Christmas/New Year Period

These concept images have been created regarding the issues in the previous post. The multiple color scheme has been dropped for and orange panel, gradient has also been applied to create the illusion of 3d space. The navigation panel now sits on the floor for the spiraling navigation float on.
I am aiming to develop a vector line image similar to hair which will appear in the background, it will appear to have depth. It will animate into the scene, and the navigation system will hopefully rotate round strands.

Week 12

After discussion with Cameron regarding the aesthetic look of the project, it has been suggested that I experiment further with color palettes as the current color scheme doesn't work well together. After looking at products in the hair industry, I have decided to experiment with a monochromatic color scheme in orange. Also, though gradient has already been implemented in the design, Cameron suggests that I push this further to create an illusion of 3d space in which the content area's can be suspended.

In regards to navigation, I have discovered an interesting tutorial which shows how to create a 3d rotating spiral navigation system. If changed to a horizontal setup, this resembles that a of a spiral curl of hair. This system would sit well in a 3d space.

It is becoming more and more likely that the object imagery will be dropped along with the grid paper texture, this could be replaced with hair strands and smooth curves to support a more contemporary design solution. The 3d models may no longer have the wire-frame visible.

In week 13, I will be mocking the new interface concept, and taking it into flash.

Week 11

This week I have been developing a tab interface concept that will provide a much sturdier navigation through the project content -







As seen in the concept images, the aesthetic theme can still be used by implementing the appropriate imagery on each tab and applying the grid image to content area's. In week 12 I am aiming to develop this concept by experimenting with transitions and interactive flash media. These experiments are likely to include the application of a scrolling image gallery and text box, and some tests for 3d media control.

Week 10

After discussion with Cameron regarding the shell interface, I spent week 10 revising interface concepts. The design needs to adhere more firmly to design principles in order to look professional, for example, the selection of images need to line up, and the font should be more readable.

New concept images -




Two sources of reference have been examined this week - the first, relating to an introduction for the interface is the "Nip/Tuck" introductory sequence. The use of mannequins in this sequence is similar to the aesthetics that are frequent throughout my concept, looking at this sequence has lead me to think about the development of an animation that utilizes a variety of camera angles and pan's across a range of realistic, wire-frame, and clay style models. At the end of the animation, I am considering a zoom effect into a wire-frame which will lead to the grid backdrop in the interface.
The second source is the personal portfolio website of David Moles (www.oeta.co.uk). This site utilizes a number of graphic and transition techniques that result in a professional aesthetic and design. Key to this sites success is the use of gradient and drop shadows. Gradient allows imagery free panels, but still allows the inclusion of subtle color. It also helps create a 3d illusion across the interface, drop shadows reinforce this illusion. In regards to navigation, tabs are used with corresponding colors and imagery, this makes the site simple to use and easy to follow.

With the idea's regarding these sources in mind, week 11 shall see further development towards a final interface concept with solid aesthetics and navigation, it is possible that the panning website idea could be dropped due to the unprofessional layout that is it likely to require. Storyboarding for an introduction may start this week.

A second meeting with the collaborator has been set up, this time focus will be purely on content issues.

Week 9

A lot of time has been spent in further rendering tests this week. Using a combination material in the mental ray render, I have finally managed to produce the wire frame texture over a solid mesh, furthermore, with specific lighting setting a "clay" style effect can also be achieved -




Further development towards an interface with an appropriate aesthetic has also progressed. Using the stock photography I collected last week, and working with the "technical drawing" concept, I have produced the following shell for the interface to be contained within -



Sketch work is continuing to develop the "panning" interface concept.
The interface will focus on a desk that has a selection of implements placed on it, each of these will relate to a content section, and when the user selects an object, the interface will then pan across the desk to the appropriate area.

In week 10, further navigation concepts will be produced, the aesthetic shell will be finalized, and animation concepts will be produced to bring the interface to life.

Week 8

Work this week has been mainly focused on the dissertation to support the project, this means that little studio work has been carried out since week 7.

However, time has been spent sketching layout ideas for the interface with the elements required to convey the content. With the addition of a gathering of stock photography, I am beginning to mock up aesthetic interface idea's. In particular, I am interested in pursuing a moving background image, this will operate in conjunction with the user navigating around the content. If the user was to select face shapes for example, the background image would scroll across to an image of a "technical drawing" style face.

