KIB101 Visual Communication

Assessment 2 Design Document

Matthew Hunt n8496951
Tutor Jacque Prior

Product
Anxt is a wearable medical device that allows its user to control their feelings of stress or anxiety.
When the user is feeling anxious or stressed, anxt relieves those feelings quickly and easily, allowing
the user to continue their life unimpeded by debilitating anxious thoughts or feelings. Anxt is
designed to be extremely easy to use, with no technological barriers for users to climb over. This
allows for an extremely broad target audience, covering virtually anyone who suffers from anxiety.
This is reflected in the design simplicity of all design aspects, especially the advertisement and
information design. The design of anxt has been influenced by traditional wrist jewellery, as well as
more recent developments in wearable technology, and is designed to strike a harmonious balance
between these two design areas.

Logo Analysis
The anxt logo is designed to carry not only the brand identity, but also to convey information about
what anxt allows its user to achieve, across all design areas, ranging from advertisements to
packaging.
The logo itself is composed of the letters a, n, x and t, with the stroke of the x intersecting the
background colours of black and blue. The black represents the feelings of anxiety experienced by
the user, which are often described as dark thoughts. The blue in the logo signals a change in
feelings, to ones that are clearer, happier and more serene, exactly the opposite kind of thoughts a
person with anxiety would have.
The transition between these two colours is intersected by a long continuation of one stroke of the
letter x in the logo. This thin, white line represents the immediate transition of feelings a user of anxt
would experience. The sudden transition and lack of gradient reflects the instantaneous nature of
anxt, which can be likened to the difference between night and day, something that is reflected in
the colour choices. This white line is the key part of the anxt logo, which is able to be scaled without
losing its meaning or representations, something that has been utilised in all design areas.
The logo takes influence from the Bauhaus style, whereby it is broken down into its essential
elements, has a bold and uncomplicated aesthetic, and lacks any form of ornamentation. This gives
the logo a clear simplicity, something that reflects the anxt device.
Inspiration for the logo came from several minimalistic, Bauhaus style logos, as well as some
typographical logos.

Final Logo

Matthew Hunt. Logo for anxt: wrist device that relieves anxiety.
Visual Comunication, 2014

Logo Influences

Sources Brookfield Multiplex, 2014. The Verge, 2013. Foxtel, 2014.

Sydney Costal Councils, 2013. Blue Recruit, 2014.

Initial Advertisement Analysis

The advertisement design needs to appeal to all consumers within the target market. As the target
market is so broad, the design of the advertisement needs to be clear and concise, with a strong
single minded proposition (SMP), in order to maximise its effectiveness. The deciphered single SMP
was that anxt relieves anxiety instantly, with no fuss.
The initial advertisement likened the SMP to a light switch. There is one part the users controls, with
only two outcomes. The light goes on, or the light goes off. This logic can be applied to anxt,
whereby the user turns the device on, relieving anxious feelings, or has the device off, enabling the
anxious feelings. The advertisement visualised this ideology by displaying a light switch with the
label anxiety, and the positions on or off. Although the initial advertisement was sound in its idea,
feedback from the client suggested that more visual work would have been of benefit. As a result,
the initial advertisement was heavily altered, retaining the SMP, but with a completely different
aesthetic, in order to integrate with the brand aesthetic as a whole, employing the same design
features as the information design and packaging.

Initial Advertisement

Final Advertisement Analysis

The final advertisement has been designed to carry the same SMP, but with a different execution.
Utilising the same pictograms and icons as the information design means that a single design
aesthetic is carried through all aspects of the product, as well as meaning that consumers who are
familiar with the advertisement with also be familiar with the information design and its packaging.
The ad features the anxt logo in the bottom right hand corner, with the stroke of the x again
separating the black and blue colours.
In this instance, the white stroke also separates the anxious and calm sides of the
advertisement, which feature the same two representations of people as the information design,
where one is seen with an exclamation mark over their head, indicating anxiety, whilst the other is
seen with a tick over their head, indicating that their anxiety is managed. The tag line for the
advertisement reads Turn your anxieties off, straight from your wrist, with the slogan Live with
anxt, live without angst. The advertisement employs the use of 1st level semiotics, by denoting the
name and representation of the product, as well as 2nd level semiotics, whereby the advertisements
connotes the ease of use of anxt, as well as its immediate effect. It also employs the guttenburg
theory, whereby the general pattern followed by the eyes looks at evenly distributed, homogenous
information. In this instance, the viewer looks left to right at the advertisement, reading and
interpreting the information, culminating in reading the copy in the bottom left of the
advertisement.

