Lifes a Pitch sb2

to create a wayfinding and imagery for the building and the various courses and facilities

We were briefed on a group project to design the wayfinding and interior of the new university building, after the briefing people began to discuss what groups they were going to be working in, i decided to stray away from the people i would typically work with and decided to approach an already formed group, consisting of Will, Ollie, Amin, Jay and Hugo. I decided to approach this group as i'd never really spoken to them much before, however i had seen from being in the studio their work and work ethic were both strong. 

Working as a group we arranged to have at least one meeting per week in order to make sure that everyone was on track, we began to tackle the brief by brainstorming various ideas, keeping in mind the fact that there is no budget, we really wanted to explore the possibilities of what could be done.

INITIAL IDEAS

Whilst brainstorming ideas, we also carried out some visual research in to pre-existing wayfinding systems to see why and how they are effective. 

As a group we all really liked the way in which this wayfinding systems use of a peg board allowed for changes to be made at any time, removing permanent fixtures and rather having more practical, adjustable systems in place.

We decided that in order to create a successful wayfinding system, it needed to be universal. Rather than having letters or numbers, we thought it would be appropriate and rather innovative to create more of a visual and creative wayfinding system, by using colours or illustrations rather than letters and numbers, in order to make the university accessible to people from other countries or with disabilities.

We also noted how there was nothing about our pre existing building that was recognizable to LAU, and thought that by creating a part of the building which was very 'instagramable' would raise the profile of the university. 

During a group meeting i came up with the concept of utilizing space within the university which wasn't previously been put to use, i thought of the idea to create a wayfinding system of colours by placing LED coloured (the colours of which would be noted on a key in reception) lights on the ceilings and the floors of the building in order to identify what floor you're on and what floor is above, we decided to research more in to colours to see what colours would be most appropriate, if as a group we did decide to take this idea forward.

Indigo 
Promotes
Wisdom, intuition, understanding, spirituality, peace, calm, inspiration
Good for
Anger, obsessions, psychoses, insomnia, anxiety (avoid in depression, loneliness)

Violet
Promotes
Inspiration, imagination, empathy, sense of belonging, helping others, self-respect, dignity
Good for
Stress, anxiety, obsessions, lack of confidence, low self-esteem, severe depression

Magenta/Pink
Promotes
Letting go of the past or anxiety-provoking thoughts, moving on, spirtual understanding
Good for
Reduces aggression

Turquoise 
Promotes
Calm, cleansing, healing, personal relationships, sharing, friendship, resilience
Good for
Stress, anxiety, anger

Yellow 
Promotes
Uplifting, cleansing, self-respect, self-confidence, self-control, ability to rationalise and reason, contentment, mentally stimulating
Good for
Depression, despair, fatigue, negativity, sensitivity to criticism, lack of confidence (avoid in insomnia, hyperactivity)
 
Blue
Promotes
Calm, peace, relaxation, slowing down, steadying, self-expression, intuition, honesty, truth, creativity
Good for
Insomnia, stress, anxiety, over-excitement, anger

As a group we really wanted to push the new building by creating more of a visual journey for each student, utilizing the walls for hanging design work that student within the university have done, having interactive elements within the university. creating a room which people could relax in, whilst still ensuring that people can easily and efficiently navigate around the building. 

• Psychology of the traveller
• Colour theory
• Co-ordination 
• Understanding the journey
• Make the user do some work whilst making it interactive for all ages, all digital ability and disabilities 

We decided that we needed to refine our approach more, and understand what key aspects we think should be focused on within the wayfinding system and the new building as a whole. 

COMMUNITY - ENVIRONMENT - EFFICIENCY 

COMMUNITY

We identified that one of the problems which needed to be tackled was the lack of a sense of community within the university, we felt that we needed to ensure the enviroment is place where you would want to come in and do work even when you're not timetabled in. 

The current building inspired a lot of the ideas for the new building, as we were able to identify the elements which do not work and need changing. The canteen area was one which we felt almost took us back to high school, with the small tables of 4 positioned close together, creating a cramped enviroment in which groups of friends would just socialise with each other and then leave. The capacity of the canteen in no more than 100 people, and this is the only social area in the university apart from the smoking area, there are no other spaces where students from other courses are able to interact with each other, we want to create benches and raised tables throughout the building where students can eat, talk, make new contacts and collaborations. 

As mentioned previously we thought that a chill out space was necessary within the building, as creative students we need a space where we can go and relax, generate some new ideas and quite frankly not be stuck in the same room for 9 hours. 

