OUGD603: Thailand* - Mindfullness Quotes

"The Little things? The little moments? They arne't little"

"Mindfullness is a way of befriending ourselves and our experience" - Jon Kabat-Zinn

"The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness" - Jon Kabat-Zinn

"Mindfullness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing" - Jon Kabat-Zinn

"To think in terms of either pessimism or optimism oversimplifies the truth. The problem is to see reality as it is." - Thich Nhat Hanh

"Many people are alive but don't touch the miracle of being alive." - Thich Nhat Hanh


To know yourself as the Being underneath the thinker, the stillness underneath the mental noise, the love and joy underneath the pain, is freedom, salvation, enlightenment. ...

In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you

So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing - TS Elliott

So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing. 

I've never meditated in my life. I don't practice yoga nor any religion. I'm a tourist on the realm of stillness. - Pico Iyer

“Everything takes time. Bees have to move very fast to stay still.”  - David Wallace

“Space and silence are two aspects of the same thing. The same no-thing. They are externalization of inner space and inner silence, which is stillness: the infinitely creative womb of all existence.” 
― Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

“Time passes so fast. Make time to be still.” 

To realize the Self is to be still. ~Ramana Maharshi

The self must know stillness before it can discover its true song. ~Ralph Blum

If water derives lucidity from stillness, how much more the faculties of the mind! The mind of the sage, being in repose, becomes the mirror of the universe, the speculum of all creation. ~Chuang Tzu

When mind is still, then truth gets her chance to be heard in the purity of the silence. ~Sri Aurobindo

Like water which can clearly mirror the sky and the trees only so long as its surface is undisturbed, the mind can only reflect the true image of the Self when it is tranquil and wholly relaxed. ~Indra Dev

Be still, quiet and patient. There is only you. How can there be a distance between you and you? ~Jac O’Keefe

OUGD603: Just Chill - Causes of Stress / Interviews

According to The Telegraph Business - 26 Feb 2018,

- The most common causes of work-related stress was long working hours, the report found, with office politics and customer/client satisfaction levels and other statistics contributing factors.

- The research found that higher earners (those earning more than £40,000) are the most likely to experience work-related stress.

- Long-term stress that goes unresolved can have a detrimental impact on the health of workers, the report said, with one in 10 respondents admitting to losing weight as a result of stress, while almost one in five said that they would turn to stimulants (including caffeine, nicotine and alcohol) in order to manage stress.

(Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2018/02/26/revealed-stressed-city-uk-not-london)

The Holmes and Race Stress Scale

https://paindoctor.com/top-10-stressful-life-events-holmes-rahe-stress-scale/

In terms of creating a calming solution for print, it is important to understand psychologically what creates the stress in a workplace environment, and how to effectively diffuse these stresses without needing to run a marathon or have 10 pints of vodka.

I decided to interview a range of people who I know, working in different business sectors, but sharing the commonality of 9 to 5 work. 


My questions: "What are the main things in your job/working day that stress you out the most, can be anything no matter how big/small/specific to your company/ unspecific; and what do you do to not let these stresses get to you?"

Interviewee 01: Robert Lea, 54, Senior Aerospace Engineer

People with less experience than you telling you how to do something, unrealistic time / task restraints, unreasonable behaviour by others which affects you, you experience counts for nothing (until your needed to get them out of the shit!), lack of respect, people being favoured for doing little over those who are delivering tasks, changing rules to suite themselves and not telling you they've 'changed'. Poor managers. Lack of money is a stress raiser. Lack of time for yourselves to 'chill down' or being made to feel like you're waiting time, even though you've bust a gut to deliver. Bad driving. 

I normally take half an hour out to have a walk around outside, as well as a nap on my lunch break  Other things like hourly water/toilet breaks help break the day up. I also take my guitar magazines into work so when I need to have some 'chill time' its slightly easier. You can only control (so reducing your stress) what you're in control of. 

Interviewee 02: Linda Lightfoot, 51, NHS Secretary - Part Time Worker

My main workplace stress is the volume of work and the time available to do it.  Technology is supposed to help make things easier, however what it does now is to make you feel overwhelmed by the amount of work that you can physically see as a number.  An example is clinical letters used to be typed at the hospital and were posted to GP practices via the internal mail system. However more and more information is now being sent down a computer link, at the moment it is blood results and x-rays  it will soon be clinical letters that will also be sent electronically. So previously even though you saw that a lot of letters and results were being received and dealt with within a timely manner, now you see a physical number, perhaps 200, and because you see the number you feel under pressure to deal with that ASAP because you know that perhaps another 200 may be received tomorrow.

