2024 B.Des. (Hons) in Communication Design Notes PDF

2024 B. Des. (Hons) in Communication Design, Semester I Sketching and Ideation The early ideation stage of conceptual design is dominated by rapidly drawn freehand sketches whereby designers externalize their imagination into an evolving design. Such sketches are sparse and focus on capturing the...

2024 B. Des. (Hons) in Communication Design, Semester I Sketching and Ideation The early ideation stage of conceptual design is dominated by rapidly drawn freehand sketches whereby designers externalize their imagination into an evolving design. Such sketches are sparse and focus on capturing the essence of the shape being designed. They allow designers to quickly create and communicate a mental design space to peers and clients, by expressing model variations in the drawings and by showing different viewpoints; often leaving regions of the drawing ambiguous and subject to interpretation. Design exploration at the ideation stage has great significance. Ideation Ideation is a process of generating many ideas in an open-minded environment. In the design thinking process, we ideate once we have completed discovery research and defined our problem statement, usually in the form of a how-might-we statement. Sketching as an ideation tool Sketching is a great method of putting thoughts to paper, whether it be when describing thoughts to colleagues or brainstorming new solutions individually and as a group. You can share thoughts regarding anything from strategy to design to user flows through sketches. Sketching and Ideation: Key Notes 1. Purpose of Sketching and Ideation Visualization of Concepts: Sketching allows the visualization of ideas, providing a tangible form to abstract concepts. Exploration of Ideas: Ideation encourages the exploration of multiple solutions and concepts quickly. Communication: Sketches serve as a communication tool among team members and stakeholders, helping to convey ideas clearly. 2. Techniques for Effective Sketching Rapid Sketching: Focus on quickly getting ideas down on paper without worrying about perfection. Prioritize quantity over quality in the initial stages. Thumbnail Sketches: Create small, quick sketches to explore different layouts, compositions, and ideas. Use of Symbols and Simple Shapes: Employ basic shapes and symbols to represent complex ideas simply. Iteration: Repeatedly refine sketches, gradually adding detail and improving upon previous versions. 3. Ideation Methods Brainstorming: Generate as many ideas as possible without judgment. Quantity over quality. Mind Mapping: Visualize connections between different ideas, helping to explore various aspects of a concept.  SCAMPER Technique: Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, and Reverse to stimulate creative thinking. Role Playing: Imagine how different users would interact with the design, helping to generate user-centred ideas. 4. Tools and Materials Traditional Tools: Pencils, pens, markers, paper, sticky notes for manual sketching and ideation. Digital Tools: Software like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Sketch, Figma, or Procreate for digital sketching and ideation. Collaborative Tools: Online whiteboards like Miro or Fig Jam for remote ideation and collaborative sketching. 5. Best Practices Stay Loose and Open-Minded: Allow for creativity by not being overly critical in the early stages of sketching and ideation. Embrace Mistakes: Mistakes can lead to unexpected and innovative solutions. Collaborate and Share: Share sketches and ideas with others to gather feedback and gain new perspectives. Set Time Limits: Work within time constraints to encourage quick thinking and prevent overthinking. 6. Evaluating Sketches and Ideas Feasibility: Consider if the idea is technically possible and practical.  Usability: Think about how the end-user will interact with the design. Innovation: Assess whether the idea is unique and provides a fresh solution to the problem. Alignment with Goals: Ensure the sketches and ideas align with the overall project goals and objectives. 7. Refining Ideas Select the Best Concepts: Narrow down ideas based on feasibility, usability, and alignment with goals. Develop Detailed Sketches: Refine the chosen ideas into more detailed and polished sketches. Prototype: Translate sketches into prototypes to test and validate ideas before final implementation. Conclusion Sketching and ideation are crucial steps in the creative process, enabling the exploration of ideas and communication of concepts. By employing effective techniques and tools, you can enhance creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving. Mind Mapping This style of diagramming allows for the creation of a good flow of connected ideas. One word or idea can lead to another, and another, etc. The diagrams by no means have to be fancy Shape Rapid sketching exercises are especially useful to generate lots of ideas at once. Sketches and prototypes Sketches and prototypes have distinctive roles in the development of a design concept and its refinement. You should use them at different stages. Draw sketches first in the exploratory stages of a design to propose, refine, communicate and critique your ideas in a “tangible” format. Getting the Right Design Use sketching in the early stages of the design funnel to explore multiple design directions at low cost. Refrain from developing low- or high-fidelity prototypes at this stage. Discard promising leads that, upon closer inspection, are unable to meet your problem requirements. In the early stages of the design process, you should explore multiple design ideas simultaneously to identify the right design. Sketching out alternatives is the fastest and cheapest way to explore ideas. The Sketchbook  THE BUILD UP Drawing Style Role of Aesthetics Aesthetics plays a role in communicating the values of an organization through the visual language of product form. This language is based on the organization's brand, and can be used to tie a disparate product line together for the benefit of the customer and the company. Aesthetic Theories. The chief goal of aesthetics is to answer the question “What is successful art?” In their search for an answer, aestheticians have put forth different views on what is important in a work of art. These ideas, or schools of thought, on what to look for in works of art are called aesthetic theories. Imitationalism Formalism Emotionalism Imitationalism: Literal Qualities Focuses on realistic presentation of subject matter. Formalism: Design Qualities Places emphasis on the design qualities, the arrangement of the elements Emotionalism: Expressive Qualities Requires a strong communication of feelings, moods, or ideas from the work to the viewer. What is needed to make art? Aesthetic Theories 1. Good Composition.Formalism 2. Media Skill.Imitationalism 3. Expression.Emotionalism History of Digital image processing Many of the techniques of digital image processing, or digital picture processing as it often was called, were developed in the 1960s, at Bell Laboratories,  The first scan done by the SEAC in 1957 The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Maryland, and a few other research