PRP - 1st Artifact

Say a person with protanopia colour blindness viewed a red object. The shade of the object would appear different to them than to us. However they still associate the shade they see with as ‘red’. Everytime they see that shade, its red to them.

There are general rules in web design about the colour combinations not to display. Many people are colour blind and would not be able to see red or green text on a brown background. However, what if these colour combinations were desired by a designer, to fit in with a brand for instance?

For my first artifact, I have designed a page so that people with normal vision and people suffering from Protanopia, Deutanopia, and Tritanopia colour blindness can all view the same page and still read the text.

The page works using links for each specific colour blindness. When clicked the background and text colours of the problem section are changed to give the best contrast for the user’s vision.

Colour options for websites exist, but with multiple filters on a website, or even browsers - changing the colours to provide better contrast - would enable a better user-experience and company-user interaction for the majority of people suffering from colour blindness using the web.

Sreenshots displayed below:

Research Project - 1st Artifact

I have found a colourblind filter tool which shows you websites through the "eyes" of people with specific types of colour blindness. http://colorfilter.wickline.org/
I will use this tool and apply it to webpages for the first artifact, rather than creating my own page. This will not just save me time, but allow the artifact audience to view many recognizable webpages under the position of someone with colour blindness.

This will help to show different sized company's approach to their whole audience.

Research Project

For my first artifact, I will be investigating the web experience of people with colour blindness. I will do this by creating a webpage that recreates how a normal page would appear if viewed by a person with colour blindness. I will show this to people the who don't suffer from colour blindness and guage their reactions and views via a questionaire.
The aim of this first artifact is gauge 'normal' people's reaction to how colour blind people experience the web. The artifact will also raise the issue of to what extent standards of web design take all people's experience of their webpages into consideration.

My Portfolio

Ive now got a domain name for my porfolio - www.greensky-creations.co.uk
I like greensky because green is associated with grass, so its kind of a twist on 'bluesky'. Its like turning things upside down (turning design on it's head).
Over the next few weeks I shall produce my own template and then start to upload my work. But in the meantime I will use one of the free templates provided with 123reg.co.uk

The Dark Knight


This is the first trailer of the sequel to Batman Begins and it look like its going to be another corker! Only 6 months to wait :(

I love the way this film looks. Its dark and colours are saturated - makes it look slick.

My Portfolio

Ive recently bought some web space with 123-reg.co.uk and am in the process of picking a domain name. This sounds easier than its prooving to be. Because my name isn't particually 'catchy' Ive been thinking of an allias to go under.
Everything Ive thought of (and googled) so far is taken. Most recently being '9th design' - http://www.9thdesign.co.nz/

I'll keep you posted when I come up with something good thats available. 'You' being anyone whose's reading this - just me I'm guessing!

Call of Duty 4
Ive been playing call of duty alot over xmas. What a fantastic game! I would say im about half way through the single player game. But I havn't played that for a while.
The online multiplayer mode is where its at! Theres servers with up and in excess of 50 players and it hardly ever lags!! Im up to lvl 35, which is Corporal (i think).

Features

• Authentic weapons include assault rifles with laser sites, claymore mines, .50 caliber sniper rifles, M-249 SAW machine guns and more;
• Engage hostiles from above in a thoroughly modern aerial gunship;
• Rim lighting, character self-shadowing, texture streaming and physics-enabled effects add incredible realism;
• Rack up experience points to unlock new items and gain perks;
• Create-a-class options allow you to customize gear for the best chance of success;
• Ride as part of an armada of attack choppers delivering manpower to the battlefield;
• Take down enemies from the sky in well-equipped jets;
• Matchmaking and leaderboards provide the latest developments in tracking;
  

Review week

I had a feedback meeting today, which didnt go well. I was basically told that my work was crap and not worthy of merit.

Tutor's comments were fair and constructive and they had the following advise:

• Develop an online presence;
• Create some decent work;
• Best work in an online portfolio;
• Examine what field of web design I wish to go in to;
• Use blog for commenting on anything i find interesting or cool (doesn't have to be web);

So lets get started!...

Client Project

Ive come across this great website http://www.deviantart.com/
Its an online community of artists work which im sure will come to be invaluable for inspiration.
Especially http://browse.deviantart.com/designs/web/ which is specifically concerned with building an online community and displaying interesting web page interfaces.

Major Client Project

I have a client for my project. Its my brother! He has his own PR and Marketing company - 'lava'. The brief is to redesign the current website to attract potential clients. The current website can be found at www.lavaonline.co.uk
The client wants a flashy website that is in some way interactive or has animationed content.

