criticalthinkingnicolasmifsud

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Week 33 : Research #4

Logo psychology:

People tend to subconsciously associate meanings with logos, visual elements help connect ideas and opinions. Logos also create meaning and value to entities by developing a comprehensible identity to costumers. ( Rafaeli, Sagy and Derfler-Rpzin, 2008). This helps the consumer to have more immediate reaction when they see a visual element, therefore in the future it ties the emotion with the idea and the brand itself. To evoke emotion or action from the consumer they add the social context to the logo. Through the research done by Rafaeli, Sagy and Rozin results show that costumers are more willing to comply with requests when they are being made by and organisation which appears to be more legitimate. It is explained that legitimacy is socially constructed, symbols such as logoed materials and clothing become more established with compliance. Companies must try to develop branding that strives to seem a legitimate as possible, this will therefore provide a visual representation of the company. (Ditsch, 2012).

As logo design is a form of non-verbal communication which consists of various traits, it will result in people having multiple meanings to the same logo. The form a logo takes always reflects the character of the company to the consumers for better or for worse.

A few studies that are based on logo design recognise the need for rationale when it comes to creating an effective logo and there are various approaches one can take to do so. Hutton presented a conceptual framework for corporate identity programs. Its purpose was to help in logo design, branding and also marketing communication. It also helps to aid in being more efficient and be more accountable when it comes to managing these efforts. ( Hutton, 1997).

Hutton, J.G.H. (1997) ‘The influence of brand and corporate-identity programmes on consumer behaviour: A conceptual framework’, Journal of Brand Management (2), Pp120-135. [Accessed on:13/05/2017].

Rafaeli, A.R,  Sagy Y.S, and  Derfler-Rozin R.DR.(2008) ‘Logos and Initial Compliance: A Strong Case of Mindless Trust.’ Organization Science pp. 845-859.  [Accessed on:13/05/2017].

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week 32: Research #3

The Segments 

Demographics: This is the study of human population, this can be further subdivided into further structures. (age, gender, family size, family life cycle, income, occupation, generation, ethnicity, nationality, religion and social class, economic factors). It is important to acknowledge differences in demographics. (Goyat , 2011.) Demographics are the most widely used methods to segment markets. This is probably due to it being the easiest way to generate relevant information from government statistics.

Psychographics: This segment classifies consumers depending on their personalities (Interests, activates, opinions, values, attitudes).  ( Goyat,  2011). This is still a problematic segment due to how difficult it to measure the consumer’s psychological traits on large scales. Therefore this type of segmentation is not used as much due to how hard it is to gather enough information to which it will be beneficial to the organisation.  (Blythe, 2012.)

Geographic:  An organisation might opt to look into this type of segmentation for various reasons. The organisation’s resources are limited and therefore the organisation might have a small area to cater to, this might change as the organisation grows. It might be the product itself, having some sort of limitations, such as fresh food and high risk products (break easily). The final reason is that the product might be appropriate for a specific area such as clothing, for example skiing equipment would not be reasonable to be sold in Malta. Organisations/ companies might want to segment geographically depending on the types of housing. Products aimed for younger people will be heavily marketed and sold  in university town, while products for an older generation will be present in retirement areas and so forth.  ( Blythe, 2012). Climate, population density and region: by continent, state, country, by neighbourhood and also the size of the metropolitan area which is segmented according to the population size, are other segments which may take effect.  (Goyat, 2011.)

Behavioural:  This method of segmentation is a useful and reliable way to segment a target market, as it is the most obvious.  This is the way the population respond to, use or know the product.  The consumer considers various factors before making a decision, therefore the way the market is segmented can affect the decision making (Bhasin,2016).  Benefits sought usage rate, brand loyalty, user status, readiness to buy and Occasions are other further segments.  (Goyat, 2011.)

References: 

Goyat, S.G. (2011) ‘The basis of market segmentation: a critical review of literature’, European Journal of Business and Management ,(9), pp46-55. Available at: http://www.iiste.org/Journals/index.php/EJBM/article/view/647 [Accessed on: 03/05/2017].

Blythe, J.B. (2012) Essentials of Marketing. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

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Week 31 : Research #2

Segmentation :

Target markets are segmented are groups  or segments, depending on the consumers in terms of their need and wants, the first segmentation concept was developed by Smith in (1957).  This is done to identify a group of people which have similar need or needs which can be met by a single product. This helps organisation be as efficient as they possibly can, this helps the organisation concentrate its efforts. (Blythe, 2012.)

