PARALLEL
A speculative co-collaborative work space focused on providing an environment that encourages a holistic approach to achieving a healthy work/life balance. The methods used are centred around ancient sound healing techniques. The development and proposal of this idea was part of the Final Major Project for my Degree in BA(Hons) Creative Directing for Fashion.
Instagram Content Mock Up
This projects focused on insight generation using a range of research methods. Based on these insights, we were tasked with theorising a proposed idea that would address these insights.
Billboard Poster Mock Up
My area of interest was in sound, specifically, the ways that we use sound to regulate our mood. This lead me to explore a variety of ancient sound healing practices such as Tibetan singing bowls, gong baths and meditative music. The main challenge I faced was coming up with an innovative way to communicate to my audience using visual methods, while also attempting to subvert any existing biases they might have towards these practices that can be considered to be “new age” or “alternative” to some people.
“More people are looking for ways to improve their lives. However, even though we have been relying more on the digital realm, in contexts that involve music and sound, people are still more inclined towards physical experiences in group settings.”
Insight 01
“The way that practitioners of alternative healing methods communicate with their audience is causing some of the public to form negative biases towards them.”
Insight 02
Co-Collaborative Spaces
The proposal of a co-collaborative space worked perfectly with our first insight . This space would allow our target audience audience to build intimate relationships with the space and the other individuals in it and this would enhance the overall experience of the enhanced introspective sessions
Communicating with Symbols
After extensive research, I found that the use of symbols to represent the themes that I wanted my audience to experience in each space was the most effective way of communicating with them in a way that subverted any of their existing biases. The symbols I created were inspired by ancient Chinese oracle bone carvings, drawn in ways that visually represented the basic meaning of what I was trying to convey. Since these symbols were entirely new, they would be able to represent ideas that would not trigger any existing visual biases while at the same time, were in some ways representations of the themes I was trying to communicate.
“Heal, Grow, Flourish With Us, In Parallel”
That was the context of my proposed outcome, a space that not only promotes a healthy work environment, but also allows creatives to actively grow alongside their community. With that in mind, the name “Parallel” became a clear and with that in mind, as well as the focus on internal, holistic work being the center of all growth within the space, the logo took the shape that you see above.
Symbol for the “Expressive Space”
This space is meant to be the venue of weekly music events, providing balance to the co-collaborative space, allowing for not only work & healing but also free expression. This symbol was loosely influenced by the yin and yang symbol as balance was a key theme that I wanted to put across.
Symbol for the “Co-collaborative Space”
The purpose of this space is to allow like minded creatives to engage, connect and exchange ideas with one another. Based on that, when coming up with this symbol, I had images in my mind of atoms bonding on an atomic level.
Symbol for the “Introspective Spaces”
These rooms would be where the enhanced introspective sessions using sound healing tools will be conducted. Being an introspective space, i felt that it was important to represent healing coming from an internal process. Additionally when I picture themes of renewal and growth, images of plants come to my mind which greatly influenced the outcome of this illustration.
Video Walkthrough of Website Mock Up
This mock up was created in collaboration with Elizabeth Tan, a digital strategist and content creator, whose skills were essential to creating the UI of the website.
