OUGD504 - Studio Brief 02 - Branding

Since the purpose of the final interface is to provide a solution to the potential problem whereby a member of the public may have no battery left on their mobile device in order to book a taxi or do not hold any cash in order to pick up one from a rank, and the function of the interface being to book such journeys, it was decided that the branding for this interface needed to reflect upon this. It was decided initially that the logo should be representative of the typical view people hold for a taxi. This included the image of the traditional yellow taxi's found within the United States.

An illustration was then produced in order to reflect this. The illustrative style was used to reflect a friendlier nature to the interface, something which had been considered throughout many other elements of the final interface design that could potentially put the users more at ease and provide a comfortable service if they are in such a situation whereby they cannot get to their destination easily, as outlined in the initial problem. Since fully functioning interfaces are usually developed to be on a global scale, the use of a yellow taxi was considered to reflect upon this usual requirement, since it is the stereotypical image of taxis held by many people in the world and not just the United States where they are found more often. The circle was used to outline this logo, whilst also making it more consistent with the design of other elements, for instance the rounding of corners on borders of information, again which were used to convey a friendlier tone.

In terms of naming the interface, since the interface has been designed for navigation and travelling purposes, it was decided to convey this sense of movement within the name. Initial generation started through researching synonyms for words such as 'travel' and 'connect', reflecting upon connections which can be made through travelling, such as roads links and connecting people with and between specific destinations.

• CONNECT / LINK / LINKS / AFFIX / TREK / NEXUS / ROVE.

These were all initial ideas, however it was decided that the name used for this final interface would be ROVE, meaning to wander, or travel constantly without a fixed destination. For obvious reasons, this was chosen due to it's links with the idea of navigation and the interface's ability to provide journeys to various different destinations for individual users, therefore meaning the interface itself does not have one fixed destination whereby it can navigate users to.

However, based on peer feedback from the final crit session, it was considered that the use of a yellow taxi as a symbol for the interface did not work well to reflect where the location in which the interface would be situated, predominantly being larger cities within the United Kingdom. For those who many not be aware of the traditional yellow taxis, this could potentially cause confusion in the communication of it's message. Additionally, the use of an illustration was considered 'childish' like other elements of the interface which could potentially deter the older generation of the target audience from using the system and therefore limiting it's function.

Based on this criticism, this logo was further developed in order to convey a more mature and professional tone in order to enhance it's engagement with the specified target audience. The logo was created into a pictogram style image, symbolising a front profile view of a taxi, which has been limited to the colour palette of black and white to reflect a more neutral aesthetic as well as reflecting the typical 'black cabs' found in the capitol of England being London. The use of a pictogram also provides objectivity within it's design, allowing the logo and interface to work better on a global scale since it is now clearer as to what the image represents.