Helvetica Bold vs Futura Bold Research

This is a visual comparison of Helvetica Bold and Futura Bold. Moving forward we will be retesting each person from before for a group comparison. With those results we will be creating a charted out comparison of the visual clarity of each typeface. 

STAR WARS! (collection)

Categorization of figures-

 The image below is a grouping by number of movies each character has appeared in, as well as a scale from left to right showing the level of importance each played in their respective groupings.

The following figures are organized by-

• name
• movie associated w/figure and date of the movie release
• manufacture date
• manufacturer
• figure series/wave/release
• character faction
• equipment

Data Gathered by 2/15 Check Point & Update

This is the collection of data we have collected thus far. Moving forward we will continue to accumulate data. Preferably we will test everyone in design with corrected vision. 

Next we will be finding connections, and establishing the rules in which we will visualize the data. Once approved we will move forward into wire framing and skinning. 

Further Reading:

Visual Acuity Explained

Snellen Chart

Eli - Visual Acuity Results:

Near / Snellen Card:

R: N5

L: N5

Far  / Snellen Chart:

R: 20/70

L: 20/100

Michael - Visual Acuity Results:

Near / Snellen Card:

R: N18

L: N18

Far  / Snellen Chart:

R: 20/200

L: 20/200

Jessie Ren - Visual Acuity Results:

Near / Snellen Card: 
R: N5
L: N5
Far / Snellen Chart:
R: 20/70
L: 20/70


Ian Spaeth - Visual Acuity Results:
Near / Snellen Card: 
R: N48
L: N48
Far / Snellen Chart:
R: 20/200+
L: 20/200+

Michael Jumper - Visual Acuity Results:

Near / Snellen Card: 
R: N24
L: N36
Far / Snellen Chart:
R: 20/200+
L: 20/200+



Ivan Alonzo - Visual Acuity Results:

Near / Snellen Card: 
R: N6
L: N8
Far / Snellen Chart:
R: 20/70
L: 20/70



Jessi Wilson - Visual Acuity Results:
Near / Snellen Card: 
R: N8
L: N5
Far / Snellen Chart:
R: 20/100
L: 20/70




McKenzie Marston - Visual Acuity Results: 

Near / Snellen Card: 

R: N6

L: N5

Far / Snellen Chart:

R: 20/20

L: 20/20

A Francophile

A francophile is a person who adores all things related to french culture. These areas of love might include its cuisine, history, leisure time, sophistication, and fashion to name a few. One value paramount to this subculture is a love for language, which fuels a passion for travel, conversation, personal interaction, and open mindedness. They tend to be outgoing individuals with a hunger for socializing. They are boisterous and gestural, and often incredibly polite people with impeccable social etiquette. They have a tendency towards immersion into french culture and a knack continued learning which manifests itself through reading and socializing. Francophiles typically spark their obsession in high school and continue to further develop their admiration well into elder years.

Most of all, the major need for francophiles is networking, since socializing and the most effective continuous use of the french language is done through personal interaction with fellow francophiles. They will often establish meetup groups for this very purpose. Networked activities will often include celebrations of french holidays, crepe parties, visits to art venues, and leisurely activities such as coffee and conversation at local cafes. Primarily the internet is used as a channel for networking francophiles, but since they tend to be charismatic people, word of mouth often plays a role as well.

THIS IS HOW I SEE THE WORLD (looking ahead)

How I See The World - Major Project Update / Research

The Question:

How does nearsightedness, farsightedness, and a stigmatism affect the typographic form at different set distances? Can there be a typeface designed to correct optical distortions? Can the data be used to accurately replicate the optical blur and distortion in other situations? Can this information then be put into application form using Apple's iPad in which the user can share their custom tailored vison experiment with others

Concept: 

The user holds the iPad and snaps a photo of anything around them they want to use for the test. They then remove their corrected vision ie. glasses / contacts and then they look at that same object and match the level of blur that they saw without their glasses after putting them back on using the iPad application. The app would utilize sliders to interface with the iPad and make the corrections. Next the iPad uploads (online calculations) or crunches (internal process) the data and then the user would get their personalized results. These results can then be shared with friends and family or other users to show and compare the way that you each see the world. The user you send your to data can then take a different photo and plug in your data or select your results (or profile if it saves friends profile data) and view the photo that they took with your same vision results.

Social Integration: 

The user will be able to share their personalized vision "settings" with other users who also have the app. This would allow us to show a friends list of sorts or profile list that the user could pick through to try out several friends settings. Consider it a modern way to take off your friends glasses. So that other people can see the world through their eyes.

The user has the option of printing off their own personalized set of letterforms based on their vision settings. It could spell out their name or whatever else they wanted it to say. This could be e-mailed to the user or a friend. It could also be printed off using Apple's Air Print system. There could also be an online gallery that you and your friends can upload to and share online with.

Prototype: 

We will be using the iPad to create our prototype of how the application would function with the results of our experiment. Hypothetically they would be created using iPad rather than MBP.

