Corporate identity through graphic design

The degree project has been implemented abroad in Brisbane, Australia. A literature study has beenperformed parallel to the practical work within the subject »Corporate identity through graphicaldesign«. In this study deeper research has been made concerning the establishment and manifestationof a corporate identity and its program. The knowledge given from this study has been put into practicethrough two larger projects.The first project was carried out at De Pasquale, advertising agency in Brisbane, where a corporateidentity program was designed for a new company. The company is a fitness centre, called KnockoutFitness, which specializes in different types of boxing training sessions such as Boxing, Thai Bow andBoxercise but also Aqua aerobics. They needed a full corporate identity program including a logotype,business card, letter paper-paper and address labels.The second project was carried out at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane. A promotioncampaign was designed for the Department of Visual Arts, which included two information folders andone advertisement. The purpose of the campaign was to promote both the undergraduate and postgraduatecourses offered within the department.

The Graphic Designer as (a)Digital Nomad : A qualitative study

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur digitala nomader utövar sitt yrke som grafiska designers, varför de valde att bli digitala nomader samt vilka fördelar och nackdelar som finns. Totalt intervjuades 10 före detta och nuvarande digitala nomader via email och svaren sammanställdes och analyserades för att finna teman och sammanhang. Resultatet visar att deltagarna valde en digital nomadisk livsstil främst på grund av den frihet det innebär. De är även helt beroende av internet, då det är den grundläggande teknologin som möjliggör distansarbete. Att vara digital nomad verkar inte ha en negativ inverkan på den grafiska designprocessen och alla verktyg som behövs anser de finns tillgängliga digitalt. Den del av det traditionella designyrket på en byrå som deltagarna i studien saknade mest var kreativa diskussioner med kollegor.

Using modeling as a co-design approach in the planning process of new care environments

Current research shows a relationship between healthcare architecture and patient-related Outcomes. The planning and designing of new healthcare environments is a complex process; the needs of the various end-users of the environment must be considered, including the patients, the patients’ significant others, and the staff. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of healthcare professionals participating in group modelling utilizing system dynamics in the pre-design phase of new healthcare environments. We engaged healthcare professionals in a series of workshops using system dynamics to discuss the planning of healthcare environments in the beginning of a construction, and then interviewed them about their experience. An explorative and qualitative design was used to describe participants’ experiences of participating in the group modelling projects. Participants (n=20) were recruited from a larger intervention study using group modeling and system dynamics in planning and designing projects. The interviews were analysed by qualitative content analysis. Two themes were formed, representing the experiences in the group modeling process: ‘Partaking in the G-M created knowledge and empowerment’and ‘Partaking in the G-M was different from what was expected and required time and skills’. The method can support participants in design teams to focus more on their healthcare organization, their care activities and their aims rather than focusing on detailed layout solutions. This clarification is important when decisions about the design are discussed and prepared and will most likely lead to greater readiness for future building process.

Grafisk profil till ett företag som tillverkar handgjorda textilprodukter av naturmaterial : Hur kan en hemsida kommunicera ett varumärke?

Målet med detta examensarbete var att skapa en grafisk profil till företaget Lyst Form AB som bedriver större delen av sin affärsverksamhet via en hemsida. Företaget säljer handgjorda kläder och accessoarer i lintyg. En teoretisk del i arbetet tar upp hur varumärket kan kommuniceras genom hemsidan. Den grafiska profilen utformades utifrån företagets identitet. Det är viktigt att företaget speglas på ett korrekt sätt. Ett företags identitet kan beskrivas som organisationens själ och den visas utåt i form av bland annat den grafiska profilen. Denna ses därför som en viktig identitetsbärare och den kan kallas för den visuella identiteten. En grafisk profil innehåller bland annat logotyp, profilfärger samt typografi. Företagets målgrupp ansågs vara en viktig del i hela processen eftersom de i slutändan ska tilltalas av den grafiska profilen. Först gjordes en grundlig undersökning och research av företaget för att få en god uppfattning av dess identitet. Även konkurrenterna granskades. En enkätundersökning gjordes för att kunna samla information utifrån målgruppens perspektiv. Denna informationsinsamling gav ett bra underlag och en riktlinje i framtagningen av den grafiska profilen.   Under designprocessens gång diskuterades de logotypförslag som togs fram med hjälp av en sammansatt fokusgrupp. Diskussionen var givande och var till stor nytta i designprocessen. Baserat på den grafiska profilen skapades en layout för hemsidan samt exempel på trycksaker för att visa hur den kan användas. En enklare grafisk manual skapades för att företaget ska kunna synas utåt på ett enhetligt sätt. En sista enkätundersökning gjordes för att se om målet uppnåtts. Resultatet visade att den nya framtagna grafiska profilen var en klar förbättring jämfört mot den nuvarande sett utifrån företagets identitet. I slutändan valde dock företaget en annan logotyp. Detta påvisar svårigheterna i processen att ta fram en grafisk profil. Alla delar i processen är viktiga och undersökningarna är bland annat en av de väsentliga delarna vilka bidrar med en större chans till ett bra slutresultat som tar hänsyn till både företagets och målgruppens åsikter.  

