Group Q ARE YOU AWARE
We are Events Q and we are working with Without A Home (WOAH), a student - led homeless charity based at MMU. We are going to be raising awareness through mapping of citywide initiatives that can provide immediate support for the existing homeless community in Manchester.
Are you aware that mapping is defined as visual architecture that strategically selects, translates, organises and shapes space. Mapping is a tool that is taken for granted by designers. It is an informative research method to visualise and communicate a set of data.
Are you aware that Risograph is an environmentally friendly and cost effective printer, which uses soy-based inks to produce unique outcomes. As designers we are expected to have a range of creative skills to broaden our communicative methods to utilise in practice and the practical world.
We are aiming to experiment, teach and learn through this event by making an immediate difference in our community through design. // Download Poster
Jessica C // Anahita M // Stephanie P // Zohra A // Sioned W // Dimitra-Rafailia E
THE PUBLICATION: PAGE TWO
And here's page two!
Side B features an axonometric resource showing locations that provide services to those living on the streets, such as free haircuts, food and coffees.
Special mentions also went to businesses working with charities and organisations that help the homeless.
Posted 6 May 2019 23:21
THE PUBLICATION: PAGE ONE
If you haven't seen it around the city centre already, here's the final product!
Side A features a map of our three research sites, highlighting charities and organisations who help the homeless.
Posted 6 May 2019 01:00
We must make a difference, but first, we must make people aware. Because together, we can make a bigger difference.
#MAKEADIFFERENCE #AREYOUAWARE #WOAH
Posted 5 May 2019 19:00
A quick recap to the success of our launch day! Friday 5th of April - The ARE YOUR AWARE distribution day, where the team distributed 300 publications to our 3 sites, aiming at businesses and organisations, raising awareness and grabbing public's interest in the purpose of our event. Keep an eye out and make sure to show your support for these businesses around these popular sites in Manchester, to encourage more business and local firms to get involved in helping the community Without A Home. #WOAH #AREYOURAWARE #MSA
Posted 5 May 2019 18:59
A quick recap to the success of our launch day! Friday 5th of April - The ARE YOUR AWARE distribution day, where the team distributed 300 publications to our 3 sites, aiming at businesses and organisations, raising awareness and grabbing public's interest in the purpose of our event. Keep an eye out and make sure to show your support for these businesses around these popular sites in Manchester, to encourage more business and local firms to get involved in helping the community Without A Home. #WOAH #AREYOURAWARE #MSA
Posted 5 May 2019 18:59
A quick recap to the success of our launch day! Friday 5th of April - The ARE YOUR AWARE distribution day, where the team distributed 300 publications to our 3 sites, aiming at businesses and organisations, raising awareness and grabbing public's interest in the purpose of our event. Keep an eye out and make sure to show your support for these businesses around these popular sites in Manchester, to encourage more business and local firms to get involved in helping the community Without A Home. #WOAH #AREYOURAWARE #MSA
Posted 5 May 2019 18:58
It's launch day!!!
Today we head back to the three sites (Oxford Road, Piccadilly Gardens and the Northern Quarter) to distribute our pamphlets! This includes the businesses we interacted with who were interested in displaying them in store along with those who are featured on the pamphlet.
#WOAH
Posted 5 Apr 2019 22:33
We finally reveal our pamplet!!! Great work by the team! Now to head back to the sites....
#WOAH
Posted 5 Apr 2019 22:30
Compressing our pamphlets and leaving them in the compresser overnight to ensure they are nice and crisp for time of launch.
Posted 5 Apr 2019 20:17
Folding our pamphlets using the bone folding tool. We organised these in batches of 40 ready for distribution to each site...
we also made sure to leave some unfolded for window displays as posters. We've allowed 5 for each site (shops/organisations/church/etc) and a poster if permission given by owners.
** Make sure to check out our publication displayed in the mmu Art school binding workshop.
[Click to restart the timelapse]
Posted 5 Apr 2019 20:07
This is how excited we were to be printing..
[Credit to Zohra for great facial expressions]
Posted 4 Apr 2019 12:58
The riso printer in action!
The printer can produce 150 pages a minute, meaning 2.5 prints every second!!! The speed can also be increased and decreased depending on your preference.