Emails! another time consuming activity for little productivity. An example is for every referral I send I get 3 emails back, one to say they have received the referral, another to say it has been sent to clinical triage team and then a third email to say it has gone to the appointment team.  What a waste of time and effort.


The volume of work seems to increase year on year and yet there is no money in the NHS to employ extra staff to deal with this. I feel as though I have to work an hours extra time everyday just to keep on top of the workload.

Interviewee 03: Jenny Kennedy, 31, Retail Manager

<transcribe>

Interviewee 04: Deborah Stuart-Robers, 59, White Goods Imports Manager

Unrealistic time constraints; lack of communication; poor or incomplete information (hey, I'm not psychic!); favouritism (boss's son getting away with doing half a job for twice the salary); incompetence (see previous); being disrespected; being ignored; being blamed for causing problems when all you are doing is raising valid concerns;  people who talk over you; having to go along with decisions made by idiots; people who walk in and take over your job, then do it badly and inefficiently (see boss's son); having to stop myself from saying "I told you so" a dozen times a day; not being in a position (yet) to just walk away...

Interviewe 05: Michael Lightfoot, 49, Recruitment for The Royal Navy

<transcribe>

Interviewe 06: Kelvin Keeley, 32, Financial Analyst

The commute to work, bad driving and people being everywhere. Short deadlines or short deadlines being put on you in short notice, not knowing the full picture of something - especially when a client is involved. Incorrect data or a team-member inputting incorrect data, even the worry of not knowing if figures are 100% means I need to be constantly double checking which doubles my work load. When I'm really looking forward to lunch and they don't have what I'm wanting. Tax. To de-stress I have a great app called Headspace, it just lets me take 5 mins out to be calm and not think about anything. Also breathing techniques are great, I'm really trying to avoiding getting high blood pressure *laughs*.

Interviewee 07: Olivia Rainwood, 30, Marketing Executive

<transcribe>

Interviewee 08: Tamsyn Glover, 28, Hospital Worker

<transcribe>

Drawing on personal experience in the workplace: 

What stresses me out the most? Bad drivers/traffic in the morning, being late and having to rush, printers or technology not working properly, managers/supervisors being patronising when the task is completely under control. Rude customers and bad manners. What helps me destress? Any form of escapism from here and now - TV, Movies, Music, Cigarettes & Alcohol.

OUGD603: Just Chill - Survey

In order to get a wider body of research, I emailed a survey out to connections I had made in industry who were working in high pressured jobs.

This included:

- a lawyer

- accountants

- engineers

- financial advisors

- lawyers

- medics

- creative professionals and designers

- business people

- other people I know dealing with stress or who has experienced stress

OUGD603: Just Chill - Initial Statement (The Brief)

The brief is a personal brief set 

Drawing on personal experience suffering from anxiety and stress, I found lots of comfort looking at photo-books, magazines and imagery of any kind which was immersive and allowing escape even for a second or so. The idea of going away is something most people wish to be a possibility to every day life, which is why re-looking at holiday photo's (or personal photographs of any kind) can be comforting. 

OUGD603: Just Chill - What Makes Us Calm?

1. Attempt Cognitive Distancing

Try to see your anxious thoughts as guesses not facts. Your mind is trying to protect you by predicting what could happen, but just because something could happen doesn’t mean it will. Look at objective evidence: How likely is it that the negative outcome will actually happen? Is there anything good that might happen instead? And which do you think is most likely to happen, based on past experience and other information you have about the situation?

2. Try Cognitive De-fusion

Stop being fused with your thoughts. Think of your thoughts as moving data passing through your mind, rather than the objective truth about a situation.Our brains are hypersensitive to threat and danger because this kept our ancestors alive in the wild. Some of your thoughts may just be automatic conditioned reactions generated by a brain that is oriented to survival. Choose whether or not to believe these thoughts, rather than just accepting them.

3. Practice MindfulnessPractice observing your thoughts, rather than reacting automatically to them. Think of your thoughts as clouds floating by. Which draw you in and which make you want to run away? Is there a way you can untangle yourself and just observe your thoughts, rather than reacting? 