Improved Road Design for Future Maintenance - Analysis of Road Barrier Repair Costs

The cost of a road construction over its service life is a function of the design, quality of construction, maintenance strategies and maintenance operations. Unfortunately, designers often neglect a very important aspect which is the possibility to perform future maintenance activities. The focus is mainly on other aspects such as investment costs, traffic safety, aesthetic appearance, regional development and environmental effects. This licentiate thesis is a part of a Ph.D. project entitled “Road Design for lower maintenance costs” that aims to examine how the life-cycle costs can be optimized by selection of appropriate geometrical designs for the roads and their components. The result is expected to give a basis for a new method used in the road planning and design process using life-cycle cost analysis with particular emphasis on road maintenance. The project started with a review of literature with the intention to study conditions causing increased needs for road maintenance, the efforts made by the road authorities to satisfy those needs and the improvement potential by consideration of maintenance aspects during planning and design. An investigation was carried out to identify the problems which obstruct due consideration of maintenance aspects during the road planning and design process. This investigation focused mainly on the road planning and design process at the Swedish Road Administration. However, the road planning and design process in Denmark, Finland and Norway were also roughly evaluated to gain a broader knowledge about the research subject. The investigation was carried out in two phases: data collection and data analysis. Data was collected by semi-structured interviews with expert actors involved in planning, design and maintenance and by a review of design-related documents. Data analyses were carried out using a method called “Change Analysis”. This investigation revealed a complex combination of problems which result in inadequate consideration of maintenance aspects. Several urgent needs for changes to eliminate these problems were identified. Another study was carried out to develop a model for calculation of the repair costs for damages of different road barrier types and to analyse how factors such as road type, speed limits, barrier types, barrier placement, type of road section, alignment and seasonal effects affect the barrier damages and the associated repair costs. This study was carried out using a method called the “Case Study Research Method”. Data was collected from 1087 barrier repairs in two regional offices of the Swedish Road Administration, the Central Region and the Western Region. A table was established for both regions containing the repair cost per vehicle kilometre for different combinations of barrier types, road types and speed limits. This table can be used by the designers in the calculation of the life-cycle costs for different road barrier types.

