my learning journal

For the imagery icon, I decided to use my own photography as I own a Sharpei, so I will be able to use first hand imagery through out this app. From using this imagery I have developed from each idea to create a final outcome.

I did try to do illustrations for the logo but I felt like I couldn’t get the detail and definition of the Sharpei’s features, so using photography was the best option.

I used a mixture of both illustration and photography combining both together to see how it would look which is what the 1st image showcases which is a lot better than the second image and using Illustrator has made this process much easier.

I then experimented with background images for the app.

I started off with a simple colour blend of colours but developing further I decided to use my own photography of my own dog and used different colours of overlay for the background, and I created different variations of a few colours and I personally prefer the 4th image as it is light and calming but also inviting for the app user.

As a graphic designer you always need to start somewhere for imagery, first hand imagery is always the best to generate ideas from. But also you need to reflect and decide whether or not hand drawn imagery or photography will be best suited to the project given. As a graphic designer, it is important to reflect and do whats best for your design practice.

From my previous logos, I have developed these even further to fit the style and pace of the app. I have crated various version by slightly changing each one slightly to show how it would look.

I created more loose and flowing typographic logos, creating smooth shapes and angles. I tried out different version like I said previously and from this I will have transferred it digitally.

And from these again, I developed the typographic logo even further by creating a more loose and fluid rendition of these original ideas.

And from this I transferred these ideas to Illustrator to develop even further and to digitally enhance them even further.

From this, I developed these even further on Illustration and more background and special effects but upon evaluating, the first idea doesn’t use the colour theory I was thinking of using and I feel like it would clash against everything else within in the app and the 2nd idea needs more refining and polishing.

Doing development is an important part of graphic designers practices, and as a part of my research and design process, as a graphic designer, you cannot just go with the first idea you come up with, you need to as a graphic designer keep developing ideas even further to create a finished outcome.

Developing even further, I have created a simplistic and more refined typographic logo which showcases the name of the app which is ‘Peiby’ and doesn’t not clash with my colour theory ideas. It is clean and polished.

I’ve firstly started at looking at different dog brands such as food, toys, harnesses etc to see what they have in common and how I can make my logo for my app different and easy to read.

I started by drawing out some typography, using a variation of fonts and styles to create diversity and to see what I personally liked and develop from this. I don’t feel like that some of the logos will work for my app as the typography is too graphic and static, and for my app I want it to be free flowing to go with the pace of the app. I want my app tp have a sense of movement through out it, so from this I will develop my logo even further to create a much more finished and free flowing logo.

I personally like the last idea more as it does have a sense of flow but still too precise.

Coming up and designing variations of different typography is extremely important and beneficial to my working practice as a graphic designer, as I need to show development and to show that as a graphic designer that I can edit pieces of work to create and polished outcomes. I will need to show them for future clients and projects, so clients can see different variations of typographic outcomes.

I’ve been a member of this group since I got my sharpei and it has been very helpful for me but also other Facebook users. This group has dog owners who are very experienced with the breed and give very helpful information for owners who have health questions.

But looking more in depth, I’ve realized not everyone in this world be signed up to Facebook. Having an app that has that feature I think will be more accessible as most if not all dog owners will have a phone and an app store either on an apple or android device.

I have researched into different dogs apps to see what ideas I can generate from looking at these apps and also see what works well and what doesn’t and take this on board for my own app idea.

Dogo – Your Dog’s Favourite Training App

The app is simplistic in the way its been laid out, very easy to follow. the images are very illustrative and simple to identify what it is. Vibrant colours, very eye catching. The app looks very simple and easy to use, looks very inviting due to the colour choices. Each icon and command gives very clear instruction on each command with demonstrative pictures to help the user. Another interesting feature is that you can create custom reminders to remind the users to train there dogs. They also have a section where the users can ask questions when needed.

Dog Walk – Track Your Dogs!

The app looks quite professional and it does not grab my attention as much as the other app. After looking at the reviews, it doesn’t seem accurate when walking your dog in a specific location, it just shows the local range of where you are walking your dog. I personally like the side bar feature where you can access all the in app features without closing everything and another feature I think is quite striking is the profile with the blurred background it is a nice effect to have to give separation between layers.

