• Hi my name is Dean and I am extremely passionate about everything design. This blog page has been set up to showcase my final years work towards my BA(hons) in Graphic Design with IDI and the University of Hertfordshire. 
    I grew up in the north of England in the City of Sheffield where he acquired a passion for art and design from an early age and in 2006 he relocated to Tokyo where I established Genus Design to offer an international website and graphic design service. I enjoyed living and working in the vibrant metropolis of Tokyo where I found himself surrounded by inspiration that has helped me in his creative career as a designer. I have now relocated back to the United Kingdom and have set up base in Oakham, Rutland and am busy running Genus Design  a small design agency offering design services to the surrounding areas of Rutland and Stamford whist continuing to work closely with clients from Tokyo and around the world.
    If you would like to learn more about me then please visit my website at www.genusdesign.com or you can find me on the following:




  • This brief describes what the study of quirkology is, and details the final design activity.  Quirkology describes the investigation into unusual behaviours or topics using normal scientific methods, and has spawned many researchers and academics who conduct studies into unusual questions then analyse the findings to determine their answers.  The first recognized quirkologist is Victorian scientist Sir Francis Galton, although the term ‘quirkology’ was coined by current researcher Professor Robert Wiseman. 


    As quirkology delights in the unexpected, an exhibition has been planned by the Science Museum to feature this curious psychology that will bring this unique investigative science to a wide and diverse audience. The Science Museum in London is a free museum packed with interactive exhibits, awe-inspiring objects and an IMAX 3D Cinema. It allows the visitor to discover the past, present and future of science, technology and medicine across seven floors of galleries.  In order to promote this exhibition in one of the world’s premier science museums, the task is to produce a range of promotional materials that relate to a wide range of themes such as lying, laughter and luck, amongst other aspects of human behaviour.  There will be the chance for visitors to interact with investigations, watch unusual demonstrations, and look at film and photographic documentation of recorded experiments.  The promotional materials need to include the following:

    1. A poster advertising the exhibition at the Science Museum to include the provided information
    2. EITHER a mailer promoting the exhibition OR a promotional item to be on sale in the shop
    3. Appropriate signage for inside and outside the museum
    4. Exhibition ticket
    5. A visually stimulating 20‑page accompanying programme/journal

    Final Outcomes



    Evaluation


    There are several aspects to this brief that I need to consider when coming up with my final solution.  These include:
    As the science museum is a free attraction, what implication will this have on the quality of the poster, signage and tickets?  Will this restrict the possible print feature quality?
    What is the price point for the gifts in the museum shop?  Promotional items need to encompass both ends of the spectrum which may include low budget school visits and high end collectibles.
    Research types of quirky questions or investigation that might involve lying, laughter and luck as their central theme and consider designs that encompass these key words.
    Use the reference materials suggested to generate ideas and get a fuller understanding of the nature of quirkology.
    This project should maintain an overall feeling of ‘quirkiness’ in its tone; consider alternative methods of presenting the materials rather than following convention.



    Even before starting the final activity, I was looking forward to beginning the research into the project as I’m very interested in the subject matter.  The structure of the activities allowed me to really delve into the more unusual side of life, and I took the opportunity to visit the museum in London to provide inspiration for both the solution and setting the posters in context, with my final layout using the actual photographs I took during my visit.  It also appealed to me as I knew that it would be an opportunity to explore my playful design side, or as Paula Scher noted, this would be a rare opportunity to investigate serious design.  However, what I actually found when beginning to plan my final design solution, was that far from using it as an opportunity to take risks, fail, be arrogant, bold and innocent with the design, I naturally looked to my tutor as the ‘client’ and considered what might be the most corporate and ‘safe’ solution.  It took several drafts to mentally ‘let go’ of this thought and really start some serious design work. 