Segmenting markets is not as simple as that. It is a marketing strategy that determines which segments an organisation determines to target, developing a specific marketing mix to adapt around the selected market. Geographic, demographic, psychographic and behavioural are the segments upon which segmentation is based, but these same segments can be further subdivided into other segments. (Goyat, 2011.)

If a certain segment has been identified correctly, it should be much easier for the organisation to meet the needs of that target market, it has the opportunity to have the upper hand when it comes to segment effectively compared to its competitors .The organisation will have a clearer idea on what to provide having specialised products that are nearly right for their consumers in that certain segment. This will also help them communicate better with their customers, this might make customers have the will to pay extra premium, and rather than going for a product that does not quite meet their expectations. Customers are willing to pay a little more for something that is more closely approaches the ideal. Some might think that if organisation only focuses on certain segments that they will not grow or that they will have a limited audience. This might not always be the case as a product might appeal to various segments, and if an organisation is large enough it can have different products aimed at different segments.   (Blythe, 2012.)

Blythe, J.B. (2012) Essentials of Marketing. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. 

Goyat, S.G. (2011) ‘The basis of market segmentation: a critical review of literature’, European Journal of Business and Management ,(9), pp46-55. Available at: http://www.iiste.org/Journals/index.php/EJBM/article/view/647 [Accessed on: 03/05/2017].

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Week 30 : Research #1

Logos

A strong logo should defiantly help define what a company is all about rather than just define what it does. Many times people assume that logos have to be literal. “For example, a travel company having a logo with a plane, suitcase, or passport in it or a motorcycle company having a logo with a motorcycle in it. However, in reality the logo is an opportunity to convey something more powerful and deeper than that.” ( Zeda, 2016). Some of the greatest logos of all time express the personality or culture of the company, rather than what it actually does. Nike, NBC, Toblerone and the Museum of London are great examples of this theory. ( Zeda,  2016).

Nike: The Nike swoosh was inspired by the Greece goddess Nike, the logo takes form of her wings from a side position.

Toblerone: This company started out in Switzerland, in a city called Bern, it is also known as the city of bears. Therefore they implemented the bear into their logo incorporating their roots, while staying true to their origins.

NBC:  The peacock is an elegant bird, so in this case it represents richness in colour. Each branch is represented by a coloured feather, also the peacock is looking to the right, and this is suggesting that it is looking to the future rather than to the past.

Reference:

Zeda(2016).Never North. Available at: http://nevernorth.com/ultimate-guide-to-logo-design/ [Accessed on: 26/04/2017].

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Week 29: Debate #3

Sophie Tabone Vs Annealiese Grima

Aesthetics vs Functionalism in product design

The debate started out by both participants giving an introduction to their standpoint. Sophie started out by asking which one is more eye catching functionality or aesthetics (shape, colour, form and look). It was a good way to present her idea. But what happened throughout the debate is that they mentioned their own personal interests, which is not ideal. Then again they also mentioned examples, results, studies and research they had done. This showed that they had good knowledge on their chosen area.

Anneliese’s introduction stated that companies should strive for packaging that is easy to carry and use. She explains that companies which fail to produce functional products will not make profits in the long run and therefore they will be not successful. This a very strong point to introduce at the start of her debate.

This thing  with the arguments presented is that they gave all related examples which were from a very limited topic area, makeup. At first it seemed as if they only researched that line of products, which is a bad way to go with things. But it could also be reason that they just used it as an example, but then again they still could have presented better arguments if they talked about other products.

This was probably the longest debate but this not necessarily a good thing as it was all over the place, and both participants were out of place and not taking turns to talk.  The two seemed to be in a cat fight with no boundaries, it to me seemed more like an argument than an organised debate.

I appreciate the passion both of them had for the side they represented, but this was way too much. What was good about it is that didn’t read off of their and they included the audience with their debate, a bit too much sometimes.

In my opinion there was no clear winner, due to the way they presented the debate.  As it was a horrible way to try to prove your point to your audience and have them take your side, a calm more structured argument would have been the way to go. Also as Sophie mentioned a product has to be both aesthetically pleasing as well as functional, for it to be as successful as possible.

In such a debate, what Sophie could have mentioned is that if a customer is presented with two products with the exact same contents at the same price, but one is packaged in a more appealing manner the customer is more likely to go for that product.

Annealiese could still easily counter the argument, by saying that usually nicer packing means that there is more costs (which means the product has to be more expensive to cover the costs, or the company has to sacrifice its profit margin). Therefore generally in reality this is rarely the case. Also nicer packaging indicates the quality of the product which affects the price.

This debate title had high potential but the way it was tackled was very unprofessional and it was all over the place and loud.

