Digital Business Card, Wireframes - OUGD603

Both Harrison and I designed ideas using wireframes. We decided it best to take the research we had collected and put this into the designs. It also made sense for us both to create separate ideas as a sort of generation to gain as many outcomes as possible.

Most of the designs we have sketched up contain; your own business card page, a contacts page and variations on these being enlarged etc. We also made ways to edit what information you shared as this was a concern from people who took part in the survey. There are extra features including reminders, search functions, about pages to explain the app and categories to organise all your contacts. The primary function of the app is to be able to share your details at the touch of a button and be able to sort through your collection easily. We need to keep this in mind throughout the design process and make sure we do not add any unnecessary features.

Digital Business Card, Digital Research - OUGD603

This is a small amount of research to tackle the issues of, is digital always the way forward. People stated in their feedback on the survey that they are scared of digital or believe it to be untrustworthy. Below are some articles discussing digital methods and how they can go wrong or be used against the user. We will aim to protect our users privacy through this app and make sure the software cannot be used maliciously to harm anyone.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/apr/03/the-customer-is-always-wrong-tesla-lets-out-self-driving-car-data-when-it-suits

The customer is always wrong: Tesla lets out self-driving car data – when it suits

"Luxury car maker Tesla is throwing some drivers’ privacy under the wheels following accidents in order to defend its hi-tech self-driving car technology."

Tesla, in an attempt to defend their technology will not show the cars logs following an accident with their self driving car. They state that it is not the technology that is at fault but rather the driver behind the wheel

https://www.ft.com/content/171cc986-41b5-11e8-803a-295c97e6fd0b

Zuckerberg failed to fix Facebook users’ privacy concerns

"Mark Zuckerberg’s Congressional testimony failed to restore Facebook users’ trust"

Facebook one of the world's leading social networks is under fire from everyone as it fails to answer to privacy concerns. Users were left in the dark when Mark Zukerberg could not answer certain questions about Facebook's Privacy. People are left worrying whether their personal data has been sold or used against them in some way.

Digital Business Card, Environmental Research - OUGD603

https://www.netflix.com/search?q=virunga&jbv=80009431&jbp=0&jbr=0

It is important that we have information and research regarding environmental effects and issues. Netflix has an amazing range of documentaries on wildlife and the environment. The one we have concentrated on is called "Virunga". The documentary focuses on the the destruction of Virunga National Park mostly for oil and shows how Gorillas are affected by it.

http://www.theworldcounts.com/stories/Paper-Waste-Facts

A site found dedicated to displaying facts about paper wastage has a live feed of how many tons of paper have been produced in the world this year. The first line from the article, "In today’s electronic age, people are starting to consider going paperless. But there’s still a long way to go before we lose our dependence on this very important human product.". Showing that we are not far off leaving unnecessary print behind but people are still dependant on it despite it's environmental effects.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/nov/20/90-companies-man-made-global-warming-emissions-climate-change

The article above shows just how destructive we can be as a society. Just 90 companies out of the world billions are responsible for more than a third of the worlds emissions. This is incredible, although the article was written in 2013 much of it is still relevant to this day. It can be seen why the Paris Agreement has been put into place but maybe we as individuals can do more.

The Paris Agreement, "...the agreement aims to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change." Hopefully this is something that continues to happen as we strive to find more ways to help our planet no matter how small. Some countries do no believe in this agreement therefore it makes it more important to put our minds together and keep pushing for new ideas. 

We aim to help save the world and the destruction of trees and wildlife with the design of this app in whatever small way we can. This is the sort of information we will continually be looking at to inspire us and give us more knowledge for the cause.

Digital Business Card, Further Research - OUGD603

As we wanted to expand our research further than just digital business cards we thought looking at digital marketing as a whole would help benefit our understanding of this area.

We came across a book called Understanding Digital Marketing: Marketing Strategies for Engaging the Digital Generation that explained the four P's of marketing which are price, place, promotion and product. Damian Ryan further explained that these were right at the time, however, Damian has re-done them for our current generation.

The general overview of the 10 points above very much explains that's it has always been about the customer from the past to the current and even the future. As we are creating a digital business app we need to focus on engaging with the user and how the app will be appropriate to use over the traditional printed method but also creating an experience for the user.

