Colour Choices

Symbol Association

During an interim crit, I asked which symbols are best associated with each of the different types of shops; Health and Beauty, Fashion, Jewellery, Food and Drink, Specialist Shops and Gift Shops. An overwhelming number of people stated that the semi-circle reminded them of Food and Drink, using words such as refreshing to describe the symbol, and liking it to that of a shape of a fruit. Jewellery was most associated with the star shape to the intricacy of the shape and the likeness to diamonds and gems. The black and white contrasting square, most people associated with Fashion describing it as chic, classy and modern. The flower shape, was mostly associated with health and beauty, describing it as whole and balanced, similar to Frutiger's idea of a circle implying life and birth. The cross which originally was used to represent Health and Beauty, is now going o be allocated to gifts as most people thought that it best represented gifts, due to the net shape of a box and the delicate, detailed shape.  Finally the square is left to be the Specialist Shops, as Frutiger's idea of the square being the strongest symbol, makes sense to use the most forceful shape. 

Interim Crit - Wayfinding - Studio Brief 01

- One outcome of the crit is that the symbolic, numbered system could become quite complicated, therefore maybe just use one symbol for each of the shops. To overcome this problem, place a large supergraphic map on the floor, which using colour coding directs people towards the shops both directly opposite and above them, whilst still incorporating the shapes and symbols found within the architecture of the exchange.
  - An idea for the use of colour, would carry out research or personal knowledge as to which c
colours are associated with the different types of shops.
  - Another idea for further research was to revisit the corn exchange and count the number of units within the building, to see how many sides the shape needs for direction.
- To overcome the issue of the balcony and ground level, maybe an idea is to place a signage system on the steps, directing people up or down the stairs.
- An additional concept was to create symbols for the different events and shows which are held within the ground floor event space.
- Due to the constant movement of shops in and out an idea was to have a interchangeable lettering system, as in the light up boxes, with changeable letters and then create the symbols to be placed within the box as well. Therefore the type will not be fixed and will no longer need to be changed every time.

Book Covers - Final Penguin Marber Covers

Exhibition Poster - A1 to A4 Folding Techniques - Format

When folding the A1 poster down to A4, the easiest and most effective folding method was to fold it in half and half again. This allowed all the important information to be displayed on the front, whilst also cutting off the design which led to an intrigue as to what was filling the rest of the poster. A sneak preview almost, whilst still giving the information for people who wanted a quick glance, it till communicated what the exhibition was and what it was about. 

Book Covers - Marber Book Design

Wayfinding - Proposal

My proposal is to create a way finding system for the corn exchange which fits with the underlying aspect of unpredictability of the changing shops within the building. Therefore the system itself will include as little text as possible, mainly using a variety of symbols which will be created taking inspiration from the architecture of the historic building. The symbols will be used as a form of a counting system, which relates to the numbers above each of the shopping outlets. This will therefore be engaging and also a cheaper alternative as it is versatile and can be interchangeable. On the other hand the objective signs around the change such as toilets and entrance will be made subjective and avoiding the use of type also to fit within a cohesive theme.

Contextual references will relate to the history of the corn exchange, and the shapes and patterns found within the architecture both inside and outside of the building. Previous uses will also be considered to provide historical references throughout the system.

The system needs to be functional and relatively cheap and easy to change and modify in a short space of time. It also needs to be contemporary and innovative, therefore alongside creating a functional way finding system it is also creating a rebrand for the building to counteract the deterioration and loss of business due to other new builds around the area. It will also be engaging, especially so with children, as it could be devised into a game, to locate the different shops, it means people with have to think and also appreciate the history of the building, which previously many people think has been lost. It needs to be appropriate for a range of audiences, mainly targeting, families, tourists and older people.