The Task

Design a signing system based on pictograms for a public building or area of your choice and produce a word processed critique of the system and the design process.

A suitable vector-based graphics program (e.g. Illustrator or Inkscape) must be used for the logo and letterhead design parts of the task.

Sample work is available on-line and in past student portfolios in Queen's Building.

The Signing System

By 'based on pictograms' it is meant that pictograms should be the main signing device, though text can obviously be used where necessary.

Wherever text is used, give thought to the style and size of typeface for the text on the signs. State the name of the typeface within your critique. Give reasons behind your choice of typeface in your critique.

Where to choose?

Examples of places for which to produce a signing system are: university building, theatre, cinema, leisure or sports complex, factory, tourist area such as a village, castle, stately home etc.

How many signs or pictograms?

The number of signs required to effectively sign somewhere will clearly depend on the location selected.

Each sign may also have one or more pictograms (as well as text) on it.

However for the purposes of making this task reasonable from the point of view of your workload:

• designing about 10 pictograms will be adequate
• and provide a representative sample of signs using the pictograms.

It is up to you if you want to design more pictograms and signs than this.

The Critique

A critique of your signing design must be included. The critique can be of any length, but a guide length is about 800 words. You can certainly write more if you wish - the longer the critique the better, as it usually shows you have really thought about the problems.

Do include illustrations in the critique if you wish. Illustrations can be particularly useful for presenting more meaningful analytical discussion of any existing signing system and of any visual material you may have used. You can also take photographs of the location and use these in the critique, scanning them in and even superimposing your signs onto them, to show more clearly how they would appear in their intended location.

Discuss the history of the signing system at the chosen location/building, i.e. what, if anything, has existed in the past, what is currently there and how your system relates to or develops past or present signing.

Use the critique to state the source of any textual or visual material, not your own, which has been used in your design or which has influenced your design.

In brief, the critique should include (though not necessarily discussed in this order):

• An analysis of the location's function
• An analysis of any existing or past sign system at the location
• The location's 'customers' - i.e. to whom do the signs have to appeal and how this affects the design
• Its market stance - what sort of 'quality feel' do the signs need
• Some indication of actual size of the signs and the material they will be made of, e.g. plastic, clear perspex, painted metal etc.
• Justify what you have done, bringing out the good and bad points of the design
• A bibliography of material you have read in connection with developing the design
• ... in effect sell me (the client) your design.

The design process

Consider where the signs are to go, how visible and informative they must be and hence their colour, size, shape, typography, use of direction indicators etc.

How you approach this problem is very much up to you - you are the designer. You will need to analyse what the location requires, from a users and a potential visitor's point of view. Work out how you would produce a package to sell to the client - what do they need to see to give you the contract.

If it would be helpful to the design brief and to a visitor to the location, a schematic map/plan of the location can be produced, which makes use of the signs/pictograms.

Do not design emergencey exit signs, fire points etc, as these signs are covered by EU legislation specifications.

What to submit

1. The appropriate graphics files must be submitted with the task, as well as the paper versions of the design material. The files can be submitted by email or on memory stick (the storage media will be returned to you). Please state the name of the files to be looked at in the critique. If the typeface(s) used are not generally available on PCs, please include the relevant font files in your submission.
2. A word-processed critique. Submitted on paper and electronically.
3. By all means include any rough working, preliminary sketches etc. - which will be discussed in the critique.
4. If you have problems getting correct colours printed, but they are fine 'on screen', do not worry - just state in the critique that the graphics files should be referred to for correct colours.
5. All images must be in Illustrator or Inkscape (or alternative vector-based program) - no bitmap (e.g. created in PhotoPaint or Photoshop) images are to be used.
6. No clipart can be used. The task will receive a fail mark if it is.

Marking Criteria

The things I shall be looking for when marking the signing system and critique are available as a Word file.