Monthly Archives: September 2014

Logo Design- Week 1

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I began by researching into logo designs for popular apps as well as apps that have relevance to my crime mapping product.

Google-maps-icon apple maps forevermaps2-icon-220x211

I quickly found that the logos for many apps that involve some kind of GPS or mapping software often include some kind of push pin icon. This makes the app instantly recognisable as being a mapping app and it is easy for users to instantly get a good understanding about what the app is for.

I also began researching into the most easily recognisable icons on the topic of vandalism and crime prevention. This is important as it is key for the logo to be as simplistic as possible whilst also giving enough information on what the app is about.

After some initial research I quickly found several recurring images that the user would instantly associate with crime and vandalism

finger print handcuffs spray-paint-4 Spray Can

 

From these I began to create some simple logo designs that incorporated some of these ideas.

initial idea 1

Initially I created this design of a spray can being impaled by a map pin icon. I like this design as it sends a strong message that the app is designed to help stop vandalism and graffiti whilst also telling the user that the app is based around GPS and electronic mapping.

However I do think that the logo is a little too complex to fit into a small icon on a smart phone or tablet.

initial idea 3 initial idea 4

These designs are much simpler and I believe they still effectively portray the anti graffiti message however there is no reference to the mapping aspect of the app which I feel does need to be implemented into the logo.

initial idea 2

I like this design and think it would work well as the logo on the main menu screen of the app as well as the main website. The paint splatter portrays the graffiti aspect well and the use of the pin icon helps to connote the mapping aspect of the app.

initial idea 5

Here I decided to simplify the previous logo. I believe this more simplified logo could be used as the app icon as there is less text and would be easier to read in a small icon.

initial idea 6 initial idea 7

I looked further into designing icons for my app, I think these work best as they make good use of the iconography of both the map pin icons and the hand cuffs which will allow users to have a good idea what the app is about just from seeing the logo. This helps the app stand out amongst the other similar apps on the app store.

Research Activity – Week 1

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As part of my first set of workshops for my Digital Media course I have been given the task of designing an interface for a digital media product that could be used by the local government.
Naturally my first thoughts were to look into the world of mobile apps as they are becoming increasingly versatile and widely available. After some initial research I settled on the idea of designing an app that could serve to help local governments fight crime.

It is estimated that graffiti costs the UK over £1 billion per year to clean up. I have decided to design an app that will aid local councils in better identifying and cleaning up graffiti and vandalism as well as giving the public a better platform to report incidents.

Whilst researching similar existing products I have found the GraffitiSTOP App

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GraffitiSTOP App

The app allows the user to view a map of where graffiti in has been reported in their local area.

Users are also able to use the app to report instances of graffiti by taking a picture and marking the location on a map. This information can then be seen and used by the local authorities.
I think this is a very interesting idea and will use it as a basis for my design.

I have several ideas on how my design could improve on this product.

  • The app could be expanded to enable the user to report other types of minor crime such as vandalism of public property and fly tipping.
  • My design would also implement a response system that allows the local authority to send push notifications and updates to users once the reported problem has been dealt with. This would enable better communication between local authorities and the public.

I know from my own experience that dealing with local authorities can be incredibly frustrating and it can often seem that complaints are lost in a sea of red tape. I believe my app design can cut past a lot of this and greatly increase the efficiency in which these incidents are dealt with.