wayfinding an investigation

Way Finding Investigation

Provide details of the location: 

• Outdoors
• Trees/Nature
• Playground
• Concrete
• Statues
• Quite exposed
• Big 

MYERS PARK

Design Elements 

 

REFLECTION

What is the intent of the signs: 

To represent a playground, to show that you're allowed to walk your dog ON A LEASH at this park, to clean up after your dog, to show there are public restrooms at this park for men/woman and the disabled. The last image represents that there is a no alcohol policy in this park.

Was the design approach successful:

The design approach for image one was successful as it shows to small figures (children) on a seesaw which clearly states that there is a playground at this park, However; there was actually no seesaw at this park. We think the right elements in this image were used because with line and shape the icon remains simple and easy for people to read. This one was pretty clear to us. The only improvement I would say is to take out the seesaw and have a slide instead so its not misleading and people wont get false hope and expect a seesaw when its not there.

Image two is highly successful because obviously we could tell the figure was a person walking their dog on a leash which is quite specific because it means your dog has to be on a leash and not just freely walking/running through the park. The elements are obvious and straight to the point; we could tell it was a dog.

Image three was somewhat unsuccessful as it was quite confusing to figure out, since the "poo" looks like a little fire, the dog apparently looks like a boot and the "hand" looks like someone doing an upside down superman. The elements in this image could be improved to clarify things more. No, not clear at all. This one however, has a lot of room for improvement, better/clearer dog - more realistic hand and maybe draw the dog poo like the apple emoji; at least people will know what it is.

The fourth image is highly successful due to being internationally
recognisable, like we all know this image means public toilets. Who doesn't? Alongside the men/woman icon, there is also a man in a wheelchair showing that there are also pubic bathrooms for the disabled here at Myers Park as well. Shape is well used in this image. Yes, very clear. No we don't think this one needs improvement.

The fifth image conveyed a successful because it is a bottle with a red slash through it, Meaning some indication that this drink is not allowed at this park. Common sense tells us this bottle means alcohol and the red slash through it means NOT ALLOWED. So the colour red in this image signifies alert, attention, emphasis, and not/not allowed. We think this could be improved by adding a small indication stating that the bottle means alcohol.

 

 

                    Good walkways, nice wide path for dogs, people and cycling.

 

                                  The playground - No seesaw in sight.

 

                                       One of the statues at the park.

 

 

The Rockwell Typeface
The Rockwell Typeface
The Rockwell typeface:

The Rockwell typeface is a typeface belonging to the classification slab serif or Egyptian, where the serifs are unbracketed and similar in weight to the horizontal strokes of the letters.

The typeface originated in the Monotype foundry’s in-house design studio in 1934. The project was supervised by Frank Hinman Pierpont.

Slab serifs are similar in form and in typographic voice to realist sans- serifs like Akzidenz Grotesk or Franklin Gothic. Rockwell is geometric, its upper and lower case o, more of a circle than an ellipse. A serif at the apex of uppercase A is distinct. The lowercase a is two- story, a little inconsistent for a geometrically drawn typeface.

Due to its  monoweighted stroke, Rockwell is used mainly for display instead of long bodies of text .Rockwell is based on an earlier, more condensed slab serif design called Litho Antique. The 1933 design for Monotype was supervised by Frank Hinman Pierpont.

The Guinness World Records used Rockwell in some of their early 1990s editions. Informational signage at Expo 86 made a lot of use of the Rockwell typeface. Docklands Light Railway also used a bold weight of this typeface in the late 1980s and early 90s. It is also used by the Poetry publisher Tall Lighthouse for all their books, as well as on their website:

The New York Times uses a similar typeface Stymie Extra Bold, for the headlines and some other typographical uses in its Sunday Magazine. The letterform of Stymie Extra Bold’s lower- case ‘t’ is highly geometric, whereas Rockwell’s Extra Bold has a rounded letterform.

Are some fonts more believable than others? An experiment by a documentary film maker Errol Morris suggests, after polling approximately 45,000 readers, he discovered that subjects were more likely to believe a statement when it was written in Baskerville, than when it was written in Computer Modern, Georgia, Helvetica, Trebuchet, or Comic Sans.

