Anti Brand presentation

Text and Image over and done with. I personally wasnt too stressed out over the hand in. Well, compared to some people anyway, but feel i had a sufficient amount of work done. I had to do some work for our PPRD lectures over the weekend, which involved coming up with an anti-brand for coca cola and innocent smoothies.

This was the illustration i came up with. The concept was based on how the creators of Innocent smoothies came about. They started out by buying £500 worth of fruit at a Jazz festival in London with a sign saying 'Do you think we should give up our jobs to make these smoothies?'. They then had 2 bins out, one labelled 'yes' and one labelled 'no'. At the end of the festival the yes bin was full so they gave up their jobs and began their new company

End of Module Critical Evaluations-Visual Equations

For this two-week long brief, we were set the task of exploring the theme of opposites and finding juxtapositions with them, with the intention of hopefully finding a new third meaning because of it. I started out with the idea of using everyday public signs like 'Keep off the grass' and 'mind the dog', but was soon put off the idea. I felt I hadn't put enough thought into it and not tried hard enough. So I got onto the idea of gravestones and how formal the language is that is used to describe the person. I initially thought about writing funny or disrespectful remarks where you would usually find very caring words. But then, even when this was tried, I was informed at the critique that my third meaning was somewhat lost on the tutors. I was told to research into censorship of text that is allowed to be put onto a gravestone. I found out about 'Mom' and 'Dad' are terms that are deemed inappropriate by the church; only 'mother' and 'father' are allowed. Then I found out about a story in the press about how nicknames or shortened names were also banned from gravestones and felt I could find a playful third meaning for something like this. Which then led me into the idea of censorship on gravestones. So what if there was the kind of boring black letterbox shapes that you see in magazines and television programmes introduced onto gravestones.
If I were to repeat this brief I would take a lot more time to research current affairs and issues so that I could start out with an idea, instead of coming up with something and forcing it into a situation where it has to fit an idea that it wasn’t quite suited for.

Word Count: 298

End of Module Critical Evaluations-Promo Print

The promo print project was used to introduce us the software Quark Express. The brief was given out and it informed us to make an 8-page booklet (similar to a CD sleeve) documenting the work we had covered throughout the module of Text and Image. We had to write a short passage about our strengths, and ourselves with one page dedicated to an Artist/graphic designer/illustrator/visual communicator who inspire us. We had an introduction into grids and layouts, learning the meanings to all the words used when dealing with a grid or a layout. We learnt that a grid is for designer’s eyes and a layout is for the reader’s eyes. We worked in groups in a mini task to create a layout each for a book to portray variety. The idea to work in groups was good as we were all able to crit each other’s work and agree on orders or ideas for layouts.
I like the thoughts behind the ideas processes in layout design. With lots of quick and rough thumbnail sketches to gain ideas and find influence. Pages that are very busy and full of scribbles and sketches are ideal to my kind of learning. My influences for having sideways text are varied. I wanted a different element for my booklet, and something as subtle as that changes the entire booklet. I think I am keener on the white space it leaves. Also I have recently read a book called 'the art of looking sideways', which may have had a subconscious influence on my choice.

I enjoyed using Quark, or more specifically I enjoyed experimenting with grids, layouts and ordering my work into a consistent booklet (or attempting to!) Many have told me that Adobe In Design is an easier and more versatile programme to use so I look forward to being introduced to that. On the final PDF view of my booklet, once I had printed it off, I had noticed that on page 5 I had left an accidental hyphenation in the text. This was purely accidental, and after printing it off once already, I felt it necessary to mention it here as apposed to spending more money on printing a new one off.

Word Count: 371

End of Module Critical Evaluations-Type and Tape

This Project was a one-day project with the briefing in the morning and the crit in the afternoon. We had to come up with a typeface in groups and experiment with it round uni or using any medium we wanted to, but the typeface had to be purely made out of tape. Use my documented coursework for references at any point with this project. We had several initial ideas. Those that included the idea of emulating the style of pens strapped up next to each other and following the same paths with tape. We soon found this difficult to portray using tape, as it just was not as feasible as once thought. Then we thought about how we could come up with a typeface that was quick and aesthetically pleasing. We got the idea of tagging things around the uni, so we needed something simple that could be placed anywhere. We experimented using shapes as letters but soon struggled to find simple enough shapes for all of the letters without them losing their meaning. Another experimental process was where I played around with the idea of stenciling. This is commonly used by graffiti artists as you can prepare it before and it is quick so the risk of getting caught is reduced. But eventually we came to one we were all happy with, and it was the idea of t text that was all the same size no matter what the surface, So we tried making the said text and rearranging the tape within each box to correspond with each of the letters key features. (See coursework for results). We tried out our new typeface around uni and found it to be quick and aesthetically effective. If I were to do this brief again I would maybe have experimented with a larger scale of typeface.

Word Count: 305

End of Module Critical Evaluations-Glyphs

This brief was used to introduce us to the adobe software illustrator. This was also another short brief that was introduced to us after a few tutorials on how to use the basic tools on Illustrator. To get a more firm understanding on this brief, I researched the work of the Hebrew typographer Oded Ezer. His typographic work is very expressive and he uses 3D objects, and the shapes they create, to create some of his styles of text. All of which I have documented in my sketchbook. I also used the recently released 2012 Olympic games icons for all the separate events. The influences for these simple black and white icons are from the London Underground. The idea of them is to represent the event as simply as possible, and this year they’ve gone for the small colorless icons, that I believe are very effective and very aesthetically pleasing. My glyphs were made in Illustrator and all are influenced from our day trip to Poole. The point of the 'M' was more to do with brand identity. It is so internationally known as the golden arches, that even in black and white it is instantly recognizable.

