group project, mapping ideas

Mapping ideas

We first started by collecting words that represent the experience when playing the gaiss game so the words were
Challenge-tough
Funny- start laughing as a group because it’s difficult to get it right
Traditional
Outdoor
Frustration
Competition
Group aspect- several people share the fun


Then we started analyzing three different words that mostly highlights the meaning or the essence of the game and the experience

Challenge- the more it’s tough the more they want to try playing to reach the level of satisfactory
Traditional- importance, revive, timeless game functional don’t need a lot of stuff simplicity, priceless, role model, familiarity
Funny- laughing at a loser when breaking the rules the fun of picking on someone when losing


Based on that we had the idea of stop motion as a medium because it’s a step by step game and in a sequence we wanted to show challenge but we were falling in the mistake of being too pragmatic our plan was to show a foot and a rock going forward but loosing then needing to go back again to step one to show challenge and difficulty


After seeking advice knowing that a persuasive video could be more targeted to the young children audience whereas the poetic communication is often for older people meaning the parents for such a game we wanted to show difficulty and challenge to the children temping the to try it by showing the struggle of a girl playing and inviting them to try the challenge

We came up with this idea considering our time limitation before that we want to have another concept of a stop motion of the person playing but transitioning to different location from past to future to tell them that it could be played wherever whenever

Al Karaby

Karaby is a group game that is based on ones ability in being able to maintain balance. Played by children between 10-13 years. Korab in Bedouin language meaning rabbit that is medium size. And maybe it was taken as a result of the player’s movement. The number of players is 2-6. Players stand on their right leg while holding their left leg, players then job by their right leg while jumping the other player will be facing them. Players try to push the other opponent off balance with their right hand. If the opponent falls on the ground then he is the loser and is out. Sometimes he gets substituted. The game continues until one player remains that is the survivor.As a group we got together and discussed the different steps of the game. We took turns playing and we looked at the separate elements that we would need to present. Because of the name of the game "korab" meaning rabbit, we initially went straight away to the idea of using a rabbit within our illustration. We spent the class brainstorming the idea of rabbit and the game. We decided that we wanted to create a diagram that was none gender specific and related clearly to culture.
When we presented our brainstorming and first draft of our diagram some of the feedback we got included; our figures looked too much like adults, we needed to make it more abstract, and the class wasn't too keen on the idea of using rabbits for our main concept.Joanne drew a few more examples. She basically used the original diagram and then made them look more like children and put bunny ears on them. From these sketches we started to create our concept for the presentation. We thought initially that we wanted to create a pop up book and that we wanted to show the pictures in first person as much as possible. The reason for having the book done in a first person view is so that it would relate more to video games and movies and perhaps draws in our audience more. But yet again when we went for the critique, we found that we had a lot of changes to make. Even though we made the characters seem more like children, our icons needed to be abstracted even further, and Pornprapha wanted us to focus more on the motion of the game.


So what we first did was to break the game down into its bare elements so that we could see the essentials. Every step of the game only involves two parts of the players, their arms and legs. So we drew the legs and arms from a top view and used lines to show the movement that occurs between them. This sketch was the absolute minimum of the icon. From there we developed it further and after several trials came up with our final icons. Then the next step was to decide on colors and presentations. From the beginning we wanted to come up with a way of incorporating the culture in some way. So after testing several different colors we decided to use yellow to represent the sand and then we chose to use green because they complement each other.



For the presentation we were originally thinking of posting each square on a cube so that the children can interact with the images. But then we realized that it would be too difficult to use a cube because there would be no way of showing the direction. So from thinking back on past projects, we decided to use the concept of a zoetrope. We would create a 3D octagon and we would place each frame on a side, and the whole octagon would turn to show the steps, and to relate to the idea of pushing with the interaction of the image and spinning.

Group project, Thag Thag Thagiya

We decided to do a poetic video that show children play and enjoy this game and at the same time show the traditional nature of this game. We want to have 5 boys playing in "thobs" (or the traditional qatari dress for boys and men), laughing and enoying their time together.

First we went to the Qatari Threatrical Studio to find if they have any records of the actual song of this game so we can perhaphs use it as a reference for a background song for the video.

And we also wanted a couple of children to act for us. So they told us to come back on saturday but as a start, to get things going we decided to make our own video using some of our group members' cousins and brothers in Souq Wagif. So that atleast we have an idea of what we want it to look like. Just in case, because saturday would be too late..

Group project, Thag Thag Thagiya

For the circle, we experimented alot with color and function. We decided to chose the color pink for girls and  for green for boys. |Around the circle we abstracted positions and people also in the circle shape. Even showing eyes closed, or open were done in that manner. For the second layer we had cut out pieces that were used to verify and distinct between the english and arabic. If the player was an english speaker then the circle would turn from left to right and if he was an arabic speaker, the circle would turn from right to left, to really make it bilingual.

We made alot of small mock-ups to test everything, from how the circle would acctually turn in opposition to the second circle that would be on top. What kind of paper  or material should be used. And also how many triagles are needed for the circle to give out as much information as possible. (in a brief manner).

