We were tasked with creating a magazine cover as a way to start considering our potential ideas for what a smart home in 2050 might look like.
When we were first given this task we were given a template which featured a TIME magazine cover. Immediately I started creating some early versions of my own cover using this TIME magazine template. I felt something was off. It felt as though TIME wasn’t a good representation of what I wanted to convey with my own cover. The vessel in which my idea is communicated will have a great impact on how its received. With this in mind I looked around at some other magazine that would be more suitable for my idea.
I landed on using Frame. Frame is a magazine all about tech and how it can best be integrated into physical spaces, perfect for this project. Some other noteworthy magazines were, Wired, all about “the next big thing” more often than not it’s tech related, and Architectural Record for obvious reasons.
We were prompted to consider ideas for this project very early on. It is one I have kind of struggled with conceptually. The possibilities are endless but also very limited in the fact we have to prototype it. One of my first ideas was to create some kind of tool that allows users to visualise their own spaces and optimise them for different situations. For example, if you live in a small apartment and plan to have a dinner party, you could consult the tool to visualise how to best arrange your apartment to fit 10 people. Whilst this idea has legs it isn’t very exciting.
I started thinking about what a home is and what it means for a house to really be a home. This led me to think very emotionally as I feel homes occupy a very personal space in all of our lives. They watch us love, grow, hurt and everything in between. This sparked some vivid imagery in me, one of those images was a child drawing on a wall. Something so innocent and to otherwise be encouraged if it didn’t come at a cost. What if it didn’t come at a cost, if the walls were interactive, to be touched and drawn on, to be used. As it stands, walls tend to be a considerable unused real estate in most home. I feel there is a clear opportunity here to further this unused space.
The idea is simple, walls that become a living part of the home. Not just surfaces that keep the outside out, but something that makes the inside feel more like home. Imagine displaying any artwork in the world from your sofa, or watching a child's crayon drawing of Superman lift off the wall and fly across the room, sparking the kind of wonder that stays with them. The same wall that holds that magic can also be the beating hub of the home. Music, temperature, media, family photographs, all of it, finally, in one place.
With my cover design I wanted it to be punchy and impactful. I felt the most compelling imagery I could conjure around my idea is actually the one that created it for me. That idea of a childs drawing on a wall coming to life. This acted as a great foundation for my cover and allowed me to come up with various cover drafts.
All of these drafts definitely have their own strengths but that said they also have their own constraints and detriments as well. I feel like the yellow examples are very bold, almost too bold. They do work well but maybe not for this concept.
The blue frame magazine: I really do like the idea of separately conveying different aspects of life that this concept would cover but the design itself feels kind of flat and almost doesn't communicate the idea that well.
The purple and blue wall examples are both fantastic and I think ultimately I just settled on the blue one because it looks a little bit more playful and that's what this module is all about.
