A Day in the Life // Frowning - GSA 2016

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9TWO5

DOUGLAS GREENWOOD

The creative director of scotlands most up and coming magazine LIFE PASSION DEDICATION ENDEAVOUR QUALITY ROUTINE DETERMINATION STARBUCKS HANDCREAM

/ 2500

ISSUE 01

Tori & Edward have been a couple for 5 months

C ONT EN TS

5. The design brief 6. An interview with Douglas 8. Into The world of Campfire 12. A day of shadowing 14. My main observations 16. Info-graphic research 18. Reflecting on Opportunities 22. Understanding Douglas 24. Initial Ideas 26. Developments 34. Making the final Model 38. The Final Design Soloution 44. Additional Information 48. Reflections 50. A big thanks

This is PPJ made for a Glasgow school of art project titled “a day in the life� in which I choose to study Douglas Greenwood (director of Frowning). I would like to thank everyone who helped me with the creation of this publication and a special thanks to Douglas who was very accommodating and very helpful in helping me fulfil this assignments brief. This PPJ is a mock up of a frowning magazine but is in no way shape or form associated with Frowning at all. However these guys are a major up and coming magazine company and I invite you all to check them out here. www.frowning.us PRINTED BY

newspaperclub.com

P E R S O N A L G O A L S In this project I intend to focus on improving my ability to collect ethnographic data in a professional and premeditated manner. I want to focus and improve on my ability not only to collect and collate this information but how to display qualitative data in a professional and slick manner. After which I will use this information coupled with observations and design opportunities to create a resounding solution for my specific user that can be tested and reviewed by them.

D E S I G N - B R I E F In this project you are asked to identify someone whose working life is of interest to you, and to shadow them for a day. You will document your experience of shadowing with photographs, videos, audio’s, handwritten notes and sketches and pull the results of this field research together in the format of a journal. This document - which is essentially the first half of the final project PPJ will include your insights/ perceptions which will inform a suite of design opportunities. Your final outcome will be a design proposal (product or service) that responds to one (or several) of these design opportunities to somehow enhance your subject’s working day.

It’s value should be expressed by illustrating both its need (clear identification of opportunity: where did it come from) and usefulness in the context for which it is designed.

Ultimately you are designing a ‘tool’ that responds to some previously unmet need/desire which you have observed in your observation of a day in the life of your subject: your job is to communicate its value to the user, and articulate this through the means of a physical mode.

Benjamin Laing Designer Y1 PD

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“I’m not sure what

I would do in life without my ability to be Creative.

“

On the Nine to Five A conversation with Douglas Greenwood

When I meant Douglas for the first time it was apparent that this was a extremely hard working, determined and intelligent man. Douglas as a professional prided himself on his creative mind and remarkable work ethic, which from my observations was quickly demonstrated. As well as working for STV and taking on various roles in the Film industry Douglas is the Director and founder of Frowning a magazine company specialising in youth and culture. first established as a Web blog, Douglas soon Merged with Campfire, a Edinbraugh based creative agency, Inspiring the first hard copy issue of frowning which now stocks all over Europe. As a magazine Frowing has become a physical embodiment of Douglas himself and to his credit, it stands for everything that modern youth and culture should. The magazine has a huge amount of potential and with a new issue just round the courner Frowning is a key magazine to keep an eye out for.

Douglas himself is the sole reason for frowning’s success in such an early stage of its growth. Speaking with him you get a great sense of the meaning behind the origins of frowning. Frowning is a non-profit magazine also and is solely created through the love and passion of not only the magazines contents but for journalism and design alike. This again is a testimony to Douglas ethos and willingness to create simply for his passion. Douglas as well his team never want to have to charge anyone for the magazine, not because they do not value the work that is put into it but because they want there work to reach as many people as the possibly can.

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(9 - 5: a day in the office at campfire studios observing Douglas Greenwood.)

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Over the course of the day I was given the opportunity to observe the place that frowning was born. Located at the Biscuit Factory in Edinburgh is the creative agency “Campfire�. The space itself is exactly how it should be, allowing its employees to work in an enjoyable creative atmosphere. Douglas as a creative tended to not stay working in the same environment but choose to do his work in many places all over Edinburgh including most of the coffee shops (his favourite of which, Starbucks) It is places such as this that hosted the correct environment for his mind to focus and work on the magazine.

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A day of Shadowing I woke in the early hours of the day to get the train through to Edinbraugh. There I met up with Douglas outside his apartment ready for his daily routine. I spent the day traveling back to Glasgow following Douglas in the various meeting he had planned for the day. Through observation you could get a clear sense that this was a very hardworking and very busy individual with a schedule that to most would seem chaotic. I observed every aspect of Douglas day, taking notes on my findings and observations throughout, the results of which I would collate and collect to take the form of a Visual data map (page 17).

