OUGD503 - Banner Design Brief - Layout Developments

In thinking about the composition and layout of the banner designs, sketches were developed digitally making good use of image as the main focal point. One initial development in visualising this idea was to place digital illustrations relating to that specific aim of the ASPIRE system. However, it was thought that this approach did not sufficiently communicate the different specific elements of each aim. Therefore further developments were taken to include text as well as image, in allowing pupils, visitors and parents of the school to identify which banner related to each aim quickly and easily.

Another idea was, instead of using text, to use the larger letterforms which spell out ASPIRE, working these into the images in some way so that they become part of the overall design. One way in doing this was to used the characteristics of the letterforms to produce images in themselves, such as turning an 'S' into a winding road by adding white dashed lines through the middle to represent typical road markings. Another way in which this has been developed is seen in the 'aim high' banner layouts whereby the illustration of a ladder to propped up against the letter 'A' to represent reaching high in school targets.

Other ideas were to use the illustrations as shapes to place text directly in. This turns the individual illustrations into a set of symbols which can be seen to convey each aim as one whole. This idea was inspired by trying to make the designs playful in nature so that they would be engaging for the young school pupils to look at in the school halls. Potentially these could have been used on their own in the middle of the banner designs, however this would produce a lot of blank space and giving them an unfinished look.