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.