OUGD603: Something More

The Brief

The subject I was given to rethink was a 'Library'.

I mind mapped some ideas to get me started on what I thought could improve a library.

Here are some initial ideas on the brief

I started by thinking about the library space and why people don't regularly use it. I felt that a library was very bleak. The furniture is really uncomfortable and plain, theres nothing comfortable or colourful about it. Carpets are always really bland, and the strip lighting isn't exactly inviting.

I then looked at the Leeds Library, and the interior was completely different to your usual council library. This area is very traditional, it feels really grand and old. The space still feels uncomfortable but the traditional element kind of makes the experience more thrilling.

I also looked at the Leeds University Library, which is also completely different. Again its very grand but it feels very formal, not a place where you would go to relax and read.

After looking at the Libraries I felt like the interior was a problem, but this also got me thinking about why people don't use it. One thing I found is that a lot of people forget the library is there, and are unaware of the benefits that the library can give.

Changing the interior of the library would definitely benefit the space and create a much more comfortable environment for people to read and learn in.

But then that got me thinking about what reading a book is really all about. You read to educate, entertain, inform and when reading a book you get lost inside it, you don't particularly pay attention to the interior around you.

My idea was to create a campaign that informs and educates people on the benefits of reading, in an engaging way, but also creates awareness that the library recourses are available for everyone.

For my campaign I want to create 8 posters that have quotes from famous authors/ quotes about the importance of reading. The posters will also be in a banner form, printed onto canvas bags and t shirts. The campaign aims to get people thinking differently about the library and its resources.

Initial ideas and development

I started with the name 'Do You Read?', trying out different fonts to see which one would work best. I wanted something that was going to be friendly but also quite serious. I tried out a few san serif fonts, as I was initially going for a grunge/ hand printed effect.

The logo for the campaign is an open book. I felt it was appropriate as it almost like you are being invited to have a look inside.

Initial logo sketches

Development

After completing a logo I applied it to the name of the campaign 'Do You Read?'. At this point I was still deciding on the font and colour choice. I decided to go with yellow, I felt like it was very uplifting, it was approachable, and when looking at the psychology of yellow it is said that it inspires original thought and inquisitiveness.

I decided to use the font Mermaid, which was a bold serif font. I think it fit with tone of voice, which I wanted to be serious, informative and educational. After picking the font I then thought about maybe changing the title of the campaign. I liked the idea of getting lost in a book, so I renamed it Lost in Literature. After having a small crit with my classmates, I decided to keep the name as Do You Read, but to have the slogan of the campaign as 'Get lost in literature'.

The campaign would be a month long event that would take place in all major cities, and would basically be a month of sticking up posters/ banners round the city, creating awareness of the library resources, and trying to get people use the library more often. Stalls would be set up outside local libraries giving out t shirts and bags.

For the posters I wanted to inform people about why it is good to read, and I thought by using famous authors and academics this would get the message across in a much more serious/ and informative manner.

I did originally like the idea of having each poster as a different old book, and layering the quotes on top, but after trying it out I realised I didn't like the idea.

I found a few quotes that I thought were most inspiring.

I decided as well as having quotes I'd have a picture of that author/ academic who said it. I found that most of the pictures were different sizes, to tackle this problem I decided to make all the images into bitmaps, and to just keep the black, therefore when I placed them on the yellow background they will look like a duo tone image.