End of Term 2 - Summary

This term was harder than last term, even though we had less projects to do but 2 of them were long. And also because of the situation I was in, with my husband being in and out of the hospital for the past 3 months. 

I liked designing all projects except for the map and the drinking awareness postcards (just the topic didn't interest me, otherwise I like designing postcards). I really enjoyed designing the iPad app interface, even though it was during hard times and I was under alot of pressure. I used the iPad interface for my App Development class, but I changed a few things, like colors and layout. 

Overall, I enjoyed this year's Graphic Design class, because we got more projects to design and I felt I learned more. 

iPad Interface Design - Dalia's Florist

The following is the iPad app interface I designed for a florist, Dalia's Florist. All illustrations (app icon and menu icons, logo, buttons and pages) were designed using Illustrator and put together in Photoshop. I used feminine colors because they're similar to the colors that my cousin (the florist) chose for her business card.

I added the screen shots for the app I designed and created in App Development class which is this app, Dalia's Florist. It's a little bit different from what I designed here.

iPad App icon

App start-up page when the App loads

 

Menu page

Clicking on Flower Arrangements in the menu will lead you to this page where a customer gets to choose a flower Arrangement according to Occasions (drop-down list), or a one flower bouquet or create their own bouquet.

This is the customer account's page where each customer can access their invoices, purchase history...

Dalia's Florist full logo

simple logo without title

logo with title

Actual iPhone app I created in App Development class.

The background color is different, I removed the pink part and kept the background with the logo shape. Menu buttons are smaller because it's actually an iPhone app. I used different fonts because the fonts I originally chose would not show on the iPhone or iPad unless I add the font file.

iPad App Interface Design - Notes

The following are my notes for the florist App design, including some of the App's page interface design, icons, fonts, links...

iPad App Interface Design - app research

I decided to design a Florist iPad App because soon after I finish college, I'll be working on a Florist website for my cousin. So that way, I have all I need when I start working on the website, and hopefully one day I will create this App that I'm designing now.

I searched Florists Apps on my iPad App store and I came up with a few. I only took ideas for different pages that would be in a florist App. These are pictures of some of the ones I downloaded.

Interface Design - Final (Kiosk)

I used Illustrator to design this project, Kiosk interface. I used the colors for Metro North and RPA logos. 

I tried my best to make as little pages as possible to reach the end of buying a ticket for the people who are in a hurry (and that would be most). I know the feeling of a train approaching and still being on some level of buying the ticket and wishing to reach the end to get the ticket before the train leaves and not wanting to wait a while for the next one. 

Interface Design - Mock

Metro North and RPA logo will always be on the top left of the screen inside a light sky blue header, which at first, I designed it to put page titles in, but then couldn't decide what titles to give each page (some pages don't even have titles), and so I left it empty.

I used the logos' colors for my color scheme. I tried having the background a different color but it didn't look nice, and so I went with the plain white with a blue border. Font used is Nyala only.

Interface Design - Navigational/Structure Chart and Outline sketch

I changed the navigational structure, originally this is what I had. But then I thought of changing it and making it easier for the user to be able to choose multiple tickets and having different type of tickets at the same time.

This is the outline sketch of how my final design looks like, or almost.

Interface Design - Task Analysis

Interface Design - Route and station research

Route and Station Research

Metro North 

Stops and local attractions (rpa.ie)

St. Stephen’s Green Stop

The City Centre terminus of Metro North will be located at St. Stephen’s Green. This stop serves the busy retail district around Grafton Street and the business and tourist areas surrounding St. Stephen’s Green. Passengers using Metro North will be able to interchange here to the Luas Green Line, to bus services and to DART and suburban rail services via the proposed Iarnród Éireann interconnector.

O’Connell Bridge Stop

It is planned that Metro North will bring passengers right into the heart of Dublin City Centre with a landmark stop spanning underneath the River Liffey at O’Connell Bridge. This stop will have exits to the south of the river providing easy access to Trinity College and the popular Temple Bar district. Exits to the north of the river serve the busy retail areas around O’Connell Street as well as providing excellent interchange with the Luas Red Line.

Parnell Square Stop

This stop will serve the Rotunda Hospital as well as providing interchange with Dublin Bus services. The stop will underpin Dublin City Council’s plans to regenerate this historic quarter of Dublin’s city centre.

Mater Stop

This stop serves the Mater Hospital, which has been selected as the site for the proposed National Children’s Hospital. It also serves local communities in Phibsborough and the Dorset Street area. Passengers using Metro North could interchange here with the Quality Bus Corridor in Dorset Street.

Drumcondra Stop

Drumcondra is an important interchange stop on the Metro North line. Commuters on the Maynooth suburban rail line will be able to interchange at this stop to access the heart of the city centre or to travel to Dublin Airport. The stop serves the local communities, the educational institutions at St. Patrick’s College and Clonliffe College, as well as Croke Park.

The stop is proposed to will be located to the rear of St. Vincent's Centre for the Deaf on Drumcondra Road. This will require the demolition of St. Vincent's Centre for the Deaf to create a plaza area for passengers accessing the stop from Drumcondra Road.

Griffith Avenue Stop

Located on the Dublin City University lands off Griffith Avenue, this stop is easily accessible to the surrounding residential areas, including Drumcondra Road Upper, St. Mobhi Road and Home Farm Road.

Dublin City University Stop

As well as serving local residents, this stop serves the 10,000 students and staff at Dublin City University and the 1,800 seat Helix Theatre. High quality feeder bus links along Collins Avenue will provide easy access to Metro for the communities of Beaumont, Whitehall and Finglas.

