IXD301 – Hanna-Barbera Cartoon Research

I wanted to explore this company because they have made and created the most well known cartoons and animations known to man. Everyone is aware of their work and can recognise the cartoons from a mile away they are so infamous. I wanted to look into this particular company because I think I could be greatly inspired by doing so for my own e-book illustrations.

Who are Hanna Barbera?

Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc., also variously known as H-B Enterprises, H-B Production Co., and Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc., was an American animation studio and production company founded on July 7, 1957, by Tom and Jerry creators and former MGM cartoon studio staff William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. They are known for making the iconic Scooby do, Tom and Terry, and the Flintstones. Hanna-Barber was an animation powerhouse. They made the majority of cartoons during this time but have been absorbed by Warner Bros now, their work continuers to inspire today.

William Hanna 

William Hanna joined a California engineering firm after studying engineering and journalism. He switched careers to cartooning in 1930 and in 1937 joined MGM as a director and story man in the animation department.

Joseph Barbera

Jospeh Barbera was working as a bank accountant with the Irving Trust Company in New York City during the early 1930s when he started submitting cartoons to magazines; he sold his first to Collier’s magazine and decided to forsake banking for cartooning. He joined MGM as a sketch artist in the same year as Hanna.

A further look into some of their characters;

Fred Flintstone

I really love the illustration style for the Flinstones, I feel the style to be humorous and consistent with the other characters. The characters design reflects each characters own personalities and I feel this comes across clearly throughout the animations. I want my style to be able to do this, I want kids to be able to distinguish between each character and not get mixed up because they look the same. I also like the minimal use of colour on his outfit and overall, I think it is important to have bright colours but not that many of them.

Tom & Jerry

 

I am not going to be illustrating animals in my e-book but I thought it was really fun to look into the style of tom and jerry because it is so well known and everyone loves it. I did not know that this was created by Hanna Barbera and was fascinated to look closer into it. I love the detail in this style, the whiskers, fur deatiling and even eyebrow expressions. This is a very impressive style for a cartoon this old but I feel that it is too detailed for the style I am going for.

 

Scooby-D0 (Fred)

 

I then wanted to explore the Scooby-Do world of Hanna-Barbera. I was shocked to see this in the character list, and was excited to look at this style. The cast of Scooby Do is similar to what I am going for, a group of friends and it was interesting to see how the style differed from each character, this was done through features, clothes and hair colour. I really liked the detail but feel like a style like this is too old for the age group I am going for.

 

What did I learn?

  • I learned a lot from this research into Hanna-Barbera, I got to look into different styles to see if any were right for me
  • I learned about the history of who Hanna-Barbera even is and how they came to be cartoonists
  • I discovered that I need to keep looking for some inspiration for my characters
  • I learned how characters can have the same style but with look different

IXD301 – Competitor Analysis on Periodic Table Learning Tools

The first competitor analysis I wanted to complete was looking at the various elements on the period table learning tools that exist right now for example, apps, or websites for kids specifically focusing on the periodic table. Then I will go into science books etc.

Why look into this and not just books?

By looking into learning tools such as apps or games for kids this will give me a broader sense into what is being offered today for them regarding the periodic table. It will give me knowledge on how much they are informing kids on the periodic table and how much they go into detail. Looking into my competitors gives me a good idea on the standard out there currently, and gives me scope on how I can do better for kids.

The first thing I did was research the periodic table for kids and see what came up. I found the following:

Elements.wlonk.com 

This is a many that created a periodic table for kids. Their website holds all of their information and shows their periodic table they made. It is illustrated with everyday items that kids would be aware of, the table is available for printing and buying. There is also a feature on their website called – interactive. This is where their periodic table comes up full screen and can be used interactively online. I found this very interesting and a very u useful tool  for a classroom or even a child at home.

When you click on an element it makes it bigger and then it is explained. It shows a picture of the element, it then lists its uses or what it can do and then it explains what group it belongs in , and then a little about the group itself. There is also a voice button that can read out the elements – this makes this website very accessible.

What did I learn from this?

  • That it is easier for kids to understand the periodic table through images/illustrations – it helps them visualise and remember the elements .
  • That including a voice button or reading button is a good idea to make everything more accessible for everyone using.
  • That I should use the most simple form of language I can when explaining the uses of the elements because kids won’t understand big vocabulary.
  • That if something is interactive and can be used in a fun way children are more likely to remember it and or want to use it again.