Road Design for Future Maintenance : Life-cycle Cost Analyses for Road Barriers

The cost of a road construction over its service life is a function of design, quality of construction as well as maintenance strategies and operations. An optimal life-cycle cost for a road requires evaluations of the above mentioned components. Unfortunately, road designers often neglect a very important aspect, namely, the possibility to perform future maintenance activities. Focus is mainly directed towards other aspects such as investment costs, traffic safety, aesthetic appearance, regional development and environmental effects. This doctoral thesis presents the results of a research project aimed to increase consideration of road maintenance aspects in the planning and design process. The following subgoals were established: Identify the obstacles that prevent adequate consideration of future maintenance during the road planning and design process; and Examine optimisation of life-cycle costs as an approach towards increased efficiency during the road planning and design process. The research project started with a literature review aimed at evaluating the extent to which maintenance aspects are considered during road planning and design as an improvement potential for maintenance efficiency. Efforts made by road authorities to increase efficiency, especially maintenance efficiency, were evaluated. The results indicated that all the evaluated efforts had one thing in common, namely ignorance of the interrelationship between geometrical road design and maintenance as an effective tool to increase maintenance efficiency. Focus has mainly been on improving operating practises and maintenance procedures. This fact might also explain why some efforts to increase maintenance efficiency have been less successful. An investigation was conducted to identify the problems and difficulties, which obstruct due consideration of maintainability during the road planning and design process. A method called “Change Analysis” was used to analyse data collected during interviews with experts in road design and maintenance. The study indicated a complex combination of problems which result in inadequate consideration of maintenance aspects when planning and designing roads. The identified problems were classified into six categories: insufficient consulting, insufficient knowledge, regulations and specifications without consideration of maintenance aspects, insufficient planning and design activities, inadequate organisation and demands from other authorities. Several urgent needs for changes to eliminate these problems were identified. One of the problems identified in the above mentioned study as an obstacle for due consideration of maintenance aspects during road design was the absence of a model for calculating life-cycle costs for roads. Because of this lack of knowledge, the research project focused on implementing a new approach for calculating and analysing life-cycle costs for roads with emphasis on the relationship between road design and road maintainability. Road barriers were chosen as an example. The ambition is to develop this approach to cover other road components at a later stage. A study was conducted to quantify repair rates for barriers and associated repair costs as one of the major maintenance costs for road barriers. A method called “Case Study Research Method” was used to analyse the effect of several factors on barrier repairs costs, such as barrier type, road type, posted speed and seasonal effect. The analyses were based on documented data associated with 1625 repairs conducted in four different geographical regions in Sweden during 2006. A model for calculation of average repair costs per vehicle kilometres was created. Significant differences in the barrier repair costs were found between the studied barrier types. In another study, the injuries associated with road barrier collisions and the corresponding influencing factors were analysed. The analyses in this study were based on documented data from actual barrier collisions between 2005 and 2008 in Sweden. The result was used to calculate the cost for injuries associated with barrier collisions as a part of the socio-economic cost for road barriers. The results showed significant differences in the number of injuries associated with collisions with different barrier types. To calculate and analyse life-cycle costs for road barriers a new approach was developed based on a method called “Activity-based Life-cycle Costing”. By modelling uncertainties, the presented approach gives a possibility to identify and analyse factors crucial for optimising life-cycle costs. The study showed a great potential to increase road maintenance efficiency through road design. It also showed that road components with low investment costs might not be the best choice when including maintenance and socio-economic aspects. The difficulties and problems faced during the collection of data for calculating life-cycle costs for road barriers indicated a great need for improving current data collecting and archiving procedures. The research focused on Swedish road planning and design. However, the conclusions can be applied to other Nordic countries, where weather conditions and road design practices are similar. The general methodological approaches used in this research project may be applied also to other studies.

Coffee table-böcker eller praktverk – begrepp, attityder och arbetssätt : Djupintervjuer med grafiska formgivare och förlagsanställda

Åtta semi-strukturerade djupintervjuer genomfördes i syfte att kartlägga svenska formgivares och förlagsanställdas strategiska och kreativa arbetsprocess samt olika attityder vid arbetet med praktverk och coffee table-böcker. Dessa böckers termer och definitioner diskuterades även, samt boktypens förut-sättningar och utmaningar på marknaden. I denna rapport presenteras funna teman rörande dessa tankemönster och attity-der, samt en generell beskrivning av arbetsprocessen. Produktionen av coffee table-böcker och praktverk fanns vara komplex på grund av att den involverade många personer, tog lång tid i anspråk, var kost-sam och hade relativt små vinstmarginaler vilket därmed kunde förenas med vissa risker. Respondenterna upplevde generellt arbetet som spännande, roligt och givande.Studien belyser även förekomsten av en viss diskrepans vad gäller associationerna till termerna ”coffee table-bok” och ”praktverk”. Coffee table-böcker ansågs främst av de förlagsanställda ha ett innehåll av lägre kvalitet jämfört med det hos ett praktverk.

Using system dynamics for collaborative design : a case study

Background  In order to facilitate the collaborative design, system dynamics (SD) with a group modelling approach was used in the early stages of planning a new stroke unit. During six workshops a SD model was created in a multiprofessional group. Aim To explore to which extent and how the use of system dynamics contributed to the collaborative design process. Method A case study was conducted using several data sources. Results SD supported a collaborative design, by facilitating an explicit description of stroke care process, a dialogue and a joint understanding. The construction of the model obliged the group to conceptualise the stroke care and experimentation with the model gave the opportunity to reflect on care. Conclusion SD facilitated the collaborative design process and should be integrated in the early stages of the design process as a quality improvement tool.