55% Time spend on phone:

35% 10%

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Apps

Text

Phone

It was clear that Technology was a critical part of douglas’s company. Of which he relied upon solely. Aside from communication effiecancy through use of technology was also rodminatnt whether that be through transport, Coffee or Finance

One of the most interesting points demonstrated was the fact that as a creative Douglas is very rarely tied to one particular place. I feel he enjoys this aspect of his job but what it does mean is that every day is a different struggle and a different challenge. my design would draw on these points and help Douglas throughout his 9-5, wherever the day takes him.

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My main Observations Douglas as a professional is extremely hardworking young entrepreneur.

On the previous page I noted his reliance on technology as a defining factor. It was clear that Douglas does not only use App bases services for novelty or the efficiency but because they adhere to his lifestyle as a young creative. Be sure of this I take nothing away from Douglas when i quote his opinions on aesthetics as taking a “style before function” approach. Which is never necessarily a bad thing.

Douglas was very fond of people who he deemed to have there life together. He showed a big application for others who were well organised and well prepped. Something which he believed he wasn’t.

This however was not true at all, and although he may not have thought he was organised other factors (mentioned later) may support the opposite idea. Here there was a great opportunity to design something that helped Douglas become more organised through the tiniest of interventions.

Douglas is a self acclaimed germaphobe. Noting that he cleans his hands 4 times before he even leaves the flat. Here there was a very easy opportunity to play with a design that again benefited his OCD. Maybe a little too easy however.

Douglas Interestedly keeps the same items in his bag constantly.

Whenever something is taken out at night it is always put back for the following morning. Douglas feels this is critical as he needs to leave the house quickly yet he never knows “where he’s going to end up next”. interestingly enough however his bad has little structure and is essentially a sack in which everything is thrown into.

Frowning has become the epitome of Douglas’s aspirations, views and values. This became something I found very credible about Douglas. He feels that no one should ever have to pay for frowning and I was very clear that the sharing of ideas through his journalism meant a lot more to him than money. Douglas had an overwhelming sense of passion for what he did, something which was very clear throughout the magazine.

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Caught the Train on time

Negitive vs Positive experiances effecting the day of observation with Douglas

9:00am

Lunch time over

1:00pm

10:00am

10:30am

Frustrations during meeting

1:30pm

edinbraugh

5:00pm Page 16

9:30am

2:00pm

2:30pm

Train took longer than expected

5:30pm

6:00pm

6:30pm

Meeting started late

11:00am

11:30am

12:00pm

12:30pm

Finnished meeting Day progresses well

3:00pm

3:30pm

4:00pm

4:30pm

A Day in The Life of a...

Magazine editor Page 17

Reflecting on Opportunities Douglas relies on the connections he meets and the networks he creates. Is there any way to enhance this experience?

Douglas uses technology in every aspect of his life, he appreciates its simplicity. It there a way to advance one aspect of his routine?

Douglas spends a large majority of his time in coffee shops, why is this and how could i enhance the experience?

Douglas carries everything he needs with him constantly, is there a way to make this easier?

Douglas States that he is not organised but appreciates other who are, can i help him with this?

Douglas needs to be able to manage people remotely. through a network of creatives how can i bring them all together?

Brainstorming is a critical part of Douglas sessions, maybe there is an opportunity here to help people engage also.

Douglas is very germaphobic, Is there a way here to help him either overcome this issue or enhance it?

Douglas wants to be more organised in meetings is there an easier way to receive and take notes on the meeting Douglas attends.

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As a designer I have always believed that you can tell a great deal about a person based on the watch they wear.

Not everyone has one yet in 2016 not everyone needs one either. Its essentially just a fashion with millions of variations yet the same functionality.

Douglas fittingly wears an iwatch (all black) which comes as no surprise to me. I think it says a lot about how organised he is but also talks again about his reliance on technology.

Without disrespecting Apple or Douglas for that matter I don’t believe the iwatch to be anything other than a accessory, however a very nice and cool one at that.

- style over function.

Understanding Mood & Theme Douglas.

Through my understanding of Douglas Monday, 25 April 2016 11:36 as a person, his style and his aspirations. I would be able to create a design that he would aspire to have.

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Part 3 - Week 3 - Developing. »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »» »»

Print off all work to date Put pictures in sketchbook Finalize my oppertunities and ideas Create small concepts Create my powerpoint for wednesday Continue with my developments Start my PPJ Start Branding/ Logo Keep the journal heavy

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I started working on the moment of opportunity I wanted to focus on, In this case I wanted to help Douglas become more organised and as a result become more productive and more motivated.

“How could I empower Douglas through the process of organisation”

“Maybe this was not about making Douglas think he was organised, but showing him that he was.”

Initial Ideas

My designs were all about helping him to solve small problems with his routine by either helping him to understand what he had planned for that particular day or by helping him understand what he needed to take with him. In conjunction with Douglas’s interests I wanted to create systems and web based Apps that would solve this issue. I started becoming to reliant on technology and in the end I found myself trying to stay away from it all together. The simpler I could solve the issue the better. A lot of my ideas at this stage were all about trying to solve and issue that had already been solved. Douglas was more organised than he perceived himself to be.

