Be a Friend ... The Branding Icon

I chose Red, because it's Grand, Strong and Warm, and that's what makes a good Friend.This final icon is driven from the first one, if illustrating expressions gives them a funny look, then a profile is more grand.

Creating the Logo

This is my 1st attempt to tern words ( Be a Friend ) into an icon, the elders of our community, cumming together around a hot drink, to enjoy each others company.
the feed back I got from my Course leader, is that it represents children, not the elders, who are the Target of this service.So, I will carry on, searching for the right icon

Be a Friend ... The convenience, Benefits and logistics

* It costs ( £25 ) only, per month, per elder.
* No need to rent, bay or build new premises for this new service.
* The premises where the gathering takes place is already there in every village, town and city .... The local Caf'e.
* It's furnished, lit and heated.
* Every body in town know the location and no need to travel far to reach.
* The gathering happens in midday, accessible to every one.
* Yong people run the caf'e, can give a lending hand to the elderly when needed.
* The caf'e is still open to other age groups, which will contribute to bridging the gap of age in society.
* all local caf'es are included, getting the benefit of serving regular costumers at a part of the day that was usually quiet.

The logistics

How to make this service practical ? !!
* Instead of vouchers, it's a visit credit card, like an oyster card.
* An electronic device that identifies the card is supplied by the Borough Council to all caffes.
through this method, if the elders looses the card, they did not loose the credit, it's preserved in the data system, the card can be replaced.
* The credit of one visit a week is transferable, if the elders forgets to come this week, they can come in next week with a younger friend or family, it's all about a more active social life.
* the restriction of one credit cash in is only on the first Monday, to make sure that the elder makes a weekly outing, only if they forget this week, they can invite another next week.
* The credit is not transferable from one month to another, this whey we can save the government some money.
* Every year,through the post, every elder will receive a calender with promoting reminders all year:
- the general color is red, that will always catch the eye
- Every Monday is labeled with the Be a Friend logo
- Every month displays active tempting caffee life for the elders
- Photographs of different caffee entrances with the Be a Friend logo, with the slogan : Just look for the sign and you'll know where to go, for the elders to identify the meaning.
* Some times there are ( 5 ) Mondays in one month, this might happen twice a year, so that's an extra ( 12 ) pounds a year per elder.

Be a Friend

Investing in a preventative solution

The solution I'm suggesting to address loneliness, as part of the RSA ( Action for Age ) project:
Be a Friend, is a social service that contributes to relieving the elderly of loneliness and it's side effects towards a healthier life style. By providing a weekly free of charge visit, to an afternoon ( 2 - 4 pm ) gathering, where every elder individual ( those who are 50 years of age and above ) is invited to enjoy the privilege to request a hot drink accompanied by something to eat, for the value of ( six Pounds ), supported by a visit credit card, that covers this value, issued by the government, ( the Borough Council ).
This gathering will take place at one of the most visited friendly environments in every neighborhood .... The Local Caffe.
This privilege is national, involving every local caffe at a unified date and time, the funding budget for this service is part of the health budget dedicated to the aged, for it's contribution in maintaining better health : Loneliness leads to Depression, which weakens the immune system, leaving the person vulnerable to countless illness attacks in type and frequency.
By providing this therapeutic service, that takes the form of a social activity, it will translated into : Less loneliness, less fiscal and mental health deterioration driven from depression, consequently decreasing the strain of costly health care consumed by the aged, by investing in a preventative solution.

The Man With Kaleidoscope Eyes

I was so fascinated by Alan Aldridge's work, I had to by the book, no matter how close and long I looked, it wasn't enough.
I loved the fiery storey drawings, they remind me of the good old days, when I look at similar images while listening to a bed time story, unfortunately the image I liked most was not in the book, it was of a Forrest, if you take a step back you will be able to see the impression of a face formed by all the forest details.





His dark work is a magnet, you just can't walk away without taking a good long look



I also like this tower that appears as part of the album cover illustrated especially for Elton John's Fantastic LP, using the different curves of the guitar instrument, to build an architectural form, creating from which, parts of the tower that are familiar to our eye in any building, in such a whey, that you can't help but say, Alan Aldridge earned the name he made for him self



At the V&A's cold war exhibition, what attracted my attention was a chair design : taking the shape of the latter ( P ), with it's stem horizontally down the whey, and the curve of the ( P ) not locked, to be covered withe a leather belt to complete the design, it was based on a part of the car engine, by re assigning the function of this shape and belt, and creating a modern furniture design.
I found this very inspiring , in teaching us to look at whats around us in a different whey, and by re assigning the functions , we as designers, create new solutions

starbucks donation activities

I approached Starbucks caffe in harrow town center last Wednesday, and
had quite an informative conversation with Branch Manager Miss
Katerina, who tolled me that Starbucks has on several occasions
donated time, space and merchandise to charity activities that where
helled in collaborated with this branch, such as schools, hospitals
and MIND for better mental health.
This will benefit my suggestion of a weekly town caffe gathering for
the elderly when it comes to funding solutions

Life

Hi ....
Just wanted to share with you all ....
This is what I see every day from my bedroom window ...
It reminds me every day that Life is meant to be beautiful, it's our choices that add to it, or take away from it ..
Have A Nice Day