As the publication is two sided, we were advised to print the less heavy side first to prevent ghost printing. We ran a number of test prints to ensure the colour was at the right standard for the final prints. Once one side was printed, we tested to see if they was dry enough to print on the reverse side. luckily this was possible as we printed the lighter side first!!!
The prints must be left to dry for a minimum of 90 minutes before any folding can commence...
Posted 4 Apr 2019 12:35
All smiling faces as we were finally ready to print after a busy week of formatting!
The team donned our yellow aprons in preparation for printing and took it turns to set up and run the prints. We controlled the position of the masters to make sure everything is aligned correctly, and after that it was all go!
Posted 4 Apr 2019 12:27
Before sending to the riso printer all graphics must be separated onto layers according to colour and then converted to black and white as this is how the printer reads it. The different opacities can be all on one layer as they count as one colour, which is good as it means there are less masters required.
One lesson learnt from this process: it takes longer than you think!
Posted 4 Apr 2019 12:18
The riso printer has two slots for ink cartridges available which means you can print two colours at the same time. When printing you send separate pdfs to each cartridge, each with only the content for that specific colour showing. The cartridge then creates a master from this, acting as a stencil for the ink. If you want more than two colours you have to wait for the ink to dry before sending it through the printer again - usually about 90 minutes!
Another thing to be aware of is that where the masters overlap you will get a third colour, for us a green where the orange and teal merge. We wanted to keep the pages graphically clean with just our two main colours, so had to mask where we needed there to be only one colour showing, and used different opacities to create variance.
Posted 4 Apr 2019 11:15
Did you know its the last WOAH Wednesday?
We wanted to make sure you were all aware about The Big Change. The Big Change is a collaboration of several homelessness charities, grassroots
groups, businesses and individuals as part of the Manchester Homelessness Charter, They are coming together in an effort to end homelessness in Manchester, along side Manchester City Council.
You can help either by donating or volunteering with any of the groups involved. To find out more go to https://streetsupport.net/manchester/bigchangemcr/ .
#AreYouAware?
#WOAHWednesday
Posted 3 Apr 2019 23:11
After finalising our documents yesterday, today brought the start of production here at Events Q!
We spent our morning doing test prints in the workshop, making sure the colours and alignment were working to our liking. The riso printer works with two colours at a time and often needs a little alignment adjustment and colour sampling to ensure the best quality. This process also allowed us to try out out paper choice before creating the final pieces. After several tests, tweaks and group discussions we found the best set up and programmed the machines ready to produce our document!
More to follow....
Posted 3 Apr 2019 19:09
Today we've been making sure we have compiled all our research, and that we have got as much information on there as possible!
To support our site research finding local businesses, we've also conducted online research into local charities also providing street support. We compiled these into a spreadsheet resource, and have condensed this information for quick access on the map!
Posted 2 Apr 2019 16:19
FONT DISCUSSION
We design students tend to be pretty fussy when it comes to font choices, so we made sure to have a group chat looking at different font styles trying to find what best suited our publication. We also have to remember that this is for the public, so we have to be thinking what's appealing from their perspective!
Posted 2 Apr 2019 13:32
We are printing today!
Events Q went paper hunting to find the correct colour/thickness for the risograph printer. The recycled paper we chose is 135gsm, sustainable for the leaflet and suitable surface to print on.
#WOAH
Posted 2 Apr 2019 12:58
Throwback to last Thursday when we were making the important decision of colour picking!
As a team we assessed the colour options the riso printer provides. We wanted contrasting colours so the graphics stand out, but in neutral hues. We then experimented with varying opacities to make sure the document reads well and won't be too heavy on the page, as this will effect practical aspects like drying time as well as visual impact!
Posted 2 Apr 2019 12:35
Here's another sneak preview of our publication.
Tomorrow we'll start producing using the risograph and we're super excited for it.
The risograph only prints a limited number of colours and these are our chosen ones: terrific teal and outstanding orange.
PDFs are sent to the risograph printer in black and white, set at different opacities. The template is then cut inside the printer and the colour is printed and set to dry for 90 minutes. We'll do this over the course of 2 days and Friday they'll be ready to distribute!