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Week 28 : Debate #2

Vanessa’s and Cheyenne’s Debate

Title: Graphic design vs web design

Vanessa starts out debating, she gives us an introduction about what they will be talking about throughout. She talks on behalf of both of them as the introduction is a general one. During this introduction most of it was read out which looks very unprofessional and unprepared, it could also be the case that nerves have kicked in. But I still think this was a weak introduction to her topic as all she did was explain the differences between the two and did not state her position. All she mentioned was that having the graphic design software does not make you a designer a good point but I still cannot see the relevance of it to the argument.

Cheyenne introduction was similar to the one Vanessa had just given us, she once again explained what the topics were. Which was kind of useless they should have decided between them to who gives out the introduction, as this seemed as she was trying to use as much time as possible. Also both of them didn’t use up the 5 minutes it was pretty short actually just over 3 minutes which would have been fine if they had gotten their point across. She also reads most of the information off her notes and they could have added some relevant arguments because in Cheyenne’s case, no point is brought forward.

The next part went smoother for Vanessa she reads less and brings information that strengthens her standpoint. She says that code can be more annoying to work with then software, as mistakes in code effect the website she also says that graphic designer software is easier to use. Although I do not totally agree with this statements as no facts were provided and it was presented as a biased comment.

Cheyenne on the other hand still reads a lot on her next turn, but her points are stronger and are backed up with research. She says that web design strives to go further and that it will grow much more in the next 5 years and also that web designers have a better income. Also a good point is that web design is more environmentally friends as when you do mistakes you can just fix them and not having to print everything all over again. She ended on a strong note, this was a very good way to finish as Vanessa had already had her turn to bring forward her arguments.

During the question period Vanessa tries to respond to Cheyenne’s argument, by saying there is always the option to prove read / check before you print. But this is not such a strong point, as you still have to print on paper, and if the design is not liked you have to reprint, while web you can just change the layout with no consequences.

The conclusions were pretty weak from both sides, Vanessa just repeats what she had said before that software is easier. On the other hand Cheyenne brings up a valid point, that graphic designers, on their own cannot design a website.

Overall I think they could have done a better job. They never used up the entire allocated time, they should have taken their time to explain and strengthen their arguments, or else they should have added more points. They sometimes referred to each other’s arguments but most of the time they just moved onto another topic and did not refer to what the other had said. Cheyenne seemed to be more attentive and she also took notes to what Vanessa was saying. This helped her out a bit and she also backed up her information with research, therefore in my opinion Cheyenne clearly came out ahead in this debate.

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Week 27: Hypothesis

What brought the title of this thesis to my attention is when I was reading up on some logos, this was for another assignment when I came across the Coca - Cola’s history. This is when I recalled that I had some previous research that I had collected from my studies in marketing about Coca ��� Cola. Therefore I looked into it, and it showed that due to it being such a household name, when they changed the bottle, logo, and the brand’s overall look, the customers were nostalgic and missed the old versions. This was such a huge setback that the company had to revert back to its old ways.

Therefore does the audience control logos or do the companies have this control?  This is the question that I aim to answer through my research, or rather which affect which most.

Customers have more choice in today’s market, so companies much meet the customers’ needs and wants in order to thrive.

While assuming this, one must take in consideration that this argument is to be valid in consumer oriented markets (generally the concept most advanced countries follow). If this is that case the customer should have control of this same market.

These are all concepts that marketers follow, the customer is always right, consumer oriented markets and so on. But companies target certain audiences depending on their marketing mix. So therefore in a sense the companies still have control.

I originally wanted to work on the aspect of just logos and their effects but I opted to change it up a little and work on the brand as a whole rather than just logos.

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Week 26: Debate #1

Jake’s and Daniel’s Debate

Title: Pre-made mock ups vs original work

The debate starts out with Daniel giving and introduction to his topic he then states his side with a rhetorical question. He then immediately starts to attack his opponent’s side, he says that mock ups limit creativity and that people just use it to straight up copy work. Although good points, I would have kept such arguments to counter my opponents sayings.  At this point he also debates well, in a sense that he does not read off his notes, but still fails to engage himself with the audience.

First of all Jake decided to start out by saying that one can learn from mock-ups as one can see the process of the designer, this was in a way a response to that Daniel said that mock-ups limit creativity. This was a good way to show that his standpoint is still valid.

Jake then continued to counter Daniel’s arguments that he had brought up in his introduction, in my opinion it was a good approach. Jake gives the example that if one uses  ready made fonts, in their designs it’s in a way copying work and most designers use fonts which already exist as creating a font for one specific job is too time consuming and the clients pay for the product.