 

Learning Kids Tube

 

I then went over to You Tube, since this sis such a popular site used for kids and their learning I wanted to see what they had to offer on the topic of the periodic table. I found the channel ‘Learning Kids Tube’ that focuses on videos for kids learning. I found a video of theirs on the periodic table called ‘Periodic Table of Elements song for kids’. The whole song was 46 minutes long and went through every element in detail, as well as sectioning the elements in their groups.

The beginning of the video went into detail on what an atom is, what each part is for example, electrons and protons etc. I though this was very helpful and I can see how this would help a child understand what an element is. The song was very catchy and I can see how helpful this would be in a classroom environment because the atom illustration that was singing was amusing and educational.

What did I learn from this:

  • That catchy songs can help kids remember or learn better
  • That YouTube is a great method or tool for learning
  • That it is important to use bright colours to keep the attention of the users/kids
  • That characters can make learning fun and keep the target audience attention levels up
  • That science can be made fun through song

 

The Elements – A Visual Exploration (App)

 

I wanted to see what apps are out there at the moment for kids son the periodic table, it was quite hard for my to find apps that weren’t for students, that were specifically focused on kids under 10. I found a few but the one that I looked closely into was The elements – a visual exploration. This app is based on the international beset selling book ‘The Elements by Theodore Gray’.

This is an app ‘designed to help kids learn about the elements in the periodic table’. This is similar to my aim.

 

The app opens up on the periodic table, each element has been changed into an image, that a child would understand. This is common in periodic table apps for children. To read about gold for example, you click on the gold nugget in the table and two pages come up. On one side is the image of the 3D golden nugget and on the opposing side is all the information on the element. Each element gets two pages, and a rotating image, I liked this idea of the 3d image where you pinch and zoom to get a closer look at each image.

I also noticed there was a theme song available that one can play throughout the app or else it can be turned off. This is a great way to teach kids the periodic table through song.

What did I learn from this

  • That kids like to learn through images, especially when science is involved
  • That 3D images are interesting and kids are intrigued by them
  • That adding a theme song can be helpful, keep kids attention – learning through singing concept
  • That turning the periodic table into a table of images can be useful for kids, helps them understand and digest the elements better

 

 

IXD302 – Brainstorming ideas for the Pitch Project

To begin this project I thought it would be a good idea to use some of Daniels idea generation methods and begin brain storming some ideas. I have lots of ideas since the scope is so wide for this project. I feel I have too many in my head so I am using the post-it note method of brainstorming to get them out on a wall, so I can group ideas together, or come up with a great concept.

I started with coming up with an idea for the project, any idea. I wrote down things from global warming, women, health, safety and so much more. I tried to write down whatever came into my head when I thought app ideas or website concepts. I wanted to create as many post-it notes as I could so I could see them visually on a wall, step back and try to group some ideas together.

Which ideas stood out to me?

As seen below, I groups the ideas that stuck out to me, or the ideas that I thought could go further:

  • Global warming
  • Education
  • Well-being
  • Recycling

These are the words I thought worked well together, and this started to form some app ideas in my head, as seen below.

  • An app that gives you a reminder to take out your recycling,
  • An app where you earn points when you recycle, save on your Carbon footprint, when you walk instead of drive
  • An app where you can donate to local global warming causes/charities
  • An app where you can plant trees
  • An app that educates people on global warming/climate change

 

I then wanted to do another brain storming activity that is focused on global warming, I wanted to brainstorm devices that I could make an idea on, for example app or website or even an e-book. The image below is what I came up with and what interested me was the futuristic ideas, like vr or a hologram that comes up from an Apple Watch. All of these concepts are great for development and help to keep my forward thinking cap on. After all I am designing for the future.

IXD302 – More Proposal Development

I wanted to explore making my proposal more detailed or just to add subtle touches to make the document more interesting and exciting to read. Although I would like my typeface to do all the talking it was fun to experiment with design in this part of the process.

Trying out the line addition

Before

 

After

These are not exported yet so the margin lines and text boxes are still showing, I need to research how to export singular pages on indesign. I took some snapshots of my trying out the line and I am still unsure if it needs it. I am going to add it for that added detail, I think the reader needs some definition from the title and the content. I also think the under line will add to the black and white theme without being too in your face, for example , like if I added big black boxes or black backgrounds. It would be too much.

Reflection

I liked taking part in some minimal trial and error with this part of the process with the proposal and feel like although it was a subtle change it was an important decision to make as a designer. I am excited to make the changes to each page now and then discuss my final outcome.

IXD302 – Proposal Development and the Design

I started by looking at typography. Typography is the main element for this proposal so I want it to be perfect and something that really represents the Hillstreet website well.

Typography 

After looking into a few of my favourite fonts I decided that my favourite and the one that will look the best in the proposal is the Helvetica Neue Light version. I will look into other Helveticas to see if the light is the best one or not or most fitting one for the proposal.