Posted 1 Apr 2019 16:00
Back to Friday afternoon when we worked on some concepts for the Manchester Street Poem. We all enjoyed seeking new ways of working with the cardboard to create interactive street installations and ways of showcasing the poetry.
Posted 1 Apr 2019 15:14
As we bring together the final document ready to be riso printed this week, the team have been experimenting with graphic style and how best to communicate our information to the public. We want the map to be eye catching and easy to gain information so its important we get the graphics right!
Posted 1 Apr 2019 12:49
Running into next week like ..
#WOAH
#AreYouAware
Posted 29 Mar 2019 16:51
Friday afternoon and we're doing some extra work for WOAH - mini mock up models of potential display stand designs for the Manchester Street Poem exhibit!
WOAH are working with Manchester Street Poem on a exhibition in the city centre. Manchester Street Poem was 'Conceived by Karl Hyde and Rick Smith from Underworld, Manchester Street Poem threw a spotlight onto the stories of those who find themselves homeless in the city – in a work where the catch-all term ‘homeless’ gave way to individuality, identity and integrity.'
#WOAH
#ManchesterStreetPoem
Posted 29 Mar 2019 16:31
Looking back to the start of the week, Events Q participated in the Risograph printing induction in preparation for the task during the second week. We learned about the process alongside looking at sample prints to inspire the final output regarding colour schemes and style. Approaching the end of the week, final amendments to the output are being made!!
Posted 29 Mar 2019 15:53
Interested in our collaborator?
WOAH are a student-led homelessness awareness initiative, if you are a student in Manchester and want to join or contribute to their good work please see their poster for details! Checkout their Instagram too @WOAHWithoutAHome
#WOAH
#AreYouAware
Posted 29 Mar 2019 14:46
DAY FIVE - Here’s a sneak peak of what is to come! Intrigued? We had a very productive day yesterday and we are continuing today with compiling research from our site visit into an easy-to-read publication. We have further developed useful Illustrator, Digimap, and CAD skills today and the publication is coming together with the goal of providing a source of information for the public.
Posted 29 Mar 2019 12:31
DAY FOUR - As we are progressing towards designing our layouts, we had an illustrator tutorial today to help us in creating our maps. We then looked at choosing a team graphic style, experimenting til we found something we were happy with - more to be revealed soon!
Posted 28 Mar 2019 20:36
DAY THREE - Today we compiled all the data retrieved from yesterday's site visit. After a discussion on our findings from our individual and group research we split up into smaller teams, each with a different task to complete. The first team created a base map for our riso print by accessing ordinance survey maps and editing them in Autocad and Illustrator. The second team organised a folder of precedents on riso printing and pamphlet layouts and came up with ideas for the final presentation output. The third team was in charge of the communication with the riso printing facilities and getting quotes from different companies for our paper and printing costs.
Thanks to all the students involved, the day run smoothly and we are on track to start creating the illustration map tomorrow.
Posted 27 Mar 2019 22:38
DAY TWO - Today saw us getting out in to the city to talk to businesses situated within our three sites. We've managed to collect many responses to our survey and a wealth of information to be used in our mapping process. Tomorrow will see us begin to compile the knowledge gathered and experiment with the aesthetics of our map.
Thanks to all the local businesses that have taken a couple of minutes out of their day to talk of us, it's been greatly informative!
Posted 26 Mar 2019 17:51
Over the two weeks we are aiming to go out in to the city and visit local cafes, shops and restaurants to find local initiatives that offer short term help to those who and sleeping on the streets in Manchester. This will involve questionnaires and speaking to the people who work and own local businesses to gauge a general opinion.
Our final chosen location is the Northern Quarter, specifically looking at the immediate area surrounding Oldham Street. This site was chosen because of the many small-businesses that are humanitarian in their approach to retail.
Posted 25 Mar 2019 16:15
This morning we welcomed speakers from across the city to come in and talk to us about the many opportunities to work with the homeless throughout Manchester. These engaging conversations
are going to help us identify the key issues to begin our research and start a conversation between the students and local charities. This afternoon we are conducting desk research in to these charities and other local businesses before we go visit the three site locations tomorrow!
This lecture featured Ollie Martin's work 'Sounds of the Streets', a soundscape featuring recordings of the streets of Manchester that is being adapted to be used in an art installation to be built and designed by WOAH.
