Final year project
Penguin Bookmark [Read more]
Penguin bookmark - Destinations in graphic communication and illustration practice
Penguin Bookmark is a service design project for a D&AD brief about heightening the reading experience of young adults. The service works by allowing the reader to use functions from Bookmark and Connect for a personal or interactive experience. This image depicts the brand of the Bookmark and how it would function on an Ipad using a tab and button system. The service uses colour symbolism to allow for ease of navigation through the bookmark.
The project was different to any project I had completed before as it was a UX/UI design first and brand identity second. For this brief I had to learn how a user would navigate through the Bookmark and what functions would best suit them. This was achieved through trial and error of different functions for the Bookmark before deciding on the final 4 functions of:
• Author's Comments
• Chapter Recap
• Character Tracking
• Historical references
It was decided that built into the Bookmark service would be a 2nd optional service allowing the reader to interact and connect with other people reading the same book as them. This 2nd service was called Connect and had 4 functions for connecting with others:
• Page Comments
• Previous Reader's Comments
• Book Group Chat
• Recommended Books.
Bookmark and Connect were designed as a way of heightening the reading experience for eBooks on Ipad by allowing the reader to interact with the book and what they are reading, as well as giving the option to make their experience social through connection with other readers of the same book.
Focusing directions in graphic communication and illustration practice
FFA is a London based identity, the brand was created to raise awareness of Anxiety in young adults through the use of a fashion line in collaboration with Vans and Rethink Mental Health. Using brand touch points of social media and posters and the Vans website. This image depicts the use of posters as a brand touch point in the London Underground.
This project stemmed from the phrase "Hidden in Plain Sight" which was the theme for the branding brief. I took this phrase and resulted with mental health as it is something that is hidden in plain sight. I conducted research into mental health and found that there is growing number of young adults who suffer with anxiety, with 1 in 6 young adults suffering anxiety.
I began by creating a user persona of a 15-year-old girl from Wembley who had developed anxiety due to changing school and having to use the tube which causes issues with overcrowding and claustrophobia. I thought about I could create brand touch points with this user persona and found that clothes and shopping was a clever touch point. I researched into the top brand amongst millennials and Vans was a hit. I chose them as the brand to produce the clothing range as they already do feature collections. I then decided that the costs of the products would go to charity for helping young adults cope and overcome this anxiety. I chose the charity Rethink Mental Health as they are a charity with a focus on campaigns. From this I developed a brand identity that would be engaging with teenagers and designed posters and imagery of a breadcrumb style which allow the audience to build an image of the brand. Through photography and type I was able to communicate an image of freedom which was chosen as the campaign FFA is for Freedom from Anxiety.
The results of this clothing campaign were product designs for hoodies, t-shirts and trainers and there according shop front and website designs as well as an Instagram page which connected to the young adults on a social platform, and finally posters to be used in the London underground. FFA was designed as I felt the there was a gap about explaining to young adults that anxiety is normal and lots of people have it, so I used platforms that they are familiar with to convey this message.
You - Destinations in graphic communication and illustration practice
You is the first campaign of its kind with regards to male body image and it aims to break the stigma of men not talking about their bodies.
Magazines are known for portraying an image of the male form that is seemed to be idealised generally depicting a muscular version of the male body. GQ is one of the magazines that use this as our photographic image. In collaboration with GQ+ I have created a new campaign called You, with the aim of raising awareness of the media used in magazines and how it affects male body dissatisfaction. The aim of You is to get men talking about their own body image and giving an understanding of media used in magazines such as GQ. You feeling good.
You will be printed in GQ’s magazines as well as having a free version on their website. You will feature different articles about body image and will act as a serial throughout different issues of the GQ magazine.
For my project I will design how the campaign will look in one issue of GQ, the current spring issue. The brand is designed to change colour with the seasons. The reason for the 4 colours is because they each symbolise an emotion that You is trying to empower:
• Green: Trust
• Yellow: Joy
• Orange: Interest
• Blue: Surprise
I conducted research by looking to to articles about male body dissatisfaction and scholarly essays about negative body image. I also conducted primary research in the form of a questionnaire, I then used this research to create a user persona which i used to create targeted article content and brand touch points.
This project was enjoyable for me as I was able to create a brand, write content and use layout and typography to visualise my campaign. The outcomes for this project included the creation of magazine adverts that have a breadcrumb style telling a narrative, which leads to the You article series. The articles touch on key topics with regards to negative body image and addresses how magazine media has influenced body dissatisfaction.
Penguin bookmark - Destinations in graphic communication and illustration practice
This image shows how the Connect function of Penguin Bookmark works. Connect is an optional service which is turned on and off with buttons and allows the reader to interact and connect with other people reading the same book as them. Connect has 4 functions, as seen in the image, for connecting with others:
• Page Comments
• Previous Reader's Comments
• Book Group Chat
• Recommended Books.