In the article Conceptualizations of the Materiality of Digital Artifacts and their Implications for Sustainable Interaction Design”, Jung, Blevis and Stolterman explain that the digital era strives to inform us how our era has changed the way we design tangibles, and what materials we choose to use in the design process. This relates to our brief as we do not want to remove, but gradually replace the foundation of a traditional business card and the need for physical. 

Digital Business Card, Survey Results - OUGD603

These are the result of the survey:

We tried sending out the questions to people around our target audience but wanted to get the opinions or people outside of it as well. We managed to mostly receive feedback from out desired age range.

The comments left as "Other" were very helpful to gain an insight into the idea and take our research further. Many voiced an opinion on how print is still relevant and other showed concerns that sharing content like this may be easy to steal information. Luckily this is something that will be covered in the overall idea and design of the app. As stated in the section above the survey, only information you wish to share will be shared and just like any app on your phone the information will be protected by the developers. It has not been stated that the app is a means to replace printed business cards as someone stated that if your phone dies you are without means to share your information. This is something that the user will have to tackle themselves by keeping the phone charged or as stated this is not a straight up replacement. Take money for example it is stated that it won't be until 2050 that printed money is taking out of production, there will be a transition period. Although this is not the means to replace printed business cards from day one it is the inevitable goal of the application.

Some other comments left were that it may be harder for the older generation to get to grips with an application like this. Once again this is true and great feedback but as the app is aimed predominantly at younger adults this would be more the demographic we hope to use the app.

Digital Business Card, Feedback on Ideas - OUGD603

The feedback from the survey helped to gain an understanding of how the the public would engage with the app and how it could be used. People were wary of using digital means and worried about privacy and information hacking. Other stated that print is still necessary and it would be a shame to get rid of it. While people for digital agree with the fact the world is changing and digital may be the way forward. 

This has helped us to see how we can improve on our ideas and possibly integrate some security into the design. As we would not be completely developing and coding the app we will do the best we can to show this visually. 

These are a few comments left on our survey about the ideas of the app:


These comments were against using digital but not necessarily against this app.

"Print gives me confidence the didgital is very untrustworthy"

"The only thing that worries me is privacy but it’s inevitable that we’ll need something like this..."

These comments fit well with arguing against the comments above.

"Digital is the way to go"

"It's certainly an interesting idea and could make situations where it's hard to hear someone easier easier to negotiate - I.e introducing yourself in a nightclub without shouting in the other persons face. Also pre-sers for the information would be good so you can quickly select which information you want to provide."

"An app that allowed you to exchange 'business card' details would be great! I personally know that I would most likely loose a business card if someone gave me one, it's more environmentally friendly and it saves money!!"

"I think in the modern world everything will eventually be digital. It costs less because there is no printing or mass distribution. And although some will prefer the old style of sitting with a magazine or paper, I feel eventually everyone will be sat with an iPad or phone looking at the same texts etc with unlimited selections to looks at."

These comments were for print.

"Without Print, we loose the quality in what we do and the “touchy feely” nature to everything. Which in my opinion is very very upsetting. I love having physical photographs and prints."

"I think some form of print will always be needed - for aesthetic reasons and also for documents that need to be kept as 'hard copies'."

"The feel of a book is much greater than that of a tablet, in cases such as comics, the colectability of the print is much more of a selling point than the digital equivalent."

How to solve a problem, Initial Ideas - OUGD603

The initial idea is create some sort of mobile application that young adults can use to share their information similar to that of a business card.

This would include:

• Social media profiles
• Contact Numbers
• Email Addresses
• Portfolios
• Websites

The app would not force you to share any information you do not wish to share and would allow you to create different versions of your business card. This would be to send out to both professional and personal contacts.

When discussing the information with Harrison his views differed slightly from my own. He wanted to create the app based inside of another popular application, Snapchat. This does make sense for the current trends as Snapchat is a major competitor to most social media applications. I argued that Snapchat would not be very professional when meeting potential clients or professionals. It would be fine if the app was solely for personal use but it would mean missing out on a huge potential audience. It was agreed that the idea of adding the app into the mobiles already implemented wallet application would make sense. There would be ease of access to the application and part of the main body and development of the app is already there. This would mean you are able to use the application for both business and personal use.

We now need to gain feedback on this idea to then develop it further.

Digital Business Card, Survey - OUGD603

To Gain further research into this idea we created a survey to send out. This would get us a brief outline of what it is the public and our target audience think of the idea.

Is Print Dead?

