Interviews

Interestingly, when it came to discussing how they initially begin to visualise an idea, most of the designers said that they use sketching as a primary tool. I believe putting pen to paper is so important as it allows your ideas to flow freely without the restraints or pressures of whether it looks perfect, finish or if it looks like anything at all. When sketching you can allow your subconscious to come into play, allowing you to realise some of the concepts you may not even of known you had in there!

I found it really nice to hear how studios like Bompass & Par have gone on to produce a final outcome that had originally started as a napkin sketch. Sam Bompass also brought up how they use photography to try and capture an element of their idea. This isn’t something I had originally thought of, but I really like it. Sometimes it’s hard to visualise any kind of form for an idea, but a photo will help you capture multiple different elements that could be added up to create some sort of essence.

James Stringer (Werkflow) mentioned that they can sometimes start with the dialogue for a character to gain some sort of visualisation. This is really interesting and something I had never thought of before, but as they’re having to create an entire new world through a game, I guess it does make sense to give them a ‘personality’ through a script before even beginning to imagine what this person or scenery looks like.

 

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Potential Outcomes

This outcome would solely focus on the effects colour can have within a community, both physically and mentally. This would come in the form of street art within Skipton town centre and would use both colour & shape theory to influence mood and create a positive atmosphere within its environment. With this being the case, it’s likely to result in an abstract design full of vibrant, bright colours that bring a welcoming, warm & full energy. The colours chosen could potentially be chosen by the community, by asking them to swatch what they believe Skipton represents to them we could form a pallet for the final design.

Looking in how we could actively engage the community with their environments, this outcome would aim to create an interactive platform on a town centre wall – this could be anything from a design that allows people to pose as if they were part of it or a digital game that comes to life through a QR code. Designs which allow their audience to pose within them have become particularly popular, mainly due to social media influences, so this would almost guarantee engagement. However, I feel a different approach, such as a blackboard wall or a game would be more in line with this project as it allows people to engage and interact with each other in a more meaningful manner.

 

Using the feedback gathered by Fresh Perspective at an earlier stage, we could create a mural within Skipton town centre using the words, handwriting and voices of the community of Skipton. Through this, we would be highlighting the voices of those that participated, showing that what they had said had been heard and valued. This also raises the potential of direct engagement as people will gather round to try and spot their own submission. The words could potentially be formed to create one large image so that it can be appreciated from afar as well as up close.

 

People like to feel part of something, so the community design would aspire to create an outcome that focuses on just that. We would reach out to the people within Skipton and ask them to submit words, colours, memories or images that they feel reflect Skipton. Using these submissions as well as the feedback Fresh Perspective have already gathered, we could then create a large wall mural in the town centre which embeds all of these. Also, to keep the feeling of inclusion, the design could stretch further than just one space, By implementing multiple small areas that replicate the same colours/patterns throughout of Skipton, we can create an atmosphere and give people a constant reminder and a feeling that they are part of something.

 

This outcome would focus on creating a large mural based within Skipton that consisted of multiple community submissions. The design would result in one large image that has been made up of photographs that taken by the towns locals. This has the potential to allow people to share their stories with their community, engage and feel part of their surroundings as well as highlight what they feel are the main features and benefits of their Skipton town. It could possibly link people up who have the same interests, bring back old memories and serve as a constant reminder that there is plenty of life within the Skipton area.