PROCESS BOOK BRIAN TONG DESN410 2011
DEFINING THE DESIGN PROBLEM the story Over the past two years I have had the opportunity to ride my bike across Canada and down to Mexico, so I have cycled through many new cities and can say that I have gotten lost many times due to poor signage. I believe in a signage system that should be able to take a new cyclist from point A to point B without them having to pick up a map. Riding along bike routes should be an intuitive and seamless experience. Those experiences made me reflect on Vancouver s current signage. Vancouver s system hasn t seen much change since they were introduced and installed. They are characterized by the ubiquitous green so that they can be universally understood by all who use it. However, they have no personality and do not reflect the spirit of Vancouver. For a time when Vancouver is pushing to be Canada s Greenest City, improving the current system and it a new face will generate attention and attract new cyclists. Is there a way to combine usability with visually appealing aesthetics for these routes? How could I create an innovative system that would appeal to Vancouver s cyclists? Thesis statement My challenge is to create a consistent biking experience for the city of Vancouver through the use of improved wayfinding. Vancouver s current system
Research survey monkey I conducted a survey so that I could see what other Vancouverites of different cycling experience levels think about their current bike routes and accompanying signage. The results were insightful and concluded with three main things that I needed to focus on. My design needs to: Make information more accessible for the public Provide cyclists with alternatives Encourage cyclists to explore Vancouver
moodboards Three main aspects informed the direction of my project: Community, Clarity, and Craft. I created moodboards for each of these focuses because I wanted to embody each visually so that I could get a sense of what I would create in the end. community Community plays a huge role in the cycling scene in Vancouver. People are brought closer together in many ways. Cyclists use it as a way of interacting with Vancouver, through exploration and immersing themselves in the neighborhoods. If bike routes are improved, more cyclists would be attracted to use the routes. Community clarity There is a lot of information that needs to be expressed clearly and without confusion. My designs should be kept simple to avoid visual clutter. Craft The concept of craft is very important to my system because all elements have to be properly considered. Each element on the signage must serve a purpose. Clarity Craft
phase one: early iterations looking for an idea I had a bit of a hard time getting started because I had no clue where to start. I felt a bit stunted because I kept on looking at other examples of innovative wayfinding and doubting any directions I had. I felt pressured to come up with something entirely innovative and dealing with a lot more information than I had anticipated. After finally sorting through what was needed in my proposed system, I got to putting ideas into more action and started sketching and seeing where connections can be made. I took inspiration from existing examples (sometimes a bit too closely), but I needed to figure out what was the essence of the project I was trying to get at. I started off with the normal cliches of using bike parts and nature to see if any immediate connections can be made. The results were horrendous and uninspiring to say the least. I also looked at different ways of looking at information, following the example of the signs in Antwerp. The results were too similar and not very interesting. I realized I was starting on the wrong foot because I was too focused on innovative signage but did not have a solid aesthetic style to begin with. It was like designing a product without even knowing the name to begin with.
phase one: early iterations an umbrella brand At first I thought that an umbrella brand that was simple and self-explanatory would be a solution. A name like Ride Vancouver or Ride Vancity could be applied to other cities as well, like Ride Richmond or Ride Delta. However, the name and concept didn t stick because it didn t have too much personality and depth to resonate with the public.
phase two: continued concept development Not satisfied with the direction of the identity, I decided to step back and look at the problem again. I needed to revisit the problem and think about what exactly I was trying to get at. I had to embody Vancouver s vision to be a greener city, yet not be blatantly pushing it. I made a web and started connected related concepts of bike routes and webs because of its sprawling network across the city. The infrastructure was also a circuit because it gets cyclists from point A to B, so it was also like a circulatory system. I was constantly drawn back to the concept of bike routes as a woven fabric and underlying infrastructure of the city. Tree roots? Family roots? City roots? Alas, I had the name that I was satisfied with: Find Your Routes.
phase two: continued concept development find your routes At the beginning of this concept, I was still stuck in the realm of nature imagery. I was inspired by intricacies of leaves, so I collected and studied them. I thought that the veins resembled bike routes, so I ran with that concept for a bit.