    I soon found that having unlimited options is actually extremely testing as a designer.  With no constraints in the brief over colour palette, cost, size or orientation of the brochure, preferences or restrictions in the print finish, it was actually a challenge to be free with the designing as I am so used to constraining my ideas or limiting them to keep within the client’s parameters.  With several drafts sketched, once I had a theme and concept in place, the final outcomes were very straightforward in their production.  So many possibilities could be explored, with the only difficulty being finding the time to follow them through to completion, as I would have liked to have done with the Quirky Booth. 

    One of the most challenging areas of the project was producing a concept that was unique.  This was also a weakness of mine as it took much longer than I anticipated to find a solution I was satisfied with which cost precious time, and effective time management is normally one of my strengths.  To overcome this, I needed to brainstorm more ideas to try and hook my target audience, and used my project space to help keep me on track with my mood board of my target audience and the design brief visible at all times.  It would help in future if I could allocate more time in the ideas generation phase, and perhaps think about the solution in context (e.g., visit the museum) early in the planning stage to avoid mental block. 

    It was my aim not to produce something that relied on the word ‘quirky’ or ‘quirkology’ being in the title, and also didn’t use the images of a question mark or brain in the design.  I wanted to play to the intelligence of the target audience so used the colloquial phrase ‘Nowt as queer as folk’ to insinuate the exhibition content.  I felt that not only did this phrase capture the topic of human behaviour effectively, but the crazy gang of people were engaging and humorous and most people could imagine themselves pulling a quirky expression and joining their gang.  I felt that this side of the solution was extremely effective in maintaining a consistent tone of voice.

    If I were to undertake a similar project again, I would think about developing some of my early ideas more fully to clear my mind and eliminate the range of possibilities, which could allow me to narrow my options and enable me to focus more quickly. 
      



  • For all areas of this brief I am to produce work that will promote myself as a visual communicator. My final solutions should highlight my strengths as a graphic designer, design ethos, ability to work professionally and my ability to present information with clarity and imagination and produce the following:

    Personal identity
    Two items that can be sent via the mail system that will introduce myself to potential employees.
    Digital portfolio (PDF format)
    Employment strategy plan

    PART TWO
    PERSONAL IDENTITY (PACK)

    It important that my personal identity (Logo) stands out and should avoid creating anything that may appear too corporate. For this area I can stretch the boundaries to give a unique feel by using different print techniques. The final outcome should reflect my personal way of working and creative style.

    Requirements:

    • Business card (90mm x 55mm)
    • Letterhead (297mm x 210mm)
    • Type styling and colour palette.


    Create two consecutive outcomes that can be sent (via the postal system) to potential employers that will introduce myself as a designer in a creative and individual way. The final concepts should show consistency and links to the identity solution created for part one of this brief.

    ITEM 1 - SAYING HELLO

    For this I should consider creating handcrafted items from unusual materials that require some physical involvement (for example, ripping, making, tearing). It is important that the solutions stand out and has high impact.

    ITEM 2 DIGITAL PORTFOLIO

    Produce a PDF file of work promoting myself as a visual communicator potential employers.
    Again this should be constant with the identity produced in the earlier activity.

    Requirements:

    I’m required to design the following:
    Between 6-12 files containing your final designs highlighting your best work.

    Files will require:
    • Introductory page with contact details Contents page
    • Project descriptions
    • Project images
    • Personal Statement
    • Consistent layout, type styling and tone of voice (set in the previous brief)

    Final Outcomes

    Evaluation
    The design solution of the ‘Creative Survival Pack’ was overall an effective design in meeting the brief of introducing myself in a memorable way to potential employers and clients. The brief required that I produce a consistent identity across all my promotional items and I wanted to ensure that this would be classic yet contemporary.  My initial goal was to create a logo and identity that was simple, relevant, enduring, distinctive, memorable and adaptable enabled me to achieve consistency throughout and be adaptable for use across a variety of media. I chose a small yet contrasting and contemporary colour palette in order to make a feature of the key words which I then added further detail to by using a large font size in a small text box.  The real life cost of production of such a design would be excessive to be considered for mass market mail out, so my aim would be to create a smaller 3D pack that would be easier and more cost effective to post.  I could also develop a second concept for mass mail out leaving this solution for specifically targeted agencies or designers.

