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

Application of Fruit and Vegetable Market Signs

Here are some of my signs in their context. I decided since the market is out doors, placing the signs on walls would be a challenge since there aren't many walls and especially not where I need the walls to be. Therefore I used the blue shades that are placed all around the market to hang the signs from.
A strong rope will hold them to the right height they need to be at. Which is just over the average persons height. Then they would be painted or stuck on to a piece of wood. The sign will be placed on both sides of the wood so it is seen from every angle.

Below is the Weigh and Pay here sign:

Below is the Vegetables and the Fruits signs. They are placed at the front entrance to the market:


Below is a close up of the Vegetable sign. As you can see it is hung from the already existing shades:

Materials for Fruit and Vegetable Market signs

Research on sign materials

I did some research to find out what materials would be best to display my signs on.
Here is a website I found useful for this: http://www.fastsigns.com/sign-materials.html
After reading about each material, I decided that wood was the most suitable material for my signs.

Here is what I found out about the wood:

"Wood and composite materials
Wood and composite materials will give you years of outdoor service. They are suitable for large format signage, are weather resistant and have a rigid, flat surface. Wood products can be painted to match custom colors for signage use in commercial real estate, construction firms and property leasing companies. Some composite materials come in a wide range of colors. Others are only available in white.
There are occasions when wood or any one of several other composite materials is the appropriate substrate to use for your outdoor signage needs. There are a number of different materials that can fill these requirements. Medium Density Overlay Plywood (MDO), Alumalite®, Omega® board, DiBond® to name a few. All are durable and versatile, materials designed for a wide variety of outdoor uses including these types of signage:

• Site Signs
• Directional Signs
• Identification Signs

Signs made from wood can be displayed in several ways:

• Bolted to posts and planted in the ground
• Bolted to walls
• Hanging"

The wood material contains all the elements I need for my signs. It can be used outdoors, in all climates. It can be used on walls and could be hung. It is fairly cheap and is not too heavy. It is long lasting and can be painted on or can be used with stickers.

Colors for the Fruit and Vegetable Market

Above you can see the colors I have chosen from the market mood board for my icons.
I chose to have two sets of colors: the green signs are for direction, telling people where to go and where to find what they want. The blue are warning signs telling people what to do or what to watch out for. The green ones will be placed higher then the blue ones for they need to be seen from further away.
I tried to keep the colors simple, to keep the icons easy to read. The white background keeps them clear, creating a high contrast between the white and the color.

Colors for the Fruit and Vegetable Market

To find the right colors for my icons I went back to my mood board and picked out some of the colors that stood out the most and some of the colors that I felt would give the feel of the market. Here are some of those colors:
I then tried applying these colors to my icons and felt that this combonation of colors works best:The two colors used above came from my mood board I felt they went well against one another, for they carry a good contrast that keeps the icon clear to read.
The sample icon, above, shows an attempt of how the icon can be placed with the text on the the sign.

Fruit and Vegetable Market, phase 3

This is what I showed on sunday:
After talking to Maya about my work and seeing what other people in the class created I noted the changes I need to make to my icons.
These changes are:
-create smoother lines
-the uneven floors icon needs to be clearer to show uneven floors rather than a box on the ground
-make some of the white lines thicker or get rid of them
-trash icon: less detail in the trash to continue the unity between it and the other icons
-hands: need to all give the same feel, stroke etc.
-fruits icon: change to fit the feel/mood, not so much detail like in the pineapple
-vegetables: smoother lines
-tap: less detail
-icons may need a box/border around them
-space between arabic words may need to be smaller
-english type needs to change, no serif, needs to be more organic

Fruit and Vegetable Market, phase 3

After finishing my first 4 icons I started developing the next 4. Keeping with the same feel to keep a unity between all the icons.
Here are the problems I addressed:

-The icon below is to show people visiting the market where whatever they are buying will be wighted to calculate how much they will need to be paying.

-The icon below is to warn people of the uneven floors of the market.


-The Last two icons are to help people find their way around the market. The first icon points to where the fruits area is and the second points to the vegetable section.
When the two icons are placed next to each other I feel that they are better read.
These two icons are the only two without any human figure, however I think they still work well and carrier a sense of unity with the other icons.

