GDES3003 ROUGH WORK REVIEW

Students review and feed back notes on prototype work ongoing on the FOE Poster brief.

Green Design students have been reviewing each other's 'prototype' work this week linked to the FOE poster brief. There's been a range of different approaches and ideas with some students taking an illustrative approach, some photo-montage, some diagrammatical and some typographic.

Students were able to explain each other's progress on their projects to peers who then examined the work annd fed back their thoughts and suggestios to help improve progress further.

GDES3003 STUDENT SUSTAINABLE PRINT PRESENTATIONS

Green Design students presented different facets of 'Green Print' techniques found via research.

Some good talks this week from students on the Green Design module. They were set a session task to research and then deliver to their peers updated information on a particular facet of Green Printing practices.

Here students Dani and Georgi talk about sourcing raw materials for paper-making and how this is now being done much more sustainably via new methods made available. Students Aaron and Sophy won the student 'vote' at the end and went off with the spoils: two large choc chip cookies (which I'm told they very carefully shared between their peers too!).. Well done all.

CAT Trip 2017

Some quick ref pics of the group over at the Centre for Alternate Technology (CAT) this year. Always a good day, we had a welcome talk with Chris McLennan and then a lecture/workshop with Paul Allen - CAT's 'Zero Carbon Britain' project Co-Ordinator..

"This trip was a big eye opener to me as it made me aware to things that I had very little previous knowledge of. It was definitely a large inspiration to me and my work."
Student on the module taken from the submitted report.

Some of our group for the day en route over there..

The amazing water-powered cliff railway at CAT.

Students inside one of the cliff railway carriages on the
way up to the main site..

Our group for the day and design lecturer Andy

Paul Allen's talk on 'Zero Carbon Britain'..

The amazing Sheppard lecture theatre - made from 'rammed earth'..

CAT's head of education, Chris McLennan gives an overview talk..

A large slab of vegan cake that we 'user tested' in CAT's canteen.. :)

Gdes3003 Final Creative Concept Submissions for the Worcester eBike Project

Here's a selection of this semester's student submissions for the Worcester eBike project. These will now be passed out to partners involved in the eBike scheme and will be looked-over with making a shortlist of potential design treatments in mind. Katy Boom, UW's Director of Sustainability visited the student hand-in and explained the next steps in the process. Students were told that one or more of their visual solutions will definitely be used in any final project - amazing news!

"(the) Green Design module and the Worcester Cycling Network Project was very beneficial to me as I look at design (now) from a different point of view... I have also developed my skills from the 2nd year in terms of map-making and navigational design which I really enjoy doing... I believe that this project has a great scope and in the future it might bring something wonderful to Worcester.. I'm more than happy that I got a chance to work on it for a couple of months."
- Student comment on this project (sanctioned, from report).

“… Green Design and this brief has helped me develop as a designer.. Being more self-aware of all these (sustainability-related) factors in how we look at the production and design of projects, advertisements, print is definitely beneficial to how I look at potential briefs in the future.. Big brand companies are becoming more eco-aware, which in turn provides work and opportunities for people with the knowledge to make their products sustainable and have less impact on the environment.. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about different developments..”
- Student comment on this project (sanctioned, from report).

Joe Baber

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Gabrielle Booth

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Scott Booth

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Charlotte Bullock

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Markeec Butler-Stephen

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James Campbell

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Anca Coltofeanu

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Tom Hodgson

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Katie Ledgerwood

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Margarett Passos

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Anna Peskova

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Christina Pop

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Noa Rakic

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Lenka Simackova

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Anna Solcova

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Georgia Stanley

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Alex Williams

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Gdes3003 Prototypes Deadline Individual Tutorials & Feedback

This week I was keen that I caught up with all on the module to both see where students were progress-wise (Prototypes Deadline) and to review research gathered and your devt processes too. Below is a list of general tips and my own observations per person at this stage before next session’s peer assessment.

General Top Tips At This Stage

1. Make sure that you’ve revisited the brief and have devt work ongoing that addresses the various primary and secondary wants.