Kreativitet under stress : En studie i att vara kreativ på beställning

En grafisk designer måste kunna producera oavsett vilka förhållanden som råder. Rapporten behandlar vad korta och långa deadlines har för inverkan på denna förmåga och hur kreativiteten kan främjas vid stressiga situationer. Semistrukturerade djupintervjuer utfördes med åtta Art- och Creative directors i Gävledala-regionen för att undersöka hur de upplevde att vara kreativa under stressiga förhållanden. Resultatet visade att det generellt inte var ett problem för studiens respondenter att vara kreativa på beställning men att de inte heller följde några specifika metoder för att underlätta arbetsflödet. Det visade sig även att det snarare var arbetsbördan och mängden arbetsuppgifter som påverkade stressfaktorn än en specifik tidsram.

Grafisk profilering i HRbranschen : Processen bakom skapandet av logotyp och grafisk profil till Dala HR Partner

Föreliggande undersökning genomförs i samarbete med uppdragsgivaren och HR-företaget Dala HR Partner. Syftet med undersökningen är att ta reda på hur logotyp och grafisk profil bör se ut för att på bästa sätt förmedla företagets mål och värderingar, seriös, kompetent, effektiv och trygg. En visuell innehållsanalys utfördes med syftet att få en bättre förståelse för hur andra HR-företag profilerar sig. Semi-strukturerade intervjuer utfördes med Dala HR Partners målgrupp samt en kompletterande enkätundersökning med personer med erfarenhet inom grafisk design för att få åsikter både från lekmän och yrkeserfarna. De olika materialinsamlingsmetoderna gav oss bra underlag till framtagningen av logotyp och grafisk profil som på bästa sätt skulle förmedla Dala HR Partners mål och värderingar, samt uppfylla de komponenter som utgör en fullständig grafisk identitet. Från undersökningen har det framgått att det är viktigt med en tanke bakom det visuella materialet för att egenskaperna ska förmedlas på bästa sätt. Valet av exempelvis färg och form har betydelse i hur företagets värderingar kommuniceras. Resultat av den slutgiltiga logotypen och grafiska profilen visar att de i stor utsträckning förmedlar Dala HR Partners värderingar och mål, seriös, kompetent, effektiv och trygg, vilket var målet med den här undersökningen och vårt examensarbete.

Hur grafiska formgivare runt om i världen uppfattar skandinavisk grafisk design

Syftet med föreliggande studie har varit att kartlägga hur grafiska formgivare runt om i världen uppfattar skandinavisk grafisk design. 53 deltagare från industriländer deltog i studien som använde en kombination av mail-intervjuer och enkäter. Resultaten från denna studie indikerar att, oavsett kontinent, upplevs skandinavisk grafisk design som enkel och funktionell. Layouten uppfattades som rutnätsbaserad med mycket ljusrum och få grafiska element. Monokroma färger som svart, vit och grå utan gradienter och skuggor uppfattades som typiska för skandinavisk grafisk design; följt av jord- och pastellfärger. Sanserifer var mest förknippade med skandinavisk grafisk design. Motiv ansågs i denna studie att användas sparsamt, men när de används avbildar de naturen eller geometriska former. Foton och illustrationer ansågs användas ungefär lika mycket, illustrationer hade en smärre större preferens. Den upplevda påverkan av skandinavisk grafisk design varierade mellan deltagarna. Deltagarna som tyckte att påverkan var stor, ansåg att detta berodde på förespråkandet av enkelhet och funktion, sammanflätning av designområden och/eller frammaning av hållbar grafisk design. Deltagarna som ansåg att påverkan var låg, tyckte att för lite publicitet var en bidragande faktor.De flesta deltagarna i denna undersökning ansåg att skandinavisk grafisk design var enklare i jämförelse med vad de kunde se i sina hemländer. Vidare tyckte afrikanska, asiatiska och sydamerikanska deltagare  att färgerna hade lägre kroma.