Although truth is not typeface dependent, a typeface can subtly influence us to believe that a sentence is true. Could it change an election result? Persuade us to buy a dinner set? Change some of our deepest beliefs? Actually we may be ‘at the mercy of typefaces in ways that we are only dimly beginning to realize. An effect – subtle, almost indiscernible, but irrefutably there’ (‘Mommy, Mommy, the typeface made me do it’) (CO. Design)

CO. Design suggests that ‘it’s time we get to know our fonts better. Baskerville, stentorian and sober minded Baskerville, is a grave – faced TV anchor reading the news. Comic Sans is our gossipy idiot cousin. Morris has zeroed in on something we all implicitly knew; Typefaces have personality’.

To continue this idea of a typeface having personality, I have noted on the site: www.meaningfultype.com/rockwell.html, that Rockwell typeface is praised for its friendliness and warmth, despite its straight and angular form: ‘Rockwell is a wonderful example of how some slab serifs have an inviting warmth even when they should feel cold and rigid…so, how is it possible that a typeface can feel scientific yet playful, retro yet contemporary and sharp yet warm? Welcome to the magic of Rockwell.’

This writer also notes that ‘Rockwell lives many lives and can thrive in many climates. Malibu Rum uses it and it feels beachy and relaxed. Rockwell is usually the coolest person at the party. It is strong and laid back, gets along with everyone and thrives in almost every situation it is placed in. In its essence, Rockwell rocks’.

Glossary:
Font: In metal type setting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a typeface.
Glyph: In typography a glyph is an elemental symbol with an agreed set of symbols, intended to represent a readable character for the purposes of writing.
Type: A printed character or printed letters.
Serif: In typography a serif is a small line attached to the end of a stroke in a letter or symbol. A typeface without serifs is called sans serif, from the French sans, meaning ‘without’


Bibliography;
Wikipedia, the free Encyclopaedia
            https://en.wikipedia.org/wikiRockwell_(typeface)
Are Some Fonts More Believable than Others?|(typeface)
www.fastcodesign.com>CO.Design
www.meaningfultype.com/rockwell.html

      


Milton Glaser

Born 1929, Glaser is one of the most famous graphic designers in the US. Everyone has seen the   I love New York logo, yet Glaser is known for his work for Bob Dylan, DC comics and the Brooklyn Brewery – which are some of his logo masterpieces.
For this blog, I thought I would include some meaningful statements by Glaser, which I am finding relevant to my own graphic art awareness:


Glaser thoughtfully responds to a series of questions asked by Graeme Aymer, from COMPUTER ARTS| INTERVIEW, November 25, 2009:

Graeme Aymer: When you look back at your body of work, what are the pieces that stand out for you – is there anything that you particularly enjoyed?

Milton Glaser: Be clear on this; enjoyment has nothing to do with accomplishment or level of performance. Enjoying it is one thing, and I have to say that most of the things in my life I have enjoyed. But I also think, what is so significant about my life is that I have been able to sustain my interest over such a long period of time. I’ve never been bored with most of what I’ve done.

Graeme Aymer: What are you seeing – in terms of design – that’s exciting to you at the moment?

Milton Glaser: Of course, you have to speak to some degree about the context of the work that’s being done around you but you also have to transgress and invent your own vocabulary. So I can’t say that I’m overwhelmed by the work that’s going on at the moment – but I’ve seen too much of it. I’ve always thought that if you don’t understand visual history, you basically can’t invent very much that hasn’t already been done.


Graeme Aymer: Is there enough understanding of the past these days?

Milton Glaser: Well, the field itself is dominated by fashion and by the idea of selling stuff, so you have to be concerned with what’s currently being done, and the economy is based on the idea of change and new styles, and this year’s whatever. Unfortunately, that’s not the real basis for serious work. If you’re more serious about it, you have to be more concerned about durability and ideas that go beyond the moment, so I think the best designers around are always designers that have a kind of broader look and don’t change with the prevailing wind. If you find that all you’re doing is copying what is already being done, you’ll have no position in the field. You’ll have nothing to offer and, after 20 years of doing it, you’re nowhere.


Graeme Aymer: How do you see yourself – artist, graphic designer, illustrator? Does it matter?

Milton Glaser: It depends on what you mean by ‘matter’. Historically, it doesn’t matter. History makes a judgement of what you do and that’s quite independent of this week’s typeface. When I look at Toulouse – Lautrec, it doesn’t matter whether he was a poster designer or a painter; he was an artist working within a particular medium.

Graeme Aymer: What is your relationship with Digital Technology?

Milton Glaser: It’s a great medium for extending ideas. But you have to come to it with an existing sense of form, if you don’t have form and understanding of visual phenomenon and don’t understand how to draw, from my point of view, it’s a very mischievous instrument because it forces you into patterns that it imposes.


