Design for Print

Last week we were given this task. I chose to do the WARNING sign for a near by nuclear power plant as i felt it would be a lot more interesting and complete different to anything i had done before. Before i started to come up with ideas i researched existing warning signs and many follow the same forms. The majority of warning signs all use a triangle and as you can see from the variety of warning signs below they all use the same colour code and very simple pictograms.  For my design i wanted to adhere to these rules and keep with the triangle form, bright yellow and contacting black colour and also use clear/simple pictograms.  I thought i was going to find this task quite challenging as it was something new but i feel i produced a good sign and i am confident in my design.  below is my design for the warning sign to an upcoming nuclear power plant:  Below is my sign placed in a realistic situation for where it may be used: 

Wayfinding and signage design.  Wayfinding - a specialist design area that combines science, psychology, semiotics and graphic design skills. Human Navigation: landmarks - humans often navigate using landmarks for example, a hill/mountain, river, tall building this can help to give the person a rough idea to where they are or where they have to go. Types of signs:  orientational - maps, exploded views, plans, landmarks informational - time tables, industrial estate boards directional - navigation systems, hospitals, airports identification - labeling devices i.e. certain buildings, work of art  - statutory (regulatory) - rules, safety, legal notices - fire regulations etc  - ornamental banners, flags, commemorative plaques

For this task we had to pick out of a hat a Graphical sequence which would then have to go away and draw up. the graphical sequence i had was - From water to powered flight: the process of a water rocket, take off and landing.  Below is my graphical sequence which i came up with: Because this is a water powered rocket and can be built at home from scratch i wanted it look as if it was drawn up by a father for him and his child's elaborate weekend plan. A crazy sketched up dream! Also because it was only a water rocket i wanted it to look like a real life metal rocket which shoots out flames - as if a child has dreamt it up it needed to be simple with all attention of the actual rocket and process - not backgrounds etc.  I feel i created a good graphical sequence which clearly explains a water rocket process through imagery and minimal text. 

Graphs - they represent data  normally used to back up an argument or statement made also used to show stats  Graphical Sequences -  explains process supports information given on the page step-by-step visual guide Maps - express geographical relationships ordinal surveys (o/s) show contour lines - representing the height of the landscape shows rivers and lakes shows roads and walk paths normally gil sans is the font used on maps Strip Maps -  read in columns  easy to understand  simple Glance Boxes -  simple boxes containing key information  Diagrams -  visual instructions  basic - normally black and white simple layout use of arrows  magnification used in more detailed areas we also looked at Minards chart and how well designed it is, even to this day.  Minards chart is considered the best chart in history according to graphic statisticion Edward Tufte:  Minard was a pioneer of th

In July 1963 the Worboys Report was published, this report made recommendations for radical changes to be made for almost every road sign in the country.  Until the Worboys report, road signs were made up of a mixture of signs produced by the Ministry of Transport, local councils, and motoring and cycling organisations. With their endless variety of shape, size, colour and typeface, it made for a confusing and jumbled up roadscape.  It was realised that when passing signage at high speeds, it demanded for far greater standards in legibility. The government commissioned Jock Kinneir, who’d designed sleek new signs at Gatwick Airport, to come up with a system for the motorways.  ^Jock Kinneir  Jock Kinneir’s signs were installed in 1958 on the very first motorway, the Preston bypass. R ival graphic designer David Kindersley criticised them as “signs as big as houses” and produced his very own in an attempt to prove that the same information could be effectively conveye

Notes from GDES 2010 - Graphic Information Design What is graphic information design? Information Architecture – This is associated IT and web projects. “Complex ideas communicated with clarity, precision and efficiency”. “The graphical representation of facts, figures and information”. Graphic Information Design – Early History Early black and white engravings Early architecture “cut away” drawings Byrne's Geometry Maps and Charts – a great example of a result of the “Information” having been subject to bring “designed” in the way it's put across. - Most adults understand the levels of information laid out in a graphical manner within maps. Excellent local early examples: Mappa Mundi. Visual Systems – Harry Beck – An alectrical draftsman completed his re design of the London underground map in 1933. Road Signage Systems – In 1903 the Motor Car Act required that local authorities provide warning signs. Combinations of circular and triangular signs were used. - Road signs up