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Blog Post #7

Cerberus - Case Study

A considerable number of people feel unsafe and vulnerable when out and alone in their communities. The goal of this research project is to develop and build a community driven, personal safety mobile application to better understand the challenges and safety issues that arise for people at times when we are away from home. It will also determine the best options and processes to raise awareness of the associated issues through a comprehensive awareness campaign. Additionally, a volunteer network service is to be designed and put in place to directly help people that are struggling with the fear of walking alone at night. Ultimately, the intention of this project is to create a more comfortable environment for everyone so that all may bloom and prosper.

A Gallup (2009) survey in the U.S. notes how 51% of all women and 22% of all men are afraid of walking alone at night. In addition, lower income individuals, making under 35.000$ a year, of both genders are more likely to report fear of walking alone at night. Fifty nine percent of women and 30% of men are in this group which makes up 45% of the total of lower income individuals that were surveyed by Gallup.  Moreover, according to Meyer & Grollman (2014) three groups are more likely to report fear of walking alone at night: heterosexual women and LGBTQ2 people. Based on the results from the Gallup survey and the Meyer & Grollman study, there is a need for a service that would offer respite from the fear of having to walk alone at night. The target audience is both men and women, with a clear focus on lower income individuals, LGBTQ+ people and racial minorities.

However, as highlighted by the Gallup (2019) survey, there is a significant gap between the percentage of Americans that are afraid to be victimized when walking alone at night and the actual number of violent crimes as reported by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. There is, therefore, a hint at the reality that the fear that most people feel is not justified. Without minimizing the issue that walking alone at night is a dangerous situation for some of the population, bringing awareness to the actual numbers of crimes would surely be beneficial. In the same way as the Baltimore Public Crime Map helps its residents avoid higher risk areas, this app would provide its users with valuable information of local crime statistics combined with the ability to seek help if a threat may occur.

In the same way, Katy Guest (2018) from The Guardian mentions that even if a significant percentage of men are aware of the problem, there is still a substantial number of people who are not conscious of the steps that could be taken to help with the issue. In a similar way, people that feel uncomfortable with walking alone at night might benefit from knowing key information that would contribute to reducing their fear of the situation and even assist them if a dangerous situation should ever occur. For example, an emergency call option or an on-demand monitoring system similar to the services offered by the bSafe (n.d.) mobile application.

A community-driven service of walking buddy would serve as a unique solution on multiple levels. It would provide a low-cost service that would directly help people as well as raise awareness of the situation for both those who feel threatened by walking alone at night and those that may, unconsciously, contribute to the problem.

REFERENCES

Baltimore Police (2020, March 23). Crime map & data stats. https://www.baltimorepolice.org/

crime-stats/crime-map-data-stats

bSafe. (n.d.). bSafe - Never walk alone. bSafe. https://getbsafe.com/

Gallup. (2010, November 5). Nearly 4 in 10 Americans still fear walking alone at night. 

https://news.gallup.com/poll/144272/nearly-americans-fear-walking-alone-night.aspx

Guest K. (2018, October 8). Imagine if men were afraid to walk home alone at night. The 

Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/oct/08/women-men- curfew-danger-fear

Meyer D. & Grollman E. A. (2014). Sexual orientation and fear at night: Gender differences 

among sexual minorities and heterosexuals. Research Gate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259244100_Sexual_Orientation_and_Fear_at_Night_Gender_Differences_Among_Sexual_Minorities_and_Heterosexuals

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Project title: CERBERUS

Challenge:

It is hard to believe that, after all the effort we as a society have put into simplifying our lives and making our everyday routines as comfortable as possible, people are still afraid of walking alone at night. With the access to phones and cellular data becoming more and more essential, there should be a way for people to feel comfortable and safe in their communities. 

The approach:

To help remediate to the situation, I designed the branding for an app that focuses on creating a network of verified volunteers to act as walking buddies, helping insecure individuals feel safer when walking alone at night. According to my research, there are three main groups of individuals that report fear of walking alone at night: heterosexual women, sexual minority men and sexual minority women. In addition, individuals with lower income had almost three times as much chance to report being afraid of walking alone at night. Therefore, the design for this app should reflect accessibility and appeal to a wide range of audiences.

What I did:

Using androgynous colours, I crafted intriguing gradients and developped a very soft and inviting aesthetic in tandem with an edgy Font. The name Cerberus is, after all, the name of the literal guardian of hell, but in this case, the name serves as a reference to a pack of dogs, living and helping each other. This imagery is portrayed by the logo which features three dogs in its complex form and a single dog in its simplified version.

Project title: 4AM

Challenge:

The goal of this project was to create a captivating aesthetic and branding for a musician that captured his intensive growth as an artist and as a person. At the time, I had been working with 4AM for a few months on album covers for the artist’s social media pages, prominently using space as the main theme for the art direction of the artworks. Being ready to take on a bigger project, 4AM hired me to design a new branding for his work that would launch at the same time as his first virtual album release that would be called: Kronenbourg and Bandanas. 

The Approach:

As the virtual album release was mainly advertised on Instagram and since Instagram was the main platform for the artists’ promotion, the branding design and the artwork for the virtual album should take advantage of the easily shareable attributes of social media. 