I thought long and hard about the opportunities that could arise from this. I explored about the possibility of creating a placebo, making him feel more organised when he already was would surely motivate him subconsciously. However I scrapped this idea because I believed that designing something that was a placebo (something that didn’t really have a function) was not really designing anything at all.

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I began visualising this new direction, this took the form of connected hardware. Although I was trying not to be too tech based I wanted to create a starting point before seeing if the solution could be simpli ed. This device would connect to Douglas’s laptop, something which he carries everywhere with him. The device would calculate how much time Douglas would dedicate to certain hours of the day.

Indicating this through a colour bar on the bottom of the device. The device would also be connected via blue- tooth to the laptop allowing Douglas to see statistics in the form of charts and graphs comparing his workday to previous days. However the issue with this design is that it would require a manual input from him as a user.

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Page 17

I then moved on from the previous design, focusing more on the morning routine before Douglas heads out to work. Could I organise this process to make it simpler and more e cient? I started work on looking at the bag in particular, could there be a way to play on the fact that Douglas only carries the same things around day by day? Could there be an opportunity to design a bag that monitors exactly what goes in and what comes out. I tried various solutions but looked predominately at create something that either went in or around the bag as at the time I didn’t have the resources or days left to redesign the bag from scratch.

This device was a very simple one that focused on items being checked in and out of the bag, essentially Douglas would always know what was in the bag and what he still needed to put in it. I created a verity of models here but none of them solved the issue of how to nd the items when they were in the bag.

Phone Wallet Keys Bag Laptop

Phone Wallet Keys Bag Laptop

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I started working on a tagging system that allowed all the items in the bag to be connected by a cord on the inside this way Douglas would know what was missing as well as where everything was in his bag by pulling on the cords. e design still needed some resolving but as a basic concept meant that every item in the bag would have to be tagged, something which I didn’t believe Douglas would have wanted. What I needed was a design that was discreet, simple and intuitive. e less I could make Douglas have to do consciously the better.

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Making the Final Solution In the final week I worked on making my final visualisation come to life. I went out to buy a lot of the materials at a local fabric store. Straps and fasteners were also bought to add the finishing touches to the design. The material was exactly what I was looking for, through its thickness it gave the product an extra layer of security which is essential to keeping the contents safe. After the model was finalised I was able to test out all of the items and work out the spacing and location of each of them. I was also looking at other materials that were waterproof. In reality i would want this to be a key design feature, preventing spilt water or any leakages from destroying the laptop or documents inside.

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Preparation.

The idea of designing a device that helped douglas become more orgonized started to take the form of focusing on the nessesitys that he takes with him on his commute, questioning how i can make this easier. By focusing on the way in which people associate objects with places i aimed to create a design that pushed its user (douglas) to be almost OCD with the waay in which he put things in his bag. Only by doing this could I make Douglas more orgonised than he already is.

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The final solution came together very quickly, But as a product I believe it solved the issues that I sent out to correct.

The final design is grey however I would have had it a dark black and grey material to match the aesthetic that attracts Douglas.

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Efficiency and Organization Packed: The Design allows the user to identify the item that they need in an instant. The intuitive design also helps them to understand where each product is without looking.

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Unpacked: The Design helps the user to quickly understand what they need to collect in the morning for there daily commute. The design makes it simple and clear what items are missing therefore you should not forget items of necessity.

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Compact and Practical On reverse of the design It allows Douglas to place his most valuable item safely aware. The design is secure with two nylon straps that fasten the thick waterproof material closed shut. This also adds another layer of protection when Douglas is traveling from place to place.

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The Design has the ability to become interchangeable not just for Douglas but for consumers also with various colours, straps and clips.The Design will also feature sysmbols to represent where each product goes in the bag, these could also be removed and become interchangable.

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Reflections.

On the whole this project was A very interesting and insightful one.

I enjoyed learning how to observe and understand people as well as how to collate the information and create visual representations. personally I feel my project lacked in the final stages of the design process. Not enough time was dedicated to creating my initial ideas and I felt although my final product felt somewhat unresolved, yet with a few more iterations it could have been a really good piece. The model as well was also rushed significantly.

Aside from this however I feel I worked really hard and got the best out of it that i could, especially with it being the last project of the year.

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The people who mad Bethany Cheyene: - A ballzy country girl living in a big city, Trying to translate young farmer hoe-downs to subby raves, Can handle a shotgun.

Alex Lister: - Pretentious Brogue Wearer. Attempted to find the answer (n) through a lens, now uses a pencil.

Tori Hamilton: - Touched by fire, Swimming in a dreamy lake beneath the statue of St Columba. Always coming and going from place to place, Designing nice things to take up the space.

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. n e p p a h s i de th Tori Hamilton: - Wannabe linguist, Currently Designing things for people who don’t need them, Also looking for a slam poetry partner *mic drop*

Benjamin Laing: - Full time thinker and appreciator of appreciation.

Compulsive dreamer, coffee snob, workaholic, Endlessly running away from the art school stereotype.

A word of thanks: Thank you all for helping me create my mock up for frowning, we all had some great times and some great laughs. I appriacicate the work you all did and look forward to working with you again soon .

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