    Professionally, I felt that this project was a challenge as I was both client and designer, which posed some issues with the investment in time I made to the process.  I was keen to see this as an opportunity to develop a real life solution, which I would be able to actually use to send to potential clients, and as such, I invested heavily in perfecting each element of the process.

    By conducting research into the agencies and designers that motivate me I was able to identify new inspirations and potential employers -  more specifically those that have offices in Asia where I currently live.  This encouraged me to conduct further research into companies like Design Bridge and Elmwood with the view of making contact after graduating.

    One area of the design process that helped me develop new skills was communication. The restrictions that I encountered with the print process required me to be flexible and investigate solutions that would enable me to work around the limitations that I came up against in Tokyo. I had originally designed a concept around the printing techniques that are readily available in the UK but were accessible here; if they were it was at a much higher cost. This wasn’t something I had planed for, but required me to re-evaluate and consider alternative solutions and helped me to develop relationships with two printing companies which in turn provided me with a greater knowledge and understanding of the printing industries and specifically the methods available to me in my location. This has better equipped me to tackle real life projects in the future with greater confidence.

    My identity pack and 3D pack communicates my understanding of the graphic design industry and represents my style as a visual communicator demonstrating my confidence with colour, type, pattern and composition. The message was to show an understanding of the graphic design industry and using the colour bars, guide lines and crop marks that designers see regularly when 

  • Negotiated Project

     My Proposed Brief

    During this project I will aim to produce a series of design pieces that will show my strengths as a graphic designer specifically in the areas of promotion and advertising design whist additionally demonstrating my typography and layout skills.

    My aim is to produce an advertising and promotional campaign to be viewed in magazines such as ‘Transworld Snowboarding Magazine’ and offer small merchandise gifts to promote an annual snowboarding event in Whistler, Canada.  The joint clients hosting the event are one of the sports leading brands ‘Burton’ which sponsors high profile board riders such as Shaun White to attend these competitions, and Whistler Blackcomb resort; an all-year location renowned for its excellence for extreme sports enthusiasts. Snowboarders from around the world will compete in world-class halfpipe and slopestyle courses for a cash prize.  This event will also be a social event to attract spectators from around the world who will be drawn by offers and promotions given by the events sponsors and also the opportunity to watch the world’s best snow sports competitors in action. In addition to the sporting event there will also be other entertainment such as DJs, live bands, graffiti artists etc.

    The final solution should reflect the extreme sports urban style and connect with the appropriate target audience that will be identified during the research stages.

    I intend to produce a campaign that will promote a strong visual concept and identity for this event that can be used across a variety of media such as posters, flyers and merchandise.

    4. RESEARCH AND METHODOLOGY In order to produce the most effective solution to meet the client brief, I will research the type of events currently running, which will include and understanding of:
    Target audience (demographic)
    Event duration
    Event costings
    Appropriate/ alternative entertainment available
    Other urban trends
    I will read and understand what makes events such as this popular and exciting to spectators and competitors, and then aim to promote a unique selling point that differs from the norm.  In order to fulfill this, I will complete further research into understanding the brands of Burton, Whistler Blackcomb and other leading brands within this field to try and find out what philosophy underpins their success.

    The possible sources of information gathering are as follows:
    • http://www.snowboardermag.com/
    • http://www.burton.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Burton_US-Site/default/Events-Landing
    • Transworld Snowboarding Magazine
    • http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com
    • http://www.ussa.org
    • Cultural History of Snowboarding, St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (January 15, 1998)
    • Street Logos (Street Graphics / Street Art) [Paperback], Thames & Hudson (29 Mar 2004)
    • Street World: Urban Culture from Five Continents (Street Graphics / Street Art) [Hardcover], Thames & Hudson (Oct 2007)



    Through this process I hope to demonstrate my skills to negotiate and execute my own design brief with the set time frame and produce work that visually communicates my skills as a graphic designer to an advanced level.  The outcome should be useable and realistic and be at a standard that could be presented to this client in a real world setting.