Barnbok om AST – Autismspektrumtillstånd : Processen bakom skapandet av en informativ barnbok

Idag finns det mycket litteratur om Autismspektrumtillstånd att läsa, men det mesta är riktat till dem som redan har diagnosen eller föräldrar och bekanta. Det finns även många med AST som själva har skrivit böcker om sin diagnos. Det som saknas är en bok för barn utan AST men som möter barn med AST i vardagen och därför valde vi att skapa en bok om AST för barn. Detta för att barn utan kunskap kanske inte vet hur de ska bemöta sina klasskompisar med diagnosen. På ett lärorikt sätt ska barn utan AST kunna läsa och uppleva boken för att få en ökad förståelse om vad det innebär att ha AST. En bakgrundsstudie genomfördes för att få en ökad förståelse för AST och hur man skriver en barnbok. En webbenkätundersökning genomfördes för att ta reda på människors generella uppfattning och kunskaper om AST. Därefter skapade vi en barnbok för målgruppen 7–9 år med all den bakgrundskunskap vi fick fram. Vi testade vår slutprodukt med klass 3A och 3B på Hälsinggårdsskolan i Falun. De fick själva läsa boken och svara på en enkät med frågor om vad de tyckte om boken och om de hade lärt sig något nytt. Testet av vår bokprototyp visade att målgruppen uppskattade bokprototypen och att de elever som deltog lärde sig något om AST.

Grafisk profilering med praktisk tillämpning på Rookiefestivalen

This degree project includes both a theoretic component and a practical component within the graphicprofiling domain. Literature on graphic design has been studied for the theoretical part and the achievedknowledge has been used for the practical part. The project has been to produce graphic materialfor “Rookiefestivalen” in Hultsfred.In modern society it is important for a corporation to distinguish itself from others by using a graphicprofile. Through using a graphic profile the company can have an affect on how it is perceived byothers. This is true not only for corporations as both organisations, societies and other events will benefitfrom the use of a graphic profile.The material that’s been produced is not within the traditional boundaries of graphic profiling. It israther marketing material for the festival. The graphic profile was applied to a variety of things suchas posters, flyers, ad’s and the festival’s website. The result is to be seen in the appendix of this degreeproject and on the Internet: http://www.rookierockparty.se

Varumärkning för småföretag

In this degree project a study of the importance of a graphic identity to companies has been done. A questionnaire among small companies in Dalarna has beenmade. From this, three sets of graphic profile-program have been formed andthese are suitable for new companies. Finally a practical application has been made on Greenfield in Mora, a graphic profile has been designed.To cause an identity is to prove that someone or something exists by individualizingand distinguish. Every individual or company has its qualities or charasteristics.The way to a desirable identity is going by a corporate identity-program that containsthe companies strategies, people, products, buildings, trademarks, graphic design. To create an identity a well considered strategy is needed, where all members of the company are involved. This will lead to a positive image and means for an efficient market communication. The identity of the company is that the company wish what the company/product will stand for, but the image is what the market think about the company/product. The surrounding worldwill be convinced that the company is a reliable producer or deliverer. The companyvill also be regarded as useful and responsable, profitable as an object or partner and a good place of work.Today, trademarking is the most important carrier of identity for a company. A trademark, like a word, a picture or a slogan, will distinguish a product from theothers. What is needed to build up a strong trademark? How can a trade markbe developed to an advantage?To get a lot of people in the same direction clear guidlines are needed. Usually you focused on graphic design, especially the symbols and marks of the companies.The results are presented on a graphic profile, documented in a graphic manual.

En studie av Idre Fjälls webbplats med fokus på användbarhet

Idre Fjäll currently has not full control of how visitors experience their site or if it has good usability. I have helped the company to do a usability test on their website to see how and where any improvements can be made on the page before the winter season 2010. I have also done a survey to investigate how users perceive Idre Fjälls website. Ten people of various ages participated in the survey. All test subjects was recorded with both audio and screen activity during the tests. The test consisted of five different tasks to be solved over the internet at Idre fjälls website. Nr 1, 3, 4 and 5 was solved for most without problem. In nr 2, where a booking of a house would be done, here arose a problem in nine tests out of ten. The results show that the site has very good graphic design and information design, but some weaknesses in interaction design. I have worked out proposals on the most significant problems identified during the test.