In week 9 I aim to complete the dissertation so that focus can resume on the studio project in time for a scheduled meeting with the collaborator on the 28th of November.

Week 7

I have completed the head tutorial set by Dave and experimented with the hair modifier with successful results. On top of this, experimentation with rendering and material techniques has began to help carve the aesthetic style of the project. One technique I am particularly focusing on is the addition of a wire frame material, this gives the "blueprint" style feel that I have been pushing in the project from the beginning. A test render can be seen below -



With the research analyzed, I have managed to produce the final content listing for the project. From this, I am beginning to sketch visualization concepts that best suit each of the topic area's, these mostly include the use of short animation and rotation.

Research on aesthetic styles in personal websites has given me some insight into how a site can look scientific though the use of subtle 3d elements, grid backgrounds and technical labels on imagery. Also, BA magazine has highlighted techniques when displaying several forms of media on a single page, in particular, it describes a good layout technique that makes text easily readable amongst a lot of imagery by placing it in the center of the screen. An examination into the new "iphone" website has highlighted the use of colour being saved for purely central items of interest, in my case, this would most likely be the 3d models.

In week 8, I am aiming to have a selection of draft layout concepts for the interface completed, these will then be presented to the college collaborator for discussion. I have borrowed a book titled "the human interface" for examination, it looks at the theories behind effective user interfaces, this should help when creating concepts.

Week 6

As expected, a lot of this week has been spent working on the 3d head tutorial dave pointed out, currently it still requires a little work, but should be suitable for the addition of hair before the end of the weekend.

I have concluded my research across websites and books for content, all that remains now is to mount and annotate the collation to produce a final list.

With the help of Cameron my course leader, I have sourced some interface design reference material to analyze, looking at the fundamentals of good design should help me create a more effective interface.

In week 7 I aim to have the research section of the project mostly finished, and hopefully I can begin concepting the product in more detail.

Week 5

This week I have started a selection of new research topics.

How the hair/beauty industry is aesthetically marketed is going to be a big influence on the overall feel of the product. It is obvious already that a "clean-cut" look is essential to reflect the attitude of the industry. A lot of the websites for hair relating products work purely with cool shades of colour or greys, this is until photography of models/hair comes into the design, these elements have high contrast colours. This leads me to think about what elements in the design i should be pushing, perhaps only the demonstrated area's of the head/hair should be in colour? I have also been thinking about the interior design of hair studio's, often a shiny white plastic and metal is used in the design, perhaps this could be implemented in the aesthetics of the project somewhere.

I am still needing to spend extra time analyzing books and websites for a final content list, this could take some time due to the vast array of topics available.

In a meeting with Dave Crossen, he suggested that I should spend a little more time doing basic software tests and recording them for research purposes. These tests will most likely include an attempt at an original head model in 3ds max, the creation of a model in daz 3d with added hair in 3ds max, and the use of zbrush to alter both types of model. Experimentation with render techniques would also be advantageous, these could affect the overall aesthetic appearance e.g. the paint and ink material.

A mind map that generates and explores the idea's talked about this week would be useful - aesthetics relating to the industry and potential work flows for the 3d elements.

Another attempt at contacting aberdeen college has failed to get a response, at this point, i feel it is more productive to push on with conceptualization of the product, then seek feedback once idea's have been more resolved.

Week 4, part 2

I have managed to source a lot more Daz3d model content including hair designs and characters, this should make a good starting point which will hopefully help me avoid a large amount of model alteration.

Having finally printed and mounted the research I have collated, I am now spending time annotating and picking out key points that should be taken into consideration for my own project. One of the topics I am putting particular focus on is the pressure received by males to look good. I want to be able to prove that there is a strong market for products like the one I am going to create, I can do this by showing that appearance is becoming more and more important to both gender, this will then reflect positively on the commercial viability of the product. I am still to take a good look at the fundamentals of e-learning, but have sourced a lot of research already for the subject.

Using the book I received, I have started to define what content is going to be included in the final prototype. The current topics include face shapes and profiles for both genders, and nose shapes and the effect on hair design for males.