I am planning on using Flash to create the website and am in the early stages of researching the company and it's competition.

Blog to be Used Differently

From now on I will be using my blog to post more than just my work.
This will incluce posting anything interesting I see to:

• offer an insight into my thought processes
• reveal the influences behind my work at any given time
• help with evaluation of my work
• create a source of interesting information and links that can be used later
• inspire future work
• show prospective clients what Ive been doing

My xmas present (to myself)

I went and bought myself an early xmas present. Its a second computer monitor. Its great! 19" Widescreen! It sits nicely by the side of my other monitor.

Now I wont have to keep opening and closing application windows all the time while Im 'working'.

Simulated Client

The following is the Flash banner associated with the simlated project.

Simulated Client Project

I handed in my finished project in mid November. Feedback was ok but when I showed it to Shaun Belcher (supervisor) in the seminar the images didn't work. This was because I changed a file name before saving the project to disc. This was very un-professional as Shaun was effectively the client. In the 'real-world' I would have lost the client, or at least lost their confidence in me.

The following is a still of the webpages.

Simulated Project Brief

Theme/title “insect repellent” (how does this product work? What is it called? What does it repell and how? It can be serious, touching, funny even a spoof. Produce multimedia according to the area of study you have chosen that follows the brief above.

Web and web applications option
Design and produce a micro site and banner that informs, entertains and sells insect repellent.

I will be re-designing the website of the existing insect repellent 'jungle formular'. The purpose of this project is to create a microsite and Flash banner for Jungle Formula. The emphasis of the applications is that the insect repellent product saves lives.

Responce to Brief
What the Client Wants
The client wants a promotional microsite and Flash advertisement banner to promote Jungle Formula insect repellent.
The content of the site will largely remain the same as the existing site. A re-design of its graphic design and navigational structure will be required to accomodate the new features on the site. Jungle Formula want a well branded site with a consistant semantic structure.

The promotional flash banner advert application is to be placed on external sites. Its purpose is to direct traffic to the microsite. It must be well branded and contain some form of animation or interactivity.

What the User Needs
The user experience is the primary focus of both applications. This includes usability, navigation, aesthetic quality, semantic structure, etc. A well balanced, functional site can be achieved via the features outlined in the treatment.

The primary audience for Jungle Formula are 20-50 year-olds who are planning to go abroad near the equator. The audience would need to know how and why they should use insect repellent, about the main diseases they may become exposed to, and what to do in an emergency.

Project Requirements
Redesign
The project will completely re-design the website. The homepage is all important. It sets the expectations, structure and image for the rest of the site. The navigation menu will appear on the left of the page (previously at the top of the page). To create a visually appealing and aesthetic design suited to the content, the colour scheme used will be altered from bold over-powering primary colours, to complimentary shades.

Client Project (Module Overview)

The Context
The Client Project module (MMPR30021) is designed to help you consolidate your multimedia knowledge. It does this through providing opportunities for you to demonstrate their design and problem-solving skills. The module complements both the Personal Research Project (MMPR30020) and Successful Practice and Principles 3 (MMPR30022) modules through its emphasis on commercial and entrepreneurial practice.

In order to do this you will complete two design projects: one where you will work as a multimedia designer to solve a simulated client project (Simulated Project);
and one where you will work with a real client1 to develop a solution through the full life-cycle of a project (Live Brief). You are expected to do this through producing work within your specialisation e.g. Web or Audiovisual or Animation (this should be the same specialisation as the one that you choose to focus on for work that you create in your Personal Research Project module).

Personal Research Project
Agreement Form

Title: Human-intervention that limits website accessibility.
Topic: My project will investigate who has control over what we see, how and why access is sometimes limited in different places.

Research: Primarily I will be focusing on the subject of controlled or limited access experienced by people in different places around the world. What information is not permitted, the reasons used to justify these limitations and how these limitations are implemented and enforced. I will briefly look into other factors that affect people’s accessibility to the internet. Social class in demographic society, freedom of speech, physical disability, environment, and security.

Personal Research Project (Module Overview)
This is my first post of the 2007/8 academic year.

the context
This is a component designed to build upon the Multimedia techniques studied at level one and two by providing you with an opportunity to develop work which is specifically aligned to your personal technical and creative ambitions.

the brief
During this module you will develop a body of work, which reflects individual interests and demonstrates professional potential. You will research into the content and background of self initiated topics, including technologies theory, practice and contexts as appropriate.

The structure of the research project has two parts:
(TERM 1) Document based literature review and analysis.
(TERM 2&3) Research via practice.

