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90368 Evaluation

This standard was to create a front page for the application the class has been developing. The criteria was quite free which meant I could use resources available to me that i didn't previously believe would be of use in the DTI standards.

The requirements were that it had to be in the dimensions of the iPad and have links to the different parts of the application.

GIMP

We started this standard right as photoshop stopped working on my computer so I had to get over this hurdle before i could begin designing. A student in the class was using a program called GIMP because they were more familiar with it, the program is less sophisticated than photoshop but it would do the job i needed. It is free and downloadable from moodle so this made it the most convenient option.

IPad Dimensions

The way we made the designs the right dimensions it importing an image of an iPad into GIMP and designing within it. Once i had set up the background of my design i cropped out the iPad.

The image

I had spent a significant portion of the year designing visuals for wellington high school in my art class, this meant i already had a stockpile of resources to put to use in the development of my front page design. The most part of the school is a piece of modernist architecture which is unusual for a school, it shows the modern thinking of the school from the very beginnings. I scoured my image bank of historical photos for one of the M and S block in the school when they were first made. I found a nice sepia photo, that even has a date on it, of these blocks and one of the best things about this photo was that it had uncrowded areas to the image in which i could create the necessary buttons.

The Buttons

I have an iPod touch and spend have spent many frustrating minutes trying to press links far smaller than my finger, the problem with these links is that only touching the letters activates the link. I wanted to create an ergonomic button where the area around the letters are part of the link, this means the button is easy to press.

The button colour was a process in it's self, they needed to stand out but no be harsh and unattractive. My first requirement was that i didn't want is within the sepia tone range but it had to be quite a gentle colour, after much trial i paused to look about and, as usual, my DTI tumblr blog was open on my computer. The tumblr blue was almost perfect, i made it a little paler and used it in my final design.

The font is a GIMP circus like font, i chose it because it has gaps in it where the background colours can come through.

Problems Encountered

The only problem was that photoshop didn't work on the computer, fortunately GIMP is an intuitive program to use so i had no problems designing with it.

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This is my last overview for this year, We need to give feedback for Terry about the course.

First I have nearly completed my last evaluation(90349), I just need to do the conclusion, and I will do this Monday after school at home and post it before Tuesday when Terry will start marking.

I found this year very interesting because we had a wide range of choice and tried a lot of softwares. I enjoyed most doing the coding and the electronics practical because I like computer and I am interested on how they work on the inside, how information get past on using transistors. I like the coding because you get use a computer to do whatever you want, you control it.

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12DTI: What I liked/Didn't like.

-This year I enjoyed the Front page design, because we could use our ideas and get them implemented in the map interface.

-Drawing the map for the application was fun, as we had to go outside the com-lab and measure up walls to scale the map appropriately.

-I found the electronics standard not very interesting, it was difficult and we could have been putting time towards other things related to 12DTI.

-The coding standard was alright, it was fun to begin with, but I found coding getting very difficult and precise, due to the fact that if you missed one letter it would screw up the whole thing.

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Front Page 90368 Evaluation

Evaluation

The brief: This was a very open project, the image design only had several constraints;

Must be iPad screen size

Must have a 3D-Walkthrough button and a Gallery button

Upon understanding the exact nature of the project, I decided to add a few specifications of my own. Since the whole purpose of the iPad application project was to showcase the school, I wanted to make sure different aspects ideas and views of Wellington High School were reflected in the appearance of my designs. I also wanted to ensure the name of the school was involved, and in a way which tied in to the other elements.

Development Strategy: Using my prior experience in Design Technology in planning, I decided to follow the tried and true design process. But rather than actively researching usuable ideas for school based designs, I would let my everyday school experience draw out its own influences and inspirations. Fortunately, it worked.

Refinement Strategy: My refinement strategy is fundamentally the same as the strategy I used last year in 11 DTI. At key milestones in my concept development, the design would be evaluated by comparisons with the brief and heavily scrutinised for flaws and issues. If any uncertainty remained, second-degree client consultation with Mr Hawking would take place.

Phase 1 - Early: At first, things didn't go very well. I struggled to transform the inspirations I was drawing from around me into solid ideas and concepts. For instance, my very first idea involved chemical models arranged in a geometric shape over a gradient-coloured background. But it didn't work, and wasn't well thought out. It was at this point I realised you had to put images into a contextual situation, you couldn't just add some effects and throw them together.

Phase 2: The mistakes of phase 1 lead me to begin thinking more actively about contextualising ideas and concepts into more viable solutions. My initial inspiration, came from the large number of screens everywhere. Screens in the computer labs, in the foyer, above block doors. But screens is not a concept, it required an assimilation into something more. I then thought of the massive banks of screens you see in security centres, and came up with the idea of combining different screen sets together to create a sort of collage. Then, in compliance with the brief I placed selected images on the screens to show and represent the various aspects of the school. Several stages of refinement were required (more so than my other concepts). See the Refinement Strategy.