The lack of student friendly space also applies to events outside of university hours, such as the launch parties for NEST magazine, the launch parties take place within the middle of Leeds, a journey which is sometimes to far for students living in Hyde Park and Headingly, meaning that not as many people attend as they should, we propose the idea of creating a rooftop garden, utilising space that is not used, to create an accessible space for exhibitions and university events. 

100% of people in the survey agreed that they would benefit from a social environment to relax at LAU.

ENVIROMENT

Another aspect of the university which we felt we could improve upon is the enviroment of the building. 

The current wayfinding system is very corporate and not creative at all, as all of the people attending the university are visual people, we thought that the enviroment should reflect that.

We conducted a questionnaire in which 50 LAU students were asked various questions regarding the university enviroment, 68% of students said that they do not feel motivated during their time at the uni, and 60% of the students said that it does not feel like there is a creative enviroment within the university.

We began to think of visual solutions to the lack of creativity within the University, I believe it was Ollie who brought up the interior of Frank's Cafe in Peckham, which is completely painted pink inside, i had seen images of this on social media however i wasn't sure on the name. The use of a block colour although simple, we thought that it would raise publicity around the university as similar to Frank's cafe, students would take photos infront of/use the space for photoshoots. In result not only creating a more creative enviroment, but also raising the university's profile, attracting more and more students and visiting professionals. 

 EFFICIENCY 

Myself and the rest of our group all identified a problem of navigating around the building due to the current wayfinding system, we conducted another survey and found that 96% of people have gotten lost whilst trying to find a room in the building and 80% think that the current wayfinding system is not engaging. We all agreed with the results, identifying that the current wayfinding system is grey, dull, boring and goes almost unnoticed.

Primary research suggested that a solution to the inefficiency would be to make the wayfinding system interactive. As there is no budget we produced the concept of having neon walls throughout the university similar to Frank's cafe, adapted from an idea i came up with during the initial ideas stage, the neon walls would distinguish different floors and create a visually interesting and creative enviroment.

THE VISUALS - PATTERNS AND TICKETS 

As previously mentioned, we aimed to ensure that LAU was an enviroment for everyone, regardless of nationality or ability. I came up with the idea of creating individual illustration based patterns to identify different courses, i pitched this idea to my group and they all really liked it and so it was taken forward. The concept was thought to be appropriate as it was a visual solution to combating the barriers some students face.

i created 12 pattern based illustrations in order to represent the different courses and facilities around the university, with the idea that these illustrations would be placed on the doors/ near the studios of the corresponding course/facilities, with the colour changing depending on what floor the student or visitor is on. 

 As a way to incorporate the pattern designs to the whole LAU experience we developed the idea of the back of student cards being used the students corresponding course pattern, making small changes to elements within the university were thought to be just as important as big changes, all helping to improve the students time at LAU.

We are an arts institution and there is currently not a lot of 'art' around so we decided to make screens which showcases the work of students at LAU. When you click on the screen it takes you to a visual map where you type in your desired area of LAU and it will give you a visual route, whilst at the same time print off a receipt-like slip which will hold information about where you're going to be going. This is not so environmentally friendly but there will be recycling bins everywhere if you want to throw it away after use but it is accessible for everyone - you dont have to worry about having a mobile phone, internet access or similar, it is useable for everyone and it somewhat a sentimental reminder of a trip to LAU. The artwork on the back would be someone from that department or course you're going to and will change regularly.The card will also be a means of registering everyday instead of wasting paper registers. This is beneficial for administration, the environment and the students who often forget to sign the register.

click me! <------ here is a video produced by Amin and Hugo, created in cinema 4D and After affects the pair have managed to visualize all of our ideas in a really straightforward, professional way. The video mainly focuses on the aspect of LED lights, the ticket machine and my illustration patters, however i believe it allows the viewer to see our vision for a more creative enviroment.

Working in this group has been one of the highlights from all of my projects this year, i've worked with people i had barely said two words to prior. The work ethic within this group was amazing, i never felt like i didn't have anything to do, yet i also felt that everyone was each pulling their weight, the brainstorming sessions and meetings we had every week were really interesting as i was able to hear ideas from new people. 

When it came to presenting, Ollie and Amin presented, they were both very confident, added a level of humour to the presentation (see opening slides) and showed passion about our ideas, watching the presentation i genuinely felt proud that i had contributed. 

FINAL PRESENTATION SLIDES