phase two: continued concept development early find your routes exploration I also thought that the shape of the round leaf resembled a bike tire, so some explorations were done. However, the results were still very cliche and were not impressive.
phase two: continued concept development marshall island charts During my research about other methods of wayfinding, I came across the Marshall Island stick charts. They were woven stick charts used by the Marshallese people to navigate the Pacific Ocean by canoe. I was drawn to the interesting organic forms that were created out of these archaic maps. The lines represented ocean swells and also looked like an overhead view of urban infrastructure. Another interesting aspect about these charts was that these maps were memorized and learnt over time, which was I had wanted for my designs. I took inspiration from this and redirected my identity to step away from the cliche nature forms.
phase two: continued concept development combining hand-drawn with graffiti? I wanted to combine that hand-drawn aesthetic with street art because both possess a quickness and tactility that I was very drawn to. Those ideas seemed to embody what I wanted in the system for Vancouver, but together the mark seemed a little bit disconnected. I liked the concept behind it, but I knew that something was missing and I hadn t found it yet.
phase two: continued concept development iteration, iteration Maybe there was still something to be had in the stick chart concept, so I kept on trying.
phase three: finalizing concept the woven wheel I ditched the stick chart and stencil concept, though some elements crept into the next idea as well. I still needed to tap into the spirit and exhiliration of biking and I wanted to convey that forward movement. I still wanted to stay away from bike cliches, but instead I abstracted the spinning bike wheel and incorporated the concept of the weave. I wanted it to have bright colors to keep the design lighthearted and uplifting. Elements of stencil art are still inherent in this iteration.
phase three: finalizing concept designing the signage I started playing with the bike symbol and the navigational arrow. By combining them, the symbol is graphically interesting and a fresh take on the standard bike symbol. I kept a fairly standard rectangular design so that it would cut down on production costs.
phase three: finalizing concept a sense of scale I needed to get a sense of how large the signs would be when a cyclist rides past them. I had to reduce the size of the signs so they don t hit the rider.
final product Logo For the final iteration of the logo, I thinned out the width of the circle so that the weaves would work better. I understand that the circle may just turn into a thin circle when small, but I have accepted it. The weave is cleaned up and it doesn t get muddy because there are no multiply overlays. The color palette is still the same, with the constant color being light blue.
final product Logo variations The logo adapts to the environment, which means that the spot color changes according to which district it is situated in.
final product color palette The primary colors used in my project consists of a light blue, cream, and dark navy blue. The blues take cues from the City of Vancouver logo and inspired by the theme of Sea, Sky, and Mountain. For the districts I used a vibrant color palette that would complement the primary palette. typeface I used all caps and normal case Berthold Akzidenz Grotesk Medium for the text. I threw a stroke around all the type to round out the corners and a bit more personable. WESTSIDE NORTH EAST CITY CENTRE MIDTOWN DOWNTOWN EASTIDE SOUTH BERTHOLD AKZidenZ GROTESK MEDIUM
final product the sign In the end, I went with a modular signage system. The basic sign still has the three crucial components: the bike route indication, direction of the route, and the name of the route.
final product a changing sign Depending on the district the rider is in, the color of the route will change. I wanted to emphasize the importance of knowing where you are in Vancouver. There is enough allowance in the sign to accomodate longer names.
final product the building blocks The signs would be comprised of a combination of sign blocks. The system is stemmed from the square bike sign, which is 45cm squared. The combinations are endless and can adapt to each situation. New components will have to be made, but the whole sign would not have to be printed to save on production costs.
final product designing the map (icons) One aspect that I really wanted to focus was the locale of the cyclist. For the physical mock-up that I made, I wanted to showcase a map on the post so riders could check out where surrounding routes are or sights nearby.