4. Focus on Direct Experience

Your mind makes up stories about who you are, and about your safety and lovability. Not all of these stories are accurate. Sometimes our minds are biased by negative past experiences. What is your experience in the present moment? Is this something that is actually happening or something that might happen? Notice that they are not the same thing, even though your mind may treat them as the same.

5. Label Things

Label the type of thought you are having, rather than paying attention to its content. Watch your thoughts and when you notice a judgment (e.g., how good or bad the situation is), go ahead and label it as Judging. If you notice a worry (e.g., that you are going to fail or experience a loss) label it as Worrying. If you are criticizing yourself, label it as Criticizing. This gets you away from the literal content of your thoughts and gives you more awareness of your mental processes. Do you want to be spending your time judging and worrying? Are there less judgmental or worried ways to see the situation? 

6. Stay in the Present

Is your mind regurgitating the past? Just because something negative happened in the past doesn’t mean it has to happen today. Ask yourself if the circumstances, or your knowledge and coping abilities, have changed since the last time. As an adult, you have more choice about whom to associate with and more ability to identify, preempt, or leave a bad situation than when you were a child or teenager.

7. Broaden Your View

Are you focusing too narrowly on the threatening aspects of a situation, rather than seeing the whole picture? Anxiety makes our minds contract and focus on the immediate threat without considering the broader context. Is this situation really as important as your anxiety says it is? Will you still care about this problem in 5 or 10 years? If not, then ease up on the worry.

OUGD603: Just Chill : Sam Hiscox 'Everything, Tomorrow'

Photographer Sam Hiscox wants to slow down time, and he’s hoping to do so with his upcoming debut solo exhibition, Everything, Tomorrow. Made up of a dreamy body of work shot over ten years – “with no end goal”, until now – the show’s title explores the “paralysing juxtaposition of wanting to achieve... but never making time to do it, or even making excuses to do whatever it is ‘tomorrow’,” alongside the simple idea that “everything can wait.”

His concept is to run an exhibition as well as creating some small publications, his intention is to chill people out by viewing these photos- which have strong aesthetic similarities to my Thailand images. Muted tones, nostalgic hues, a glimpse into something we're not familiar with.

http://www.dazeddigital.com/art-photography/article/37908/1/sam-hiscox-photographer-slow-down-and-reflect-more-everything-tomorrow

OUGD603: Just Chill - Cover Experiments

The cover is the most important part of any newspaper/publication, as this is what makes the audience decide wether or not to pick it up and engage with it. To best showcase the messages and philosophies of calm.

As the output will be printed in newspaper form, I designed to the exact specifications of The Newspaper Clubs's 'Tabloid', drawing inspiration from contemporary photobook and poster design, in a 'tabloid' format. The incorporation of The Times logo wouldn't be possible if this was for mass distribution (but as there are only 250 copies I'll just pray I won't be sued).

Inspiration from contemporary magazines 'Form' and 032C layouts

Initial Test prints & Feedback

OUGD603: Just Chill - Research into Calming Design

When considering the best way to design to de-stress an audience, colour and negative space was the first thing that came to mind, however I wanted to find out what were the most successful ways of integrating calming design techniques, specifically into editorial.

Source: https://www.creativebloq.com/creativity/10-rules-better-editorial-design-71412218

Colour

Colour theory is important when considering how the audience perceives a piece of design and the emotional impact it can have. Blue remains the most calming colour, with a paler shade being preferred than a navy or royal blue.

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/de-stress/7-relaxing-colors-and-how-they-affect-your-mood/articleshow/46946305.cms

 According to many psychology websites and colour theory specific blogs, violet and pink are also very successful colours to calm, especially when in pastel shades. However, purple based colours have always been controversial, and expensive to print, due to the complexed colour markup needed and connotations from bourgeoise which could input feelings of inferiority within the audience.

According to colour psychology review, here are the most calming shades for everyday.

Blues

Voilets

Pinks

Sensory Print Design

"Tips on how to design to provoke all the senses" - Despite being published by an Interior Design design house, the principles still apply as it is an overall experience I want to create.

They break it down into 3 key factors, 'Design for all senses', so design for visual, touch, smell and even audio. 

'Create a community' - it is proven that when people feel secure and valued their work performance and general happiness is increased massively, so by creating an community environment where everybody has equal opportunities and valued is really important for some to feel content. 