Phase 3: Whilst my skill set has greatly improved after the failures of phase 1, it wasn't untill after the completion of series 2 that I got a firm understanding of contextualisation. I'd noticed the large lithograph prints of the old technical college brought out for the reunion one morning, and decided to use this as inspiration. I then had to find a way to make old images fit into a relavant design; the answer was newspapers. Using an old newspaper image about the Titanic as a base, I heavily modified it suit the purpose and added images from the lithographs. To give it even more of a relevant touch, I aquired some modern images and ran a desaturation filter over them. The result was a design that flowed and looked sharp, representing the history of the school and it's current and past ideals.

Phase 4: Phase 4 would be the creation of my final design, series 4. I'd seen some impressive pictures of physics-maths overlays pinned to the back of my mathematics classroom, and began creating concepts based around these. The pictures had mathematical drawings layered over them, so it seemed feasible to transform this concept into one that fitted the situation. I found a good picture of one of the school buildings, which was dynamic enough for my purpose. Using my understanding of trigonometry and calculus, I created some realistic equation, formulae and diagram overlays for the image.

Phase 5: At this point, I had mostly completed the foundations of my designs and set about to refine and improve them. This section of the process was all about adding the finishing touches, to complete my designs and enhance what I'd done so far. At this point I added things like a date to the newspaper (1886 was the founding year of the school) and title to the pseudo-articles in the backround (interesting events of 1886). I added oppacity to school building picture, to highlight the mathematics and reinforce the sub analytical ideas of the design. I changed the fonts on the screens, to better showcase the style of the school and the creativity it stands for.

Evaluation of design: In tems of qualitative comparison of work, I have my preffered design outcomes. Whilst my design series 2 (Screen banks) looks alright and suitable, it does not flow together as one image in the way that series 3 does (newspaper). Series 4 (math overlay) has a sharp look to it, but without the themed images of the other designs I feel it lacks a certain quality of showcase. Series 3 is clear and concise, the image quality is fairy high and the layout is the best thought-out of all my designs. It meets the specifications of the brief to a higher standard than the others, and it is my favourite.

Skill Statement: I feel this project greatly improved my skill set. I was expecting to only improve my GIMP image skills from this project, but I believe I got alot more out of it. This journey has delved into alot more than just image manipulation, and a great deal about time management and good design has been learned. In particular, the process of turning the influences and inspirations we draw from around us into good conceptual ideas for a purpose. Since time was fairly short, it was imperative that I managed it correctly in this project. This really forced me to improve my planning skills, and to partition and prioritise my time.

Acknowledgements: Finn and Isaac have be instrumental to my Front Page design completion. They've been in essence, an extension of the feedback and advice part of development. If I needed any advice when weighing up the options, they would be able to offer useful insight and suggestions.

Problems Encountered: Fortunately, this project has largely been without issues and problems. I've only meandered across the occasional trouble, and it has usually proven to be a quick fix. For instance, there were quite a few tone and texture issues with series 3 at first. Because the base image was from a newspaper, it had heavy old-style texturing. Modifying images and text into it interferred with this, and it wouldn't blend properly. Initially I tried coping and pasting textured areas to smooth the edges, but you could then see tone differences. After discovering the true potential of the blur and smudge tools, this was an easy fix.

Closing Statement One of the most interesting things I've learned from all this is that aquiring inspiration from what is happening around us it not difficult. The hardest part of any design and innovation is implimenting it correctly, and making those ideas suitable and relevant to the task at hand. This project has been an excellent test of aptitude in implimenting resouces for aesthetic design as well as a learning curve around planning and development, I know myself and all the other students (team members) working on this standard have come a long way as innovators for good design.

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thursday 3rd of november

I am still working on the evaluations. They are due on Monday.

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90368 Evaluation

90368 Front Page Design Evaluation.

The brief that we were given for our front page design, had specifications to fulfill, we had to include buttons for Virtual Reality, Gallery, a button to change between our designs, and having layers for the buttons.

We were first given a picture of the Ipad, that we would base our designs off, to see the scale and how it would look on the screen of the Ipad. Next I had started my first idea to look like notes pinned a cork board, so I got a cork texture and made it the background. Next I got a paper texture and made the ends look torn, and labeled the notes "Gallery" and "Virtual Walkthrough".

My 2nd design was based on the Mr game and watch system, I wanted to do this because it's something I'm interested in, and enjoy. It involved getting the background of the system, and cutting out the buttons and screen to make them compatible with the code.

My personal favorite is the cork board design, it looks neat and it was the first idea that came to mind. I had some problems throughout my designs, I was using multiple programs for my two designs, so when one of them didn't work, I couldn't work on it anymore, but thankfully it just needed some final touches.

My 2 designs came out as I had imagined, and few problems hindered my progress, I was able to follow the brief easily and produce results to a satisfactory level.

E-Mail: [email protected]

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