blake, the best part about your new work are the activity ideas. the games all sound very easy to do and are simple to explain, which is important. i would suggest to keep working on a few other games and maybe break them up into categories like "songs", "word play" "actions" or something like that. but i can see those games being pretty funny.
the idea of the drawing for a free meal is a great idea, and using the wristband as the entry when leaving with your rider(s) is smart. how will the bar know whose wristband is whose?
i don't understand what that big piece with the games and info is exactly. is it a poster? is it like that booklet two posts below this post? you need to make up a very simple and easy-to-use form that people can refer to.
i'm unsure about the title "head", mostly because i can see people making up nasty names/jokes about the "head" DD. are there other honorable, silly, or hyperbolic titles you can use?
is the wristband enough to identify your people? i like the ease of use, and it's super easy for a doorman to put on someone, or for someone to put it on themselves. i wonder how you can make this program more visible to bar patrons. is that were the posters come in?
hopefully this helps. if you have comments or questions for me, email me.
Going along with tyler's comment on the games you could probably look at games such as cranium to get some inspiration. They have some interesting categories for types of games also. But I think the games are a really good idea maybe they could be incorporated into the wristbands? Like one suggestion for each or something so they don't have to constantly refer to a poster.
I like the idea of wristbands mostly because it is something that is already in practice for places that allow underage drinkers and has a pretty good success rate.
I would also say lose the HEAD. It has way too many innuendos.
In regards to the use of the Head as a title through the system I think when you decide on an appropriate title you should work on the hierarchy of the poster. It should standout as a label for the event. It works a little better on the wristbands but the poster seems to have the most hierarchy problems.
In line with Tyler's comment about the larger piece, right now it seems to be postcard size. I think it would have a bigger impact if you turned into a poster-people would be more likely to pay attention to it.
I would also say make the free meal offer and the games stand out more, because ultimately this is a huge part in drawing people to participate.
Formally the white box around the list of games bothers me. It appears as though it was just stamped on there. You could easily integrate them with a simple use of hierarchy. Also be careful about combining right angled text boxes and placing type on an angle. I would either use one or the other.
I also like the wristband idea. In response to Tyler's question about telling whose wristband is whose could you make the wristband slightly wider so they could write their contact info? This way it becomes more like a raffle ticket.
I'm glad to see you dropped the DD sign up sheet. It seemed like during crit that was the part of you system that got the most negative response. As far as the games, I would really think about what the best delivery method for them. Maybe you can kind of keep it secret, what I mean is when the DD in the wrist band comes up to the bartender to order a coke, his drink is placed on a special DD coaster so only he can see it and no one else. That way there is a little bit of mystery, albeit temporary. This exclusivity factor I think could possibly work in getting people to want to DD.
It seems like an easy solution to identifying wristbands would be to make a space for people to write their name on it (and maybe a phone number, since not everyone may stay till the end of the night?)
There are also a lot of vehicles in the bar for placing game ideas on: coasters, napkins, napkin holders, menus, etc. It might be interesting to see it in a "menu" format (since Tyler mentioned making categories for it) so that you have a "menu" of game ideas, similar to ordering food or drinks. I think that keeping game ideas on existing items in the bar might save things from getting lost or getting ignored. It really might be as little as getting them started-- I think once people catch on and get silly enough, I imagine they'll start coming up with ideas of their own, too.
I think I'd also keep the raffle drawing separate from the game ideas on any posters you make. Though it's all based on the DD idea, they seem like two different incentives that are unrelated to one another.
Blake, I agree with most of the comments posted above, I think that this 'game' idea is great for getting people interacting with the Designated Driver, also a good way for people to maybe want to be DD so they don't have to do those silly things. I like the wristband idea I think it is a good way of 'marking' the Designated Driver so that either the doorman or Bartender knows that they are the DD.
I agree with Tyler on the naming of it, I think HEAD could get a little perverse, so maybe think of another name. I also love that you are giving them two incentives, one is to be in control of your 'party' and also a chance to win a free meal is deffinately a good bribing technique. I wasn't sure what that top image was, like a poster? Or a postcard? But I think that doing a menu of games, or a coaster of games could be a good direction to take that. Good work, keep it up!
A few thoughts. I agree with everyone on the connotations of the word HEAD. Especially in the context of drinking, I think people will probably not take it seriously. Maybe "BOSS" or "KING". I dno. Something that has some punch, and is something that people will want to vie for. I also agree that the games are probably the best part of your system, but I think that your collateral is limiting the ways in which this play could happen throughout the bar. As a designer, you're thinking "What can I make to put in the bar, to affect change?" What you should be thinking is: "How can I take pre-existing parts of a bar's graphic language, and unexpectedly transform them? For example, coasters, placemats, beer glasses, napkins, pop-top beer cans, menu, etc. Go to a bar and write down every design object / ephemera, and then think about how you can possibly subvert / transform them. For example: Maybe you design a beer glass where you've glued a paper circle to the bottom of the cup (on the outside of course so it doesn't get soggy), and when the person is done drinking, a game is revealed. Or, maybe the coaster itself could be part of a larger game (use the coasters for checkers, frisbees, wheels, ninja stars, etc). Placemats could become instructions for origami that the DD could judge, or paper hats, pictionary, instructions for line dancing, etc. I would say you should really capitalize on the games idea, and then think about how existing parts of a bar can be used to encourage this play. People will then have no choice but to participate -- as opposed to a poster that someone can easily ignore. I think you need a whole, comprehensive graphic system that envelopes the bar environment.
