Final Sequence

For my final set of images I've added U.V. paint to a glass of water. That significant line in the story, 'light is like water' is really interesting and I wanted to get the light to move like water.

I think all four ideas could do with some work but I'm interested to see what the next part of the brief is and how we can work with this theme in motion.

'Light is like Water' - Motion

Over the summer I started a folder containing any interesting images that I thought might be useful one day. When I read the phrase: 'light is like water' and started to think of ways I could work with it, I remembered I had filmed sunlight reflecting off the pool water while on holiday.

I imported the video into Adobe After Effects and decided to try and highlight the light from the background. What I ended up with was this short clip which shows how light can move like water.

As far as the 5 sequential images go, I think I might just take screen shots at 5 intervals. I think in the next part of the brief we are going to be dealing with motion a lot more so its a good starting point.

- After uploading the video I noticed at 0:05 I've missed a bit of the pool edge while rotoscoping! Good job I'm only handing in the screen shots.

Sequence Experimentation

I spent most of today in the studio, working on the 4 sequences for Advanced Digital Communication. I brainstormed a few ideas last night and looked into the 'magical realism' genre a bit more.

One idea was to try and portray deep water as a sequence. The further down you go, the darker it gets as light doesn't travel to the deepest parts of the sea. The photo has come out quite dark, I'll try get a better quality version later.

Next I tried to manipulate the text from the short story. I printed out my chosen paragraph and placed it into a dish full of water. I then took a 'burst' shot with the SLR while flicking the water to cause ripples.

I'm very happy with the way this one turned out, I've inverted the image to make the type wight and resemble light a bit more.

'Light is like Water' - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

So the short story I'm working is 'light is like water' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez a columbian novelist, short story writer, screenwriter and journalist.

It is a piece of literature from a genre known as 'Magic Realism'. Normally read at an intensified level, the reader must let go of preexisting ideas of conventional story telling. The plots tend to advance in a nonlinear time structure (portrayed out of chronological order).

This nonlinear format is said to mimic that of the human memory recall process. Narration of images in a comic book is said to be nonlinear because it relies on the readers' choices and interactions.

Websites are also forms of nonlinear narratives. They allow the audience to interact with the story through links, images, videos and audio.

This train of thought has lead me back to the 'Advanced Digital Communication' module and interactive graphics.

Arcade Fire have an interactive music video, Neon Bible, which is quite an interesting concept. Public Secrets is also an interesting website which has interactive sequential elements. Nonlinear and interactive games are becoming more common recently as well, games in which there are multiple paths and endings to choose from.

'Gather No Moss'

Today we started a new module entitled 'Advanced Digital Communication'. From the looks of it we are going to be heavily focused on motion, sequential and interactive elements of design.

In the first section, 'Gather No Moss', we were given 3 short stories to read and interpret. After choosing one of the stories we must then create 4 sets of 5 sequential images (20 images in total). These images have to portray the themes from a selected paragraph, the tone of the writing, the atmosphere created by the author and so on.

I decided to go for 'Light is like water' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez because his writing was very descriptive, imaginative and created a strong image in my mind. There is a lot of visual references I can work from to help communicate these themes visually.

This sections title, 'Gather No Moss' is taken from the proverb:

 'A rolling stone gathers no moss'

created by Publilius Syrus and implies that the lecturers want us to keep moving, keep being creative and keep thinking of new ideas.

UKFSEG Results

During the summer the UKFSEG panel (United Kingdom Forensic Science Education Group) selected my design as the winner of the UKFSEG live brief competition.

It was great news because I did a lot of work on the logo and can now add it to my portfolio and C.V. It also provided some valuable experience as I was required to package the identity for delivery to the client. I had to provide them with a variety of formats and also some usage guidelines. 

D&AD Annual 2011

I was also given an Amazon voucher by UKFSEG and have decided to spend it on the new D&AD annual which is out on 20th October. It features the best creative work from the year. The D&AD awards panel judges over 20,000 works from design studios, advertising agencies, branding consultancies, film production and photographic agencies, digital media pioneers and other creative firms from all over the globe.

Winners receive the legendary D&AD Yellow Pencil Award - or in case of exceptional and outstanding work, the rare Black Pencil Award.

Kerning

Found an interesting site this morning called Kerntype. Its a fun game for designers, where you can test your typography skills against professionals.

Your mission is simple: achieve pleasant and readable text by distributing the space between letters. Typographers call this activity kerning. Your solution will be compared to typographer's solution, and you will be given a score depending on how close you nailed it. Good luck!

I think I'm going to have to close the site because I've been playing it for a while now and should get back to work.

NSS Poster - Competition

On friday I submitted my design for the National Student Survey poster competition. I'm not quite sure its a finished design but I'm hoping they like the idea behind it. 

It's supposed to read as two sentences, one statement: "What is on your mind, is on our mind". I felt it portrayed the message the NSS wanted to get across in a thought provoking way. I'm still going to work on it because I think I'm onto an interesting idea and would like to get it right my portfolio.

Seventy-nine Short Essays on Design

Over the summer we were given a list of names, famous names not just for design but music, art, film, sport and even politics. We were told to look into the list, choose 40 and research who they were. I began to sort out the list, first by occupation and then how much I knew about them.

I ended up with 6 groups; Big names, New faces, Linked, Design Groups, New Designers and Graphic Designers. 'Big Names' was a list of famous people I should know more about. 'New Faces' were people I knew of but knew nothing about. Next was 'Linked', people from the list who were related or worked together and the final 20 were all about designers.

