OUGD505: Brief 1- Research Critique

Research design boards for crit:

The crit was initially meant to be boards left to be read therefore I took heavily written boards which are in-depth and do show the amount of research I have done- even though they are stripped back and simplified. 

The style of critique was in groups and included written feedback which I actually found helpful along with verbal feedback as it allows me something to look back to when moving forward with the project. I ended to crit on my initial ideas and spoke about wanting to create some form of graphic response which will help parents discover the initial signs of autism. From reading the feedback and a small discussion about where I am currently going with the project I have been able to pinpoint that I want to create some form of publication which is informative but friendly. The feedback I received was incredibly positive about the thorough research I have already completed and it was agreed that now I need to focus on my graphic response and how I will approach this. 

Proposal: 

For the practical element which follows on from my research I will be creating an awareness of autism for parents. Through completing my research I found that a large concern is for new parents who are unsure about autism due to the stories which were told about vaccines. The connection between vaccines and autism is simply not true.

After the crit I found that the most important audience for information would be parents because they have the close bond with their child and are able to see differences in behaviour earlier than when a doctor would be able to. This can only improve the early diagnosis of children and therefore allow for early intervention and help. 

I will create some form of printed booklet because they will be the easiest way to display information in a friendly and accessible way. 

To be able to focus on the publication/ design style I will create I first need to identify what it is I want to avoid within my project:

These are the design styles I want to avoid as they are typical of health publications. They can be seen as quite daunting and somewhat 'scary' as the tone of voice within these is incredibly serious as they need to relay information quickly and efficiently. Although I believe that Autism especially in conjunction with the affects on parents/the child/family should be seen as a sensitive issue and therefore the design should also convey this message too. 

The design considerations for type, colour and image need to be consistently soft and sympathetic to the issue/disorder. The stock in most publications is something which is bright white and is usually glossy which can appear incredibly clinical. However this does not suit Autism as disorder as it is something which is based on social interaction rather than clinical medication and treatments. Parents can be quite concerned about developmental behaviour and milestones so the tone of voice needs to be friendly and considered too. This can also be conveyed within the construction of the publication too so therefore I will research into different ways in which I could bind the publication to ensure the consistency of the messages I want to convey.