    The final solution will be backed up with evidence of research, idea generations and developmental analysis that will be used to refine and redesign any areas necessary.

    I will test my work through the online student forum via a series of questions to test the effectiveness of my solution.  I will also use the IDI Facebook page and ask family and friends to respond to the same questions set.  Based on the outcomes, I will identify whether my work is successful in reaching the target audience within the set marketplace, or whether the work requires refinement.  I will also seek clarification from my course tutor about the direction of the design, and using the feedback given, will alter accordingly.

    Throughout the design process I will aim to be thorough in my investigation of new design styles, techniques and materials available.  I will remain open-minded to the use of any solution, as this will enable me to fully explore and design a unique end product.  By using a variety of methods, this will ensure that I can reflect on all possibilities so that I can select an appropriate solution to develop further to completion. 

    My work will be enhanced through an original mix of materials and techniques which will demonstrate my creativity in this area.

    I will document the feedback received from my tutor and peers through the online forum at the specified stages of the design process. I will use this information to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of my work to identify possible areas for development and refinement. I will discuss these findings with my tutor before implementation.
    I will create professional presentations of all my final solutions making sure that they are also presented in context to add strength and purpose to the finished concept. The outcomes will be of a standard that can be placed within my portfolio and showcase my skills as a graphic designer to future clients and potential employers.

    I intend to follow the schedule I produced for this project to ensure that the deadline and all the success criteria are met accordingly. Please see Schedule of work previously submitted.

    I have accounted for any problems or revisions that may occur in my time plan by leaving free time in-between each individual stage of the design process and by leaving the last two weeks of the semester free incase in case any unforeseen challenges arise.


    Final Outcomes










    Evaluation


    As set out in my project proposal my aim was to produce an advertising and marketing campaign to promote an annual snowboarding event held in Whistler, Canada being hosted by top snowboarding brand ‘Burton’. Taking into account that Burton are the market leading snowboard brand with an iconic logo and that Whistler is known world wide as a winter sports resort I decided to take a minimalist approach which allowed these simple facts to speak for themselves.  With this in mind I wanted to develop a concept that used the Burton logo as the base of the theme as this would initially attract the attention of winter sports enthusiasts across the globe.

    During the research into the styles of previous Burton and other brand campaigns I could see that there was huge variation in themes associated with this area ranging from retro, through minimalist, urban, rock and roll, punk etc.  Burton also strive to reinvent their brand annually, which created a challenge to identify a potential route, although at the same time this was empowering as I could investigate new approaches. This challenge encouraged me to experiment with various new styles and design techniques, and I found that one of the strengths that I have taken from this project is that it has allowed me to develop my skills to create multiple ideas and not be so narrow minded during the design process.

    In my concepts which were inspired by several extreme sports campaigns - in particular the work produced for Red Bull - I wanted represent the movement of snowboarding and particularly the snowboarder moving through the air when jumping with a back drop of the snow capped mountains, as this is a key element of the event. This is something that I experimented with which led to my final piece where I have linked this idea to the Burton Logo with the snowboarder following direction of the arrow shape and in turn leading you to read the main message ‘Whistler Snow Jam’.  I think that this is the strongest part of the concept and it enabled me to make a feature of the highly identifiable Burton logo, which is instantly informative of the key message to the target audience.

    Looking at my finished pieces now that I have put them in context I feel that I could have applied a greater emphasis on the event details under the Burton logo and to the web address to add to the overall message and make the route to further information clearer.

