The definition of Conditional:

- Something that is subject to one or more conditions

The definition of Unconditional:

- Not subject to any conditions

The definition of Design:

- The plan or drawing of something to show its look/function or workings before it’s made / a decorative pattern / making a detailed drawing of somethings look or function

The definition of Conditional Design:

- Focusing on the system/plan/process within design and setting one or more conditions, and with collaboration the result is unpredictable

“Conditional Design is an approach that reflects the tendencies of our contemporary society - under the influence of the media and rapid technological developments, our world, our lives and the way we interact with each other are increasingly characterized by speed and in a state of constant flux.” – United We



To define on conditional design and my options within what would consist of a project that was based off of its very meaning, I began brainstorming.
















One main aspect I was continuing to think about was how conditional design is defined within the quote from United We, and today's society being “under the influence of media and technological developments”. With this, the idea came to me of combining the idea of conditional design and the current state of our world when it comes to the dependence on technology. In reality, in day to day life many no longer focus on the process of anything, its more about the right now and immediate. Our lives are heavily dominated by technology, and our interaction with it is constant. For me, this gave the opportunity to create something that highlights on the conditional design method while making it easily accessible to anyone interested in design. With the major popularity of customization to photos for personal use or to post on social platforms, people are seeking for ways to create something unique that has their own personal touch to it. The idea of interaction between the designer and user is becoming more of collaborative process, with more and more people seeking for a certain amount of open choice.

For me, before creating the design for an app, I wanted to look at existing apps out there that are frequently used for different reasons. My aim at this point was to focus on their design and how this caters to different people and alternate viewing platforms.


VSCO CAM
This is a photo editing tool that’s labeled as perfect for the “modern creative”. The main aspect of the application I focused on was the clean setup and bold vector style, and also the idea of users collaborating with the designer of the app to create an enhanced outcome of an image. The "rules" within this application is that the designer has created set tone presets for images, but the user itself is given choice on which one to use, and its intensity.

Adobe Colour CC

This application is focused around users being able to take a picture and source colour swatches from within the images. This is creating an interaction between the designer and user as the app itself sources the colours that the user can go on to use. Another aspect was the style of flat vector feel that’s seen frequently in modern applications, resulting in a clean and simplistic look that makes it understandable for almost anyone.

Due to me deciding on an app design for my final, potentially if it was to be created and used by anyone globally, an important aspect of my development was to look further into the protection of one's work, especially with the risk of someone using images from the web inside the app without consent of the owner.


Copyright
- Legal Protection given to the original marker/owner of an original work
- An original work could be written, scientific or artistic
- Copyright protects anyone attempting to make copies, redistribute, sell, recreate or perform the work

Exceptions of Copyright
- Public Works
- Permission
- Fair Use


Copyleft
- Works that are released publicly copyrighted
- Copyleft allows anyone to use free work to create something to earn money from



Creative Commons
- Creative Commons is non profit organization that is in support of Copyleft
- Supports creative sharing



Fair Use
- The use or copying of a copyright work without needing permission from the owner
- Four main factors of fair use are purpose and character, nature, amount sourced and that it doesn’t impact the owner’s potential income

Wireframe

To initiate the wireframe sketch, I first drew out a scenario sketch of the potential viewpoints and sizing the app could be viewed at. I then followed up with a full wireframe sketch of the structure of every page within my potential design.

Flow Chart

To assure I stick to a set structure and potentially make improvements, I created a flowchart to document each stage you take in the app. The result was a linear approach in the order setup in which you navigate around.

Logo Design

Before beginning the design for the app itself, I created my logo. Made entirely in Illustrator, I took my initial sketches and began bringing them to life. With the entire concept of the app being about creating a design that’s unique and one of a kind, whether it’s the first or fifth time of using the app with the same image, there will be differences but possibly a similarity in the process. With this, I used the shape of a square and altered it within a sequence, all the squares consist of the same initial structure but have their differences. The reasoning behind the name U.C (UnconditionalConditional) was due to the interaction between the user and designer. In many ways, the structure of the app creates conditional forms of design, if the user decides on that. Rules have been set, but they can still be broken, hence it stands in the middle of what conditional and unconditional are defined as.

To assure I work out all of my options, I created several versions of the app logo. I decided to go with the black background as I felt as if it would 'pop' when placed in the iPhone menu environment.

Tools

When deciding on what tools to use within the app, I went with the ones I felt would be of the most use for someone creatively, with this style of app, users may need complete freedom or more of a precise application with tools, so variety is essential.


The Line Tool – used to draw straight lines on your image


Freedom Tool – used to draw soft strokes on your image


Curve Tool – used to get a precise curved lines


Circle Tool – used for creating perfect circles


Eraser Tool – used to erase potential mistakes

Image Stock

While creating my app, I wanted to use images that represented its potential uses perfectly. With this, I decided to use images available online, and with the knowledge given within class about the importance of checking the protection of images, I decided to go with creative commons image stock websites to assure what I needed them for was permitted.

Go to https://stocksnap.io/license and http://www.freeimages.com/terms for full size terms and conditions.