Significance of Numbers - Initial Ideas

1. Bonkers Imperial System
- How we use the imperial system to measure our height, distance etc. but that it is all based off of the measurement of a barley corn.
- The system is so impractical and isn't based on any fact, but it so heavily embedded into our society.
- How could this be displayed through design?
- Could be exhibition branding for a hypothetical exhibition on the history of the imperial measurement system.
- The exhibition could be about all base systems with a different alteration on the branding for when you enter that specific section.
- Think along the lines of The Public branding by Paula Scher.

 

2. Everyday Numbers Kinetic/Responsive Type
- There are numbers in our life everyday that we don't always see, the temperature where we are, the time, the geographical location, how old we are in seconds etc.
- Inspired by a quote '
- Thinking of developing a way these 'invisible numbers' could be seen by people everyday.
- The idea of a kinetic/responsive typeface is one of these, having the type change weight or opacity or size depending on the alteration of numbers surrounding us.
- The typeface could be designed for iPhone/Mac home screens as we see these very often.

 

3. Maths in Action
- A phrase we used to say at home, it would be when a mathematical problem had presented itself in everyday life.
- How could this be turned into design?
- A game could be developed from it, wanting to improve people's mental maths. However this isn't rethinking the way we experience numbers, it would need to be something more.
- Ask Bry what she thinks, as well as peers.

> The Exhibition around the imperial measurements system branding has more to it, allows for more hands on design and experimentation.
> Could be implemented into more outcomes, tickets, posters, wayfinding etc ( thinking back to Roberto Warner's work).
> Finding fact like:
- A meter is 1/40million th of a fraction of the circumference of the earth.
- The decimal system has a basis, whereas inches all stems from the size of a barley corn.
- A34 is smaller than a human cell.
- A-47 is bigger than the earth (with double A0 as A-1)
Is presenting numbers in a new way, makes us relate to the differently. This could be a good approach to go down as it really makes you rethink the way we approach numbers.
> The kinetic type element could be incorporated into the design, thinking about the bonkers randomness of the imperial system.

What to do Next?

• Research further into the imperial measurements system.
• Try and find interesting facts about everyday numbers to have incorporated into the exhibition - the branding could be based off of the imperial system, but not everything within the exhibition has to be about that. 
• If designing a typeface could work with an animator to make it more for the website.
• Finding grid systems could be used for developing differences within typeface and overall branding.
• Think about what Abbas said in the talk and find one thing to focus on and apply to the overall branding.