses that I gained led to the development of creating an App for beginners and people who struggle with confidence as this combined the different ideas that the participants had discussed. This also responded to the research as it gives a solution to the different issues that were discussed in my essay.

The research has shown that for any solution for the inclusivity issue to work it must be advertised well. This lead to designing posters for the App as without careful advertisement the App would not be known about and therefore would not be used. The research gave examples of the different advertising platforms that could be used to advertise the App to gain it some publicity. This would help spread the message of the need for more inclusivity and thought of others in the fitness industry and gym environment.

Both the App design and the poster designs were inspired by the practical research that I conducted when looking for inspiration and an understanding of the kind of designs that are already present in the market. This helped to develop my design decisions leading to the final outcomes of the printed poster and prototyped App.

OUGD601 - Brief

Brief

Jump Into Training is an App designed to help beginners to feel more confident when going to the gym. The App has a few of the tools that will be helpful when training in the gym and a few simple workouts that will help beginners to gain an understanding of what they need to do. The App is designed to encourage inclusivity within the gym and to spread the message that it doesn’t have to be a scary or intimidating environment. Everyone has to start somewhere.

The main considerations were to investigate and develop a solution to the issue of inclusivity within the fitness and health industry, particularly the gym environment. The design needed to respond effectively to the issues that were explored in the research for the essay and create outcomes that were developed from the conclusions.

Monday, 17 December 2018

OUGD601 - Mock Up Prototype Video

Mock Up Prototype Video

This is a prototype video of how the App would work in context.

OUGD601 - App Poster Mock Ups

App Poster Mock Ups

The mock ups for the poster show the way that should look when displayed. I think that they look good and have the aesthetic which I had hoped for. There a small changes I would consider tweaking if I were to edit them further but overall I am happy with the outcomes.

OUGD601 - Ethics

Ethics

As part of the ethical considerations for the questionnaire I filled out an ethics form which I sent through to my tutor. Taking part in the questionnaire was completely voluntary and the participants were aware that the results were used for my essay as primary research. The questionnaire was completely anonymous so none of the participants were publicly named and therefore were able to answer open and honestly. When writing the questionnaire I made sure than none of the questions were leading the participants in anyway and therefore all the answers were based on their own deliberations. My tutor looked through the questionnaire and the ethics form and said that they were fine to go ahead.

OUGD601 - Pre-submission Briefing

Pre-submission Briefing

Essay formatting:

12pt Arial
1.5 Line spacing
Left margin, 2.5cm
Right margin, 2cm
Numbered pages - single sided
Harvard referencing throughout

Sections:

Front Title Page
Acknowledgement
Contents Page
List of Illustrations - reference image in text (Figure 1, Caption, URC)
Introduction
Main Text
Conclusion
Images - (Figure 1, Caption, URL)
Bibliography - A-Z Format
Appendices

Title page template on estudio.

Binding:

Print and Copy Bureau Reception
Level 6 (ground floor)
Roger Stevens Building
University of Leeds
Open - 8:30 - 5:00, Mon-Fri
3 hour service
£6.50 before Fri, £8.50 after
Fill out and take the order form with essay - on estudio
Only need 1

ETHICS - Make considerations clear in blog and design boards. Ethics form.

Project statement:

Outline how my work links and informs practical outcomes. Explaining and justifying my approach. Reflect on the process, conclusions, etc.

OUGD601 - App Poster Final Designs

App Poster Final Designs

For the final poster designs I decided to stick with the imagery of the phone without the white background. After looking back at the other poster designs for apps I decided to try experimenting with the use of more than one image of the phone and layer them together. This gave the aesthetic that I hoped for. The images are more interesting with the use of more than one but still is clean. This means that the information is easy to read. I decided to use the advertising posters as from the research I did for my essay it became clear that advertising is extremely important. The more advertising a product has means the more people will view it. If I wanted my app to be successful and used by a lot of people it will need to be advertised. This will also help with the campaign for more inclusivity in the gym.

OUGD601 - App Poster Design Development

App Poster Design Development

After deciding that a white background just around the mockup didn't look great I experimented with the use of a larger white box and variations of the placing of the phone, app icon and app detail. I thought these looked closer to the style I was hoping for but I still wasn't sure they were what I wanted so decided to try removing the box all together.

I much prefer the designs with the removal of the white border. I tried them on both a blue and a white background. I thought that the blue background looked better as it was more interesting and representative of the app.

OUGD601 - App Poster Initial Designs

App Poster Initial Designs

When starting to design the posters I initially was looking at the use of imagery so used placeholder images which I'd found online just to see what the designs would look like with the style of image that I was thinking about using. I though the use of black and white imagery would be best as it wouldn't be too overpowering due to the lack of colour. I then placed the app icon with the logo against the background to see how it would look.

I then went onto experiment with the use of one of the mockups of the app against the background and the use of just the white logo. The logo on its own didn't stand out very well against the background in the design though.

I went back to the use of the app icon with the logo on it and places it with the mock up images. I then wrote a small sentence for each poster explaining what the app is all about. I decided at this stage to do a series of three posters that are similar but with subtle variations. I also added a QR code which would be used by people to scan and download the app with ease. The white writing did not stand up very well against the imagery however. I therefore decided to try removing the imagery. This would make the designs more representative of my app due to the lack of photography used in the app and also from the research into app poster there are many that don't use imagery.

I then placed the same designs onto a plain blue background. This worked better for the information I wanted to standing out however I was not sure about the white box around the phone from the mock up images. From looking at research of other poster designs for apps this was not something that tended to be done.

OUGD601 - Practical Research, App Advertisement

App Advertisement

When looking into existing apps and their designs I referred back to the Nike Training App. The app uses mock ups of what it looks like on a phone as the advertisement and places a range of them together. It is very simplistic and clean meaning that it is very clear.

I then looked a some other posters for apps. When looking at posters I noticed that not many of them tend to use photography unless it is on the app mock up. The third image above uses photography but a very simplistic image that is not too overbearing as it could take away from the purpose of the poster which is to look at the app. The other poster are both very simplistic and clean in the same way that the Nike ones are. Again using mockup and a small amount of detail that is needed for the app.