Menu Structure — Website — OUGD602

After watching there tutorial series previously posted, I begun going about coding the main page of the site, this would include a menu and then individual sections dedicated to each project:



This was probably the biggest learning curve as it was difficult to get the ball rolling but once I had the basic structure down the code then followed suit.

For visualisation purposes, the HTML works in layers of DIV containers and sections with a 'main' which holds all of the content within the bounds of the users window. These are then adjusted through media queries to essentially create a responsive website that will display differently depending on the device the user is viewing it on.

Above is a screenshot of my chosen coding software called Brackets, at first I was using Dreamweaver however it seemed unnecessary having a preview to the site when I was continuously moving back and forth between safari to test it regardless.

The above code viewed within Safari:

At the moment it doesn't look spot on the same as the drawings just yet, however this will be tidied up in due course using Webflow.

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Introduction to Coding — Website — OUGD602

As I want my personal website to be bespoke for my work, teaching myself how to code is a must in order to add the functionality I require.

This will essentially enable me to stand out from the crowd and be recognised by employers or creatives alike. Additionally, having this online presence will be the first step in gaining some traction within the industry itself, minus the fact my Instagram has been established for a couple of years as a graphic design page/publishing platform for my work. 

The website is a more formal online presence that will essentially be the determining factor as to how professionals will perceive my work/work ethic. 

Current Nootropics Markets — DBA — OUGD602

Deciding to tap into already existing markets allows us to expand on what is already out there, and there is plenty on'smart drugs' for students, however, they are extremely poorly branded and do not best represent students or any academic professional for that matter.

An article featured on The Guardian explains how "Students used to take drugs to get high. Now they take them to get higher grades"

It is the fact that these types of things are being reported on popular news sites that proves that this market is very much accessible if done correctly. However, there is still an eer of shadiness about it, like they know they are doing something wrong and that the accessibility of these drugs are not as easy as they might seem.

To combat this, our product could essentially counter this stigma, by putting what exactly is in the drugs and how they work at the forefront of the brand to ensure that those taking it know exactly what they do and their effects. This will further reduce the amount of stigma attached to these types of drugs, also by professionally presenting them as drugs and not any other form of 'supplements' or something that could be misconstrued as being anything other than a drug.
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Current Products — DBA — OUGD602

The majority of Nootropics on the market seem to go in similar directions, pharmaceutical, natural/herbal or fitness orientated. It is vital that we represent our product as different to these, this should fit in with the target audience, and we feel as if the market for out particular audience has not truly been taken advantage of just yet.

Pharmaceutical examples:

The two above examples opt for the typical pharmaceutical style, which seems slightly off-putting as the colours and layout is fairly inconsistent and overly detailed. This maybe something we need to avoid in our own designs to enable them to be trusted and respected by our chosen market.

This is the prescribed version of 'Noopept' from Russia, the most popular variant of Peptides used as a nootropic. It is clear that these sorts of drugs are considered as drugs and not 'supplements', to avoid any controversy, it would be best to take this very direction with our own products to ensure students are very much responsible with how they take these pills.

This is something we need to certainly avoid, marketing the pills as 'natural' and 'herbal' would automatically make the user think they do not have any side effects or cause any possible underlying issues, the key being here that we must keep it simple but be very explicit on what goes into these products, as education is the best prevention of any complications associated with these drugs.

This example of the same drug from above is a better way to go about it. Marketing it as a 'doctors' product ensures its users are responsible and are reminded that these things aren't like eating fruit or other healthy nutritional food.

This is another possible route, targeting fitness/gym markets, however we feel this would be very limited as this market has been thoroughly taken advantage of in comparison to the 'student' and 'study drug' market; enabling us to come up with something unique and never been done before.

Conclusion

It is clear that the branding needs to be kept extremely stripped back and simple approach to ensure that the contents of these products aren't glamourised or clouded by cluttered, overly detailed packaging. The contents of the products needs to be explicitly outlined on the bottle, this also helps the product become less susceptible to controversy, which could essentially cause many issues simply because of the way it is branded.