Group project, Thag Thag Thagiya

My group members are Wafa, Mashear, Maha, and Fatima Bukhshaisa. We are working on the game Thag, Thag, Thagiya. To modernize this game we started deconstructing the basic ideas of this game. First the children sit in a circle and they start singing the song while one child gets up while the others have their eyes closed and places an object (usually a hat) behind one of the players sitting on the floor. And then he goes back to his seat and they keep singing the song. When the children open their eyes, one of them will find the object placed behind them so he has to get up and start running because the person who placed the object in the first place is going to chase him.

So taking the idea of a circle we thought of the color wheel and decided to make something that instructs children on how to play the game by using that idea. It would be more simpler and child-friendly. We thought about bright colors, type, etc that children would understand. 

Villagio Food Court, FINAL

I chose the color organge because of the energetic, hyper nature of the food court. I think this color best reflects the place. 

I redesigned some icons for maximum legibelity.

The type Ive chosen also ad to reflect the geometric nature of the icons. So I used Square9x9 for english and Salem for arabic but I used these fonts as reference to make my own in illustrator to have the same width and height as of the squares I used to make these icons. They should visually feel and look balanced. Also, because My icons should be appearing in LED screens around the mall so the squares have to be precise.

Villagio Food Court, semi - final

At this stage I'm starting to chose which icons I would like to use as my final chosen 8 icons. And begin to finalize them so that they all look similar. However, my instructor has informed that if i chose to work with people for the icons, I should only use people, and if i work with objects then i should only show icons, and etc. and not mix those two things because it would be confusing for the viewer. Second she also advised that i change the color of the squares for the icons since it has been used so many times. And that i should do something different and unique. The color must reflect the food court aswell.

Villagio Food Court, Sketches

This image I took from the Macdonalds cashir is where i got myidea and inspiration from.

 

I've tried to do many icons, even without using my list of 6 problems. Even arrows and such to experiment on whether or not I can be flexible 

with this grid that I am using. 

Villagio Food Court, Sketches

I decided to make icons about :

1. Throwing food in the garbage after one is done eating.

2. standing in line

3. Talking in a low voice (because the food court is a family area, people have to mind each other and the language they use).

4. Bathroom sign 

5. Disbaled Sign

6. prayer room

here are some sketches of how I would start. My main idea is to make my icons in a grid to reflect the cashir LCD screen found in every restaurant in the food court.

Al-Teila, Group project

Al-Teila, Group project

We started by reading the handout telling us about Al-Teila game, then we did some research about it on the internet to get a better understanding of the game.
Our next step was writing down the points that make the game what it is, keeping in mind the cultural elements of the game. Below is an image showing our mind mapping:
After understanding the rules of the game we stated thinking of ways to present the game to children today but still keeping with the traditions of the original game. Below is an idea we had, using hands to abstract the icons; for we felt that hands were an important part of the game:
Here are the hands further developed and shown in a clearer way to understand the game:
However after creticing with the class and hearing what others had to say we realized that using the hands, we had abstracted the game too much too fast. Using the hands had taking away from the main focus of the game which is the marbles. So we went back to brain storming and to representing the game in simple ways. We decided to each come up with an idea then we would look at all of them and see which parts of which ones we can use. Below is the idea I had, I decided to stick with just using the marbles and some arrows, keeping it really simple:After developing our icons we started thinking about how we would present the game. We had a few ideas including a dice like cube, a leaflet and a mat. We decided to go with the mat idea for it would be interactive, the children can see the instructions and then actually play on the mat; furthermore it would help them know how far they need to be away from the marbles to play. It would help them in setting up the game. Below are a few of the ideas we had for the mat:
We also thought of have a cover for the mat so that the children can fold it up and take it where ever they please.

Fruit and Vegetable Market - final

Abu Hammour Final

sign application

using the idea of plexi-glass as a medium to keeping up with the theme of the space being clean

Color selection and Application

I selected this color palette based off of the blue that is used throughout Aspire on the buildings and other architectural features. Then I decided to use orange, it's an accent color used in aspire in the mulch and paths that surround the area. Then I wanted to use a grey blue to offset the bright blue.


These are my final icons. I put the orange around the edge so that the signs would pop out. Aspire is a very large open space and the icons if i just left them blue for the back it would blend away and not be noticeable in its surroundings. I made most of the objects in the darker blue and just used the grey for the background color. I was very happy with my color icons I felt like i did a good job matching the color properly to the building especially when the icons were printed. the orange is just light enough to stand out and doesn't cause vibrations between the blue. One icon I would have worked more on if time allowed would have been the no smoking icon because the line of the cigarette is to thin and it disappears.

Type and Icons

For my type selection I chose to use Grotesque and Naskh. Both typefaces I felt had a good balance between the curved and straight strokes that both relate well to the concept of Aspire. What I noticed most while selecting Grotesque for the latin typeface is that the curse especially on the lowercase r, reflect the curve of the track. I also feel that Naskh and Grotesque balance each other well through stroke width and their x can easily be balanced. And they are both very clear and legible.

