Week 14
Developing the Visual Language
Alongside the research, I have started developing a more coherent visual language for the Studio Practice document. Up until this point, most of the project has existed as research, writing, diagrams and individual experiments. I now need the visual presentation to communicate the direction of the project without making the technology feel either overly clinical or purely decorative.
The current direction is deliberately clean, restrained and slightly futuristic. I want it to feel connected to biosensing, human-computer interaction and emerging technology, but still remain human and accessible.
Colour and Atmosphere
I have been developing the document around a pale blue, cream and white palette with very dark grey typography. Frosted and translucent surfaces are also becoming part of the visual language.
The blue gives the project a calm and technical quality, while the warmer cream prevents it from becoming completely cold or medical. The frosted treatment works well because it suggests layers, sensing and information without relying on obvious science-fiction graphics.
I want the pages to feel controlled and spacious because the project itself is concerned with reducing cognitive demand and making complex information easier to understand.
The visual system should demonstrate the same principles I am arguing for in the project: clarity, control and reduced unnecessary demand.
Typography
I have been testing PF Marlet Display for larger title moments alongside Acumin Pro for smaller supporting information.
I like the contrast because the display type gives the project more personality and prevents it from looking like a standard medical report, while Acumin keeps the information clear and contemporary.
For smaller labels and technical information I am using lighter weights and uppercase text sparingly. I do not want the visual language to become so stylised that the research becomes harder to read.
Large-Scale Typography as a Visual Motif
For the project’s visual language, I have been experimenting with very large typography, cropped at the edge of pages so that it becomes part of the composition. This is a layout exploration rather than an agreed project name or logo.
Conceptually, the name also creates an interesting contrast with air travel. It can suggest regulation, stability and returning to a manageable state while still connecting to the physical idea of being on the ground.
I am keeping this as a developing identity rather than treating the branding as finished.
Research Imagery
The image direction has also become more focused.
I have been developing pages around VR, the eye, auditory interaction, haptics, neurons, biosignals, wearables and neuroergonomics. Rather than using generic stock imagery, I want the images to help explain the changing research landscape and make technical subjects feel visually understandable.
The biotechnology moodboard was particularly useful because it allowed me to place different possibilities beside one another: wrist-worn sensing, ring sensors, adhesive patches, electronic tattoos, wearable necklaces, auditory devices, AR glasses, haptics and immersive VR.
This supports the shift I made in Week 14 away from assuming that the final technology has to be VR.
Avoiding an Overly Medical Aesthetic
One thing I need to keep watching is how easily the project can start to look medical.
Biosignals, EEG, physiological monitoring and body-based technology naturally bring in imagery associated with healthcare and diagnosis. That could be misleading because my project is not intended to diagnose autism, anxiety or sensory overload.
I want the visual language to feel research-led and technologically credible without presenting the autistic traveller as a patient.
This is why the warmer colours, soft surfaces and human-centred imagery matter.
Title and Transition Pages
I have also started creating simple text-led pages to divide the Studio Practice document into clearer sections.
Current examples include Context, Airport Accessibility Systems, Sensory Regulation, Biosignals and Regulation and Prototype and Test. These pages use very little text and give the document space between denser research sections.
This is helping the Studio Practice begin to feel like one designed narrative rather than a collection of individual research pages.
What I Need to Develop Next
The visual direction now feels coherent enough to continue, but it is not finished.
I need to test how the system works once I introduce real prototypes, user testing, interface development and physical materials. The design should be flexible enough to hold scientific research, personal reflection and visual experimentation without each section feeling like a different project.
The next challenge is to make the visual identity support the design development rather than becoming a finished shell before the concept itself has been resolved.