Why Helvetica Neue?

  • It is clean
  • It is modern
  • It is easily read
  • It looks sophisticated
  • It is not too loud or in your face
  • It is everything I want in a font

The Design

Below are some screenshots I took of the process of making this proposal. I tried a few different layouts and feel like the one I settled with works the best. It is clean and align but I will play about with it some more to see if it is really what I want.

Opinions

  • I think the font looks really nice and ties in the minimal aspect I was looking for at the beginning of the project
  • I think the text size works nicely and is easily read which is good
  • I think the content spacing could be looked at to ensure the text is not too squished
  • I like the white space element, I think it makes the document look professional
  • I feel the content pages lack though, something is missing so I am going to start to think about adding in lines or some detail to see if it improves the finished outcome

IXD302 – SWOT Task

Daniel asked us to complete a swot task for us to get to know our strengths and weaknesses for pitches. I thought this was a great idea to way up to weigh up the idea and see what needs work and if the idea will be successful or not. I made mine on procreate because I thought it would look nice and give me some freedom with colour. It is seen below.

Reflection

I got a lot out of this as a creator, it made me sit down and think about what my pitch/app is for and how it will be received by the audience. I think that this was a great task to complete and fun to try and decipher the problems with my idea and the good things about it. I am now aware of the threats and can look to the opportunities for inspiration on how to make my product better.

IXD301 – The Periodic Table Elements Breakdown

I decided to do some more research into the period tableland the elements themselves. This is so I can understand fully what they actually are and how they are made up before I go further into my project.

What is an element?

A Chemical Element is a pure substance consisting only of atoms that all have the same numbers of protons in their nuclei. Unlike chemical compounds, chemical elements cannot be broken down into simpler substances by any chemical.

I then waned to see visually what an element is and then found this helpful diagram.

 

From looking at this diagram I now understand that there are atoms. I now need to know what an atom is and what makes atoms different to each other. So I took to the Internet again to find some more information on an atom

What is an atom?

An atom is the smallest unit of ordinary matter that forms a chemical element. Every solid, liquid, gas, and plasma is composed of neutral or ionized atoms. Atoms are extremely small.

 

Atom Diagrams

 

From looking closely at these atoms I now understand that within every atom there are protons, neutrons and electrons. That the number of each of these parts of an atom changes with every element. The nucleus is the centre of the atom, where the protons and neutrons are held. The electrons surround this.

The correlation between the elements and atoms

How do atoms relate to the periodic table?

‘The properties of an atom relate directly to the number of electrons in various orbitals, and the periodic table is much like a road map among those orbitals such that chemical properties can be deduced by the position of an element on the table.’ – Lumen Learning

Elements can be identified by their atomic number and mass number.

 

 

Above is a great diagram I found that explains the information on the elements easily, is shows the atomic number, name, symbol and relative atomic mass of Hydrogen. All of this information is on each element on the periodic table, so it is really helpful to have each part explained. This demo I found last colour codes the table into the non -metals, noble gases, other metals etc. This is very helpful and a great tool for researching the elements I want to use.

What did I learn? 

I now know how each element has different make up, had different atomic numbers, and this is how they are placed on the periodic table. I also am aware that each element on the table has numbers and symbols that now make sense to me. I also learned what the structure of an atom looks like. This was something I. had forgot form school but am now aware of again, I know the nucleus is in the centre and electrons surround it.

Why do this research into the breakdown?

I wanted to learn what an element actually was and how they related back to atoms etc. I also wanted to get a clearer understanding as to why elements are in that order on the table and what the numbers mean. I felt this was very helpful in my development because now I know this, I can move forward into thinking about how this would be including into my book for kids.

IXD301 – Mind-Mapping My Final Idea

The idea I have chosen is to write an e-book for children on the elements as Superheroes. Below I have shown my process as to how I have gotten there through the tool of mind-mapping. This has been a great help in narrowing down why I want to do this and what my options are moving forward for development.

Why Superheroes?

This is the big question. And to come up with the answer I decided to try and make some mind maps on why I want to go for this idea, the images of this are below.

Why an e-book about superheroes?

I first wanted to make an initial spider diagram, I done this on pro create, this allowed me to get out all of my ideas on why I want to make an e-book about superhero’s in t he first place. I got lots of reasons, some that I liked were ‘creative character development’ and ‘accessible’ and ‘unique’. I was satisfied with these reasonings and decided to move onto the next mind map.

 

Why Superheroes?