final product designing the map (signage) One aspect that I really wanted to focus was the locale of the cyclist. For the physical mock-up that I made, I wanted to showcase a map on the post so riders could check out where surrounding routes are or sights nearby. Chinatown E 3rd Ave 1 AVE Cambie St E 3rd Ave E 4th Ave E 5TH AVE E 2nd Ave 1 AVE GREAT NORTHERN WAY Manitoba St ONTARIO E 4th Ave E 5TH AVE E 6th Ave E 7th Ave E 8th Ave QUEBEC ST EAST BROADWAY MAIN ST E 2nd Ave SCOTIA E 10TH AVE Brunswick St Guelph Trafalgar St Jonathan Rogers Park Manitoba St ONTARIO E 6th Ave E 7th Ave E 8th Ave East Broadway Quebec St MAIN ST SCOTIA E 10TH AVE Scotia St Brunswick St Guelph Park Guelph St BC PARKWAY Victoria Drive Major Matthews Park W 11th Ave W 12th Ave W 13th Ave W 14TH AVE W 15th Ave Manitoba St ONTARIO QUEBEC ST MAIN ST E 11th Ave E 12th Ave E 13th Ave E 14TH AVE E 15th Ave Sophia St Prince Edward St E 16th Ave E 17th Ave E 18th Ave Blenheim St Manitoba St W 11th Ave W 12th Ave W 13th Ave W 14TH AVE W 15th Ave W 16th Ave W 17th Ave ONTARIO Quebec St Quebec St MAIN ST E 11th Ave E 12th Ave E 13th Ave E 14TH AVE E 15th Ave Sophia St WESTSIDE Kingsway CITY CENTRE Prince Edward St City of North Vancouver DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE NORTH EAST MIDTOWN Guelph St Fraser St SOUTH Vancouver International Airport City of Richmond W 18th Ave Langara Sunset
final product sign example: map Maps would be sprinkled at key spots around Vancouver. This particular sign is located on 10th and Main because there are bike shops and surrounding routes. The elements are enlarged so that riders don t have to get off their bikes to read it while curbside. I would put this sign a fair distance from the intersection to avoid unnecessary congestion in the busy areas.
final product sign example: route end/intersect For signs that need to show more information, the signs can adapt accordingly. The purpose would be to offer cyclists with alternatives and to be pointed in the right direction.
final product sign example: local sights These will be spread out Vancouver where there are a bit more attractions. Checking out surrounding sites would be encouraged. The signs also include the time it takes to get there by bike.
final product sign example: for different experience levels Routes that have spots that are tougher should offer alternatives so that all riders can be accommodated. The fast routes would be for riders that can handle hills, while calm routes would offer a reduced incline but will take longer to ride.
final product sign example: condensed The bike symbol can be shrunk down to half-size so that the whole sign wouldn t be huge. The direction is still on the symbol.
final product scenario mock-ups This sign is placed at Balaclava and Point Grey street.
final product scenario mock-ups This is how the sign would look like from a distance for cyclists across the street.
final product scenario mock-ups A basic directional sign.
sign mock-up As one of the deliverables for the final presentation I wanted to create a mock-up of a physical sign. John Kozlowski was kind enough to help me print the signs at actual size on vinyl mounted on thick card stock. I reinforced the signs with foam core. The signs were mounted on a 9 pole which I made out of a wooden dowel spraypainted grey. The base was constructed by the talented Tom Chung in exchange for a few beers. It was great to see the signs in real life, but I wasn t able to physical mock them up outdoors because the street signs were too high to reach and the large bolts protruded too much for me to put my own signs on. I had to resort to Photoshop mock-ups.
conclusion Alas, the project is done! Through many hours and struggles with tackling this design problem, I am very happy with how far it has come. Though the final design was not as visually experimental as some of the other grad projects, I have had to come to terms with the fact that there must be a balance. The realistic side of me won this battle because I was constantly putting into consideration that this project could be mass-producible. This semester I got a grasp of just how tight the timeline is and I now know that I should be designing as soon as possible so that I can have enough graphics for end of term. I learned to make use of whatever resources you have, because you never hurts to ask. Also, that hard work pays off and it shows. I feel that Vancouver would benefit from a reenvisioning of the bike routes and signage. I m not saying that my design is the solution, it is a potential solution. I want the city to understand that aesthetics of the signs could say volumes about what Vancouver supports and the spirit of the city. Lastly, I would like to thank John Kozlowski for helping me print the signs, Tom Chung for building the base for this project, and all who helped mould this project to what it became. At many moments when I was doubting my project, you guys told me otherwise. Thanks everybody! On to the next one now, I guess.