Ballymun Stop

This is an important stop which will serve the new Ballymun Town Centre. Located conveniently close to the planned civic plaza in the heart of Ballymun, the stop provides easy access to local amenities including the civic centre, Ballymun Shopping Centre and the Axis Theatre, as well as serving the rapidly growing community in the area. Bus interchange with the Ballymun Road Quality Bus Corridor is provided at this stop.

Northwood Stop

This stop serves the area of North Ballymun, zoned for significant redevelopment, which is expected to generate high levels of new employment in the area. Metro North will link the planned science and technology parks in the area with major educational institutions, including Dublin City University and Trinity College.

Dardistown Stop

This area south of Dublin Airport is the site of a major new planned development, consisting of a mix of residential and business uses. It is expected to generate significant levels of employment and residential population.

Park & Ride facilities at the stop will allow easy transfer from car to Metro from the M50.

The stop will be a surface stop, located at the heart of the development site. This stop will also serve the planned Metro West route.

Airport Stop

Located underground in the heart of Dublin Airport, this stop provides easy access to the existing airport terminal and the planned Terminal 2 for the forecast 30 million passengers and 20,000 employees at the airport. The stop forms part of the major transportation hub included in the plans for Dublin Airport. Passengers arriving in Dublin Airport will be less than 20 minutes from the city centre.

Fosterstown Stop

This surface stop is located on the Swords Road, close to the entrance to Airside Retail Park. The stop serves the residential areas of Boroimhe and Abbeystone.

Good quality bus interchange and park and ride facilities will be provided for commuters from River Valley and west Swords.

Swords Stop

Swords stop is located in the median of the road outside the popular Pavilions Shopping Centre and serves Swords Town Centre.

Good quality bus interchange facilities will make Swords stop accessible to commuters living in west Swords, Malahide and Feltrim. The stop will link with the Swords Quality Bus Corridor.

Seatown Stop

Seatown stop is located close to Seatown roundabout, and serves the residential areas of north Swords as well as local retail and business parks.

Bus interchange facilities will be provided to accommodate bus feeder services from west Swords.

Estuary Future Possible Stop

Fingal County Council is drawing up a strategic vision for Swords and the surrounding area. The railway order applicatio provides for a stop at Estuary Roundabout; this stop may be opened in the future, if required.

Lissenhall Future Possible Stop

Fingal County Council is drawing up a strategic vision for Swords and the surrounding area. The railway order applicatio provides for a stop at Lissenhall; this stop may be opened in the future, if required.

Belinstown Stop

The northern terminus to Metro North is situated at Belinstown close to the Lissenhall interchange on the M1 Motorway.

A major park and ride facility will offer access to Metro North for commuters travelling from beyond Swords.

Interface Design - Personas

Interface Design - Online Research

Interface Design - Field Research

We started Interface Design project, and today we had to go out and do some research in the area. We took pictures of kiosks for: mobile phone credit, Supervalue self-checkout, AnPost, Dart and car park ticket. 

Information Design - Symbols

I enjoyed designing the symbols, though I had a bit of a hard time with some. It's hard to believe but I had a  hard time drawing the fish! It's the middle of the night and I'm very sleepy. I did the first half when we were first given the design brief in Februaray, and now I realized that the second half hasn't been done, so here I am designing the rest of the symbols. The fish looks very funny, but as much as I tried to fix it, I kept dozing off and I messed it up more with my drawing tablet, making it look funnier. So I thought to leave it as it is because I have to submit my blog now and maybe one day come back to it and fix it.

Draft of the symbols design.

Information Design - Map

That would be the project that I least enjoyed. It's not easy to draw maps and I don't think I'll be doing it again. 

My draft of the map design.

Information Design - Instructional

This brief was exciting to do. I love Illustrator and enjoy working with it. That's what I used to draw both instructional designs. The egg instructions was easy to draw, but the tie one wasn't. I don't even know how to tie a tie. I tried tying my kids' school ties but was never successful so I got them an elastic tie. But now since I have to draw the instructions, I had to find out and learn how to tie a tie. Finally, now I know how and I was able to draw it (but I had to look at other pictures, couldn't draw it from my mind). Filling it with color was tricky because I had open paths, so I had to go over the open paths and join whatever can be joined and redraw those that can't. If anyone is wondering about the tie color, I was trying out gradients and I actually liked how this gradient looked on the tie :)

This is my draft. I started with the chopsticks and wrote all the instructions. But when I tried to draw the hands in Illustrator, it wasn't easy, it took me a long time to draw one hand, so I just switched to the tying a tie info.

Advertising & Campaigns: Olympics Poster

We had to do a London Olympics Poster and after a few ideas and a few posters, I finally decided that this is the one.
I used Illustrator to do this poster. For the word London, I used a clipping mask to show a picture of London attractions through the word.
Drawing the torch took a bit of time, especially when trying to find the right gradient.
As for the running silhouettes, I added these at the end when I saw that something is missing from the poster, so I drew the running silhouettes and put the opacity down to 25%.

Advertising & Campaigns: Postcards

postcard 1

postcard 2

postcard 3

back of postcards

In here we had to design 3 postcards against binge drinking. So I chose to use math for all 3 as in numbers, symbols, equations, scale... I thought what's the best way to put through a message? Using words is best. Sometimes pictures and images don't send the right message, or people misunderstand them, so you need to add words to make your message clear. I chose to write the message using the font Ravie, so it catches people's attention. To make a note, I'm against drinking alcohol, if it was up to me I would design posters to stop drinking not just binge drinking.