What I Did

Using the 3 square layout of Instagram’s profiles as a means to display the album’s front cover, back cover and a picture of the artist that would’ve been on the inside cover of the album if it would’ve been a physical music album.

Project title: Chez Florence

Chez Florence aimed to be a hip and youthful Bed & Breakfast that would appeal to nature lovers and seekers of beautiful experiences. 

The Approach

According to my research, most of B&B’s optimal target audiences (ota) are travelers and the occasional local guests. As British Columbia serves as a hotspot for international and canadian travelers wishing to explore Canada’s wonderful outdoors, Chez Florence's main target audience will consist of guests who’s first experience with the brand will be virtually, through the branding. 

What I did

Consequently, the branding chosen for Chez Florence expresses a feel of a vintage cabin in the woods and of floral wallpapers that suggest the omnipresence of plant life, the perfect fantasy for any traveller wishing to experience a North-West B&B experience. The vintage script chosen as the brand’s logotype is reminiscent of a person’s signature, evoking a sense of a heartwarming and comfortable home away from home as well as a sense of welcoming familiarity.

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Portfolio Rationales

-CERBERUS-

Challenge :

Create intriguing aesthetic.

Accessibility.

Clear, professional, hip.

Create an inviting environment.

Lack of awareness of the issue and stigma around the people experiencing fear when walking alone at night.

The approach :

Design mainly aimed at three specific groups : Heterosexual women, sexual minority women and sexual minority men.

Edgy name, soft aesthetic.

Online interaction system that rewards younger generations’ use of mobile devices.

What I did :

Used intriguing gradients that featured androgynous colours as well as a combination of light and darker colours to appeal to both men and women alike.

Created soft and captivating gradients that create a concise branding feel.

Designed an app that connects everyone in a community together.

-4AM-

Challenge :

Create a captivating aesthetic for a musician which captured his own personality and style. Help musician expand and grow as an artist.

The Approach :

Doublingdown on the main Theme of space and intrapersonal exploration, 4am’s music, a mix of hip hop and psychadelic blues, I established a feel and a branding that evolved throughout the artist’s personal evolution. At first, the space theme was pivotal but gradually gave place to a more psychadelic and self development oriented feel and aesthetic.

What I did :

Adapted the aesthetic of the albums to the musical themes used.

Changed the signature over time to represent the artists’ state of mind.

Focused heavily on social media posts advertising to expand artist’s audience.

-CHEZ FLORENCE-

Challenge :

Creating an interesting youthful aesthetic for a Bed & Breakfast.

Branding should communicate a closeness with nature and a love of plants.

The Approach :

According to my research, most of B&B’s optimal target audiences (ota) are international travelers and the occasional local guests. Amongst these (ota), Chez Florence specifically targets nature lovers and seekers of experiences. Consequently, branding chosen for Chez Florence expresses a feel of a vintage cabin in the woods, the perfect fantasy for any traveller wishing to experience a North-West B&B experience.

What I did :

Currently in progress.

At this point, I have designed a logo using a sophisticated vintage font and have added a green leaf to symbolize the closeness to nature.

To reinforce the theme of nature, an abundance of plants are present across the branding elements of the B&B, mirroring the lushful interiors of the establishment.

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MOODBOARD FOR MY PORTFOLIO STUDIO CLASS

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The link I will be using for my websites will be: About Me, Resume and Personal Projects.

The three projects I will be focusing my portfolio on are :

Cerberus, the project I am currently working on in Brad’s class that aims at creating a less stressful and more accessible environment for people to thrive in with a focus on helping people feel safer at night.

The branding I made for the artist 4AM which involves multiple album covers, logotype and branding exploration as well as photography.

Chez Florence, the project I am currently working on in Patrick’s class. This project is barely initiated but I believe it has a lot of potential in showing off my branding and design for business.

For Cerberus, I have already written up a lot as I have presented this project to the VIU REACH awards. I will, however, work on the mockups I’m using and make sure that they are personalised.

The branding for 4AM was already featured in my current portfolio so it already has some text attributed to it. However, I believe that text could be freshened up.

Chez Florence needs to be completed first, I have only a goal in mind and a logo but I see so much potential for a portfolio piece. I will also need to write text and create mockups/take pictures to showcase the design and the personality of the branding.

I may still change my mind but for now, my portfolio will be featured on : Semplice.com

With the domain name : Acedium.com

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My dream is to become a creative director for a video game or board game company. In order to achieve that goal, my first step is finishing my bachelor in design and moving on to the job market in order to gain experience. I would love to experience as much different environments as possible so that I can learn as much as possible. I would therefore try to get a job in a studio and as a freelancer so that I may try every aspect of the design career. Then, my goal would be to find a design job in a game design company and then rise the ranks there until I reach my ultimate goal : creative director.

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Blog Post #1 Inspiration

The use of colour blocks in Shanti Sparrow’s online portfolio to layout her portfolio pieces creates a strong hierarchy that frames her design and allow them to flow from one another while keeping a similar aesthetic and style.

When clicking on any one of the portfolio pieces, around 20 to 30 images related to the portfolio piece can be found, mixing both real life pictures of the designs and photoshop mockups in order to show off as much as possible. In addition, each portfolio piece features a small description of the problem or the event for which the piece is created and an explanation of the design process in order to better understand the process and the context of the design.