Design

Stage 2 - Theatre Set Design

Task: Create a ‘pitching package’ for Crowbar Theatre’s play.

“Multimedia students from the School of Art and Design, Nottingham Trent University (NTU), are offered the opportunity to collaborate with Crowbar Theatre Company (CTC), with creative and practical ideas for staging, imagery and production, for a theatre play called Dark Angels. The collaboration will be in the form of a negotiated project between the theatre company, the NTU students and NTU course tutors.”

Elements required:
1. Research material i.e. background & inspiration, ideas, mood/design board(s), photographs etc sketches, plans
2. Rationale for the project/aims/context & Design team profile, audience research, where appropriate.
3. Technical specifications (including a Location ‘profile’ for installation) & equipment required
4. Budget, based on projected costs from real sources
5. 3D model, indicating materials to be used.
6. Prototype sample of one multimedia element.

My Initial Ideas
•Use some kind of projection within the set design.
•Create a dark and gritty feel:
- to immerse the audience in the story
- to reflect the situation/mood of the characters onstage at any given time
•Use equipment that is easily and quickly setup and packed
•Somehow incorporate the space in the play

Project Aims
•To create a practical set design that can be easily setup in a number of small spaces and packed away to fit into a standard sized van.
•Depict the mood and feelings of the characters onstage through lighting and projected images.

Equipment
•Projector:
- cheapest - £400
- reasonable - £680
- expensive - £11,000
•Projector mount - £50
•Projector board (optional)
•Lights:
- simple and cheap - £9 each
- more suitable - £200 each
•Lighting gels
•Lighting rig:
- first choice - £500 (total)
- cheap option - £75
- ebay cheap option - £56
•Black sheets

Examples of Set Design

Audio Visual Production

Stage 3 - 90 second Narrative (Proposal)

Brief: Produce a proposal for a 90 second narrative and pitch your idea to a producer.

'The Escape'

STORY
This is an animated chase story between the police and the main character, who remains anonymous throughout the film.

The story starts off in a village at dusk. Two police cars screech to a stop, lights and sirens blazing. The next shot is lower to the ground at bonnet height of the car. Just as the car door opens, a silhouetted figure's legs can be seen as the main character (villain) runs across the screen from left to right.

Next there are various angles of the villain being chased through dark streets with the police cars on his tale, creating suspense . The villain leaves the streets of the village and runs into a field. A shot over the shoulder of the villain shows an unrecognisable object in the distance. As the villain runs forward, the object gets closer, lens blurred, but still unrecognisable.

The villain appears to jump over something and turns to face the police. The police car door opens, police officers get out of the car. The villain pulls out a weapon, a long bladed knife. The villain is still only a silhouette, but the knife glistens in the, now, half dusk/half moonlit light. Next shots are ropes being chopped, frantically, with the knife. Shot of the villain (from front). Suddenly a bright light, like an explosion or a fire, engulfs the whole screen (except for silhouettes villain).

The figure moves upward and a basket follows from below.

A wide shot of the landscape reveals the police cars, village, mountains in the background and a hot-air balloon! A shot looking down from the balloon shows the police and village get smaller as the balloon rises upwards. Next are a few scenes of the balloon and the landscape.

The story ends with a shot from the balloon traveling towards the sunrise.

STORYBOARD

JUSTIFICATIONS
The style of the film will be quite dark and mysterious (at the start), and so the story/audience will be reliant on the audio content to gain information about what is happening and create the suspense that is needed.

For this reason I will compose a track for the music. This will start with having a tempo that building quickly and include sharp samples of strings such as violin (for the chase). I will add sound effects of heavy breathing, footsteps and sirens to create the suspense.

The second half of the track will be slower in tempo. It will use strings, but instead of being sharp, they will be smooth and gradually build for a feeling of relief (the escape). Multiple versions of the two halves will be made and a final music track blended to correspond with the visuals.

I realise this is an ambitious project which is dependant on me sticking to my schedule, but by taking some precautionary steps, I am confident that I will achieve my deadline. At the start/end of every week I will review the progress made and plan, in advance, the next course of action.

To avoid confusion between scenes, I will split the story up into three-30-second sections and store all relevant work in three folders, respectively. I will also keep a hard copy backup of these files as well as in my home and university documents. Before animating the sections, I will compare the un-animated scenes with the storyboard, and then double-check.

I will be using Macromedia Flash MX to create the animation. I am familiar with this software and i have the software on my home computer, which will allow me to work on my project easily during weekends and the easter break.