Mission Statement — DBA — OUGD602

"We strive to provide honest & safe cognitive enhancers. We're dedicated to going above and beyond to enable you to achieve the highest learning potential possible, as well as ensuring you know exactly what goes into our products."

Values — DBA — OUGD602

Our values:

• Trustworthy
• Intellectual
• Reliable
• Authentic
• Genuine
• Sound
• Respectable
• Honest
• Truthful
• Educational
• Safe

Adding a Splash of Colour — Personal Branding — OUGD602

As the personal identity produced in OUGD402 does not need to be changed (as established in level 5) it seems necessary to add some colour to give it slightly more personality and also allow the website to pop a little more, as employers will be looking at this, it needs to be of highest quality and every aspect of my personal brand needs to be considered and informed to correctly reflect who I am as a designer.

As COP3 has had such an impact on my practice, incorporating a colour often used by one of my greatest influencers, Le Corbusier is a great way to inform my identity through my interests other than graphic design.

I began looking at Le Corbusier's switches to determine what colour would work best with my identity, and also what my personal favourite was:

From all the options available in these swatches, the one that stood out to me the most was 'Corbusier Yellow', which is used throughout his series of buildings entitled 'Unité d'Habitation' built in France and Germany, to which I had visited over Christmas and captured some of the above colours in action, which also features Corbusier Yellow:



This colour will be added subtly into the website I will be designing and building to host my work, for example, as a mouse hover for links, and possible onto my logo to add more flair, as the black/white cleanliness has become somewhat tired out over the last couple of years of use.

Concept/Audience Brainstorm — DBA — OUGD602

After organising to meet up today, we met up to discuss what direction we wanted to pursue.

Already knowing that it is students as a general audience, we needed to refine what area will be targeted, for this example, it is education.

So we began looking at what drugs worked best for education, and their effects/strength:



After we'd established the facts, we set about naming each of the products to best suit their application.

As there is three products required to be presented, we split the drugs into three separate categories, this will represent the strength of the drugs, from strong, to strongest and also correspond to different levels of education, the higher the level the higher the potency:

• BABSc
• MA
• PhD

We also had the idea of using satirical hints within the name, for example 'Delivernoo', similar to another food delivery company, however, as most of its riders are students, it would make more sense as a nootropic delivery company, adopting the 'By students, for students' type ethic.

Additional to this, we speculated possible brand names, which would most obviously include 'Noo' to coincide with the delivery aspect of the brand, this would apply throughout everything, with the most recognisable aspect being the 'Noo'. Running throughout all other aspects of the brand also means consistency and reliability, something of this nature needs to be professionally presented, as people will not trust the products if the brand is not appropriately received.

Overall, this particular brainstorm was a success, we have essentially sorted the fundamentals of the brand and its products:

• Target Audience: Students (18+ to avoid controversy)
• Product Name(s): BABSc, MA and PhD
• Delivery Service: 'Delivernoo'
• Possible Brand Names: 'Nooschool' or 'Nooschool'

Nootropic Variations — DBA — OUGD602

Outlining what kind of nootropics will be used within the products, as there are so many different types with different effects, will ensure the chosen audience is correctly marketed towards.

Types of Nootropics:

Racetams

• Most popular type of Nootropic drug
• Most readily available
• The first kind of Nootropic developed in the 1960's
• Made up of nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen
• Clinical tests show many improvements in cognitive ability
• Affects the neurotransmitter called acetylcholine

Examples include: Piracetam, Pramiracetam, Oxiracetam, and Aniracetam

Vitamin B Derivatives

• Smaller group of nootropic in comparison to Racetams
• Comes as Sulbutiamine (derivative of Thiamine) 
• Thiamine is Vitamin B1
• First synthetized in Japan in order to solve a health crisis after WWII (due to rice based diet, lack of nutrients)
• Improves memory
• Makes user more alert
• Affects choline, glutamate, and dopamine levels in the brain
• Good for treating/preventing Alzheimer’s
• Can be used to treat mental and physical fatigue or to improve memory retention