2. Consider some level of basic user testing to make sure that your key ideas are reviewed by at least 5x individuals who count as ‘general public’.. You can do this (refer to previous sessions and user test discussions) via questionnaires, interviews etc.

3. While the primary aim is to have the support booklet as a .pdf, it will likely be printed by some orgs and occasional individuals. As it’s A5 this means that the booklet will be ‘pocket-sized’. It may be printed ultimately as a short run too by orgs linked to the system – i.e. Worcs City Council in small quantities. If it is printed in this way then it’s likely it’ll be done so using both eco print considerations as well as sustainable paper and board.

Feedback to individual students attending tutorials

Joe Baber
Needs to collect all refs together so can populate a blog.
Great research on PPt to date + notes. Very good x-section of sketch devts + notes – needs to experiment more with layouts and some of the good visuals he’s been developing .. Not had chance to look at the blog in a big way as yet..

Gabrielle
Blog but only content is CAT visit/task. Needs to evidence all her primary and secondary research + her notes and thinking on this. Needs to add refs gathered from sessions. Has written session notes but needs to transfer these to blog posts. Has a small amount of devt sketches + some useful notes – suggest expanding these to help support final set of ideas. Like the fact that has started to look at where ads and key graphics will go on bikes.. Think there’s potential in the ‘E Cycle’ idea – needs to add an obvious Worcester ref though.

Scott Booth
Has some initial thinking in sketchbook + notes and ideas around naming. Has been out working for the university for large swathes of the last two weeks so is understandably not as far ahead at present as some of of his peers. Looking at info graphic style – simple, minimalistic. Has useful set of refs on blog – good that has asked the public about their thinking about this sort of scheme too.

Charlotte B
Has well populated blog with useful notes and imagery from research and sessions. Has set of devt sketches visible + early screen refs here. Advised to go back to brief and double check key requirements of brief for 3D artefact element.  Advised on some poss tweeks to graphics treatement and more symbolic ‘cycle’ elements to be brought into existing designs..

Markeek
Has contents and some research in sketchbook has had some computer issues but will transfer content to a new blog by next session. Has refs to eBooks and bike brochures – knows that ideally we need to see his angle and comments on these on the blog. Has evidence of thumbnail sketches and some basic notes in sketchbook. Has early examples of work in illustrator on screen linked to GTech bottle visual – like but wonder if needs to allude more to electric power too? Sugegstd positive/negative signs or eco-power like wind power etc.. Definitely revisit the brief to make sure has all required elements in hand.. Has early refs to one element of the guide – map.. Has early idea for barcode scanning which he wishes to develop further.

James C
Has contents on blog coming together – primary and secondary and refs to ebike trials and CAT etc.. Useful summary of brief + notes.. Has some useful ID ideas developed on screen – have suggested one stronger than others and maybe consider refining this a little more to suggest ‘cycles’ in some way. Suggested various small tweeks to typographic treatments too.

Anca
Content on blog appeared recently from notes some of the key aspects required appearing on here but I would say still some room for extra research into eco packaging, second life packs. Need to see electric bike test pics from session. Wasn’t able to show sketches at this moment or work on screen although Anca knows it’s the prototypes deadline today.  Next week is peer assessment and Anca assures me that she will have all elements here to show.

Tom H
Has range of refs on his blog + some useful notes. Some useful session refs, CAT post and electric bike test pics. Some issues with display of imagery at the point of tutorials - but has shown examples on phone instead.. Consids around user testing of ideas – make sure revisit brief to be sure that has ticked all key wants and also make sure that symbolic cycle-related imagery en route..

Katie
Good blog development of posts and well noted-out, good development of ideas and has had feed in from different tutors and used this to her advantage. Suggested user testing and going back to the original brief to double-check has all key elements covered..

Margarett
Blog seems to be well populated with ideas and research as well as concept work and ideas around 3D artifacts with paper and folds – good. On screen work is progressing well and has mix of typographic considerations textural and illustrative too.  Some unique ideas around fabric use too.