The Installation design can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/woahwithoutahome/
And check out a sample of the soundscape here: https://youtu.be/bl3WbN85Jcs
Events QPosted 25 Mar 2019 16:15
Over the two weeks we are aiming to go out in to the city and visit local cafes, shops and restaurants to find local initiatives that offer short term help to those who and sleeping on the streets in Manchester. This will involve questionnaires and speaking to the people who work and own local businesses to gauge a general opinion.
Our second location is Oxford Road. Similarly to Piccadilly Gardens, this site was chosen because of the high density of both rough sleepers and chain retail food establishment. This area was also chosen s a result of it recently undergoing redeveloped as a number of luxury living apartments are on site with an increase of rough sleepers using the scaffolding as shelter.
Posted 23 Mar 2019 21:33
Over the two weeks we are aiming to go out in to the city and visit local cafes, shops and restaurants to find local initiatives that offer short term help to those who and sleeping on the streets in Manchester. This will involve questionnaires and speaking to the people who work and own local businesses to gauge a general opinion.
We are aiming to centralise on three key locations in Manchester. The first is Picadilly Gardens. This site was chosen because of the high density of both rough sleepers and chain retail food establishments making it a key area for local initiatives to be in place.
Posted 19 Mar 2019 21:17
We are surprised to see so many great initiatives and support that you can find within Manchester for the homeless. There are restaurants and cafes in Manchester following 'simple act of kindness' to help the homeless by giving out food, coffee or encouraging customers to contribute to the homeless initiatives through just £1 in their bill. Money raised will be donated to the Greater Manchester Mayor's Homelessness Fund and Bed Every Night campaign - which aims to provide accommodation and support to the homeless population every night.
We are to visually but articulately map these initiatives to be easy to read for the homeless but attractive and bold enough for the public to draw their attention and raise their awareness of such events. Hence the use of Riso printing and the florescent colours that are available with it.
Posted 13 Mar 2019 14:49
Did you know that the number of homeless people in Manchester has increased by 50% in the past year?
In 2017 it was found that 1 in 633 people in the region of Greater Manchester were without a permanent residence.
At this time Mayor Andy Burnham stated targets to end homelessness in the area by 2020.
#areyouaware
#WOAHWednesday
Posted 6 Mar 2019 12:39
ARE YOU AWARE? / Introducing the team!
Please do not hesitate to contact us :)
Posted 2 Mar 2019 12:35
Did you know that over 440 homeless people have died on the streets of the UK in the past year? The average age of death is estimated at being 49 for men and 53 for women, not much more than half the UK life expectancy.
Charities are calling these deaths an utterly unforgivable national disgrace, blaming austerity and expensive private rents. Churches in Manchester City Centre are holding memorials for the homeless that have died.
#areyouaware
#WOAHWednesday
Posted 27 Feb 2019 09:48
Did you know that there are nine cafes (including starbucks!) that offer their customers to pay for suspended coffees that rough sleepers can access? It is these sorts of initiatives we are hoping to discover and highlight with the city of Manchester so that everyone knows how to help and access them!
We have started to compile knowledge and resources that will help us to create a mapping of the many great initiatives available for the existing homeless community in Manchester. Next, we will be looking in to local charities and shops that also provide both short and long term solutions, enabling us to create an informational poster and pamphlet to be handed out to all those that are effected by homelessness and for those who are willing to give a little back!
#WOAHWednesday
Posted 30 Jan 2019 23:12
Are you aware that there are only 11 colours available for Riso print? The printer however picks up various beautiful shades and that is when the fun begins...
Posted 28 Jan 2019 18:33
Exploring some of the abstract and inspiring portfolios of Riso prints in the workshop. Have you got your favourite Riso print?
Posted 28 Jan 2019 18:29
Take a look at our session plan! Over the two weeks we plan to research, analyse and present a knowledge database that is yet to have been published before! We'll even have a look at interesting new production techniques such as rise printing! #AreYouAware
Posted 9 Jan 2019 22:10
Keep an eye out for a fact every Wednesday
#WOAHWednesdays
#AreYouAware
Posted 8 Jan 2019 20:47
We are Events Q and we are working with WOAH.
Posted 8 Jan 2019 20:31