Choline Nootropics

• Similar high strength as Racetams
• Replenishes choline levels in body
• Directly affects brain’s production of acetylcholine neurotransmitters
• Noticeably positive effect on memory and learning
• Not as noticeable in comparison to other nootropics
• Commonly taken with Racetams to increase effects of both
• Combining with above encourages healthy acetylcholine transmission in the brain
• Increased memory and learning
• Elevated dopamine levels (Lightens moods)

Examples include: Citicoline, Centrophenoxine, and Alpha GPC

Peptides

• Naturally-occurring biological molecules
• Short chains of amino acids linked by covalent chemical bonds
• Uncommon except of one example: Noopept
• Noopept is prescribed for certain psychological conditions, like poor memory or focus
• Popular dietary supplement
• Affect both glutamate and acetylcholine — racetams only affects acetylcholine
• Considered x1000 more potent than Piracetam (Racetams)

Example: Noopept

Ampakines

• One of newest types of nootropics
• Considered to be one of the strongest
• Affects glutamate receptors in the brain
• Targets learning and memory
• Cross between caffeine supplements and racetams
• Doesn't have dangerous side-effects like what is associated with caffeine

Example:  Sunifiram (Much stronger than Piracetam)

Smart Drugs

• Smart drugs are supposedly different to Nootropics
• They contain stimulants — Nootropics don't
• Combines stimulants with other nootropic compounds
• Treats chronic fatigue and thought to increase the neurotransmitter hypocretin
• Can cause complications if you have a weak heart, due to containing stimulants

Example include: Adrafinil and Modafinil

Natural Nootropics

• Often plant-based and yield natural benefits
• Typically considered as safe to use
• Avoids the use of artificial chemicals and compounds
• Less effective in comparison to chemical based nootropics
• Non-natural variations are still natural but are synthesised and purified (extracted)
• Requires larger doses
• Difficult for body to absorb

Examples include:  Ginkgo Biloba and Bacopi Monnieri (Note how they use latin names rather than the more pharmaceutical styles mentioned above)

Conclusion

Overall, having narrowed down the different types of nootropics, it is clear they all have one goal in common, to increase cognitive ability. Meaning if we were to go down the student orientated route, there wouldn't be much going wrong with any variation of nootropics within the products. Or for example, the source that this information was learned from mentions 'stacking' nootropics to combine and increase the effectiveness of the drugs (this is also a possibility for or own brand.)

Controversy & Ethics — DBA — OUGD602

An interesting case study on Nootropics as cognitive enhanscers is discussed over at the Princeton Journal of Bioethics. Begging many of the questions that undoubtably need addressing around Nootropics before such controversy can be eradicated to create a mainstream product (which just happens to be this particular task), such as:

• If there existed an innocuous drug that could improve your cognitive abilities and performance, would you take it?
• What is the purpose of medicine?
• Are the benefits worth the risk?
• Would cognitive enhancers indirectly cause peer pressure for use?
• How will the user’s perception of self change?

After reading the study, it is clear that the controversy around such products would mean that to brand such drugs as fun and informal is quite the task. The reason they look pharmaceutical is because that is what they are. However, if we're speaking purely in hypotheticals, if there was to be no controversy around said products, the brand could actually be hugely successful permitting the correct audience is reached. And this begs the question; 'Is the reason that this particular market has not been taken advantage of yet because it is ethically wrong?'

Michael from Build Studio — Visiting Professional — OUGD602

Hearing Michael from Build talk us through his whole career was hugely inspiring.

Knowing he expressed an interest in brutalist architecture and actually incorporated it onto some of his early works was fantastic to know.

Having spoken to him after and connecting on linkedin, I'd love to use this as a future contact for a possible internship as I feel my portfolio would be a perfect fit in their studio.

What are Nootropics? — DBA — OUGD602

With this brief being of a rather obscure and niche product, it is obvious that research needs to be in-depth to ensure a product that can be appropriately perceived by the allotted target audience. This may also be the reason for such an obscure product, the members at DBA want to see lots of conceptual backings, and not just polished final pieces that are essentially nulled due to having no conceptual value (Certainly making that clear with "We don't want to see some boring app mockup placed on an iPhone.")