Finally, 'Design a home', is to make people feel comfortable no matter where they are. This concept is transferable to graphic design through copywriting, tone of voice and inspire opportunity. Alternatively, this could be taken literally and introduce 'homely' aspects to the design to enhance familiarity and personal comfort.

OUGD603: Just Chill - Cover/Photobook Research

Time of Nothing - Jim Mangan

 

"Photographer Jim Mangan zeroes in on the American Southwest with Time of Nothing, a book of aerial shots taken near the Great Salt Lake. One turn of the page, and it becomes clear the desert is anything but desolate. Mangan captures the landscapes in their pink and purple painted hues, complemented by rich textures sculpted from bodies of water. What ensues is a series of abstract photos that serve as a necessary reminder of nature’s faculties. Silent Sound publishes the book as a cloth-hardback, and edition of 600."  https://www.printedmatter.org/catalog/45733/

In feedback discussing the brief, my peers and tutors said for me to use my Thailand images, due to their high quality execution and dreamy tones. By shooting on a mixture of 35mm and medium format, I was able to scan in the images at an extremely high resolution for the larger scale prints. I want to investigate possible similar books and see how they were designed - these were the best 2 I found. Tranquility is captured in the beach shot, never the less they both look quite unengaging; however I think that this is down to the typography rather than the use of images.

OUGD603: Just Chill - The Happy Newspaper

The Happy News is a newspaper designed to focus on the positive aspects of the world and combat the negativity perpetuated into the world every day. Every single day there are people helping others and doing incredible things in all corners of the planet and the majority of them aren't celebrated, but we think they deserve to be recognised. We aim to bring a refreshing twist on what we typically know as 'news', reporting on positive changes and truly inspiring people'. Publications of this nature are of huge interest to me as utilising positivity helps with mental health, which is what my research publication is about.

Design

The design of The Happy Newspaper follows a conventional scale, however hand rendered typography and wider playful grid system breaks away from the busy corporate design which is the generic house style of most newspapers. Yellow is the main colour used, associated in colour theory with happiness and sunshine. Blues and whites add calming tones, giving the type and light images room to breath. By adding personal touches such as the hand rendered type a personal connection is created with the audience, further enhancing the honesty of the paper. Hand rendered type and illustration is also the speciality trait of Emily Coxhead, founder, so is also an extension of her brand.

Reviews on The Happy Newspaper

It is clear that it effects people very positively all across the country. By focusing on positive topics and imagery The Happy News is an alternative to traditional newspapers, which focus on the increasingly negative world events happening daily rather than the good things in the world. Emily Coxhead, has tapped into a niche market however I wonder if selling the papers is the best way to go to spread positive messages - in an ideal world where funding isn't an issue, a free press of this nature could have widespread positive effects if brought to the masses. 

OUGD603: Just Chill - Audience Research

To maximise engagement with the newspaper, I need to design for the type of person who is currently working in a high-pressure stressful job roll, who is still interested in creativity and culture.

Often the most high pressure jobs are working in finance and business, so I interviewed a few analysts to ask their feedback:


- Keep it concise
- Keep text to a minimal, we do too much reading at work as it is
- Images allow minds to calm down so running with that idea is good
- brief has potential to expand into an guide booklet with facts, although that may become too 'info-graphics' rather than photography led

OUGD505: End of Moduel Evaluation

OUGD505 has been a really enjoyable moduel yet I do not feel like i have fufilled my potential at all. Considering the first brief of the moduel- the David Bowie print, i did not create a design to the standard I would have liked, or pushed the colour ways to a three colour screen print like planned due to time restrictions. Time management is something this brief has highlighted to me, as the tight turn arounds this brief has demanded has been a big challenge for me.I am not fully happy with the final deliverables for either brief as not enough time was spent refining the details and presenting the solutions- something I  planned to do was create a research book outlining information, but again did not have time. However, for studio brief 02 especially I conducting lots of primary research my solution has been informed vastly by the target audience, yet this principle should have also been taken the design aspect, getting more feedback and creating a wider range of finished visuals. The introduction of Product/ Range/Distribution I feel has been communicated effectively as an encompassing identity runs holistically throughout Collab. By going in depth into primary research and engaging heavily in constant feedback with the target audience I feel the resolutions are appropriate to solve the given solution, as well as having the scope to benefit Leeds College of Art but also the wider creative industries. Despite the end of module being now, I feel there is genuine possibility within this idea so may develop it further and take it to the Business Summer School and pitch it as a socially beneficial business plan, something I would have done within this module yet did not have the time. The distribution of the advertising will be mainly around LCA, introducing hashtags such as #GoCollab to again highlight the real intention- getting more people to collaborate and communicating. If I had more time on this brief I would have animated pop ups, scroll overs and chat windows, aiding this aspect of communication and positive engagement with the interface, however I feel what I have created so far does solve the problem, yet could have been pushed further, especially in the design sense, to possibly consider the space more and be even more functional than it aleready is. In conclusion, I am moderatley satisfied with this brief, I only wish I had longer to complete the full range to the best of my ability.

