Studio Practice: Studio Brief 1: QR Developments

To make the Wayfinding system informative as well as directional, I have decided to created a collection of personal work, images and writing for each location so that the user can learn about each place. The logo will be a supergraphic/plaque (depending on development decisions) with a small QR code on it that the user can scan to open up a document with all of the history of the particular location they have arrived at. This will also be used to share personal experiences published by those who were part of the scene, creating an immersive experience for the users.

Figure 1

Figure 1 is a video showing an idea of how the QR would look and work. I have created a PDF document of all of the information and images that I would like the users to be able to view and then linked this PDF to a QR code. The user needs to scan the code using a QR reader and the document can be viewed on the device. I chose to use this method of displaying information because a lot of people own a mobile device that is compatible with the software. This also provides an interactive experience, making it more interesting and as the system is based upon locations that are no longer used for the same purpose, it allows images and information to be shown in an easy and succinct way.

The QR design

Using an online generator, the QR codes were designed so that the individual pictogram was in the centre, as part of the scannable area. The blue used is the same as the colour scheme for the whole wayfinding system, but if it was to be printed straight onto the metal hexagon at the location than it would blend in, so a border or background may need to be added so that it is obvious for the user that it is there for them to scan.

QR Content design

The aim was to share actual experiences that people have had at each of these locations, showing an insight into what the venue would have been used for by the Mod subculture. The collection of pages have the pictogram at the beginning, then the name of the location and then all of the images and text. The typography layout is disjointed to represent the passing of time and how not all of details of the subculture can be discovered. The 'zig-zag' layout of the writing was also used to match the overall design decision to base it on the atomic structure of amphetamine.

The images used were sourced from www.leodis.net which is an online archive of peoples old photos and experiences of Leeds City.

All of the writing is placed within the hexagon that is used throughout the whole wayfinding system, making it the recognisable symbol to show everything related to the system.

Final design as part of the wayfinding system

Figure 2 shows how the metal hexagon will be embedded into the floor outside each of the locations, so that people can use it as an area to stand together and look at the information that they will obtain by scanning the QR code. Figure 3 and 4 show a mockup of where the QR code would be placed on the metal hexagon.

It was decided that the white box behind the QR code was needed so that it stood out against the blue and would be easy for people to find.