Digital Business Card

---PLEASE READ BEFORE ANSWERING---

Often the statement "print is dead" is used to signify that the digital age will soon be all that is known. Most young people have a smart phone and therefore they have access to the internet. Job offers or important discussions happen online on a digital platform. By 2050 it is thought physical printed money will no longer exist and will be solely digital.

With this information in mind other means of print have to change with the times. The idea is to create an app linked to your smartphones wallet that allows a sort of digital business card for the user. It will be optional to use and optional what information you share on there and with whom. For instance, you’re in a job interview or meet an important client and need to pass on your information. With a tap of your phone using NFC technology they have access to your online portfolio and Linkedin account. Another example of personal use would be meeting new people in everyday life or even at a party or club. Once again with a tap of the phone you are able to find all the social media they have shared on their device and even means to contact them through their phone number.

The idea of the app is to save on print costs for business cards and to save on time or awkward situations of silence while sharing details. This would also cut down on environmental issues and potentially save millions of trees.

Based on the information above and your own opinion please answer the following questions:

1. What age range do you fit into?

15 - 25

25 - 35

35 - 45

45 +

2. Do you think the future will be entirely digital?

Yes

No

Other (please specify)

3. Do you prefer digital or print?

Digital

Print

Other (please specify)

4. Do you believe digital versions of everyday printed items are more environmentally friendly?

Yes

No

Other (please specify)

5. Would an app linking all your social media accounts for either personal or professional use, be useful?

Yes

No

Other (please specify)

6. Is print needed?

Yes

No

Other (please specify)

Digital Business Card, Research - OUGD603

Why A Digital Business Card is the way forward? 

It is suggested that 88% of the networking we do is a waste of time because that's the percentage of business cards that get thrown away after one week. This is such a big problem on the environment and the effort people put into networking at events and making contacts and the vast majority is doing absolutely nothing for the individual who's producing them. This isn’t even to mention the time and money that goes into business card design and the cost of card printing. The solution would be a  digital business card.

The Reason Why Traditional Business Cards are Failing?

Technology has rapidly increased however business cards have been around since the 17th century meaning they're quite a challenge to take on. Business cards are so ingrained in our image of what doing business looks like it can be hard to imagine what a world without them would be.

The Problem is, that the way we connect with each other is changing. It's is almost impossible that how we use business cards will stay the same. 

The main problem with a traditional business card is that they largely don’t work for their intended purpose. As stated above 88% of business cards are thrown out within a week, meaning it doesn't even matter how well designed or produced the card  

Harrison and I are pretty concerned that 88% of business cards are thrown away within a week. It doesn’t matter how much effort that went into the design or production that’s still the number we are are working with. 

Primary Research:

We started the primary research by asking fellow peers in the class about what they think about traditional business cards and why they're failing. The biggest concern that came up was that most people didn't need the service that was being provided. however, this didn't mean they didn't like the person or their work they just didn't need what they were offering at the time. 

The general feedback was mainly positive about creating a digital business card just purely because of simple of matter, that is it doesn't take up space and that it doesn't need to be put away in a wallet. However, because this was done in a graphic design classroom we thought that the information could have been a little bit biased. This meant that we had to create an online questionnaire which will be sent out on social media to get a better understanding of what people think.

We decided to discuss together the research that we have currently gathered from the fellow peers in the class and how will a digital business card solve this problem. As from previous research, we gathered that a huge percentage of business cards are thrown away, a digital card will more likely last longer and not be immediately deleted as they may need to contact you if they need a product or service at a later stage.  

Even though 88% of cards are thrown away within a week doesn't mean that the 12% that do keep your business card will ever contact you. 

Digital Business Card, Time Plan - OUGD603

This is the initial time plan for the brief. It is rough but is helpful to keep the two of us on track and make sure we reach certain milestones by the dates above. Although we do not wish to cut the brief deadline so close to our final hand in we have given ourselves this much time to make sure we produce the project to the best of our ability

The research and feedback should be ongoing throughout the brief therefore we have stated it to be so. The app design refers to the design right the way from initial sketches and wireframes through to the final piece. Mockups will show the design in context as will the video to help advertise and explain the reasoning behind the project.

Digital Business Card, Brief - OUGD603

As this brief is quite a large one it made sense to use two heads rather than one. Both me and Harrison Wheatley from the same course had similar ideas on this subject so, we decided to work together. The idea came around when discussing business cards and portfolios and how could this be collated. We put our combined ideas and research together to start this brief. 