Anna P
Good developments on blog to date, session refs here, well noted out, clear x-section of rough devts. Has good range of refs primary and secondary research – needs to add CAT refs and pics to blog, is considering basic user testing ideas at this time. Anna double-checked about formats and I explained that manual was .pdf but as was A5 it could be printed out and used in pockets. As council is a  partner they may also have small run of printed-out vooklets which (would likely) use basic eco print and paper/board considerations..

Cristina
Good blog work ongoing – rounded set of posts with some still to populate fully yet with contents. Cristina has wrestled with her designs and has various angles on her key ID and early devts with booklet layouts too. Have advised a revisit of the brief and key wants and have mentioned idea of user testing if at all possible – albeit on a small scale.

Noa
Has not attended the booked tutorial. I’d urge her to get in touch so that we can best support her at this point in the module.

Lenka
Has a range of blog research but ideally could do with  wider range of packaging, eco print and papers refs in here + comments. Ideally also pick out key things discovered in sessions to put on the blog to show as inspiration to your ideas.. Visual ideas at present are en route but have suggested that maybe consider more cycle or natural world references as backdrop to pages of booklet. Do also consider going back to the brief to double-check the key asks of the brief and do also consider some form of user testing if possible so that you have feed-in from tutor, your peers and even potential users of such a scheme.

Anna S
Despite time out working for the university Anna has still made additional progress design-wise on this project. I’ve suggested user testing ideas to help refine if at all possible and also to watch how the intricate details of artwork reduce down in size.. Artwork shows promise and Anna will supply further up to date examples of her work and research so that this can be peer assessed in the next session.

Georgia
Is slightly behind on progress with both her blog and also her practical work. After a tutorial Georgia is aware of the requirements for next session’s peer assessment. Georgia will add further refs and research gathered in paper from to her blog and seek additional interim feedback before the peer assessment session.

Alex Williams
Some good blog devts here, lite on sketch devts and comments on these at present.. Some early ideas on screen – poss need user testing to refine further. Make sure looked at brief again, at other hire schemes and what elements they use on their bikes visually etc..

Gdes3003 eBike Test Run & Blog Post Task

While I'm away in London managing the University's UCAS stall I've arranged for you as a cohort to go over to Katy Boom's office in the Hines Building (nr the post room, back of the SU/Peartree Cafe by the crossing). 

Katy will be able to give you access to the UW test eBike so that you can examine one first hand and (if you wish, not obligatory) have a go yourself so that you know the nature of electric bikes. While this isn't the style of the eBikes proposed for Worcester's scheme it will still give an idea of the mechanics and experience of riding an electric-powered/assisted bike.

Linked blog task (please have completed before your session with Wendy):
While you're over at Katy's in the Hines Building I'd like you to undertake the following and put the outcomes on a blog post on your own blogs. These posts will then be expected (along with your CAT post) on final submission of work for the module:

1. Please take pictures of the bike as a whole and it's electric power plant and control mechanisms on the handlebars (+ any others you feel is useful as general primary refs here).

2. Describe 3x differences between the eBike you're looking at and/or sitting on and a 'normal' pedal bike.

3. Compare the test bike at Katy's to the GTech eBike, describe 3x differences - think in terms of either 'design', 'weight', 'ease of use' (or) notable differences arrived at on your own inspection/comparison.

To prove that I wouldn't ask you to do something that I wouldn't do here's a cheesy picture of tutor Andy on the test bike today:

Some of the mechanics in the eBike's electric power unit.

Cheesy pic of tutor Andy on the eBike
(I've ridden it powered around campus too!).

Gdes3003 Rough Ideas - eBike Brief

Here's a few quick ref snaps of student rough work spotted at our 'roughs' deadline this week in session. There's a wide range of treatments and ideas and some have created pencil ideas to date and some have moved on to trying out early ideas on screen..

Some great early roughs here. Loads of possibles and I really
like the notes to help clarify separate ideas too.

Simple pictogram style imagery - bold, clear. Some ref visually with
the lower section to the NHS though seemingly.

Seemingly a bit further down the line than sketch roughs,
simple, like the idea of different colour treatments..

Loads of potential here with various possible treatments.. Great roughs.

I like the use of leader lines here to point to bike specifics. Useful for a manual.

Interesting play on the idea of cogs, power.