10

Final Advertisement

11

Final Advertisement Influences

The final advertisement design has been influenced by the simplicity of recent campaigns by AHM,
as well as Commonwealth Banks can campaign. These two advertisements share a level of
simplicity and brevity, something that is reflected in the advertisement for anxt. As the final
advertisement is based heavily around the information design, the two also share the same
influences.

1 - AHM Insurance, 2013.

2 - Mumbrella, 2014.

12

Information Design Analysis

The information design for anxt is designed to be simple and easy to understand. Its purpose is to
convey information about how to use the device, and what effects it will have, in an easy to read,
concise and effective format. Additionally, the information design must be able to be understood by
all members of the target audience, which as mentioned, is extremely broad. The use of icons and
pictograms overcomes this barrier, and also allows for the information design, be it aspects or the
entire piece, to be scaled and used effectively across other design areas, specifically the
advertisement. The major area where the information design will feature is the packaging, as the
first thing the consumer will see upon opening the box, being a permanent piece of the packaging.
The use of icons allow for communication through reduced visual form, and also across cultural and
demographic borders, something that is important for anxt. Icons are understood quickly and easily,
allowing for minimal text to be used, and tend to carry well known significance, as long as they have
consistency in their style and design. For anxts information design, the icons used are almost
universally recognisable, yet still provide for effective communication. The icon of the person is
commonly used in various public places, the exclamation mark is present in many more languages
than English, and the shape of the speech or thought bubble is also a widely recognised icon.
These icons combine themselves into pictograms, where they form more complex meanings as a
whole than they would individually. Pictograms use illustration, and combine icons to convey ideas,
actions or instructions. In short, they tell a story. The combination of the icons used in anxts
information design come together to form a series of four pictograms. The first and last pictograms
show that the user is feeling anxious, or feeling relieved, respectively. The second pictogram
employs the use of small multiples and similarity to display a close up view of a persons wrist, using
the same shape and style as the full view person in the pictogram beforehand. The third pictogram
shows anxt with a power symbol in a thought bubble, again using the same shape and style as the
two other thought bubbles contained within the information design.
Each pictogram is supported by a small amount of copy, to clarify the instructions and meanings
contained within the pictograms. As a whole, the information design employs a number of gestalt
principles, in addition to small multiples and similarity. The laws of proximity and continuity are both
utilised. The four individual pictograms are grouped together, with a uniform amount of space
between them, in order for the mind to see them as belonging together. The pictograms also form a
pattern of continuity, so that the mind recognises a pattern or sequence, ensuring the information
design is read correctly.

14

Final Information Design

15

Information Design Influences

The major design influence for the information design came from IKEAs information designs and
instructions. Simple and clean, these are designed to be applicable to anyone who purchases the
furniture, regardless of skill level, and are also designed to cross linguistic, demographic and cultural
borders, through the use of symbols and pictograms.

3 - IKEA, 2013

4 - Ted Conference, 2013.