    Overall I feel that I have managed the project very efficiently and following my own time plan as closely as possible allowing me to finish what I had set out to do in my proposal on time. I found the refresher brief very useful as it gave a welcome break to the project allowing me to direct my thoughts onto a new topic, giving me the fresh eyes needed when returning to the ‘Whistler Snow Jam Campaign’. This is something that I am going to keep in mind as I advance in my career as a designer.
  • Develop campaign ideas that communicate the richness of the British Music ExperienceWhat is the British Music Experience? The British Music Experience is Britain’s interactive museum of popular music, combining cutting edge audio-visual technology with some of the most coveted music memorabilia of all time. You can trace historic, era-defining moments and trends through 60 years of music history, learn about British music’s influence on art, fashion and politics, feel the thrill of being in the crowd at a legendary gig, flick through virtual record collections, eavesdrop on fantasy dinner parties and search across a giant interactive music locations map of Great Britain. Not only that, in the Gibson Interactive Studio you can develop your skills on guitar, bass, drums and keyboard. In the Sennheiser vocal booth you can record your own track and you can record your dance video in Dance the Decades. Hundreds of pieces of British music memorabilia are featured, including David Bowie’s Ashes to Ashes clown suit and Ziggy Stardust costumes, Noel Gallagher’s Union Jack guitar and dresses from Amy Winehouse and Leona Lewis. There is also a full educational programme with workshops, lectures, master-classes and concerts. The British Music Experience is a registered charity with the purpose to advance the education and appreciation of the art, history and science of music in Britain. And finally, when you return home you can log into your ‘MyBME’ library and access all of yourperformances and favourite parts of the museum and continue your trip through music history.

    Final Outcomes











    Evaluation


    Initial research investigated the eras of British music to identify the range of music genres and influential artists produced across 60 years of music. This corresponded to the experiences available at The British Music Experience, and information featured at the museum; the aim being to find out about music styles and trends that could be used to generate promotional material for a wide target audience.

    The research also uncovered the visual artists that produced iconic pieces of work such as Andy Warhol’s catalogue of collaborations with the Rolling Stones and the distinctive imagery created by Jamie Reid for the Sex Pistols artwork, both of which created a lasting impression on the British music scene. 

    The concept was based around the words ‘MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN”.  This offered a memorable strap line that would compliment the experience on offer at BME and the patriotic theme was designed to appeal to tourists from both from England and overseas.

    The opacity required refinement after feedback to make the typography more prominent and strengthen the message. 

    The overall concept that was eye-catching, attractive and memorable to a variety of age groups.  It confirms Britain as a place that produces outstanding music, capable of shaping that which we listen to today.
  • Produce a typographic interpretation based on facts targeted at the current affairs audience across the media. Imagery can be used but the focus must mainly be on the typography. My solution can be produced for print or for the screen but must be feasible for publishers and/or broadcasters.

    The final outcome should inform people of the imbalance within the identified facts and communicate the irregularity. I must effectively communicated the agenda behind my decision to highlight the imbalance to my audience.

    Final Outcome




    Evaluation


    Britons work some of the longest hours in Europe - to the detriment of their personal wellbeing. This was the inspiration for the question ‘Do you live to work?’ based on the well-known proverb.  The aim was to target people working long hours, linked to the health concern of a greater risk of heart attack. The deliberately unconventional layout challenges the reader to make sense of the question; both literally and personally.

    The colour red is symbolic of ‘blood’, ‘stress’, ‘stop’ and ‘danger’. The choice of a deep blood-red background was to evoke these thoughts in the viewer; together with the worn-style overlay this further added to symbolism of distress and fatigue.

    Although the business figure is male it has been designed to connect with both genders and was modified from the original concept of a faceless worker to make it more personal and visually impactful. By integrating the businessman with the initial letter of the question (‘D’) it reinforced the notion that work and personal life are intrinsically linked.

    The concept is stimulating and thought provoking. It interprets the meaning ‘imbalance’ in both a visual and literal format. In addition to the main typography elements the use of symbolism and the adds strength the message and the goal set out to achieve.

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