Daniel then decided to go back to the same argument that Jake had just responded, he said that designers should know the basics that you learn from mock-ups, that a designer should have their own mock-ups and that selling ready made mock-ups can be bad for the industry. Although he had some good points, this still was not a good way to go about things, unless you have a stronger argument to bring up which wasn’t the case. Jake won this argument and Daniel should have moved to another point to discuss.

Not to disregard all the points Daniel made he also brought up that working with other people will help you learn as a designer, which is a valid argument. If he has focused on that I think his argument would have been stronger. It is also a free way to learn compared to sometimes having to pay full versions for mock-ups.

At this point it seems that they have run out of points to talk about as Jake goes back the same argument he presented before. He goes back to the point that the clients just want the finished work, and mock-ups just reduce the time to produce this work and that you can still learn from mock-ups.

When it was time to ask Daniel brought up a valid point through a question he asked, he asks if it is okay to download stuff off the internet and claim it as being your own work. He also says collaboration is a good way to go about it.

Jake’s response ignores the first question and answers the collaboration part. It is a good tactic to deviate from a point which was strong from Daniel’s part.

And finally they concluded their side, by giving a summary of what they had just said. This debate seemed to well prepared for the most part, but they should have included more varied points to talk about and not stick around the same 2 throughout the debate. Also in my opinion the way Jake debated was smart, he reacted well to Daniel’s arguments and this is what made it seem like his side was the better one.

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Week 25: My Debate Experience

As I went in for the debate I was not nervous at all, as I was well prepared and well informed about the topics on the debate, considering it was the first debate to be presented. At least that’s what I taught up until the debate actually started that is when the nerves set in.

The debate still went on smoothly and I ended up having more than enough information thorough the debate, I could have included more points in the introduction if I had known this was the case, but at the time I did not want to play out all my cards so early on in the debate. Therefore I ended up not using all the information/ points due to time constraints.

I had planned to have some extra information for me to play around with.  Also to counter argue my opponent’s arguments, but it ended up with a lot of leftover information. This was also partly due to me planning for 3 sectors of 5 minutes each, but I was mistaken I and the debate actually included (from my part to present) 2 parts of 5 minutes and a one minute conclusion.

The thing that challenged me the most during the debate was the question part, especially when it was my turn to ask questions. I was a bit lost and was not sure what direct questions I could ask.

Overall I think I did the debate went well. I debated in a professional manner while backing up my information with arguments which referred to studies which were reliable. Also the information I gathered was presented by designers with experience.

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Week 24: Debate Research    part 2

Further Technical Aspects:

When it comes to print design it is not just creative but it is also much more technical then you might think (actual dimensions of the final file, the dpi aka print quality, ink density restrictions), it’s more involved than just creating the design and the creative process. Also its more than layout and typography, it has very little to do with that but it actually involves making sure the colours are set properly, print is CMYK and you cannot just go on Photoshop and covert files to CMYK and just print them, screen is very different from print (Blake, 2014).

Engaging:

Print design also engages its users’ senses more and some still like the psychical tangible thing in their hand, one can keep and cherish it. This tactile experience includes texture, shape or printing effects like letterpress, embossing or screenprinting. A great example is books, many readers love the weight of a book in their hands, the texture, rustle and even the smell of the pages, these qualities cannot be replicated in any digital form. It had that authentic feel to it (Kliever, 2015).

Answers for possible questions:

(Even if there are mistakes that is part of the printing process, that is why proof reading has to be done (Mclnerney, 2016). Meanwhile once it’s you finished the design, one has less hassle, in the sense that once you are done no on-going changes have to be made, it’s done and dusted. While for web design one has to take in consideration the on-going changes).

(If you print design that was meant for the web you are defeating the purpose and you are contradicting yourself).

 Possible responses:

Undeveloped countries:

Why web design is not generally the best option. Your view is limited, you are only taking in consideration developed countries, would you now agree that less developed countries have limited or no access to online platforms. Therefore print in such circumstances is still a better option.

Options/Paper Waste:

Recycling is always an option. Also one should not ignore the electric expenses of to present your digital designs and also health issues that screen based media can have.

 Web / Screen Problems:

Print is immensely superior to digital in term of speed, type and image quality and the size of the visible space.

• Bandwidth has to be fast enough to download a page as fast as one can turn the page

• The screen resolution has to be sharp enough to render type that is so crispy that reading speed from screens reaches that of paper

For the next ten years or so, the differences will defiantly remain and will dictate restrictions on web design.

