OUGD504 - Brief 1 - Secondary Research: Leaflet Design

OUGD504: Brief 1: My Design Process

Secondary Research: Leaflet Design  

Having researched a range of different folding styles and created a range of mock up test pieces in the folding workshop I was interested to see if any of these folds had real life commercial applications. I chose to research a range of existing leaflet designs to gain inspiration for my initial ideas and help narrow my focus on folding styles and aesthetic of my leaflet. I began by researching a range of leaflets and some notable examples I analyse are documented below. 

The first leaflet design I analyse was part of a promotion series from University of the arts London which uses a cut out on the front of the design to create an engaging speech bubble that will be more engaging and interactive with an audience. I liked this features as it allowed be to consider more than just standard folds within my leaflet. Although blue and yellow are contrasting colours I feel the colour palette is not that engaging for a specialist arts institution and feel this could be improved however seems to work well with the text as it is still perfectly legible. I feel this leaflet design is innovative and interactive in regards to its construction however felt the aesthetic choices could have been more tailored to an arts specific target audience. 

I then analyse a leaflet design for Helvetia which I was instantly attracted to through the use of bold shapes filled with vivid imagery to create a contemporary aesthetic that works well against the white stock. This design uses a triangle pattern throughout. It works on a number of panels and nicely ties in all of the information in a cohesive manor. I especially liked how the imagery worked in the folded leaflet but also came together when folded out to  almost create a full poster full of edgy geometric shapes. I liked the aesthetic of this design and felt I could work along this aesthetic however could try to experiment further with the physical construction of the leaflet. 

Finally I analysed this bold blocked colour accordion folded leaflet which although looks simple by design I found it highly effective in communicating its content. The  large photographs are really engaging especially how they are all positioned on the right to the folds to create a bold synergy when stood up.  There is a nice colour matching between sides to tie the design together although I personally would limit the colour palette this works well in context. I like the bold simplicity of this leafed style, I think I could develop the accordion fold into my initial ideas as I like its extending mechanism which could lend its self well to visually representing a process (from a to b). 

Having analysed a range of leaflets and combining with with my folding research  I feel confident I have a detailed understanding of leaflet design and feel confident in starting to create some initial ideas. I have found interesting design features in all of the leaflets I have analysed and am eager to start experimenting with initial ideas and combining some of the successful features documented above to create an engaging piece of design that will visually communicate the design process in an innovative aesthetic fashion. 

OUGD504 - Brief 1 - Primary Research: Folding Workshop

OUGD504: Brief 1: My Design Process

Primary Research: Folding Workshop

I was told to bring a range of stock in advance of the folding workshop to see how their different properties effected the folding process. We were briefed on the task to crete a range of folds that could be used as inspiration for our leaflet design. I was instructed to not hold back and not think of the commercial viability at this state which I found more interesting as it allowed me to be as creative as possible. I started by researching different folding techniques from a range of sources including tutor knowledge, physical books 'How to fold' by Laurence K Withers and a range of internet sources. I found this more beneficial than sticking to one source as it provided me with varied research that enhanced the workshop. 

Accordion Fold:
An essential internet source I used was a how to folding guide demonstrating popular leaflet folds LINK below shows my first attempt at creating an accordion fold, this is a simple leaflet fold that is widely used in commercial printing due to its suitability for setting text and image. I found this fold very simple to create as it relies on a methodical process of measuring out the sections evenly and scoring them to ensure precise defined folds. I think this folding process works well however my example feels too large within the hand and would be something I develop if chosen to work further with this fold. 

Classic Try Fold: 

I following this online source I created another simple fold this time creating a classic try fold however I made it more creative adding a shorted side and a coloured strip as I felt this could make the design more engaging and open up creative aesthetic options if developed into final concept. I like the simplicity of this fold and its commercial application however want to keep experimenting with other folding processes. 

Custom Gate Fold: 

Wanting to be more creative I moved away from the simple folds found online and started to experiment more with my imagination and resource material 'How to fold' I became more liberal and focus on the aesthetic. I like the outcome of this folding technique because I feel it has a very fluid mechanical opening, I feel it would also lend itself well to a flow chart or process as the inside is long and this which would highlight the linear use of a process. 

Never Ending Fold: 

I created this fold as an experiment and to see how creative I could be with a folding technique, I saw this example online and recreated it through a tutorial HERE. This was by far the more complicated fold I have attempted and took me a substantial part of the morning to finish, I like the interactivity of this fold, which kept folding in on itself endlessly and think it has great potential for an interactive leaflet that would appeal to a creative target audience. 

