Info Design by Kathy

Starting this project was a bit of a blur to me since it’s felt like so long since we actually started the project and research stage. Overall I’ve found this project to be quite a challenge in many aspects yet the results and final outcomes of this project has provided me with a new understanding as well as a sense of achievement in learning new programs and tools.

One of the biggest challenges was that the brief was so open and very much up to interpretation. This was a good yet bad thing since it allowed both Holly and I to be so creative and have no restrictions yet it was hard to finalise and set out an end goal when we didn’t quite know where to start. I think there were points where we had so many ideas and just wanted to create them all. It definitely wasn’t possible so refining and creating what was necessary as a part of our system took a bit of tasking.

One of the main elements I took away from this was laser cutting and just learning how to create 3D renderings. Laser cutting was definitely a big part of this entire project for both Holly and I since it was something we had never even worked with or really thought about working with in any of the other projects. I think being able to learn how materials work and how you can use materials in certain ways is definitely a tool to take onto other projects in the future. Creating the 3D renderings and just putting elements into space and perspective was something we had never really touched base on in communication design since it had never been necessary as a part of our degree but through this I’ve learnt how to use it to create mockups and put ideas in our mind into 3D spaces.

Main Signage (map section)

We also decided to cut the map part of the main signage. There wasn’t really any need to cut out the text to the right side just because the treatment would be exactly the same as the information boards. 

In Situ

The After (Hammered Copper)

As explained in the previous post but this way you can see how the copper makes a huge difference when propped against what it would be in real life (concrete). For some reason the photos also didn’t show up too true to colour, it’s more of an in-between the first and second photo.

The Before (wood)

Materialising 

As we had been cutting with wood this entire time, it would leave burn marks around the cutouts which provided contrast with whatever we would layer on top. By spray painting over it, the burn mark would be gone and the contrast wouldn’t be as obvious. We did a quick spray test on one of the letters to see how it would work and it turned out quite well. 

The Main Map

For our main map the text would be treated the same way as it is on the individual info signage throughout the loops. It would be made into a letter press block giving the same historic feeling. The map itself with the topographical lines would be layered on top of one another - still sticking with the theme of layering which pairs well with the letter press typography. 

How it works with the loop information

The way it would work with the information placed throughout the loops is that each signage would correspond with the index on the main map. 

S1 on the map is near the main entrance and at the point you would see North Battery and at the point would also be signage to let you know where you are. 

Letter Press

We took our ideas to action and went forward with creating one of the loop information boards. The actual size of this in real life would be 594x841mm which would be the same height as the main map sign. We decided to try laser cut the entire thing on an A3 which just did not work well at all - the letters turned out much too small for it to actually be legible. We then decided to just make it ‘life-size’ and only cut a portion of it that would fit onto an A3. 

Final Rendering of Loop Signage - Front (Type Layer)

This is the grayscale render of the typography layer. This aspect is a play on the idea of topographical layers and is purely used as an easy indication of the loop you are currently walking through and where you need to follow. 

Final Rendering Main Signage (Map Section)

For the final map render we felt that only the map part needed to be done. The right side of this main signage would be information which would be created the same way it is on the information board - as letter press blocks.

Final Rendering of Loop Signage - Back (Information Board)

This is a final grayscale render for the information board (on the other side would be the typography layer). It consists of the loop, the ‘feature’ you’re at, some information and then at the bottom you would get an indication of where you’re at and how far you have to go still. 

When it came time to 3d rendering I decided to explore a few different options to create the best model for our way showing system. Holly was working on a lot of the manual whilst I did the 3d models which was the easiest way for us to work. 

I briefly looked at sketch up but found the renderings made on there didn’t really suit what we wanted as it was more for buildings and such. This is a general idea of what it could do but I wasn’t entirely happy as it seemed a bit too cartoonish.

Next I decided to look into the 3d rendering options on illustrator. I felt that since we were doing more design based work to do with signage, it would be much easier to use - it was also a program I knew how to use. Below are some of the progress screen shots which basically provided exactly what we wanted - basic grey scale renderings that would depict an idea (and where you can hopefully get a feel) of our way finding design.

For our final wayshowing system we wanted to mostly create a system around the idea of layers which stemmed from the topographical layers which were inspired by the fact that North Head is a very hilly site. We also wanted to maintain the historical feeling you also get when visiting the site

As a part of our system we wanted to include a main map at the beginning. We definitely liked what we already had going on with the topographical layers and then type on the side next to it. We’d engrave the different points of interest onto the map and then index it on the side with the rest of the info.

For the loops we wanted to use typography to label and indicate which loop was which and make it easier for visitors to locate which loop they are currently on. By using the beginning of each letter of the loop (i.e T for tunnel, C for coastal, S for summit) it would be easy to spot. We would create typography layers (a play on topographical layers) where they stacked on top of each other and extruded outwards. 

On the back of these typography layers we would have the information we found on the website. Newspaper was a media style we wanted to use since it’s quite relevant and adds to the historical feeling. However from last week we had decided to revisit the idea of letterpress blocks. So instead of just printing on newsprint we would create the look of wooden letterpress blocks to display information throughout each of the loops.

http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/auckland/places/maungauika-north-head-historic-reserve/

We had found heaps of info on the government site for north head early on. There were a few pdfs like self guided walks and a general fact sheet that would’ve been really helpful for people visiting the site. None of this information is available at the site so a part of our system was to also provide visitors to the site a greater understanding of the area and what it actually is. 

Further Ideation

Week 9 was a bit of an ideation session for us. After doing all those test cuts and prints and just doing some experimentation in general, Holly and I weren’t too quite sure where to go. We definitely felt like we needed more of a system and although our layering concept was great (and something we will continue to go with) more information based ideas would also be nice. 

We came up with the idea of using slabs (concrete most likely) to mount our signs on. Concrete is already a big part of the site (also adds to the idea of history) and so using materials or textures that are already found there would integrate our designs in much better and make it look like it belongs. - There is also a lot interest for us surrounding the idea of man man vs natural so it would definitely be nice for us to put say metal/copper signages onto a concrete slab.

Also for us we wanted to make the most of the space we have. North head is quite a big area with lots of information (not currently display there at the site) compacted in it. It would be really helpful for visitors if there was ephemera (a self guided walk?) for them to take around the site with them with info and what not. It would just be a helpful addition in case people got lost or wanted to go to specific sites the mountain has to offer.

Along the lines of making the most of our space, adding more info on the back of each slab would also be helpful. The slabs would be placed every so often (6 or 5 times) throughout the loops and the information on it would just be what’s around the area of that slab. At first we were gonna do a newspaper sort of info sheet (which could still be cool) but after talking to G we revisited the idea of letter blocks. We had this idea a while ago but moved away from it so it was nice to sort of come back and revisit ideas. 

Sizes

After doing the life size test (1:1 ratio), we definitely felt that the rest of our signage and systems should be a similar size. The test (previous post) we did of our main map was a0 which is 841 x 1189 mm. This was a pretty good size and the text was definitely readable. - What currently exists at the space to guide you through the loops aren’t recognisable and are small and short which means they’re hard to see. - Definitely something we considered.

For the concrete slabs and info used throughout the loops, we figured putting 5 or 6 throughout the loops would be good so that people would get information constantly throughout.

Where we’re placing our signs