After viewing a 1948 Pedestrian crossing public information video and analysing its message, I began to consider Pedestrian crossings in the present day, how the sector of road safety has progressed and what precautions have been taken to ensure pedestrians and motorists alike are informed on how to engage with crossings. Experiencing pedestrian crossings as both a pedestrian and a motorist myself, this brief supplied me with the opportunity to become more experienced and informed on a subject that I encounter daily. Though crossing the road may have been a simpler venture in the 1940s, there is now a much more extensive highway code to be considered and preached.
Though I was aware there were different types of pedestrian crossing, I was clueless as to how many or what differentiating factors they attained. Through research, I identified that there were in fact 6 types of crossing; Zebra, Pelican, Puffin, Toucan, School and Pegasus crossings. I also discovered that the way pedestrians and motorists engage with them is much different to one would expect. Developments in technology have hugely impacted the way in which crossings are used and how they are made and varied to provide a balance in safety and rights for each party that uses them. Crossings now consider not only pedestrians and motorists, but also cyclists and for equestrianism.
Initial idea generation for the Pedestrian Crossing Public Information leaflet consisted of a range of formats bearing visuals associated with pedestrian crossings, such as Belisha beacons and black and white stripes, exploiting these familiar aesthetics to create a design that would capture the attention of the target audience through visuals relative to subject content. Whilst generating the ideas, I attempted to think of every possible design element, considering the job description, purpose, target audience, format and point of delivery to ensure ideas were not random and carelessly thought of, but instead using relevancy as the vehicle driving the process.
Through critique and feedback, ideas were refined to a single plan of action: to produce a leaflet using the visual language and recognisable features from pedestrian crossings to create a familiar and bold design for the target that would be easily identifiable. The concept to produce one leaflet for pedestrians and one for motorists was established in order for more target-specific led designs to be created for an ultimately more suitable resolution. Symbols for each crossing were to be made an addition so that the target could establish visual association and easily distinguish and identify each crossing more effectively. The use of a concertina format was ruled the best approach to creating a more engaging and unique leaflet that would capture the attention of the target audience, as well as assist with design order and structure.
The ideas and decisions for the leaflet were progressed and developed, as previously noted, through a search for the most relevant features. Pantone colours Process Black C, Cool Grey 11 XGC and Yellow C were selected as the representing colours of crossings and the leaflet as a whole. Following this, after an exploration into type, Futura was identified as the most appropriate typeface to convey the leaflets information due to its primary Bauhaus principle of Form and Function. It is a sans-serif typeface that does as is required, delivering content through a simple, geometrically founded and well-balanced aesthetic free of complication and unnecessary additions. It has a slightly heavier weight of line that creates a bolder, more prominent presence that still maintains strong legibility at even small point sizes. It was ultimately chosen for its youthful, modern visual language to capture the target.
The leaflet's visual identity was further progressed by the development of symbols to represent each of the 6 types of crossing, starting as basic pencil sketches on a layout pad, outlined and filled black to create silhouettes before being image-traced in Adobe Illustrator to create the vector symbols. Cohesion was maintained to the visual language via the use of previously selected colours/tones/shades of black, white, grey and yellow to enhance the symbols. They provide visual information from which the target can create and establish memorable connections to each crossing.
As a result of the extensive planning and establishment of design decisions prior to full production of the leaflet, the resolution bringing all elements together in unity seamlessly came to be. This re-created pedestrian crossing aesthetic enhances suitability for purpose and target through the syntactic field it makes evident. It establishes an immediate connection to featured content, and also evokes response from the target through familiarity.
Typography featured on the leaflet uses the theories and ideologies of multiple industry practitioners, including Vignelli and Fassett, to achieve optimum readability for the target. Only two point-sizes of type feature on each page, one double the point size of the other, and information is delivered in a standard format with capitals used only at the start of sentences, words of importance and for names. This suits the formal, direct informational tone of voice used in the leaflet. All typographic information on the leaflet is optically kerned, 45-65 characters in line length and set flush left for optimum readability to be experienced by the target due to the clear starting point and distinct line-ends from the unjustified rag line. On the back of the leaflet, bullet points are used to present the information as to provide structure and break up what would alternatively be large, monotonous bodies of text.
Printed on 135gsm satin paper, the stock has enough weight to be regarded as a high quality piece of design, yet is light enough to not distress when folded and allow the leaflet to lay flat in its dynamic concertina format. The satin finish ultimately makes for a more durable leaflet less prone to scuffs and tears due to its smoother finish, which also enhances the leaflet's sense of quality, and therefore make the target more conscious of keeping it and protecting it from damage.
There are many contributing factors to the leaflet that make it a success in suitability for purpose and target. Relevant, appropriate and considered design decisions in conjunction with supported theory result in a design that effectively captures the subject of the leaflet visually whilst appearing familiar, and therefore of interest, to the target audience. A limited colour palette adds to a dignified and well structured aesthetic, efficiently optimising space and hierarchy to present multiple visual elements. The leaflet intertwines a series of investigations into the most appropriate decisions for a specific visual language that effectively communicates details, knowledge and information in a clear, understandable and engaging format.
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