Following this experimentation each table was asked to nominate 2 folds to present and vote to establish the courses favourite fold, my Never Ending fold was picked to represent our table and came second overall, I was happy with this as I felt this fold represented just how creative one can be with their approach to the task. In retrospect I did however find some floors with this fold, watching the other tables trying to interact with this fold I saw most students would operate the leaflet to see the never ending fold in action there was a lot of confused faces and they seemed to give up pretty quickly this demonstrated to me how it might not be successful in context even though it was innovative and extremely creative. 

OUGD504 - Brief 1 - Research: Design Process Workshop

OUGD504: Brief 1: My Design Process

Research: Design Process Workshop 

Along side my personal research I also engaged with a group workshop to help me further understand the design process. We firstly listed all the features of the design process this was extensive and matched up fairly closely to my own personal design process. We included all the features we could think of including seemingly extraneous veritables like procratination and tea breaks as we felt these were still a viable part of the design process as it helps to process the information and preventing getting overworked or working in a vacuum and deigning off topic. 

Following this I was then asked with my group to collate these features into a visual representation of the design process. We discussed different ways to do this and firstly decided to group the features into stages and this would be easier to represent and simple to understand. We created 5 stages Brief, Research, Idea Generation, Development, Final resolution as we felt these were the fundamentals behind the whole deign process. We then discussed how we could visually represent this and eventually decided on a triangle to represent the design process as we felt this worked wells every stage becomes more specific and tailored until you reach the pinnacle being the final resolution. 

We then presented our visual representation to the rest of the course and in retrospect found ours to be potentially too simplistic and the there groups opted for a more detailed info graphic style.  I still feel our groups works was an accurate visual representation of the design process however needed refining and produced in a more detailed fashion with a more carefully considered aesthetic. 

OUGD504 - Brief 1 - Research: Double Diamond Design Process

OUGD504: Brief 1: My Design Process

Research: Double Diamond Design Process

Through further research I found an interesting article produced by the design council that comes as a result of in house research that shows the commonalities between creative design processes and provides a working model of a generalised design process. It is called the Double diamond design process and is divided into four distinct phases that I found could then be sub divided into the individual components of my personal design process. The stages are labeled as Discover, Define, Develop and Deliver – the Double Diamond is a simple visual map of the design process shown below with the accompanying broadr definitions of each stage. 

Discover – The first quarter of the Double Diamond model covers the start of the project. Designers try to look at the world in a fresh way, notice new things and gather insights.

Define – The second quarter represents the definition stage, in which designers try to make sense of all the possibilities identified in the Discover phase. Which matters most? Which should we act on first? What is feasible? The goal here is to develop a clear creative brief that frames the fundamental design challenge.

Develop – The third quarter marks a period of development where solutions or concepts are created, prototyped, tested and iterated. This process of trial and error helps designers to improve and refine their ideas.

Delivery – The final quarter of the double diamond model is the delivery stage, where the resulting project (a product, service or environment, for example) is finalised, produced and launched.

I really liked the versatility of this model as it could be applied to a range of creative fields opening up a much larger target audience for my leaflet and feel this model would work well as it can be simplified to the four stages which will be simple and eye catching as I have found an audience can be put off when a large volume of text is used. I will ask for feedback from my lecturers as to what is the most appropriate style of content before choosing the content style that is most approbate to the brief however feel I could work with the double diamond theory to create an engaging publication. 

OUGD504 - Brief 1 - Primary Research: Design Process

OUGD504: Brief 1: My Design Process

Primary Research: Design Process 

I then analysed my own design process to see how this conformed to the examples found in my secondary research, I was interested to find out if my process conformed to the conventions found in my research and if I could improve it. I stated by documenting my personal design process which included; 

Briefing 

Analysing the brief 

Creating a research plan 

Conducting primary and secondary research 

evaluating the research 

Creating a range of initial quick sketches

receiving informal feedback

Concept development 

Critique/ Feedback 

Further development 

Further informal feedback 

Final tweaks 

Final Critique/ Presentation 

I found that after looking back over my secondary research that my personal design process conforms pretty well to the information I collated. I found that it was most similar to image two however I feel this was because they were both targeted at students. I found that my process could be applied to all of the sources found in my secondary research however had often been simplified to make the process more board and fit a wider media. This is something I will clarify in the critique whether our leaflets document a more personal approach the design process of should be generic and applicable to a range of media/subjects. 