•Less graphics

• Smaller graphics

• Shorter text (since it is unpleasant to read online)

• Less fancy typography ( print designers are able to choose a considerable of fonts compared to digital design, since you don’t know what fonts the user has installed)

• And less ambitious layouts.

(Nielsen,1999).

Even if we get the perfect hardware in 10 years, it will continue to be necessary to limit things such as word count, since users are more impatient online and are motivated to move on. It will also be necessary to design digital information for small canvas layouts since portable devices will retain small screens when it comes to digital design (Mclnerney, 2016).

 Conclusions :

Print design is much more highly refined, as it has been around for a much longer time, also as evidence by glancing through the recent book of award winning designs. In digital design too many websites try to strive for the wrong standards of excellence that made sense in the print world but not sufficient advances in interactivity. Current digital design is insufficiently interactive and it has poor use of multimedia, it is rare for web animation to have any goal besides annoying the user (Nielsen, 1999).

References:

Differences Between Print Design and Web Design. Differences Between Print Design and Web Design. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ differences-between-print-design-and-web-design/. [Accessed 16 March 2017].

Design School. 2017. Graphic Design for Print vs The Web: 15 Vital Differences You Need To Know About – Design School. [ONLINE] Available at: https://designschool.canva.com/ blog/print-vs-web/. [Accessed 15 March 2017].

YouTube. 2017. Intro to Digital Print Production and Print Design - YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHHjHYV796E.[Accessed 15 March 2017].

Neuromarketing. Print vs. Digital: Another Emotional Win for Paper - Neuromarketing. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.neurosciencemarketing.com/ blog/articles/print-vs-digital.htm. [Accessed 15 March 2017].

Orbit Media Studios. 2010. Graphic Design vs. Web Design: Separate and Not Equal | Orbit Media Studios. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.orbitmedia.com/blog/ graphic-design-vs-web-design-separate-and-not-equal/. [Accessed 15 March 2017].

Designing for print vs. designing for web. 2011. Designing for print vs. designing for web. [ONLINE] Available at: http://nvision-that.com/design-from-all-angles/ designing_for_print_vs_designing_for_web. [Accessed 15 March 2017].

Freeport Press. 2011. Print vs. Digital: How We Really Consume Our Magazines – 2016 edition | Freeport Press. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.freeportpress.com/ print-vs-digital-how-we-really-consume-our-magazines/. [Accessed 15 March 2017].

National statistics Office, Malta (2015). ‘Demographic Review’, pp 1-135. Available at: https://nso.gov.mt/en/publicatons/Publications_by_Unit/Documents/C3_Population_and_Tourism_Statistics/Demographic_Review_2013.pdf. [Accessed 15 March 2017].

Print design versus web design / Interconnect IT – WordPress Consultants, Web Development and Web Design. 2016. Print design versus web design / Interconnect IT – WordPress Consultants, Web Development and Web Design. [ONLINE] Available at: https://interconnectit.com/blog/2016/06/01/print-design-versus-webdesign/. [Accessed 15 March 2017].

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Week 23:  Debate Research   part 1

For my debate my opponent and I are going to tackle the topic Print design vs. digital design. I will be advocating in favour of print design. When I will be talking about print design I will be referring to anything that is actually printed, anything from brochures, fliers, magazines, newspapers, CD cover to posters.

As a basic introduction to my topic I would like to bring to light that print design is indispensable nowadays and it will still be a viable option for many years to come. Completely eliminating print design will be detrimental when trying to maximise your audience, especially in less developed countries (Nielsen, 1999). As designers it’s our job to communicate effectively with both print and digital mediums, they should be accounted for separately and they are defiantly not equal. (Haas, 2010).

The other areas of research I went into where more specific topic/ ideas which had backed up information behind them, I also divided different arguments into sectors to help me during my debate:

Study Digital vs. Print:

As most of us know, every year we spend more and more time using digital devices, more media is consumed digitally. Therefore naturally advertising funding is increasingly flowing towards digital design. This should not stop companies from conducting mail campaigns just yet. New research shows that content presented on paper affects the brain in differently and in more powerful ways. These findings come from the Temple University consumer neuroscience researchers (Dooley, 2015). In the study conducted for the U.S Post office, they found significant differences in the way brains process the two different ad formats.