When the functions are turned on the text of the book becomes highlighted if there are any comments on the page, these comments would have been added to people who have previously read the book and can be simple opinions or notes on which aspects seem more important than others. As well as this commenting function, the tab on the right-hand side houses a chat room where you can send messages and communicate with other people reading the same book. The tab also has recommended book to read based on the current book you are reading. The Connect tab is larger than the Bookmark tab as it allowed for easier use of the commenting and chat section and allows for space to show the book covers.
The Connect service was designed as a 2nd element to the Bookmark as it gives the reader the option to make their reading experience interact of keep it personal.
Penguin bookmark - Destinations in graphic communication and illustration practice
This image visualises how Bookmark would highlight different sections of the text in order to show the different functions of the service. The different colours relate to different functions of both the Bookmark and Connect service.
Orange represents functions of the Connect service including page comments. Green shows where there are author's comments, anywhere that will give the Author's personal insight into their story. Purple gives the option for chapter recap, so the reader can get an update on what they have previously read. Highlighted sections in red allow you to use character tracking, seeing what the characters have done and interlinked with each other throughout the book. The blue highlights are for anywhere that may have historical references, that could be a location or event which happened in real life but is referenced in the fictional story.
FFA - Focusing directions in graphic communication and illustration practice
FFA is a London based identity, the brand was created to raise awareness of Anxiety in young adults through the use of a fashion line in collaboration with Vans and Rethink Mental Health. Using brand touch points of social media and posters and the Vans website. This image depicts the use of posters as a brand touch point in the London Underground.
This image shows how the FFA brand would have been used by Vans on their website to sell the products and advertise and explain the brand. The products I designed use the yellow as their main colour as its the symbol of happiness which is opposite the feeling of anxiety. The logo for the brand is a line and dot symbol mimicking an A so that is also featured on the products. the Vans website design demonstrates how the products would be photographed and the according prices, which go to funds for the charity Rethink Mental Health.
The website design uses a banner which shows the brand identity and the 3 brands collaborating as well as a body of text explaining what FFA is and how it aims to spark the conversation of anxiety in young adults.
You - Destinations in graphic communication and illustration practice
I decided to design You as I wanted to create a campaign that brings a focus to male body dissatisfaction. For the campaign I created the content for a series of articles that would be made available in the GQ magazine and GQ's website.
This image visualises the articles used in the You campaign on GQ's website, the campaign features 3 articles:
• Male body dissatisfaction: Magazines and their use of media
• Money can't buy happiness: Gym, pills and male body image
• Body dissatisfaction and its mental health implications
As well as a page with how to get in touch if you have suffered from male body dissatisfaction.
This image specifically shows the spring edition of the You campaign. The idea for You is that it will act as a serial throughout different issues of GQ, and the You brand will change colours with the seasons:
• Spring- Green
• Summer- Yellow
• Autumn- Orange
• Winter- Blue
Through designing You I designed a brand that has its own identity as well as making in keeping with the brand of GQ. In order to create the campaign I used both illustration and photography as seen in the website content. The articles were created using both scholarly and primary research.
You - Destinations in graphic communication and illustration practice
This image shows one of the brand touch points of You. In order to create the campaign, I used a user persona of an accountant living in Chelsea, London. From devising a schedule for my user persona, I was able to find touch points one being to use billboards in London, as my user persona would see them on his commute to work.
The use of billboards allows for You to be advertising on a non-GQ platform. The billboard shows the brand identity through the use of illustrations which visualises how when you stop comparing yourself to others then you can start feeling good with a hope of reducing male body dissatisfaction.
The billboard shows a body of text explaining the campaign and how magazine media has been linked to male body dissatisfaction due to magazines focus of promoting an idealised image of the male form.
Beth McGlynn
I am a Graphic Designer based in Hinckley who specialises in creating branding and marketing material.
Alongside my University projects I have completed freelance commissions under the brand of Beth McGlynn Design. I produce outcomes of both print and digital using digital illustration and photography. I achieve this by focusing on brand identity and using a suitable tone of voice to form brand touch points. My strengths for design focus around layout and typography and using the elements within the space of page to actively convey the message of the brand. I aspire to be a strong Graphic Designer who focuses on branding using my knowledge of design elements and personal skills to convey a clients needs.
Dissertation
The language of painting: A reinvention by the New York action and colour field painters
Final year project
Penguin Bookmark
Experience
'18-Present Freelance design @ Beth McGlynn Design
I produced Freelance designs in mainly marketing and branding content. I have been commissioned by an Equestrian recruitment agency for an advert design. I have also completed branding and logo designs for a start up Campervan rental company. My main and ongoing commission is a marketing campaign for a pub where I have created social media content, posters for inside the pub and chalkboard signage in the bar to advertise their gin range. For this client I have also created corresponding gin and malt menu materials for customers ease of ordering. Through producing these commissions I have been able to put my knowledge learnt from my degree in a practice setting with real clients and deadlines.
'15-Present Bar staff @ The New Plough Inn
I work behind a bar serving customers which means I have gained communication skills as well confidence. I have also improved my memory from having multiple drinks on order. Multi-tasking is a key skill needed to work behind a bar as you’re serving different people as well as re-filling stock. I am also fully Cellar trained which shows my boss has confidence in me. My latest role is acting marketing designer for our extensive gin range.