In conclusion,I have not fulfilled my potential for OUGD505 and due to other time management issues did not have enough time to write up half of the primary research and feedback i have received (after accidentally deleting the blog post). In the future I will try to focus more on one task at a time, i'm pretty sure I have developed ADHD so focusing on one task is really hard at the minuit hense the poor resolution of deliverables

OUGD505: Initial Branding in Situ

Going around Leeds College of Art seeing how the current range looks in setting. The use of black as a primary colour identifier suggests a timeless ambiguity, as well as feedback stating it looked more professional and trustworthy with the clean branding. Introducing hand icons within the design allowed me to be playful and see how this could integrate within public space. The image on the left below shows how the viewer could go in either direction, and find a creative of some kind to collaborate with. The overwhelming darkness from a far stands out as bold and serious, yet when introducing the playful logo and icons then the meaning is transformed again (recapping on the levels aspect of UX in some way).

By recapping on my goal of increasing collaboration, tapping into the pre known channels to promote the website is essential, possibly creating a hashtag to go on Instagram. When wandering around uni observing what promotions caught peoples eyes, I noticed a hidden corner within the Student Union which contained multicoloured balloons and silver shimmery backdrops. It stroke me as fascinating that this spontaneously creative space had popped up within LCA, and is quirky and creative itself. By utilising the space and functionality of Leeds College of Art, we can engage the target audience more, as they also engage with LCA on an often daily basis. This emphasises the commonalities, encouraging brining people together. 

A social media hashtag (mainly for Instagram) could feature #CollabMe, with a student looking for a collaborator, holding a slip of paper saying who'm they're looking for. This would create a multi-platform distribution for the platform, promoting the website. By giving the control to the user of where to post it, with the association of Collab.com, the breadth of interaction is maximised and hopefully increased searches.

The 'Seeking a' A5 cards would be printed and placed near the area in uni. To save on cost for Precision Printing and white ink, these can be screen printed on black 220 gsm card, easily purchased for relatively inexpensive. However, by having black stock regular pens will not show up or work on this surface, meaning a pot of branded Collab white felt pens would come with black card templates. This could all be distributed to a university in a CollabPack (tote, cards, white pens, stickers, posters).

I posted them around uni to the primary target audience- this could be extended to posters around highly populated student area's, such as Hyde Park (or the cubes we see around Leeds); alternatively places where creatives are situated. Places like Belgrave Hall & Canteen, Colours May Vary, Village Bookstore all have a wide variety of creative clientele, ranging in specialisms with a common interest in design- and sharing design due to the situation of appraisal within some of the shop settings.

Distributing through different departments, as well as sticker mock ups easily scattered in smaller places. In many cases the tone of voice of Collab with the hand icons is much lighter than some of the others, with the 'SWAP/SHOP' initially grabbing my attention within this image, and then over towards the telescope lady in the bottom right and over to Collab. The introduction of the hands comes off playful and engaging, almost acknowledging the work around it in a suggestive positive feature, highlighting people right there you could potentially collaborate with.

When observing how people interact with the spaces around uni, it is clear that Plug Sockets are something of key importance and engagement- the same with most public spaces today. By highlighting this as a feature of significance we can tactically place branding to target the audience further- often if they need a charger, they are charging a computer or phone, suggesting professional or student of some kind. This information is also useful to keep in mind if pushing the brief further, expanding as a larger network in the future.

 Looking at the spaces and seeing how the range/distribution are intertwined is really interesting to see, as it is clear for some aspects I could go back and redesign to possibly be brighter and look more 'creative'. However, the overall aesthetic of the brand is currently playfully serious, something which is perfectly in keeping with the intended tone of voice.