 

 

I then asked myself Why Superheroes? This was a vital question because this is my plot. I came up with lots of reasons why I want to pursue this idea and how it could be beneficial for kids. Some of my favourite reasons I found were ‘villain addition (rivalry), ‘back stories and their powers’ and ‘strong plot can be developed’. I found that this mind map has helped me solidify my decision and I am now ready to move onto a mind map exploring the powers these superheroes would have.

Superhero Power Idea

 

This was really helpful because there are so many elements with so many possibilities, it was great to get them down on screen to see what would work and what would not work. I tried to think of powers that I could relate back to the elements for example like flying power – helium. I also tried to channel all of the superheroes I have seen in movies, this is something I plan to do, research famous superheroes to gain insight on their back stories/origins.

Which powers caught my eye?

  • Electricity
  • Flying
  • Super Strength
  • Fire
  • Water
  • Poison

All of these powers intrigue me, because they are powers I would to see in action and I would love to see them illustrated into people. So this mind map was very helpful to narrow down some ideas I have been having.

Why was Mind-mapping helpful?

  • It helped me get ideas down on screen so I can see them on paper
  • It helped me to connect ideas together and branch off into other areas
  • It was helpful to sketch out some drawing beside my words to get a visual
  • It was a quick form of idea generation, I created these fairly quickly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IXD302 – Proposal Development and Theme

What do I want my proposal to be?

I asked myself this question and then began to mind map ideas. The main thing I want for this proposal is a new lease of life for Hillstreet. I want the old brick era to be gone and a new modern era to begin for the street. The image below is what I came up with – buzz words for my proposal to help me discover the direction I want it to go.

The words that stuck out to me were:

  • Minimal
  • Sleek
  • Modern
  • Clean

These are what I want the new and improved Hillstreet website to be. I think that it is important to stay up to trend and with the times so I feel like with a proposal and then a website that encompasses all of these things. The next step was sketching out some ideas on what I think the design should or could look like. I think that it is important to sketch before you begin a project because you should never go straight into the design.

Overall I think the sketches turned out nice, I made them on procreate and think that the minimal look will come across in this design well. I think that I just need to focus on finding the correct type and then it will really come together. I want the main focus of this proposal to be on the typeface used so I must find the perfect one.

The theme

I have decided that for my theme I want a sleek, minimal and clean look. I want this proposal to be professional looking and look as if it is a real document that a street would use to try and make a website. I plan on the website being black and white and that is the theme for my proposal too.

Next step..

I plan to experiment with minimalistic design and lines. I will do this on indesign I think because it will give me a professional edge. I liked making my cv and coverletter on there because I found that it caters well for text heavy content. The next step is to start designing it and putting in all of my content.

 

IXD301 – A Trip to The Library

I decided in order to begin this project, I had to look at other children’s books before I start. I felt I had to do this for various reasons:

  1. To start some competitor analysis
  2. To see what language the authors use
  3. To try and find a target age group I want to write for
  4. To get an idea of the illustration that authors use in children’s books
  5. Knowledge on the length of a kids book
  6. Inspiration on plot ideas/characters

Why the library? 

Why did I go into my local library instead of just researching children’s books online? I did this because I wanted to see what is out there in my local area, I wanted to see what the kids where I am from are reading and what they have access to. I also wanted to collect books first had, I wanted to flick through the books myself and see them in person. I felt this was a very helpful idea and one that has paid off in my research and development.

So I set out to my local library to see what I could find. I found a range of books in the children’s  section. I tried to find a few different books that varied in plot. The image below are the books I took home to read. ( I will be doing singular book reviews on each one)

What did I discover?

  • The books I found used very simple language
  • The books were for a younger age group 6 and below I think
  • They had amusing and intriguing characters that children would be drawn to and remember
  • The length of each book was very short
  • They all rhymed (rhyming couplets)
  • They were all bright and highly illustrated

What surprised me?

  • The most surprising part of this research for me was that the books all rhymed I tried to select different books but I was surprised to see they all rhymed. I am unsure if I want to make my book rhyme but then again this is a good method if I was to write for a younger group of kids that are in primary school for example.
  • Another element that surprised me was how short they were, I was planning to write a relatively long story but seeing the range of books I read I was shocked to see how little text was actually in them. This told me that they were for very young kids.

Why was this research helpful? 

  1. This research helped my get a chance to review local books that are in my area
  2. This research let me see what books are popular right now in my hometown
  3. This research helped me understand how long childrens books normally are
  4. I know understand what language I should be using
  5. It was great to see the library itself and what they have to offer in regards to children’s books or novels
  6. I got to try and find superhero books for inspiration but I could not find any, although this is still good research to note