The test methods:

• they were exposed and interacted with a mix of 40 different physical and digital advertisements

• responded to surveys on the ads products and service preferences

• and they used methods such as eye tracking, skin conductance and heart rate

• they tested memory of ad contents and mediums

• stated their subconscious preferences for a the advertised products and they used functional MRI

What they found:

• digital ads were processed more quickly

• paper engaged viewers for more time

• subjects reported no preference for either medium •

subjects absorbed the same amount of information for both media

• a week later, subjects showed greater emotional response memory for physics media ads

• physical ads cause more activity in brain areas associated with value and desire

  Engaging:

Print design also engages its users’ senses more and some still like the psychical tangible thing in their hand, one can keep and cherish it. This tactile experience includes texture, shape or printing effects like letterpress, embossing or screenprinting. A great example is books, many readers love the weight of a book in their hands, the texture, rustle and even the smell of the pages, these qualities cannot be replicated in any digital form. It had that authentic feel to it (Kliever, 2015).

Answers for possible questions:

(Even if there are mistakes that is part of the printing process, that is why proof reading has to be done (Mclnerney, 2016). Meanwhile once it’s you finished the design, one has less hassle, in the sense that once you are done no on-going changes have to be made, it’s done and dusted. While for web design one has to take in consideration the on-going changes).

(If you print design that was meant for the web you are defeating the purpose and you are contradicting yourself).

Layouts:

Dimensionality print design is 2 dimensional, with much more attention paid to layout. It is possible for the reader to turn the page, but its substantial interplay between various spreads which is rare. Typically each design unit is created for a fixed size canvas. Therefore print design is more user friendly, in a sense that one can follow the printed design much more easily, less chance of confusion (Nielsen, 1991).

Ultra simple interface, as page turning is limited, is not even taught of as a design element. In contrast to web design navigation:

• How to explain where the users can go

• Visualisation of the user’s current location

• Information architecture

(Kliever, 2015).

 World Wide Web vs. age:

The WWW (World Wide Web) was introduced in the 1990, therefor people born in the early 80s were exposed and carried out most of their studies from books or in printed formats. Hence to date people who are in their mid-thirties, still feel more comfortable working or reading off printed format (In the study I analysed, the highest rate of respondents were the following age groups, 36-45, 46-55 and 56-65 and in fact the results showed that these age groups prefer print magazines) - 2016 edition magazine readers in the North America, Freeport Press Newsletter.

According to the national statistics office (Malta) more than 50 % of the local population is over 40 years of age hence for the next decade or so the printed version of documents and advertisements in printed format will still dominate the market. (NSO.gov.mt,demographic review of 2013)

 Viewing Control:

Print design has more control over how your audience sees your work, I’m not saying that digital platforms have no control, but print media is the better option. There are more factors to consider when designing for web, especially the viewing methods of ones work. A designer has to account for factors such screen size (resolutions), settings and brightness or colour profiles, these are some of the problems that arise (variables) (Smith, 2011). Other problems which web designers have to combat is compatibility, some of factors, designers might have no control over. Due to platforms having their own limitations, for instance iOS, Apple’s mobile operating systems won’t render any Flash-based designers and Internet Explorer (version 8 or below can’t display SVD’s (scalable vector graphics). This might affect the user experience, whilst when deigning for print you know exactly what you are printing on and if you put the design down and pick it up tomorrow, it will remain the same (Kliever, 2015).

Misconception:

A misconception is that print design is less vast then web design. What one might not realise is that when you have to bring files together for print there is a lot of preparation that goes into it, and it varies depending on the type of print media that’s available or the requirements needed. The production for a billboard is very different from print production, a newspaper, a business card or for a magazine. There are also things such a texture, weight and the finish that one has to account for. This is a very specific, specialised knowledge set that you have to have, before going into it (Blake, 2014).

References:

Differences Between Print Design and Web Design. Differences Between Print Design and Web Design. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ differences-between-print-design-and-web-design/. [Accessed 16 March 2017]. 

Design School. 2017. Graphic Design for Print vs The Web: 15 Vital Differences You Need To Know About – Design School. [ONLINE] Available at: https://designschool.canva.com/ blog/print-vs-web/. [Accessed 15 March 2017]. 

YouTube. 2017. Intro to Digital Print Production and Print Design - YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHHjHYV796E. [Accessed 15 March 2017]. 

Neuromarketing. Print vs. Digital: Another Emotional Win for Paper - Neuromarketing. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.neurosciencemarketing.com/ blog/articles/print-vs-digital.htm. [Accessed 15 March 2017]. 

Orbit Media Studios. 2010. Graphic Design vs. Web Design: Separate and Not Equal | Orbit Media Studios. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.orbitmedia.com/blog/ graphic-design-vs-web-design-separate-and-not-equal/. [Accessed 15 March 2017]. 

Designing for print vs. designing for web. 2011. Designing for print vs. designing for web. [ONLINE] Available at: http://nvision-that.com/design-from-all-angles/ designing_for_print_vs_designing_for_web. [Accessed 15 March 2017].