Fruit and Vegetable Market, phase 3

The class critique was very useful to me. I was able to hear what others thought about my work.
Below are the changes I made to the icons I showed in class.
Along with the small changes I did some cropping to most of the icons. Before the cropping the icons showed too much, they were more like pictures rather than icons. These improved icons, below, I feel will be clearer to the audience, for they focus on the main point they are addressing.

Fruit and Vegetable Market, phase 3

After completing phase 2 the problems I needed to solve in the market were clear. I went back to the market once more and started taking as a many images as possible of the problems, the images I took included: wide shots, close up shots to show detail and I took as many different angles and perspectives as possible of the problems.

The fist problem I worked on was the wet floors in the market. I want a sign to tell people to be aware of the wet floors and to try and avoid walking over them.
I made many sketches some showing a figure slipping, some showing just a close up of the feet of the figure slipping and some showing a figure walking around the wet floor to avoid it.

I decided to take my sketches of the full figure slipping further into development:

After this detailed sketch I decided to see how the image would communicate if I simplified it:
I felt the above simplified sketch was not as effective as the first detailed sketch so I went back to it and developed it a little further. I added more detail, the wet floor under the figures feet and the motion marks by one of the figures feet to show that it is moving:After that I started experimenting with filling in the positive and negative spaces and balancing out the image:

Class Discussion: Fruit and Vegetable market

After visiting the Fruit and Vegetable market a few times I was able to find some problems that could be solved or made better by the application of signs in the area. Some of the problems I found were issues that I noticed in the market at first visit, while for some of the issues I had to spend a little more time studying the area. I feel that all the problems I found are ones that almost everyone is likely to face when visiting the market.

In this first image I wanted to show how if you do not know the system of the market and how everything works there you would not know where to go and what to do:

The second image shows the wet floors from the washing of the fruits. This get s ones shoes all wet.
This next image shows the low shades hung up at the market. This causes people to bump into them, and mind their heads.
This last image shows how there are some dirty areas in the market that do not look good and are not pleasing to the eye.
The group discussion was helpful I was able to show my work to people and receive some feedback on what they thought of my work. We all agreed that if I place a question mark on the first image next to the boys head this may help the viewer understand that the person is lost or confused.
Further more we agreed that the third image may work better if the person under the shade was taller to emphasis more on the idea that one could bump into the shades. (Alanood Alattiya, Ameera Makki, maha, )

Ameera Makki: Fruit and Vegetable Market

Fruit and Vegetable Market

One of the elements of the fruit market that caught my interest was the fresh air. The fruit market is an open area, and unlike a lot of places in Doha there is no construction, towers or pollution in the area; therefore making it a good environment to do some fruit and vegetable shopping.
Another aspect of the market that stood out to me was the fact that everything being sold was full of bright color. Making you want to buy; furthermore the color gives the fruits a fresh look and feel.
I noticed that there was a lot of stacking of items, that being boxes, fruits and vegetables.
Most costumers were either families or adults shopping for their families. I think the market is a good place for children, for it is very spacious and not crowded, as I had assumed it would be before going and visiting the area. Another observation I made was that almost all the workers at the market were male foreigners.
An aspect of my area of the market that makes it unique to other markets and other areas within the same market is the shades made of blue fiber; they are used to keep the sun from hitting the fruits, therefore protecting them, as well as providing shade for the costumers.

This image shows these aspects of the fruit market:
-Spacious
-Open fresh air
-The unique blue shades
















This image shows these aspects of the fruit market:
-Families
-Workers
















This image shows some of the colorful fruits of the market:















When first started to deign my poster I thought about the mood and feel I get from visiting the area, which is fresh air and fruits and open space.

This was my first attempt at the poster:






















This poster to the left is too chaotic. I wanted to show the families and the numerous colorful fruits; however in this poster the market seemed busier than it really is. So I had to simplify the composition.

Here is my second attempt:






















Aiming for a simpler composition, I think I simplified the poster a little too much. Here the mood is too quiet, and it makes the market seem like a much emptier place than it really is.
So I needed to go for something in between my two trials: not too quiet and not too busy. Furthermore I wanted to create a poster that looked more organized and easier to understand.

After a lot of time spent on rearranging, resizing and changing of images I came to this as my final poster:






















I showed the space and the fresh air of the market by using the clear sky background.
I showed the colorful fruits in a clearer way than my previous poster trials. I placed them on top of each other to mimic the 'stacking' concept, for the fruits and vegetables at the market are all staked in piles.
I used the blue shades at the top of each of my posters, for this is something unique to this market and this area of the market.