Research: Design boards
After designing my products, it was time to look at some design boards and find inspiration. I decided to look at ways known product designers display things on their website in order to figure out which are the key things to include in my own.
Last term, I received a comment from my tutor saying: The one part that could be improved is that perhaps you could have had a front cover and then an introduction as this is very small and easy to miss and it might have given it a little more gravity as you turn the page to discover your designs.'
This is a very valuable comment that I want to consider this term.
Given the feedback on my previous term, I want to include a cover page in my gallery which showcases the work. This cover page may include a mock-up version with the title of the theme. Having a cover page may be more enticing to the viewer as he will feel more eager and excited to turn the next pages. The cover page builds up some tension.
Another valuable comment I received last term is that the viewer will not spend ages looking at my portfolio. Therefore, it must be short and concise with the key elements included. I was advised to create 3-4 pages max for my table last term. However, this term I have 2 products that transform into 6 functions. I am aiming to create 6-8 design boards so the viewers do not feel alienated and overwhelmed with information.
This was the first design board I stumbled across. The first thing that stood out to me was the title at the top left page. The name of the company has a different font which is something that I could consider in my own design. I can play around with a font for the title of the project and then as a subtitle write the name of the product or what I will be describing.
I also like that they included an image with a person physically using it. This showcases how big it is compared to an average human hand. I am also planning on creating mock ups. In my orthographic drawings, I could perhaps add a person standing next to them in order to the viewer to see the scale. I could base the measurements of the person on the lesson we had about body proportions (7.5-8 heads for adult males and 7-7.5 for adult females).
I like that it is not a very busy with information, however, I do think that the layout is basic and could possibly improve to represent the brand more. I think that the pink background of the picture does not match with the theme as the title and arrows are red, so perhaps they could include the colour red in order to be more consistent.
Further to that, I like that the hair dryer is transparent in order to showcase the components inside. I could do this using orthographic views.
Last term, I had a very simple but effective layout. This term, I want to improve the layout of my design so I will spend more time on it.
I have similar comments for this one as I did for the previous one. What stands out to me is the transparent person sitting on it. I like the transparent element as it does not interfere with the product they are trying to promote. I can definitely consider this as one of my ideas to be included. I also like that they included a mock-up version with several people to showcase their work.
This was an image I found on a design board. I really like the plain white background and how it contrasts with the object and the vibrant green. I like that they included the same product in 3 different phases one next to each other. This is like a storyboard which shows what the product can do. As my products are multifunctional, I could potentially use this method to showcase how the table opens or how the shelves can be removed from the cupboard. I think it is an innovative idea to consider.
I think this design board is my favourite one so far. It displays so many things. It includes orthographic views and renders of the actual design. In my design boards last semester, I paired up the sketches with the orthographic views as I felt like those were the 'informal' pictures to showcase my work. However, I think that pairing up the orthographic with the renders works really well. I like the scale of the drawing image compared to the renders as it draws more emphasis on the actual life style image. This is an A3 layout which shows that the information fits perfectly and looks good within the space without making it too busy. This is one of my aims as last term I considered my designs to be too busy. Making the posters A3 instead of A4 will give me more space to work with.
This shows effective use of exploded views. In comparison to the previous ones, this one is in vertical orientation. I surprisingly like this one more as it looks more organised and you eye wonders around the page evenly. The exploded views are used to draw attention to some parts and spot out the innovation and components within the design. I am definitely planning to incorporate exploded views as I have many components to showcase in my work. I also like that there are graphics in the page that help guide the user on how to function it. I would like to include a hand perhaps showcasing how to unfold the table properly in order to make sure that the user understand the proper function of it. This could be an idea for my presentation.
This is a different type of layout compared to the previous ones. It is very vibrant and has too much information. Personally, I do not like it as it is very distracting which makes me unable to focus on the content. However, I like that there are renders and exploded views which are very effective in this design. This made me realise that I like more simple background in order to make the product the focal point of the design board
This is probably my favourite design board I have looked at so far. It has a really nice mock- up image at the top which showcases what the design board will present. I like that they layered and overlapped the pictures as it looks more artistic. It does not have a specific order, the things are scattered around the poster which makes your eye wonder. The colours match well and work nicely with the theme. I think I am mostly keen on such a design of a layout to showcase my work.
In this specific example, I really like how they included the sketches on the left. They have really small thumbnail sketches which shows the evolution of the product. I could potentially do the same to showcase the work and effort behind each of my works. I could combine a layout of this and the previous one to create a unique outcome.
It is evident that in all the design boards, the text is really small to emphasize on the image. I am also planning on using small writing to focus on my images.
I am planning on including a lot of renderings and mock-up versions to show what it would look like in real life.
This could be an example of the cover page I could include. I could add the introduction of my project with an interesting picture and layout to briefly introduce the viewer with the content. I think it would be very effective and efficient. I am definitely planning on creating a cover page to make it more engaging.
This is a perfect example of a cover page as it showcases the work well with titles, text and the corresponding colour scheme for brand identity.
Conclusion: I want to definitely have a title at the top of the page to introduce my work. I want the layout to include nice and unique graphics. I also want the colour scheme to be kept to a minimal in order to be consistent. Perhaps incorporate the colour purple.
For the content of my design board: I want to include measurements, materials, colour palette, consideration of innovation and my specification/ aims.
I want to include renderings, orthographic views, sketches, exploded views and mock-ups on my products in an environment.
I want to focus on the images and include only a bit of text for content. The images need to dominate the pages in order to be more engaging and fun.
I am still thinking about including inspiration in my design boards as I do not want to branch out to unnecessary things.
I think that I was very focused to include a lot of images in my previous terms design boards which made it very busy. It was unnecessary to add so many images as they ended up smaller which was harder for the viewer to spot out details. I need to ensure that I have good angles and a few images that are large.
This term is all about exploring new outcomes, therefore, I want to try out a vertical orientation for my design boards instead of a horizontal one.
It is important to keep in mind that these are initial ideas. In the next blog post regarding my design board, I will sketch out different layouts and ideas to see which content and layout is more suitable.
Lastly, I still do not know if I will pair up all the products together and mix them or if I will create 2 different design board for the 2 different products. This is something I will also see in my layout drafts.
This was a very beneficial experience as I now know what I want to include in my own designs and I can start drafting out the different layouts and designs.
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