Children's Author and Educator Visits Children's Book Design Students

Gyles Morris talks to students about his teaching methods and typical tasks.

Third year children's book design students at the University of Worcester had a visit today from children's author and educator Gyles Morris. 

Gyles demonstrated a range of the practical techniques he uses to help engage schoolchildren with the outdoors. The visit comes on the back of him setting the students a brief to design a set of 'working prototype' page spreads and covers for a book of the same nature. One of the drivers for this brief is the recent research into 'Nature Deficit Disorder' which seeks to better understand why children are becoming more and more distanced from the outdoors and the natural world.

The students will be arriving at their final ideas in mid may 2013, these will then be looked over by Gyles and his co-author once marked. There's the very real likelyhood of one or more of the students being offered the possibility of completing the work and taking their ideas to a final state in readiness for publication.

Student Wayfinding Signage Project Begins

We've just finished the client briefing today in Upton on Severn for this year's student wayfinding signage design project for the Information Graphics students. 

Museum manager Simon talks to students about the town's history.

An incredible old trading town based on the river Severn, Upton's town council have asked graphic design students from the University of Worcester to come up with working prototype designs for both directional and information board signage. The previous year we ran a great wayfinding project in Malvern for students in which final designs were exhibited in the town's library for the public to look over.

This student project was created on the back of ongoing work in the town by Helen @ http://www.marosholmes.com/

Mapping Commenced for Operation Tabarin Book

I've started to work with polar author Stephen Haddelsey to create a set of accompanying maps for a new book presently being written by him called 'Operation Tabarin' (working title) on the secretive WW2 British military operation in the Antarctic.

Comparitively little has been published in relation to this operation. Stephen explains for the first time in his new book the various events and happenings around it and it's eventual formalising as the organisation we know today as the 'British Antarctic Survey'.

I also recently created all of the accompanying maps for his latest book "Shackleton's Dream" (History Press) too. I've put a quick example of these below too. Stephen's blog can be found at: http://stephen-haddelsey.blogspot.co.uk/

Examples of the range of initial source materials being poured over
(note all important choccies).

A map of Ross Island for the author's previous book by the History Press
"Shackleton's Dream".

Children's Book Designs Underway for Natures Base

We've just started a great project with Gyles at Natures Base Schools to work with students at the University of Worcester to design and create 'working prototype' cover and double-page spread designs. The designs will ultimately be considered for inclusion in a new book that Gyles and a colleague are writing which aims to get children outdoors and enjoying the countryside and learning activities.

The book and brief also stem from a growing awareness of children's dislocation with nature and the idea of 'Nature Defecit Disorder'.

Pizza making for the big earth oven - amazing flavours!

Campfire activities with the children.

Eco Print and Paper Visting Speakers for Worcester Graphic Design Students

Mary Warren from Robert Horne Paper talks to Green Design Students
at the University of Worcester.

Big thanks to Mark Pickford from Seacourt's Eco Printers in Oxford and Mary Warren from Robert Horne's sustainable board/paper suppliers in Northampton for coming over to talk to my yr 3 Green Design guys.. 

Mark talked about Seacourt's environmental credentials and the sorts of work they undertake as well as the many awards gathered en route (including 2x Queen's Awards!). Mary talked in some depth about the various papers and boards available now to designers when thinking about either eco print or packaging. She also talked about the need to think about reducing materials use where possible but while still conveying the same message. Finally Mary talked about the rise of the 'ethical consumer' - educated and with disposable incomes these people are part of the driving force behind many large companies 'greening' their business practices.

Great to hear them both talk about their industry and big thanks again to them both for travelling over to see us. Our third year Green Design students are working on an eco packaging brief this year to design prototype sustainable re designs of the iconic Worcester Sauce bottle and associated graphics.

Designs on Signs Exhibition - Malvern Library

Graphic Design students from the University of Worcester will be exhibiting prototype wayfinding signage designs during Malvern’s Autumn Festival in the town’s library.

The project was given to the students by the Route to the Hills steering group, who are aiming to help find ways to help encourage pedestrians and walkers to enjoy both the town and hills.

Part of the group’s remit is to look into potential new wayfinding signage solutions in and around the town. The project was a perfect fit for the University of Worcester students, who were studying how best to create information graphics and wayfinding signage over their final semester.

Design lecturer Andy Stevenson said: “The students really benefited from working on this project. The fact that the signage design challenges were real, the clients were real and that there were great experiences gained while on a related visit to the London design studio, all helped make these a really realistic set of experiences for them.”

Malvern Autumn Festival organiser and board member for the Route to the Hills partnership, Peter Smith, added: “This project is a great example of a mutually beneficial collaboration between the Route to the Hills project and the University of Worcester’s student design expertise. It also adds to the great track record we now have with joint projects with the University.”

Councillor Phillip Grove, portfolio holder for economic development, said: “We are really pleased to have this opportunity to work with the students at the University of Worcester. I am very excited by the design ideas they have proposed and hope that some of their ideas can be incorporated into the final “Route to the Hills”, which is being developed to strengthen links between the town and the hills and help tourists and local people enjoy the heritage of the town.”

The Route to the Hills partnership is made up of eight organisations: Malvern Hills District Council, Malvern Civic Society, Malvern Town Council, High Street Malvern, Great Malvern Priory PCC, Malvern Hills Conservators, Malvern Theatres Trust and Malvern Hills AONB. 

Emotisurvey Malvern Work Ongoing..

A test screen from the latest work ongoing showing photo and video feedback.

I'm dedicating these few weeks of research leave before term starts again in the main to trying to finish-off the web outputs for my latest emotisurvey project in Malvern.

The project is a new media consultative tool for the town planning and landscape architecture community. It involves a range of GPS-tracked participants giving their views on a client's wants at key points along a consistent route through urban areas but will eventually have internal applications too. It was commissioned on this occasion by the Route to the Hills steering committee - a project underway at Malvern Hills District Council to try to ascertain how people use the town and it's public realm.

This is the latest evolution of the emotisurvey project that I've been developing for a number of years now since it's beginnings in 2007. The emotisurvey we undertook in Worcester by the riverside formed part of a winning bid by Worcester City Council for the 2010 MJ Achievement Award for “Sustainable Infrastructure Achievement of the Year” which then helped the City Council secure a lottery grant to build a new footbridge over the Severn. The project in Malvern will eventually be visible to the public after scrutiny from the 'clients' as part of the Route to the Hills Project and staff at Malvern Hills District Council.

We've recently seen interest too from the Sustrans cycle network too who are interested in whether the project could help them gain feedback on and around potential new routes.

Andy Stevenson, Aug 24th 2012