7 comments:
blake, the best part about your new work are the activity ideas. the games all sound very easy to do and are simple to explain, which is important. i would suggest to keep working on a few other games and maybe break them up into categories like "songs", "word play" "actions" or something like that. but i can see those games being pretty funny.
the idea of the drawing for a free meal is a great idea, and using the wristband as the entry when leaving with your rider(s) is smart. how will the bar know whose wristband is whose?
i don't understand what that big piece with the games and info is exactly. is it a poster? is it like that booklet two posts below this post? you need to make up a very simple and easy-to-use form that people can refer to.
i'm unsure about the title "head", mostly because i can see people making up nasty names/jokes about the "head" DD. are there other honorable, silly, or hyperbolic titles you can use?
is the wristband enough to identify your people? i like the ease of use, and it's super easy for a doorman to put on someone, or for someone to put it on themselves. i wonder how you can make this program more visible to bar patrons. is that were the posters come in?
hopefully this helps. if you have comments or questions for me, email me.
Going along with tyler's comment on the games you could probably look at games such as cranium to get some inspiration. They have some interesting categories for types of games also. But I think the games are a really good idea maybe they could be incorporated into the wristbands? Like one suggestion for each or something so they don't have to constantly refer to a poster.
I like the idea of wristbands mostly because it is something that is already in practice for places that allow underage drinkers and has a pretty good success rate.
I would also say lose the HEAD. It has way too many innuendos.
In regards to the use of the Head as a title through the system I think when you decide on an appropriate title you should work on the hierarchy of the poster. It should standout as a label for the event. It works a little better on the wristbands but the poster seems to have the most hierarchy problems.
In line with Tyler's comment about the larger piece, right now it seems to be postcard size. I think it would have a bigger impact if you turned into a poster-people would be more likely to pay attention to it.
I would also say make the free meal offer and the games stand out more, because ultimately this is a huge part in drawing people to participate.
Formally the white box around the list of games bothers me. It appears as though it was just stamped on there. You could easily integrate them with a simple use of hierarchy. Also be careful about combining right angled text boxes and placing type on an angle. I would either use one or the other.
I also like the wristband idea. In response to Tyler's question about telling whose wristband is whose could you make the wristband slightly wider so they could write their contact info? This way it becomes more like a raffle ticket.
I'm glad to see you dropped the DD sign up sheet. It seemed like during crit that was the part of you system that got the most negative response. As far as the games, I would really think about what the best delivery method for them. Maybe you can kind of keep it secret, what I mean is when the DD in the wrist band comes up to the bartender to order a coke, his drink is placed on a special DD coaster so only he can see it and no one else. That way there is a little bit of mystery, albeit temporary. This exclusivity factor I think could possibly work in getting people to want to DD.
It seems like an easy solution to identifying wristbands would be to make a space for people to write their name on it (and maybe a phone number, since not everyone may stay till the end of the night?)
There are also a lot of vehicles in the bar for placing game ideas on: coasters, napkins, napkin holders, menus, etc. It might be interesting to see it in a "menu" format (since Tyler mentioned making categories for it) so that you have a "menu" of game ideas, similar to ordering food or drinks. I think that keeping game ideas on existing items in the bar might save things from getting lost or getting ignored. It really might be as little as getting them started-- I think once people catch on and get silly enough, I imagine they'll start coming up with ideas of their own, too.
I think I'd also keep the raffle drawing separate from the game ideas on any posters you make. Though it's all based on the DD idea, they seem like two different incentives that are unrelated to one another.
Blake, I agree with most of the comments posted above, I think that this 'game' idea is great for getting people interacting with the Designated Driver, also a good way for people to maybe want to be DD so they don't have to do those silly things. I like the wristband idea I think it is a good way of 'marking' the Designated Driver so that either the doorman or Bartender knows that they are the DD.
I agree with Tyler on the naming of it, I think HEAD could get a little perverse, so maybe think of another name. I also love that you are giving them two incentives, one is to be in control of your 'party' and also a chance to win a free meal is deffinately a good bribing technique. I wasn't sure what that top image was, like a poster? Or a postcard? But I think that doing a menu of games, or a coaster of games could be a good direction to take that. Good work, keep it up!
Blake:
A few thoughts.
I agree with everyone on the connotations of the word HEAD. Especially in the context of drinking, I think people will probably not take it seriously. Maybe "BOSS" or "KING". I dno. Something that has some punch, and is something that people will want to vie for.
I also agree that the games are probably the best part of your system, but I think that your collateral is limiting the ways in which this play could happen throughout the bar.
As a designer, you're thinking "What can I make to put in the bar, to affect change?" What you should be thinking is: "How can I take pre-existing parts of a bar's graphic language, and unexpectedly transform them? For example, coasters, placemats, beer glasses, napkins, pop-top beer cans, menu, etc. Go to a bar and write down every design object / ephemera, and then think about how you can possibly subvert / transform them.
For example: Maybe you design a beer glass where you've glued a paper circle to the bottom of the cup (on the outside of course so it doesn't get soggy), and when the person is done drinking, a game is revealed. Or, maybe the coaster itself could be part of a larger game (use the coasters for checkers, frisbees, wheels, ninja stars, etc). Placemats could become instructions for origami that the DD could judge, or paper hats, pictionary, instructions for line dancing, etc. I would say you should really capitalize on the games idea, and then think about how existing parts of a bar can be used to encourage this play. People will then have no choice but to participate -- as opposed to a poster that someone can easily ignore. I think you need a whole, comprehensive graphic system that envelopes the bar environment.
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