Studio Brief 1: Interim Crit

Presenting my initial ideas to a group of people allowed me to build up a body of opinions that will help me to decide which direction I need to develop my ideas. A lot of the focus of the crit was on the development on how the system will be presented out in public. The finalisation of this will allow me to then develop the visuals to suit the way in which it will be presented. 

Figure 1

My initial idea was to use tape to surround existing signs in Leeds in the hexagonal shape and then extended onto the road to lead in the direction of the individual locations. It was suggested that the sign post was actually freestanding and made out of metal. This would allow me to choose the most suitable location for them and also prevent the obstruction of existing signs in Leeds. Having the sign made up out of metal would increase the legitimacy of the wayfinding system and the idea of creating movement from one place to another would more successfully be achieved. The lines on the floor could continue from the base of the sign post and also be embedded into the floor so that the system isn't to visual polluting in the area and would not act as a trip hazard. 

Figure 2

I was unsure about how to display the pictograms and what should be at the location. Having something at the location to show that they have arrived at the particular location is important, but as they have already made it to the location, the empty hexagon may work better rather than having the pictogram visible as well. Figure 2 shows the hexagon that is the basis of all of the wayfinding systems visuals, so this displayed in the floor in the same way as the sign posts in-between the locations may work effectively. Consistency is something that needs to maintained throughout the system so that people can follow it easily and know that it is all linked.

In terms of locations and how far the line should extend for depends on the road. The straight roads will have a much shorter line because it would be fairly obvious as to which direction to walk in. The location that is displayed in Figure 1 would be a location that would have the longer lines because it is on a corner. I need to make sure that it isn't too long because at the end of the line the information is displayed and this essentially is the most important part of the sign post. 

The use of QR codes was an element to the wayfinding system that people thought would compliment it very well. The QR codes would allow visuals, information and experiences to be shared about each location. It was decided that the QR codes should be displayed on the map rather than at each location so that people can access the material without having to be at the location.

Another element that needs to be decided upon is the shade of blue that will be used throughout all of the wayfinding system. I have gathered lots of album covers that were popular within the Mod subculture and have taken swatches of the blues in them. This will allow me to choose the most appropriate shade of blue to represent the fact that it is a wayfinding system based on the Mod subculture. 

Things to work on:
Pictograms for each building
Plot the locations that the signs need to be and then work out distances
Map of the route
QR code on the map
Logo development
Colour decision
All metal embedded into the floor