Background:

Students and young professionals often use social media every day of their lives. It is also argued that attention spans have dropped dramatically. With this in mind it would be more beneficial to use digital business cards. This would save time on personal encounters as well as professional meetings. It would also reduce our waste of paper and actually make it easier to organise our collection of business cards at a touch of a button.

This brief will be research lead and should be backed up from sources collected both online and within print. Both primary and secondary research should be conducted. The final outcomes should be presented visually.

The Problem:

Business cards waste paper, they’re not sustainable or environmentally friendly. The world is moving into the digital age why aren’t business cards. Contact information should be transferable at the touch of a button not through spoken work or long digital searches. 

The Task:

Design a digital business card application for mobile devices. This should link to social media, online portfolios and other information that would be helpful in contacting new friends or professional contacts.

Target Audience:

Students

Young Professional

Age range, 18-35

Considerations:

Research

The digital age

The role of print media in the digital age

Print

Is print dead?

Survey(s)

Primary and Secondary Research

Wireframes

App Design

Feedback

Mockups

Photography Branding, Evaluation - OUGD603

Overall this project has been a huge learning experience. Izzy was not difficult to work with but at times was not confident on what she wanted. This meant it was hard to create pieces but also meant that the some of the time had to be left in her hands to decide and think and not all the designing was left to me. 

What seemed strange about the project was how long was spent on the logo design as this was probably the most personal part of the project. Once the logo was done all the other pieces of branding fell into place. This could be because the other pieces of branding worked more with layout design which is a bit easier to have a standardised look to it. 

Gaining inspiration from other branding and design really helped, it also helped to have the client know what they would like and to be able to have some slight wiggle room with the time plan. Although we actually ended up with more time left after finishing it meant that spending a lot of time on the logo development did not interfere with the rest of the project. This has shown that with future projects it will be helpful to create time plans as accurate as possible but also as realistic to make sure the project is created on time and to the best of my ability rather than being rushed. 

I would like to believe this has helped me push my skills in branding further, I have definitely been able to improve on other areas of design for this project. Using Adobe Illustrator to layout much of the design I was able to create CVs and postcards in a professional manor. I believe this project went well and I am pleased with both the final out comes and that the client herself is pleased.

Adjusted Time Plan 

Photography Branding, Finalised - OUGD603

Once I had sent all the designs over to Izzy it was now up to her to get them printed and the website online. I linked her to a site called GoDaddy and to her desired domain name, I also showed her how to link her domain to her Adobe Portfolio site to save money on domain hosting. I put a simple design on the site and then let Izzy customise it how she wanted. As for the business cards I linked Izzy to the site Moo to get her designs printed, she ordered some 600gsm cards with a white stripe on the inside. Unfortunately the blue came out a bit more purple on the printed designs (below) despite designing in CMYK and test printing some. Izzy at first couldn't create her Postcards as her computer was broken so had no access to the photos she needed but has since printed them and is really happy with the outcome. She also sent off her creative CV and got good feedback from the potential employer stating that she liked the simplicity and even asked Izzy to design hers, to which Izzy gave my name.

Izzy is now happy with her branding; business cards, postcards, creative CV and website (live at izzytp.com).

We changed the business card design to have the word "Photographer" under her name so that the people she gave them to would know what she specialised in. 

I also created a favicon and title for Izzy's website below.

Izzy's Printed Postcards

Izzy's printed business cards.

Photography Branding, Creative CV - OUGD603

Izzy wanted a creative CV made up using her current CV as a baseline. The idea was to keep the design simple and use colours from the business cards to create it. It didn't take long to mock up some ideas and Izzy enjoyed the design pretty quickly with only a few tweaks needed. The type is the same as the rest of her branding and the tulip is featured at the top, this with the colour ties everything together.

Photography Branding, Fourth Meeting - OUGD603

This meeting went very successfully as we finalised the business cards, logo and postcards in one session. Izzy had had some time away in London and had thought about her design a bit more, I had gained some feedback from peers and classmates and we had all come back to the same design. The Tulip design was a very early idea but Izzy hadn't seen it in the same context as a business card so we brought it back. The new blue colour was inspired by some research from Izzy's Pinterest board (seen below). The blue was so powerful and saturated that it felt right to use it to bring a small design out from the white background. Above is the final business card, postcard and band design, the band is to hold the postcards together in an wax translucent paper bag to give out to clients and potential employers.

Inspiration