What are Nootropics and what to they do?

Nootropics—also called smart drugs or cognitive enhancers—are drugs, supplements, or other substances that improve cognitive function, particularly executive functions, memory, creativity, or motivation, in healthy individuals. (Source 1 & 2)

There is a stigma around Nootropic drugs upon first investigation. Many associate them with 'legal highs' and on the opposite end of the spectrum you have the skeptics who deem their effects to be as little as a placebo. However, there are many stories reporting more and more of these types of drugs are becoming illegal and/or only available via doctors prescription, yet more and more people seem to be taking them.

The most notable and popular of all Nootropic drugs are certainly those used to treat ADHD/ADD. Many people without ADHD will take them, causing them to become more focussed and be able to work for prolonged periods of time without losing concentration.

Some ADHD medications classed as Nootropics:

• Adderall
• Modafinil
• CILTEP
• Rhodiola Rosea
• Sulbutiamine
• Caffeine + L-Theanine
• Theobromine (Found in Cocoa)

There is a huge variety of Nootropics available to achieve various things as mentioned above. However, after conversing with the group after the briefing, it was clear the most appropriate route to go down was one we were familiar with ourselves, students. This allowing the least controversy and also allowing the product to be positively perceived rather awn frowned upon. 

Examples of Brutalist Websites — Website — OUGD602

The extremities of brutalism in web design differ greatly, and quite often you can find yourself getting lost within them and spending much more time on them than other basic websites. This is essentially what you need in a portfolio website, grab the readers attention with how different the site looks in order to persuade them to look at the content within the site itself.

For example: http://wwwwwwwww.jodi.org is a prime example of extreme brutalism within web design, showcasing creativity in the form of code:



This is obviously a novelty but it gives you a good idea of how effective these kinds of websites can be for grabbing your attention regardless of how unorganised they appear on the surface.

The benefit of functional, well built brutalist websites is they use modern code that incorporates unique elements that wouldn't be used in a conventional website.





This site uses CSS animation to engage the reader through horizontally scrolling type. It's beauty lies within its extremely simple and straight to the point usability, almost like refusing to beat around the bush, everything you need is on one page.


http://sgustokstudio.com



An even simpler execution using the same horizontally scrolling type, with only two links on the page, one that simply links you to the home page and another which it an 'emailto:' link.


http://friendsand.associates

This is probably the best example of a brutalist website, it features great user experience as well as all the visual flaws without affecting the speed or flow of the website too much.

Another element that is really great is if the user is inactive for longer than a minute a flag animation pops up with the logo flies onto the users screen.

Briefing — DBA — OUGD602

Today was the briefing for the DBA Design contest that the whole course will be taking part in as a group project.

Being unknown to what they had in store for us was a refreshing alternative to self initiated briefs.

The Brief

Create a brand & visual identity for a range of three Nootropic products (Cognitive enhancing drugs).

Upon first glance, this brief seemed very unusual and requires a lot of addressing in terms of research and combatting controversy or stigma that may be associated with the products. A more in-depth blog post on what Nootropics are and their effects is forthcoming.


Notes taken during briefing.

The most important aspect of this project being:

1. Target Audience
2. Mission Statement
3. Core Values
4. Brand Name

They want to see something different and not like the usual pharmaceutical or 'fitness' orientated branding that looks as they put it boring and predictable.

From what the guys were saying, they wanted more emphasis on the presentation of the product, they want a clear and concise idea, but most of all they want to see the presentation be told in the form of a story. And thus being able to address any concerns or queries they have, without stumbling or making excuses, however this can only be achieved with a strong concept/brand — to essentially prove that we as a group have confidence in the product and idea's.

Our group is as follows:

• Cameron Wolfe
• Myself (Ethan Earle)
• James Feehan
• Tom Hodkin

This was decided an the basis that we all have strengths in different subject areas, conceptual, knowledge of product, visual identity and most importantly we enjoy presenting ideas as a group.

The main consideration to take from this briefing: keep it informal and fun.