Incidentally, in teaching, I find a lot of students beginning to resent the computer as too powerful to use without thinking. They now describe it the same way; they say, ‘Before I start to do anything, I make notes and sketches and draw because otherwise the computer dominates everything I do’ I think that’s an interesting perception. I also think it’s true.

Glassers statements regarding the 21st century work place for graphic Artists, strike a receptive chord for me because they encompasses my chief concerns; How to stay true to my style yet be current and 'cutting edge' in the contemporary Art world; The importance of staying stimulated by the demands of Graphic Art; Not to be too worned about putting categories on Art- illustration, graphic cut, poster designer, logo designer... history makes the final judgement; Finally, Glaser's recognition of the computer as a tool to help the artist, it is not the creator... We do this with initial ideas/sketches.


Bibliography:

www.creativebloq.com/milton-glaser-making-design-history-11094202

Graeme Aymer COMPUTERARTS|INTERVIEW

Nov 25, 2009

Patrick Parmenter

Storm Thorgerson . 1944 – 2013

An English graphic designer, Thorgerson was best known for his work for rock artists; Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Scorpions, Peter Gabriel, Genesis, Al Stewart, Europe, Catherine Wheel, Bruce Dickinson, Dream Theatre, Anthrax, The Cranberries, The Mars Volta, Muse, The Allan Parsons Project, Biffy, Clyro and Rival Sons.

In 1968 Thorgerson founded the graphic art group Hipgnosis, with Aubrey Powell. Between them they designed many famous single and album covers. Peter Christopherson joined them for later commissions.

In 1983 Hipgnosis was dissolved and Thorgeson and Powell formed Greenback films and produced music videos.

In the early 90s Thorgerson inaugurated Storm Studios along with Peter Curzon, it was run as a loose group of freelancers.

Thorgerson’s most famous designs were those he designed for Pink Floyd; the design for ‘Dark side of the Moon’ has been called ‘one of the greatest album covers of all time’

Many of Storm Thorgerson’s designs are notable for their surrealistic elements; it is possible to compare his work with that of surrealists Man Ray, Rene Magritte and Salvador Dali; like Magritte, Thorgerson liked to use aspects of the landscape to echo shapes of figure’s heads or animals, he also wrapped figures in cloth, as Magritte used to , and made deliberate use of flame elements like Dali.

Thorgerson often places objects out of their traditional contexts, especially with vast spaces around them, to give them an unusual or unexpected orgesen tended to use photography as a graphic medium more often than the drawn or painted image: ‘I like photography because it is a reality medium unlike drawing which is unreal…I like to mess with reality …to bend reality. Some of my works beg the question of is it real or not?’

Thorgerson avoided using computerised graphics and crafted his eye - catching, often humorus images by using physical props, sometimes oversized human figures, sometimes naked, and such traditional photographic techniques as multiple exposures and colour manipulation. One iconic cover, for Pink Floyds’ ‘Wish you were here’ (1975) involved actually setting fire to a stuntman wearing a dress suit over asbestos, and another, for the band’s Animals (1977) featured London’s Battersea power station with a giant helium – filled pink pig floating overhead.  ( Melinda C Shepherd Encyclopedia Britannica)

In an article by CD Anderson published in Imagine Athena, People, Ideas, Culture: Storm Thorgerson, Master of the Surreal Image 10 June 2014, Anderson states:
‘Before the advent of music as a digitalised intangible, music was a very real, physical artefact, and one of its most dynamic elements, besides the music, naturally, were the visuals of the album artwork. While it still plays an important role in the marketing of music today, during the classic era of the gatefold vinyl album cover ( the 1960s through to the 1980s) album art was considered a significant movement in modern pop art development, and no graphic design group defined this more than the Hypgnosis group, led by photographer Storm Thorgerson.

Bibliography:
https://en.wikipedia Storm Thorgerson
www.brittannica.co//topic Storm Elvin Thorgerson
Melinda C Shepherd
imagineathena,com/ p9494/ Storm Thorgerson, Master of the Surreal Image.
C D Anderson 10 June 2014

A comparison of works by Storm Thorgerson and Man Ray
 

                                 


Le Violin d’Ingres by Man Ray           Without shoes Jan 2008          Storm Thorgerson


                                                 


















Torso 1936  Man Ray                                               Planet Anthem Storm Thorgerson

  Cover for Pink Floyd’s album cover      ‘Wish You Were Here’    Pink Floyd’s album coverAnimals