Patch Design + Feedback + Co-Design planning

= Successful scans of each individual illustrations and backgrounds

= This itself could be printed so that the models could use it as different accessories that present the designs (eg. head scarf, scarf, bandeau top)

= Like the painted clothes this fabric is like a showcase of the brand rather than a product, and will reflect how the aesthetic can be implemented into individual's styles and how the patches can adapt clothes (showcasing accessory)  

= Initial layout of patches felt messy and overdeveloped but once I resorted back to the sketch designs from the initial ideas they came together nicely 

= Realised to create a larger range of patches illustrations could be used more than once in different layouts and colour choices so that there is more choice and appeal for the range within the target audience 

= steps taken example with each patch

= some were more straight forward whilst I followed the sketch ideas, while others had variations particularly when type was involved as this choice could completely changed the aesthetic and tone of the patch 

= Found that playing around more with each patch took longer and was unnecessary waste of time and so trued to keep designs simple, cohesive and to the direction of the initial sketches 

= Using illustrations on top of others digitally did not work as well as previously planned (eg. sunglasses needed to be altered to fit the face below) and so with the need to do more work on each element to create new illustrations and patches, this was avoided as there is already enough material to work with and layout to explore 

PEER FEEDBACK 

= Type use is too varied and a few should be refined to strong selection that reflects the brand  

= Look at contrast and colour theory, how the digital and painting elements come together 

=  Some are overdeveloped, editing and refinement 

=  Go back to hand drawn text to bring it together as it worked well in the initial ideas stage 

= Love the idea of printing off the general illustrations altogether onto fabric that the models could use as different accessories 

= Some of the illustrations look less developed and less interesting than other eg, cherries over the snake 

TUTOR FEEDBACK 

= If the direction of the brand is accessories with masks and patches then research should be done into

- what other brands do the target audience engage with?

> what's their price points?

> psychographics (need to break out away from reductive ways of decision making dependant on gender)

- how to capture accessories in photography and visuals [how does this impact what the brand says and presents?]

- what kind of clothes can theses accessories be paired with?

= Look at more research methods 

- involve two different groups in the branding process 

- one with some of the models, co-design session asking them to engage in activities that give me insight into the target audience perspective on branding 

- another with collaborators

[does this brand identity resonate with you?]

[does it reflect inclusivity?] 

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Who’s in charge? End-users challenge graphic designers’ intuition through visual verbal co-design 

Simone Taffe 

To cite this article: Simone Taffe (2017) Who’s in charge? End-users challenge graphic designers’ intuition through visual verbal co-design, The Design Journal, 20:sup1, S390-S400, DOI: 10.1080/14606925.2017.1352916 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/14606925.2017.1352916

 visual verbal game dissolved participant status barriers, a persona scenario activity uncovered the real brief and a mix and match card game suspended participant politics. The findings suggest that co-designing with end-users, challenges graphic designers’ use of intuition, as new ways of categorizing asthma information material were revealed that previous design-led processes had overlooked. This study confirms the rich contribution of end-users’ creativity, when designers relinquish creative control, ultimately revealing co-design as a valuable approach for graphic designers engaging in bottom-up design processes. 

 The idea that playing games to transfer tacit knowledge of people and leads to common understand can be traced back to Plato’s adage that, “You can learn more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation”. 

The icebreaker visual verbal game seemed to work in dissolving barriers of unfamiliarity and differing expertise between the participants.

Oates and Armstrong (1998) argue that visual verbal games offer designers an insight into the tacit knowledge of end-users, offering a repertoire of acceptable conceptual forms that negotiate the gap between the visual and verbal.

The visual verbal games levelled the statuses between the participants, highlighting the challenge of graphic designers to develop understandable concept designs.

importance of checking design concepts with audiences before proceeding. 

REFLECTION

= Involving the end-users in the design process can make them feel more ownership over the end product and therefore have more engagement and loyalty to the outcome and its continuation 

= The asthma co-design study involved foundation staff and graphic design students as the participants, which shows using both those knowledgeable on the subject, and creative individuals who understand the technicalities and visual side of it is the best direction

= As this brand is all about inclusivity and understanding and community, it is essential that both those involved in the creative and production side (collaborators) and those involved as models, participants in research and as the general target audience are included in some part of the design process

= This means greater engagement with the values of the brand and ensures it touches on what the target audience want to see as a consumer 

= As a straight individual it's also essential to get this more diverse perspective and opinion on the branding from those in different places on the gender spectrum

= The 'who's in charge' had the group visualise who the end-user would be, to understand who they are developing these outcomes around. If the participants are already the target audience in my co-design groups perhaps the task idea could be changed to be about visualising how they want to look and feel in a new brand, with reference to other brands they engage with 

= How would they use accessories? When? In what scenarios or environments? How do they want them to feel and how would they use them? How can a logo reflect these values and points made? 

= The academic participants should have creative tasks to enable them to be creative 

STEPS FOR CO-DESIGN FOCUS GROUP SESSIONS

1. Ice breakers to make everyone comfortable and break down the barriers between me as the designer and them as the end-users 

2. Visualise how they want to look and feel in a new brand, with reference to other brands they engage with 

(How would they use accessories? When? In what scenarios or environments? How do they want them to feel and how would they use them? How can a logo reflect these values and points made?)

3. Provide reference materials of existing logos/branding for gender inclusive brands (eg. Phluid, fluide, Hayley). Discuss thoughts and associations on branding and how these compare to their visual brainstorm from step 2

3. Present existing logo designs by me and discuss collection of these against 

> brands they engage with 

> existing gender inclusive brand examples

> their visual brainstorm (values)

4. Develop existing ideas/ produce new ideas with participants together through sketches and digital means 

TO DO

- research ice breaker 

- create board of logos existing 

- create board of my designed logos so far