OUGD504 - Studio Brief 2 - Industrial Design

Industrial and Geometric Theme Experimentation 

The concept that scrap and offcut materials used in upcycling are byproducts from the manufacture of something else was explored within this design. With industry being the source of these materials it was considered that this could be reflected within the design.

Using the colour scheme taken from industrial interior design as a way of visualising the source of these materials, this was considered that perhaps only a few colours could be used to reflect some of the different materials. Metals could be reflected through the use of greys whilst wodds could be simulated with the browns taken from the swatch, this  would make more of an explicit link to the materials themselves as well as the industrialism that creates them.

Using some of the scanned material textures in the background was considered however there was uncertainty as to whether this contrasted too much with the clean shapes of the search bars.

Using the rounded corners to listings aimed to create a friendly appearance to the website however this was in direct contrast to the search and category bar. However placing the listings in this way it was found that only having three listings across on a search would not be enough and make each listing look quite big which is not practical for an ecommerce site with lots of listings. Also the logotypes rounded finials were too curved for the geometric style that better represented the precision of industrial techniques. The use of the off white colour for the background complements and lets the imagery stand out, making it the focus of the design.

To better reflect the idea of an offcut one of the geometric  'offcut' experiments was used as a format for the imagery. This particular design allowed enough space for the image to be clearly understood, whilst also allowing all the necessary text to be included. Potentially the design could have a white background to create a 'block' for the listing which would separate individual listings clearly. For a more subtle approach it was considered that just a grey line could be used to create a shadow effect around the listing, elevating it from the background. It was also considered that having no background would allow the text to become part of the background and create the impression that the imagery is a stand alone 'scrap' shape.   

It was considered that on a search page there need to be more than three listings in a row, so the same grid system was used however more listings were added within the frame work. Creating serach headings that are a columns width mirrors the width of each of the categories in the materials bar creating consistency within the design.

Fitting two listings in each column looked a little cluttered however worked well in defining and contining the shape of the search bar and material bar, creating a clear block of elements. Also having all the same shaped listings makes it look a little repetitive so perhaps this could be altered. 

Having four central listings creates balance within the design and allows space on either side for category headers allowing distinction between listing space and title space.

The use of five listings creates a column solely for category headers, however still looks too cluttered. Overall the use of four listings seems to be the most balanced and clutter free design and will not let the imagery overpower the rest of the design.

It was also considered that to reflect the offcut angle of the images this could also be used elsewhere in the design such as the search bar to create concept continuity.

It was found that having a white search bar creates contrast between itself and the materials bar defining the two visually and allowing it to stand out against the background whilst creating a more spacious feeling to the design.

It was considered that if a textured background was to be used then potentially a background box could be used to allow the imagery to stand out more and to dull down the texture behind the imagery, because at the moment it feels like all the textures are competing with one another. Having a white background box creates a light and airy feel to the design making the images stand out whilst also allowing some of the texture to come through with the use of a reduced opacity. Having a darker box with reduced opacity makes the design look more oppression and draws attention away from the imagery to the shape of the box instead.

To create continuation through the design the offcut shape could also be used in the pop up boxes, this would be a simple and unobstrusive way of reflecting the concept of the offcut whilst still allowing all the relevant content to fit within t- he boxes. It was considered that the popups could appear in the spaces next to the imagery however it was thought that this wouldn't be possible for pop up s with more information such as the listing and selling pop ups.