Design Is Everything. EVERYTHING!

A unique visual identity, how the Vegas Golden Knights did it

Road Safety for Snowing Weather

The Story:

Back earlier this winter, I realized the dangers of driving in the stormy Canadian weather.

https://d2v9y0dukr6mq2.cloudfront.net/video/thumbnail/1AjMdNf/front-car-window-view-winter-snow-fall-strong-wind-blizzard_41axfdz__F0000.png

As you can see here, or...rather..."As you can't see here", the road markings are nearly invisible.

https://www.firstsign.com/resize/Shared/Images/Product/Right-Winding-Road-Traffic-sign-W1-5R-30-clone/W1-5R_winding-road_S-curve_right_left_right_arrow_firstsign_com.jpg?bw=400&w=400&bh=400&h=400

If you drive, you know the lane that you are in isn't always straight. The lane can curve at any moment despite the road being straight.











https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/08071/images/image024.jpg

I was unaware of this once, and I ended in the left turn lane without knowing.


As you could imagine, I almost got killed because I was about to drive straight ahead onto oncoming traffic.

The Problem:

The problem here is visibility. The snow is white, the lane markings are white.

This means it is white on white. You don't need to be a designer to know that doesn't contrast well.

http://www.kazimirmalevich.net/White%20on%20White%20Kazimir%20Malevich.jpg

The Solution:

I thought to myself, why has no one thought of a solution.

Common sense tells me that black should go on white if you want better contrast. This would lead to better visibility.

So I ran a Google image search for "road markings black". Turns out in US states like Virginia, have implemented black road markings with 3M contrast tape.

This is not due to snow, but rather visibility under the sunlight where the white road markings are hard to see with the brightness.

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/publicroads/06jul/images/morena10.jpg

So why can't we implement the same thing to improve better visibility in snowy conditions?









Will it melt the snow? Hell no! But at least this simple solution could improve better visibility which leads to better safety, which leads to saving lives. That life, could be the life of a potential inspiring designer who is on his journey to write more blogs about design issues.

The solution is very simple and should be implemented.

The Importance Of Interaction In Making Things Interesting

I mean this when I say, anything that involves interaction, always makes things more memorable and more engaging

This is why I always try to incorporate it in my infographic work.



Recently, I went to the Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrors Exhibition at the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario). The show was heavily advertised and over-hyped to the point where ticket line-ups were longer than the ones at Justin Bieber concerts.



More waiting was required during the actual exhibition. Each mirror room required around 20 minutes of waiting in line, only to be disappointed with a short 30 second spent in a room with some mirrors and lights.





Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the amazing effort from Yayoi Kusama to work with curators to set up this historical exhibition. The fact that she is nearly 90 years old and still working is extraordinary.

However, the extremely long wait times combined with the limited short duration for time spent in each room killed all the excitement.

I mean...would you be super-excited to see some lights you could have put up from Ikea after waiting in a 20 minute long line up???


BUT!!!




THIS! THIS WAS EXCITING!

This sticker-dotted room was not even part of the mirror rooms (which were the most hyped part of the exhibition). This was the room leading to the exit of the exhibition.

 

THIS WAS THE BEST PART!

The spectacular splatter of colour in this room made this visually appealing.

BUT THE INTERACTION MADE THIS MEMORABLE!



1) We were given a sheet of circle-shaped stickers.



2) We could stick them to any objects in the room!



3) You could even sit on this sofa!



YOU DIDN'T SEE THE ART, YOU ARE THE ART!

Thats why I believed this was the best part of the exhibition. Even as you scrolled through these images on this blog, the images that captured your attention were probably the ones of this piece, not the images of lights in a dark room.

It is because this piece is something different, but more importantly, something engaging. When we see the same things over and over again we get bored. This seems to be the case with lights. Lights are used in almost every festival, and celebration, and we have most likely seen it too many times to care.

However, the sticker-dotted room was something we don't usually see. The interaction part is what enhanced the memorability of the experience. You were part of the art by putting stickers in the room. You were fully immersed because you could touch the art. The mirror rooms did not allow either.

Two Arrow Emergency Exit sign???

https://www.safetysupplywarehouse.com/Green_Exit_PF50_Series_Glo_Brite_Eco_Exit_Sign_p/g7040.htm

So yesterday while walking by Union Station's train lobby/concourse hall, I came noticed at least five emergency exit signs with two arrows.

This isn't uncommon as it is often seen in other buildings also. My only question is, why is this a thing???

Seriously. This is a little example of what would happen in a fire emergency:

1)
I need to get out!

2)
Thank god! An exit sign!

3)
What? Two arrows on the exit sign? WHICH WAY SHOULD I GO? WHICH WAY IS FASTER?

4)...........^ The writer of this blog has died from the fire because he couldn't come to a decision quick enough for which exit route to follow.

Icons that don't make sense

AS A NEW DRIVER, I was driving around town as usual to run some errands. As usual, I flicked on my headlights. During that night, I was honked at three times, and couldn't figure out why...

When I got home, I saw this blue icon on my dashboard.

I had no idea what it meant. I didn't think too much of it.

A couple of days went by, and I still got honked at occasionally.

I finally asked my dad what this blue icon meant. Apparently, I had my high beams on the for around 4 days without knowing...

Maybe it is just me, but I do not think this icon looks anything like a "beam" or "lights".

The reason I ignored it, was because I thought it represented "winds" or something fast because it looked like a bullet.

Don't believe me? See for yourself.

WIND:








BULLET (to represent fast):

MAYBE SOMETHING LIKE THIS MIGHT BETTER REPRESENT HIGH BEAMS...