Word Count: 197

End of Module Critical Evaluations-Playful Type, letterpress

This brief included a one day assignment where we were to work in groups and produce an experimental typeface and showcase it, we chose to showcase it around university. I have documented this project pretty well in an A3 folder included in my hand-in and feel i have covered alot of the process. we were shown the basics of letterpress and i felt it was by far the best thing i have done/been involved in/shown on this course so far. I loved it and definitely feel that im going to involve Letterpress form in as many pieces of my work this year as i can. I produced an A3 sized piece of work with the message 'power of words' in with a whole load of mixed up random blocks of letterform. I would have loved to have experienced a lot more with letterpress, and feel that I will definitely use it in future projects.

Word Count: 154

End of Module Critical Evaluations-Poole

The first brief that we were gievn on the course of Visual Communication, inside the module of Text and Image, was to design an editorial illustration promoting the regeneration of Poole. This was my first insight into higher education and we were thrown right into the thick of things. Deliberately being given a very broad brief, the tutors awaited to see how we would all individually approach and solve the brief. We were encouraged to be creative and experimental and to try out as many different styles and techniques as possible. Usually I have struggled with these kind of things at past places of education, due to being able to work in my comfort zone and not getting encouraged to maybe change. We have been introduced to so many techniques and ways of learning that this had pretty much been eradicated from my thoughts since the start of the course. During this brief we visited Poole and were told to do some visual recording of the area. Personally I am very intrigued by typography and the process of how company's choose different typefaces for different things. I always wonder what factors they chose the final typeface on, so alot of my visual recordings were type based. For my Editorial Illustration I chose to concentrate on a photo i took that day. It was a photo of the boat masts in the docks, i got a dark and eerie feeling about it and could picture it with darker colours. I changed all of the boat masts and cables to a silhouette also and it kind of made the image look like a grave yard.To relate it to the regeneration of Poole i illustrated a crane into the image to make it look as if it was blending in with the boat masts. The idea of the regeneration taking up to 10 years, i played on the fact that the scene of cranes may be something people will have to put up with.

Word Count: 331

Visual Equations

So our deadline for our first module moves closer and closer and the last brief, visual equations, has become a focal point for me. As after the crit I found i only really had half an idea. The criticism i received was that the third meaning was somewhat lost. Then i started thinking about it again, and one of my tutors told me that some church organisations and certain censorship on what kind of text you are allowed to put on gravestones. Things like 'Dad' and 'Mom' and any informal text is frowned upon and usually not allowed to be put on the gravestones. Then i had an idea to use the plain black boxes over certain words on gravestones and make it out as if the church have censored gravestones. This is a juxtaposition as censorship is always being spoken about, whether certain things should be viewed at certain times. So i felt this fits the brief more appropriately.

Crit for Visual Equations

We had our Visual equations critique this afternoon and the tutors didnt hold back. which is what we need i think if we are to start getting used to the way industry is. But I was told that my idea or concept is good, but thw way it has been executed needs some work. I was told that the one line remarks i have blended into the gravestones arent enough to create a third meaning..a third meaning in which i wasnt very clear about. I was under the belief we were taking 2 concepts and using juxtaposition to create a collaged set of images. i was a bit lost when they started talking abot a third meaning, but yeah. So i shall go home and resist the urge to play online poker and try to crack on with some work..leading up to the deadline on wednesday.

Promo Print

The promo print project was used to introduce us the software Quark Express. The brief was given out and it informed us to make an 8 page booklet (similar to a CD sleeve) documenting the work we had covered throughout the module of Text and Image. We had to write a short passage about ourselves and our strengths, with one page dedicated to an Artist/graphic designer/illustrator/visual communicator who enspire us.

I enjoyed using Quark, or more specifically I enjoyed experimenting with grids, layouts and ordering my work into a consistent booklet (or attempting to!) I have been told by many that Adobe In Design is an easier and more versatile programme to use so I look forward to being introduced to that.

Visual Equations

Last week we were given the last brief of Text and Image, which was only a week long, which i felt was a shame as alot could have been done with the idea. It was a creative brief and needed alot of creative thought, so to only spend a week on it was kind of disappointing as i felt like i was rushing it. But nonetheless I enjoyed it and feel i got some good work completed for it..

The brief was to explore the meaning of opposites through juxtaposition, so putting things in situations where you dont usually see them. I chose the idea of gravestones, although i found myself questioning my morals when carrying out my idea..

Illustration shizzz. Ideas for my promo print booklet. I have cmobined pages and cut outs from my sketchbook.

ok. so i finally scanned in my letterpress work. I am very appreciative that we were able to experiment and create work in this medium. I found the techniques and processes fascinating and will definately try and use this in any future work where necessary..

ESSAY EASSY EASY

wrote my first essay today. BOOM.I think im going to enjoy studying semiotics actually. I find it pretty fascinating

I found this and think it is ace. A definite easy gift for people at christmas or birthdays. Well..thats what id assume the concept for this would be.