Dog Breeds Encyclopedia

There’s not much to this app other than explaining the history of the dog breeds but that is the whole purpose of this which can be very useful for someone looking to get a new dog. The layout is quite generic, picture with description. Again, I like the feature of the side bar as it gives the user access to the other in app features quickly and easily.

Dog Whistle – high frequency dog trainer

Very playful layout but quite overloaded with imagery which makes it look messy. Having the whistle frequencies at varying colours helps differentiate between the frequencies which is a positive but the background detracts your eye away. The whistle needs to be much larger in comparison to the paw prints and these need to be much smaller.

Doing this research has me considerably helped me with layout design and what I can out within my app such as the side bar etc. Doing this research is essential for a graphic designer to do within the practice, as you need to see what has been done but also to see whats working for the app and what makes it popular with users. Seeing what colour theories are popular and what attracts the users to download and use it. As a graphic designer, I am able to see what doesn’t work for the app, and from this improve and create a fully functioning app. This is extremely beneficial for myself and practice to do all these things as I can take inspiration and work from that to generate ideas.

After talking with Theo about my app idea, I suggested between two ideas a crime app which already existed but had very poor reviews or a sharpei app which hasn’t been done, he suggested I go with the Sharpei app as its never been done before.

Research into both ideas.

The Sharpei app I wanted it to be interactive with other sharpei owners and have health chats to talk about health concerns they have and receive answers from experienced sharpei owners and if needing to go to the vet, they will suggest it.

Having this tutoiral has helped me narrow down my ides but also put into perspective that I should always go with the idea that has never been produced as I am able to what I would personally like into this app as I own a Sharpei.

In the tutorial, I spoke about 2 specific ideas which were the car parking app and the auto immune disease. I explained about each app, how the car parking app will help you find a parking space in very busy and difficult places such as a hospitals, town center etc, Theo said how can this be done, so said how in St Davids 2 the car parking is done electronically, so when someone leaves or parks it electronically updates, and my next idea was about auto immune diseases which gives a more clear insight of a specific disease and how this app can give you ways to cope with it only a daily basis, Theo didn’t really like this idea as he could see a bad side to it for example how the users wont go to the doctors which I can see the problematic side to it which I never thought about, so Theo suggested that I lean more towards the car parking app.

From having this tutorial it has made me realize that I need to look at the negatives just as much as the positives, and in this industry as a designer you always have to think about these things such as ethics and liability and how myself as a designer is liable for anything negative outcomes the app comes across which is a very important factor to take into account for future practices.

 

We were given the new brief of creating app based on anything we would like it to be based on but if it does exist, we can see what the problems are and improve upon to make a better app.

So from this, I had a few quick ideas on what I could base an app on:

• A gift app
• In depth fitness app
• An Auto Immune Disease app
• Afrikaans app
• An app that connects models and photographers
• An app that shows crime rates in different countries
• Car parking app
• A Sharpei app

I will do further research into specific ones that I think have more potential for a new app.

Using the mind map research method had enabled me to generate ideas at a quick pace and from this I can develop these ideas further. Using this technique will help me in the future as a graphic designer to generate quick ideas and branch off from this, it is a quick and easy research technique to use in future practices to generate ideas for current and future projects.

For this project I was the given a brief to create a 3 double page spread based on one of the 10 articles given to us and from this I chose “White Gold: the unstoppable rise of alternative milks”. I had a few requirements I had to meet which was that the double spread had to be bigger than 315mm x 225mm, a minimum of 1500 words using the article given, hierarchy, flow throughout the double page spread etc.

The experience from this project I would say has been quite positive as I have learnt so many new interesting skills and aspects which have broadened my knowledge and also my practice.

From this project, I have learnt how to create a master page for double page spread, how to wrap text around an object/image etc, which all these skills are vital for graphic designer to create a magazine double spread. I’ve learnt about Pantone colours, and which percentages of cyan, magenta, yellow and black to create different tones/hues of colours. But mainly how to deconstruct an existing article and breakdown each paragraph and deconstruct it to generate ideas and imagery based on these paragraphs. Doing this will help me in the future to improve upon my imagery generation which comes from current articles. All these skills I have learnt will help my future practice as it has given me an idea and knowledge to do this confidentially for client in the near future. These are the skills a graphic designer needs to know in order to confidentially create modern and contemporary pieces of work.

These skills have been consistently applied throughout my work, keeping it consistent.

white gold

This is the pdf of my final double page spread.