 Freeport Press. 2011. Print vs. Digital: How We Really Consume Our Magazines – 2016 edition | Freeport Press. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.freeportpress.com/ print-vs-digital-how-we-really-consume-our-magazines/. [Accessed 15 March 2017].

 National statistics Office, Malta (2015). ‘Demographic Review’, pp 1-135. Available at: https://nso.gov.mt/en/publicatons/Publications_by_Unit/Documents/ C3_Population_and_Tourism_Statistics/Demographic_Review_2013.pdf. [Accessed 15 March 2017].

 Print design versus web design / Interconnect IT – WordPress Consultants, Web Development and Web Design. 2016. Print design versus web design / Interconnect IT – WordPress Consultants, Web Development and Web Design. [ONLINE] Available at: https://interconnectit.com/blog/2016/06/01/print-design-versus-webdesign/. [Accessed 15 March 2017].

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Week 22: Logo Design Shapes

When we notice products, within a glance we usually know what a product is especially if it’s a popular brand with an iconic logo. The space of the apple logo, is done on purpose, it erases the noise around it.

Let’s take the apple logo for example, the logo is centered and isolated on all their products, this is done for a reason. It is kept simple, with one strong feature, and it is kept isolated to keep it away from all the chaos.

It’s harder then it seems, one might think simple logos are easy to design. It is quite the opposite (example national geographic)

 The three key elements that make up a logo are Colour, type and shape. Colours is a good identifier, especially when it’s used consistently throughout a brand, also bold colours tend to be more memorable. Next up is shape, shape is almost as strong as colour, and different shapes portray different meanings. For example:

Circle portray endless lines, equal pressure, natural focal point, it’s the shape of the pupil the entrance to the soul.

Oval not used as commonly, but makes good badges, car companies use them and it also is a pill shaped and therefore it is a good idea for pharmaceutical companies.

Arches, they are hard to work with, but it can make a very effective logo especially with type (Ben & Jerry’s for example)

Square, it has equal sides but it does not appear in nature and therefore it suggests the build environment. It is symmetrical with four pointing arrows at the sides, it is much more complicated than the circle and it also shows precision.

You can also play with the square, for example round the edges it makes for a good kids logo. If you turn it round it becomes a diamond, edgy logo, you can curve the sides once again and it can make a good badge.

Triangle it has one strong arrow pointing upwards, the base is stable, and it’s a very energetic shape that be used as a box edge.

Shields have ancient roots, have a family crest feel, groups, badges and clubs used them.

Theses shapes should now be taken as solid shapes, one can play with them as they like, use empty space, change direction, etc…

 Bibliography:

Creative Staff. (2016) Creative Bloq. Available at:  http://www.creativebloq.com/logo-design/psychology-logo-shapes-8133918[Accessed on 2 March 2017].

 Ramona Sukhraj. (2016) Impactbnd.com. Available at:  https://www.impactbnd.com/blog/psychological-meaning-of-shapes-in-logos [Accessed on 2 March 2017].

[criticalthinkingnicolasmifsud]

Week 21: Logo Design

I will be looking into attributes that make up good logo. My idea for the thesis title revolves around logos and therefore this research will be beneficial for me in the future. I will start from the basics some brief research to enforce what I know maybe I would have missed some important factors.

First of all, what is a logo?

The topic is very vast. A logo can be describes as being  a distinctive way to write your name, it can be plain or fancy, it has to represent you, just like a signature. Logos are everywhere around us, and they work as identifiers. This is not to be mixed up, the job of a logo is not to get more costumers, it’s the marketing’s sector’s job, and logos should just work as identifiers.

What makes a good logo?

Logos should be of simple design,  they should also be able to work everywhere .It  has to be memorable,  not in a cliché kind of way - for example when you think of a coffee shop, what first comes to mind if a cup of coffee of coffee beans. That is not thinking out of the box, don’t go with trends, and think out of the box, also keeping in mind conservative concepts that have withstood the test of time.

What NOT to do!

Companies or anyone in that matter should not expect their logo alone to do everything for their branding, a logo can only do so much. The logo should now show the product we do exactly or what kind of products we make, it should be what the company is all about. It is also important to note that people don’t read logos they note them, therefore when one creates a logo they should not think so literally. Leave room for art to happen, art just happens we just feel it.

 Bibliography:

99designs. Available at: https://99designs.com/logo-design  [Accessed on 26 February 2017].

Lauren Hooker. (2015) Elle & Co. Available at: http://www.elleandcompanydesign.com/blog/2015/2/23/the-dos-and-donts-of-logo-design [Accessed on 26 February 2017].