This week I am aiming to finish off analyzing the research I have gathered, and start digging deeper into specific issues that will more effect my product, so that I can start forming a more solid idea of the concept. I need to decide on the aesthetic look of the product, and how deep the functionality is aiming to go.

Week 4, part 1

I have emailed Dundee university regarding collaboration, again no response as of yet, disappointing!

At the suggestion of the lecturers, I have sourced a program called Daz3d, this program allows the posing of downloaded content (character models). I intend to use the character models I have sourced as a basis to the heads I aim to create to match the design fundamentals researched. Basic tests have already been carried out and been successful, so with the addition of knowledge from video tutorials and the max 9 bible, I am confident i can produce high quality and realistic renders.

I am currently investigating teaching fundamentals as a research topic. Information regarding "e-learning" will be invaluable in making the delivery of information to the user as effective as possible, the research will also come in handy when writing the dissertation that accompanies the project.

I am hoping to have a mounted and annotated all my currently gathered research by the end of week 4 (delivery of materials is currently slowing the process), then I will examine what I have learned, and redo the project mind map to give a clearer picture of the projects current aims.

The first of 2 books I ordered for content analysis have arrived. "Hair Care & Styling for Men" is going to provide me with invaluable content information regarding head shapes and the design and maintenance of male hairstyles.

Week 3, part 2

I have managed to collect a lot of research relating to the project online. This includes teaching dvd's, similar software, and college course information to add to commercial viability.
In terms of products relating to hair design, I have been able to source one dvd, some basic 2d visualisation software (integrated directly into websites), and some "games" aimed at younger ages, this means I am yet to find anything that could be considered similar to the product I am aiming to create. This is very reassuring regarding originality and viability of the project, though 3d visualisation has been used to teach other area's, it appears to have never been used to teach hair design, yet 3d models of head and hair exist all over the internet.

I am hoping to complete the remaining research tops i defined in the previous post over the weekend.

Due to lack of response from Aberdeen College, and my unwillingness to push the matter further, I have emailed Dundee university inquiring about a collaboration.

Welcome - Week 3 - Part 1

Welcome to the "Hair Design Teaching Tool" blog. This blog is part of a 4rth year honors project that I am carrying out at RGU university, on the course "Design for Digital Media". I will be using this blog to document my progress throughout the project, and also hopefully get some feedback from the general public who are interested in the project.

Week 3 -

After much deliberation, work is finally beginning on the project, the final proposal i submitted is as follows -

"Following a personal interest, I aim to create an instructional DVD which illustrates the fundamentals of hair design through the use of a website style interface. The tool will reference the key techniques from sources supplied by a collaborator (a college, private hair salon) and sourced books. Example topics include face shapes, profiles, and the history of hair design. Through the use of models created in 3ds max 9 using the hair tool, videos and photography, the user will be able to better understand the information presented. The project will include a degree of interactivity from the user. This may include the rotation of a model, changing design options or activating different types of media e.g. voiceovers, movies. The product will be targeted at students looking for a reference to basic hair design theory, or the general public who are interested in hair design for personal benefits. Depending on the final level of educational content, the DVD may be aimed at the private sector to be placed in waiting rooms of salons, the idea being to replace the traditional stack of magazines. The initial idea regarding visual style resembles the medical feeling, a clean and simple interface which reflects the industry. The main drive behind the project will be to produce high quality lifelike models in 3d, and to produce a flowing and graphically sound interface that is simple to use but also effective in delivering content. The project proposal should not be mistaken for a fully interactive hair design tool where face and hair adjustments can be made at any time."

After mind mapping/brainstorming the project, I have set myself a task to have completed research on the following topics by the end of the week..

- teaching applications similar to the proposal e.g. Learning to drive
- source applications that utilize hair/head visualization for comparison
- source websites that provide tutorials on hair design and examine interface and content
- define potential market through research - most like educational, colleges?
- research teaching fundamentals - image, sound, text
- application techniques and software that could be utilized

It is important at this stage that I try to get a collaborator on board, I've already emailed the Aberdeen college who run a hair and beauty department, but have yet to receive a response from the curriculum manager. Dundee university also runs the course, so I intend to email them as well to broaden my chances of collaboration. Alternatively, I will have to consider contacting hair studio's in Aberdeen for feedback.