facilities, with application to satellite imagery, wire-photo standards conversion, medical imaging, videophone, character recognition, and photograph enhancement. The SEAC scanner The purpose of early image processing was to improve the quality of the image. It was aimed at human beings to improve the visual effect of people In image processing, the input is a low-quality image, and the output is an image with improved quality. Common image processing include image enhancement, restoration, encoding, and compression. The first successful application was the American Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). They used image processing techniques such as geometric correction, gradation transformation, noise removal, etc on the thousands of lunar photos sent back by the Space Detector Ranger 7 in 1964, taking into account the position of the sun and the environment of the moon. The impact of successful mapping of the moon's surface map by the computer has been a huge success. Later, more complex image processing was performed on the nearly 100,000 photos sent back by the spacecraft, so that the topographic map, color map and panoramic mosaic of the moon were obtained, which achieved extraordinary results and laid a solid foundation for humans landing on the moon. The impact of successful mapping of the moon's surface map by the computer has been a huge success. Later, more complex image processing was performed on the nearly 100,000 photos sent back by the spacecraft, so that the topographic map, color map and panoramic mosaic of the moon were obtained, which achieved extraordinary results and laid a solid foundation for humans landing on the moon. This led to images being processed in real time, for some dedicated problems such as television standards conversion. As general-purpose computers became faster, They started to take over the role of dedicated hardware for all but the most specialized and computer-intensive operations. With the fast computers and signal processors available in the 2000s, digital image processing has become the most common form of image processing. It is generally used because it is not only the most versatile method but also the cheapest. --- Emotional Design Emotional design is the process of designing products to evoke emotional responses such as delight or excitement from a user. Designers aim to reach users on three cognitive levels—visceral, behavioural and reflective—so users develop only positive associations (sometimes including negative emotions) with products, brands, etc. Don Norman’s three levels of design Donald Norman, director of The Design Lab at University of California, San Diego, and author of multiple books on design, including “The Design of Everyday Things”, has done extensive research on the concept of emotional design. Through his research, Norman identified the three types of cognitive responses users have to products’ designs: Visceral: A user’s immediate, automatic response to a design. Behavioral: A user’s subconscious evaluation of a design’s capacity to help them achieve their goals. Reflective: A user’s conscious judgment of a design’s usefulness and value. Emotional design aims to create positive associations Emotional design drives you to take specific actions and make specific associations. Human attention and image representation Attention is complex both as a concept in psychological studies and a process in the human brain. And it’s one of the key cognitive abilities that we start to use and develop from birth throughout our entire lives as it’s critical for survival and learning. Visual attention in cognitive psychology is the ability to attend to specific stimuli in the environment while ignoring others. It is the mechanism responsible for the selection of stimuli that a person notices first, thus prioritizing the critical information and neglecting the irrelevant. Salient objects are what we notice first. But what makes an object or a part of a visual field salient? We naturally attend to stimuli that represent a surprise for us. Humans are likely to notice anomalies, something that pops out. So we quickly notice sudden movements, unexpected sounds, or flashes of light. Human attention mechanisms are sensitive to motion. The medial superior temporal area of the human brain is responsible for motion detection. A moving object is more salient than a static one. Attention mechanisms have evolved over centuries, so we have a lot of inherited ones. The human mind is inquisitive by nature, and we are constantly learning from the environment. tailored to notice and analyse new, unfamiliar information to enhance our awareness of the surrounding world.  Image Representation and Brand Recall What is branding? Branding is the process of giving meaning to an organization, company, product, or service by creating and shaping a brand in consumers’ minds. Branding strategies are made out of so many different steps, from defining a brand purpose and positioning to cobranding and rebranding. Why is branding important? Branding is beyond the design of a product, a logo or a strapline. A brand helps people identify and recognize your products, differentiates your company from the competition, helps you connect with customers emotionally, and builds trust with different stakeholders. What is the difference between a brand and a logo? There is a general perception that logo design and branding are the same things. Sometimes these two terms are even used as synonyms. However, although they are closely related and must work together in a cohesive way, they are very different processes. What is a brand recall? The definition of brand recall is how likely people are to remember your brand, products, and services. The two types of a brand recall are as follows: Aided brand recall. This occurs when a person is prompted to recall a brand via a clue or cue such as ‘which sportswear brands are you familiar with?’ Unaided brand recall. This is when a person can recall a brand or its products without any prompts or cues. Why is brand recall important? Brand recall is important because it improves your chances of being associated with a particular service or product. It gives you a competitive edge. The more you remain in your customer's and prospects’ minds, the more you increase your market share and your bottom line. Brand recall also boosts customer retention and loyalty, as people are generally more likely to put their faith in brands that others trust. How to improve brand recall? Build a great brand identity. To be memorable you need to have a strong and unique brand profile. This must include every touchpoint people have with your company; from your logo to your advertising, your packaging to your website content and social media. Define your purpose. Your audience needs to have a clear understanding of what you do, what you produce, why you do what you do and what problems you are trying to solve. Have a great brand personality. People want to align themselves with brands that share their values. Make sure yours are clear and consistent, and unique throughout all your marketing communications. Tell your story. An authentic brand is one that has a credible, relevant story to tell.