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Week 20:

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Week 19: Back to school

A start to a new semester has arrived, lectures were due to start on Monday 6th. It already started on the wrong foot, even before the lectures have actually started.  During the week off I tried to motivate myself to work harder on this new upcoming semester. It was all in vain, once the new timetable was published my mood instantly was ruined and all motivation was lost, it’s the worst time table I’ve had so far.

The thing first I did was check whether or not any lectures clashed with any of my afterschool activities, and in fact they did. This causes a problem for me as I had to change up my entire schedule which is a total bummer, I take my afterschool activates really seriously. Four out of the five times a week, lectures do not end before 4: 30 pm and they also go on to 6:30 pm. Partially this is due to poor planning, some days I have up to four and half hours of free time between lectures and also  it is due to having one more module than the last semester.

Some things never change on the first day of the semester, both lectures were cancelled , one of the lecturers did not advise us before hand and therefore we still ended up going to the collage for nothing.  One other thing which I taught is pointless is the fact that one of the modules we have this semester is very similar to one which we had the last scholastic year, before I came to any conclusions I went to check the material of that module and it was in fact very similar.

[criticalthinkingnicolasmifsud]

Week 18: Week off lectures

This week marks the end of the semester and a start to a new one, I will not be having any lectures and it is a great time to analyse the term. Also set goals for myself for the upcoming semester.

Reflecting is a very vague term, from the research I have done for previous blog posts about self-reflection I have learnt that it is important to observe yourself and examine what you taught, what you’re thinking and what you’re going to think, what you said, what you’re saying and what you’re going to say, what you did, what you’re doing and what you’re going to do.

We all have busy lives, I wake up shower, have breakfast, and attend lectures, and I end up getting tied doing whatever I do. Then I go home, cook, wash, clean and then somehow I end up getting stuck in this autopilot mode. I ended up becoming somewhat confused, disoriented on things. I have these questions lurking at the back of your mind that I can’t seem to answer. I sometimes wonder why things are the way they are, why I don’t fit in any particular group at all, what all my actions are leading to. I wonder why I do things I know I will regret later, other times I wonder if you have what it takes to be the person you want to be.

These questions can be avoided for some time but inevitably they will confront me. Those moments when I have to face myself will occur when there is a big change in my life, this is when I have to look into your fundamental nature, purpose and essence.  This week in my routine I have much more free time and therefore I will work on myself.

I decided to go by certain “rules” or “achievements”.  First of all I should take time to talk to people, in a sense were I listen to their stories. I might learn invaluable life lessons that our normal educational system does not teach us, as stories make people.

Appreciating what I have is another important one, I tend to take for granted of what I have. Also there is so much too active, but if I don’t enjoy every step of the way, when I get there I still won’t be happy.

Last but no least is leaving a legacy, what I have learned in life and what I will continue learning, will be passed on. Does my life  matter, is my life meaningful? This will be answered when I will pursue my passion in this way I can share what I have learned in any form I enjoy.

These factors will help me know where I am in life, helping me become a healthier, happier self.

[criticalthinkingnicolasmifsud]

Week 17 – Time management

As this semester comes to an end, I started to notice what an important role time management has. Previously during this semester I had problems with my computer, I had no excess to one during the Christmas holidays and I had to get a new one. This set me back quite a bit, so therefore for the past two weeks I had to work harder on my school assignments to try to catch up.

Due to other activities in my life which also take up my time, I had to try to manage my time in a better way, more efficiently than usual. When I looked into time management I found out that it is asset of principles, practices, skills, tools, and systems that help on use time to accomplish what they want.

Time managements is not only important for your personal life but it is also important for your career’s success.  Time is a limited resource one cannot store or save for later. Everyone has the exact same amount of time in a day. Lack of time management can lead to people seemingly having a lack of time to do stuff, and you end up making up excuses. It will also help you set your priorities straight, time is limited so plan your life wisely. It also helps you make conscious choices, so you spend more time doing things that you find more important and valuable.

When it came to my life I had to prioritise and sacrifice certain activities. In order to not miss any after school activities I opted to miss certain lectures to catch up on my work. I made this decision as I consider these activities as a break from school and I need time for myself, not having the entire world revolving around school, especially in times like this.

Bibliography:

Sasson, R. Successconsciousness.com. Available from: http://www.successconsciousness.com/blog/time-management/importance-of-time-management/ [Accessed on 23/01/2016]

Managementstudyguide.com. Availablefrom: http://www.managementstudyguide.com/time-management.htm [Accessed on 23/01/2016]