Creating My Icons

It took me several different refinements to be able to finally get my system right. I kept jumping around from one idea to the next.


This was my first set of icons. Originally because of the time that I had spent on developing the trash icon, and because of how refined it was, I decided to us the embedded concepts for my system. The idea was that it is clean balanced between curved and balanced between curved and straight lines. But the rest of my icons dont fit in at all and each seemed to have their very on system. But I could look at these icons and take certain elements from each that I could then put into my system to make them work.

Now with this set of Icons i created I was getting closer. I had zoomed in close on each object, made them more equally balanced by color and I added the element of the socks to the legs so I could break up the space more. But during the critique I noticed that I hadn't followed the diagonal on all the images and that they all needed to include and object combined with an action; like the bottle being thrown into the trash, the foot stepping on the flower. I needed to come up with some way that there would be interaction between the bench and the cigarette, and most of all I needed to still develope a good icon for the restroom that followed the system. Also I needed to come up with a way that my walk and run icon could be unified but at the same time could have distinguishable characteristics so that they could be read as separate signs.

For my final set of icons I fixed the above problems by giving them all the same angle, I created a hand that was holding the cigarette to create some sort of interaction, as well as the ball resting on the bench, and then finally I made the walk and run icons exactly the same but added texture to the running to separate the two. Then for the bathroom signs, I illustrated a womens and a mans shoe, this idea I still should have pushed further if the time allowed for me to do so.

Overall while creating my icons I was very frustrated, it took me until the end to understand the idea of a system and especially what exactly my system was. The icons would have been much easier for me to complete I feel if I had spent more time on research and developement through sketches just like I did with the trash icon. But what I liked about my icons is that by including interaction between objects as a part of my system made the icons more interesting and exciting to work with. It forced me to be more creative and to generate ideas that you wouldn't see on a normal basis. I feel that signages systems is definitely and area that Ill still need to improve on but feel like I do have a good basis for it, and also even though I struggled with my system, the fact that I kept working with the idea helped me to learn about the concept within design more, and that was definitely a good outcome for the project.

Icon Development

After having done the book where we had to find certain problems within our space, I used these ideas to begin my icons. I took different photographs from my space and as well as looked back at some of the photos I took from the beginning of the problem and started sketching ideas. With each sketch I would try to look at different element within the photo so that I could abstract the image. Here are some examples:

Most of what I did was to highlight the different shadows. what I noticed while doing these sketches was that it took several different trys to find a way that was affective so that both the bottle and the hand would remain clear. If I highlighted one area the bottle would disappear and if I highlighted another it would blend in with the hand and create a blob.



Another step I took when I first started to create my icons was to look at the different features within Aspire so that I could try to develop A system. I definitely wanted to keep the idea of a some was organic feel but very clean and sharp. But some of the designs I was coming up with still didn't really fit with the surrounding fill especially with the audience. So I kept trying to develop my concept for a system

Final project

With the final due, i still refined, tuned some of my icons like the finger nail, the spray in order to simple and yet to be more effective in communicating.
My choice of typeface:
Initially it was very difficult for me to understand which typeface reflects the same quality as my icons. After understanding my system more clearly, i was able to point a few things such as the bold black parts in my icons, the thickness and straight edgy feel of my icons. Henec i chose a typeform which has a heavy bold look to it and its more geometrical and sharp edge.
Placing in context
it was a difficult challenge to place in classrooms of VCU because the classrooms are usually very busy and messy. Furthermore, i didnot wanted something which would add further to this messy look or be an obstacle to the remaing open space. Thus i chose to place the signs where the objects are place so that the students can see and realize whenever they are dealing with a particular equipment in the classroom. As for the bathroom, i decided to put it on the wall, next to the taps.
Research:
However i would just like to add, that i did a little bit more research of placing the signage in context, and constantly referred to this book; Signage Design Manual by Edo Smitshuijzen and Pictograms Icons and Signs, A guide to Information Graphics by Rayan Abdullah and Roger Hobner.
I learnt the different ways of placing sign, for example suspended sign from the ceiling is basically to how direction. Projecting sign can be placed in corridors when there are a lot of doors and you want to direct someone to something. And placing it on the wall, where the problem occurs.
I also learnt about how the eye reads the eye from a particular distance. hence affecting it visibility and scale.

Experimenting with Colors

For the color experimentation, i began from taking inspiration from my mood board and the clrs around VCU. I practiced getting the exact color by learning the pantone color book. However later i realized that in order for the signs to communicate well in the environment it should build up contrast, so its visible, has a contextual language to it. First i was using 4 colors in one icon...pink, black gray, white. However later i understood, that its just gonno blend with all the colors around VCU. Thus i tried something more subtle yet that contrasts with the VCU colors; gray and black. And i felt that gray suited.

Jo Bermejo, Icons in context

Here are some Photoshopped images of some of my icons in context:

At the Library entrance. I want to immediately emphasize that talking is not allowed.
There is also a "No-Google" sign at the door, and I just replaced it with my version of the sign/icon.

The computer area where currently a very small sign is that says "No mobile phones".
I replaced it with my version of the icon and added other appropriate icons too.