Functioning Details: 


The images will be replicated using photoshop via MBP. (we tried the iPad & iPhone PS Express but it lacked any blur / scripting capability)

Typefaces Explored:


We picked different typefaces to test with (ones that people interact with on a daily basis e.g. 

• Helvetica
• Interstate
• Futura
• Trade Gothic
• Garamond
• Univers 

Interesting Fact: "Helvetica is everywhere. It is the standard typeface of hospital signage systems, medicine labels..." -http://www.frieze.com/issue/article/typecast/


Technical Details: 


1-3ft farsighted
6-12ft nearsighted
The stigmatism would be a radical.
Using these mesures we can show the near and far side.
Consider the zero point at 6ft. Farsightedness being -6 and nearsighted being +6

Final Artifacts: 


The iPad application.
The image data. 

A poster of all of the data visualized. 

Moving Forward

See an optometrist to learn about anything we missed in our own research.

We will be asking them if there is a software that they use to calculate prescriptions. This will allow us to better formulate our data.

Explore the UI of the proposed application on the iPad setting.

Sort out the data and how it can be visualized.

We will be testing our experiment with Jessie Ren, Jessi Wilson, Jumper, and Ivan.

Testing the Waters

THIS IS HOW I SEE THE WORLD-

The Questions: How does nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism affect the typographic form at different distances? Can there be a typeface designed to correct optical distortions? Can the data be used to accurately replicate the optical blur and distortion in other situations?

• Pick different typefaces to test with (ones that people interact with on a daily basis e.g. Helvetica, Interstate, Futura, Trade Gothic, Garamond, Univers). "Helvetica is everywhere. It is the standard typeface of hospital signage systems, medicine labels..." -http://www.frieze.com/issue/article/typecast/
• Creating a checklist with multiple scenarios for the individuals eyesight and the results for each distance and typeface tested.
• Interview potential victims. Record their specific vision type.
• Conduct experiment. Try to ask the subject to replicate the type with a camera for blur and a computer for distortion.

Experiments?

Here are my proposals for typographic experiments-

This is How I See the World- (collaboration w/ eli)

The Question: How does a person’s particular near or farsightedness affect the typographic form at different distances?

Proposal: Gathering a group of people and placing type at a number of set distances. Having each person identify the affect of “poor vision” on the type at each distance, by adjusting the focus on a camera. We would then identify the amount of blur for each vision variant and match the results in photoshop to produce similar affects on other typography and imagery. The result could be represented as a poster and collected information could be organized into info-graphic material. Also an animated reconstruction of each subjects experience with the type.

How Much is Lost-

The Question- How much of any given typographic form be taken way before it becomes unrecognizable?

Proposal: Conducting a study of how typographic form can be subtracted form and still be recognizable. Giving a group of people a set of type and asking that they take out elements of the type till they can’t recognize the form anymore. Then collecting the type to examine the consistencies and inconsistencies between them. The result would be a set of type that is, on average, as reductive as it can be.

Finding My Way Home-

The Question- If you could draw on a map the route you take to get home, wherever you live, would there be any typographic form within the line of that route?

Proposal: Having as many people as possible draw out on a map, their route that they would drive home. Then taking a look back at that map I would try to discern whether or not any typographic form could be found. Each person would then have a specific letter form or forms that represented them.

Personas (Francophile)

Norm

Francofiend

“I felt as though I’ve been there before and the people treated me like a life long friend. There was a strange familiarity in the sights and sounds, I must have been French in a former life.”

• Age 57
• Art History Professor
• Actively travels to France and resides there part time
• Leads a local Francophile meet up group
• Has dual citizenship

Norm is what we call a Francofiend. He frequents France, speaks French fluently, and even raises a French flag on Bastille day. He knows where to travel while in France without the assistance of a guide, and knows where to find the finest French cuisine. He plans classes in France over the summer and returns to teach in America. In his spare time he enjoys travel, cooking, photography, reading outdoors, and attending art exhibits. He often finds himself thinking and even dreaming in French. He keeps up with French news, and knows about several media platforms to do so (primarily web and applications). He identifies with France’s leisurely and slower pace of life. He is renovating a house in the south of France where he plans to retire and fully integrate with French society.

Michelle

Francofan

“Language is a living thing. If you don’t use it you lose it.”

• Age 32
• Stay at home parent
• Member of a local Francophile meet group

Michelle is married with a three year old daughter and a six year old son. Her initial interest in France began while studying French in high school and traveling abroad. After college, she spent time with the Peace Corps in French speaking Rwanda.  Since then she has lived in the U.S. and has not exercised her fluency as much as she’d like to, which is her main motivator for networking with other francophiles. She sends her daughter to French immersion school, in hopes that she will receive a well rounded education as well as an early appreciation of the French culture. She enjoys taking her daughter to operas, museums, and galleries. She speaks French predominately at home with her daughter, and only in simple phrases. Being a stay at home parent keeps her very busy, and she is content with living in America.