16

Packaging Analysis
The design of the packaging for anxt is vital. It not only has to attract consumers, but also has to be
functional once the consumer has purchased anxt. For these reasons, a simple rectangular box was
chosen, as it is not only practical and a uniform shape, but also allows for large areas on which
information and design can be placed. The packaging has to appeal to all members of the target
audience, as well as stand out from the crowd and make itself, and the anxt brand, known among
consumers.
The front of the packaging features the anxt logo, with the stroke of the x scaled, and the black and
blue colours forming the background. The bottom right of this panel features the slogan, Live with
anxt, live without angst. The placement of only the logo on the front of the packaging is designed to
grab attention and make an impact. Upon turning the box over, the consumer again finds the anxt
logo, however placed differently, and in combination with more information, and selected elements
of the information design. The copy on the back panel explains the context and purpose of the
device, whilst the elements of the information design visualise the effect that anxt has. The stroke of
the x on the back panel extends itself onto the left hand side of the packaging, forming a continuous
and harmonious design area. The right hand side of the box also extends the blue background that
begins on the back panel.
Two areas of the packaging also feature an image of the device itself, addressing the target
audience, and allowing them to visualise the device without having to open the box. Upon opening
the box however, the consumer is presented with the full version of the information design, as a
panel that forms part of the box but is placed underneath the main front panel. This placement was
chosen as it allows for new users to immediately see how anxt works, and what effect the device
has. In addition, by having the information design as a part of the box itself, it stays with the original
packaging and, eliminates the risk of having it get lost as a separate item within the packaging.
As a whole, the packaging forms a strong marketing and information tool, striking a balance
between persuasive and informative design. The design used across the packaging is consistent with
the logo, and retains and reinforces the connotations the logo carries, and the brand identity. The
anxt logo is visible from all angles, regardless of rotation or placement of the box, and has its own
form as an expression of the brand identity. Gestalt principles are used throughout the design of the
packaging. Consistency is seen throughout the colour choices, and continuation of pattern
throughout the packaging, and proximity is utilised by having enough white or dead space so that
each design element sits comfortably. Grouping is effectively used, especially on the back panel, by
having the elements placed together so that they draw the viewer in and are seen in a meaningful
sequence.

18

Final Packaging Net (see Appendix 1)

19

Final Packaging Form

20

Packaging Influences
The packaging for anxt has been influenced by several mainstream technology products and their
associated packaging. The iPhone packaging influenced the design heavily, in the sense that all
documentation is contained within its own piece of packaging. This idea was extended upon, and
resulted in anxts information design being place where it is. Influence was also provided by the
packaging for Microsoft Office. Information design is provided as part of the packaging, and the
swivelling portion of the packaging allows for the outer portion of the packaging to keep its uniform
shape, something that again influenced the packaging for anxt.

5 - Wikimedia, 2014.

6 - China Software Supplier, 2012.

21

Appendices
Appendix 1 Packaging
net with bleed

22

References
AHM Insurance. (2013). Use 100%, waste nothing | ahm health insurance. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3po6on0s4I
Blue Recruit. (2014). Blue and White Recruit Logos. Retrieved from http://www.bluerecruit.com.au
Brookfield Multiplex. (2014). BM Logo. Retrieved from
http://www.brookfieldmultiplex.com/files/images/news/bm_logo_eng_inf_rgb_1322721288.jpg
China Software Supplier. (2012). Microsoft Office Professional. Retrieved from
http://www.chinasoftwaresupplier.com/photo/pl92581microsoft_office_2007_professional_retial_box.jpg
Foxtel. (2014). Foxtel Logo. Retrieved from
http://community.foxtel.com.au/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/8i28A4B08F96DF1C23?v=mpbl-1
IKEA. (2013). Assembly Instructions. Retrieved from
http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/customer_service/assembly_instructions_new.html
Mumbrella. (2014). Commbank Cant Billboard. Retrieved from http://cdn0.mumbrella.com.au/wpcontent/uploads/2014/03/Screen-Shot-2014-03-19-at-7.27.33-PM.png
Sydney Coastal Councils. (2013). Sydney Water Logo. Retrieved from
http://www.sydneycoastalcouncils.com.au/sites/default/files/SydneyWaterLogo.jpg
Ted Conference. (2013). Ikea Houss. Retrieved from
http://tedconfblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/ikea-instructions.jpg?w=900
The Verge. (2012). Android Logo. Retrieved from http://cdn1.voxcdn.com/assets/4677547/Screen_Shot_2014-06-26_at_5.13.43_PM.png
Wikimedia. (2013). iPhone 4 box no lid. Retrieved from
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/IPhone_4_box_no_lid.JPG

23