OUGD504 - Brief 1 - Secondary Research: Design Process

OUGD504: Brief 1: My Design Process

Secondary Research: Design Process 

If I am expected to produce a leaflet on the design process I first needed to be aware of exactly what this means. I have my own personal design process but I wanted to look further to see if there are generic conventions that are adhered to in order to substantiate if my design process works and if there is a standardised process available. 

I firstly looked at a range of secondary data from internet sources to identify a number of variations of the design process, this included info graphics that were punchy and had high impact to wordier definitions that explained the process in detail. The first source I found interesting was from Discover Design, a website produced by the Chicago Architecture Foundation as shows a simplified cyclic process with stripped back definitions covering the basics of design. I like this definition of the process as it covers the basic design process and can be transferable across all design treatments from architecture  to fashion to graphic design, I also like the minimal infographic anchored by more detailed definitions and feel this is an approach I could develop when creating my own initial ideas. 

http://discoverdesign.org/design/process

I then looked at more detailed variations of the design process and found this article on Tech it out UK  which documents a more detailed design process consisting of 13 steps. The picture below highlights the summary (full document found in link) however I feel this variation is too wordy and distracts from crucial components, it would also be difficult to arrange aesthetically within a leaflet publication.  

http://www.techitoutuk.com/knowledge/designprocess.html

Deciding that some variations were too wordy I became interesting in looking at pictorial representations of the design process which included a lot of info graphics, image 1 I found fun and surprising relatable however was not very informative so would be inappropriate for my leaflet. Image 2 I initially though was too childish and unengaging however when I actually read the information found this to be the most relatable design process to my own. I found the stages detailed and accurate to graphic design although was put off by the informal childish aesthetic. Finally image 3 I also found to be a successful design process as it stripped it back to the basics that can then be tailed to the individual subject or person I liked the illustrated aesthetic as it looked well designed and even found the lack of colour made the infographic simple, easy to follow and undistracting from the actual point. Overall I  related to the process of image 2 however was personally attracted to the aesthetic and simple design of image 3. 

Image 1

Image 2 

Image 3 

OUGD504 - Brief 1 - Brief

OUGD504: Brief 1: My Design Process

Brief 

Studio Brief: 

During this week you will design and produce a folded leaflet entitled "The Design Process" that describes your understanding of the design process and specifically how this is applied to design problems. This assignment will allow you to explore the nature of design at an increasingly commercial level while also exploring creative approaches to leaflet design and folding.

This brief is only one week long and therefore will be very intensive. You will be given support by your tutors in the form of crits and tutorials while studio tasks will focus on aspects related to constructing and designing leaflets. You will be expected to explore and experiment with paper and card stock: folding techniques and styles; and graphic concepts and communication. Your progress, developments and creative decisions should be documented in your studio blog.

At the end of the week you will present your final leaflet design and plan for print to the rest of the group. You will receive feedback and points to consider during this final crit.

Analysis of the brief: 

This week long brief sounds very intensive so soon after starting the new term however I feel it will be a good opportunity to throw myself back into graphic design after the summer break. Leaflets were a media I never covered in level 4 so I am looking forward to adding this to my portfolio to demonstrate how versatile as a designer I can be. My pre conceived expectations of lifters are that the need to be high impact and throw away as they are normally given out/distributed for free, this will also highlight that I need to consider cost when designing to make the outcome more viable.

I personally haven't had much experience with leaflets so am excited to learn more about their conventions however I typically prefer working on items with a higher budget to fully experiment with a range of stocks and finishes that could be unfeasible to use on a leaflet however am looking forward to experimenting with this media. 

I initially thought the content of the leaflet could be dull however I think that the topic will be interesting to actually consider my personal design process in detail to see if it can be improved and analyse this against secondary sources from the internet to compare and evaluate whether my process is successful. 

Research Plan: 

MY research plan will be broken down into stages. I will firstly research the design process in which look at a range of secondary sources online to determine if there is a basic process that is required and can cover the basis of design. I then plan to  document and analyse my own design process and evaluate this against the secondary sources found in my research, I should then be able to extrapolate whether my design process is successful, how I can improve it and most importantly be able to define what a design process is.

I will then analyse a range of leaflet designs from secondary sources such as the internet and examples found around leeds. I will evaluate them based on their design and communication and will be able to learn more about the generic conventions of leaflet design before undertaking my own initial ideas. As part of my research I will also experiment with a range of primary research deconstructing and creating prototypes of different folding styles that will eventually inform my production.