Later on I decided to type the first few from the list into google and found out it was the index from Michael Bierut's book; Seventy-nine Short Essays on Design.

I got the book from the library yesterday and so far it seems really interesting. It touches on how design is taught in higher education and the transition into the real design world.

NSS Poster - Research

I've been doing a bit of research into previous NSS posters and found some nice designs as well as some horrible ones. I like the two designs below, done buy Teesside University student designer Stephen Young. Nice ideas and done in a style which would appeal to the student audience.

'Better' brand agency created Northumbria University's campaign proposal. Further details can be found on their website, here.

I like this concept: the slogans appeal to the right audience, the colours are vibrant and attract the audience's eye and it portrays a clear message.

National Student Survey

The first brief we were given today is part of a nation wide competition to design a promotional poster for the NSS (National Student Survey)

The goal of the poster is to encourage students to actively participate in the NSS. It should reflect the purpose of the NSS, conveying the reasons why students should partake in the survey.

Optional strap-lines:

• Leave your mark
• Have your stay
• Be heard
• Your opinion matters
• Speak up

The target audience is all final year undergraduate students in the UK. The poster should be appropriate for display in a wide range of further and higher education institutions. All entries will be judged on the following criteria:

• inspires participation in the survey
• is dynamic
• can be reproduced easily on print/online

Back to work!

Back from summer and 2nd year has started with a bang! There was no time wasted in getting us straight back into work mode. Two new deadlines for the end of the week as well as submitting the summer project. Along with the new year came a new lecturer who had some wise opening words;

"If you don't know the answer, it's your fault"

                                                      Marcus Diamond

The emphasis this year seems to be on attention to detail and professional development. (The title of our first module)              

Anti-Urbansism

As part of this project we have to think about our potential specialism for next year. In my portfolio review I decided to continue with straight graphic design as I feel it is too early to focus on one particular area.

Graphic Design is not just about selling a product or making it look aesthetically pleasing but can also be used to express an opinion or evoke certain emotions. I've decided to focus on the topical subject of pollution - which is increased by continued urbanisation.

While researching Peter Saville for my 'Visual Career Case Study' I found a public awareness ad he created with M&C Saatchi. The TV commercial used Optical Illusions to warn the viewer about the importance of road safety.

On the Creative Review site there is an interview with Saville where he discusses the thought process behind the ad.

I thought this could be an interesting concept for the urban motion piece. I could create a public awareness ad on the harms of urbanisation and pollution.

Urban Proposal

As the task is more self-directed we've been told to come up with a proposal, a plan for the project. I got my idea approved on Monday, I'm basically going to look into the negative effects of Urbanism.

The title I've gone for is 'Anti-Urbanism'. I thought the title had a specific theme but was still broad enough to experiment.

I also stated that I was going to try and create a 'short motion piece'. Its an area we haven't really covered so far on the course but one that interests me and would be interesting to work on.

A few times when I've been looking at motion graphics on YouTube the creator has often used Adobe After Effects, as piece of software in the Adobe creative suite.  We're not really going to look After Effects until 2nd Year but I thought this would be a good chance to get a head start and have a play around.

After Effects' main purpose is for film and video post-production; combining multiple video sources in various ways (compositing), correcting brightness and colour, removing unwanted camera motion and adding visual effects.

Urban...?

Haven't posted in a while, had a very busy week with my new project "Urban...?". We've been given the topic and have to come up with our own title and proposal. Its a self initiated research task in response to the theme urban.

Urban ajd. of living in, or situated in a town or city.

In response to the research we must produce one of the following;

• A short experimental motion piece (no longer than 2 minutes)
• 4 experimental images
• 4 experimental typographic pieces
• 4 experiments type/image pieces

London Fashion Week

So its London Fashion Week and I decided to see what roles graphic designers have in the show and in fashion itself.

The trade show has a strong simple brand which hasn't really changed since it started. I think the main focus is obviously on the clothes and the designers but the brand can be seen throughout the capital in the run up to the event.

I also looked into poster designs and how they are used to advertise the show. Below is a poster created by Paul Smith, which uses its iconic coloured branding to create an image that resembles a tangled, coat-hanger underground map.

The Paul Smith brand is covered in the book 'Graphic Design for Fashion', which can be seen here on the on the Creative Review site.

Frankenstein

Last night I fell asleep watching 'The Review Show' on BBC Two. The panel were reviewing Danny Boyle's Frankenstein theatre production.

Danny Boyle is an English filmmaker and producer known for his work on films such as Slumdog Millionaire, 28 Days Later, 127 Hours and Trainspotting. They were saying how the opening 5 minutes contains no dialog and has a cinematic feel to it. The host said that this was a clear 'design' decision made by Boyle.

It got me thinking about design and how it is in every aspect of our lives, what we eat, what we wear and what we watch. Growing up I always wanted to make movies and last night I wondered if there were any Graphic Designers who have ventured into the realms of film production.

Another design decision made by Boyle, that I thought was really interesting, was to have the two central characters alternate roles. It was a different take on the traditional Frankenstein tale. It seems interesting, the idea that Frankenstein and his monster are alter-egos .

The production has sold out but apparently a filming of the show is going to be released as a special screening in selected cinemas. 

The Economist

I meant to put this image up a while ago, its taken from the front cover of The Economist's August 2010 issue. It shows David Cameron sporting a Union Jack coloured Mohawk to symbolise his 'radical' start as PM.

The Economist is a very influential global magazine and they have gone for a very strong image which portrays a clear message.

This week we are supposed to be thinking about a specialism and an area we would want to work in, in the future. Since the case study on Peter Saville, I've wanted to use graphic design to 'communicate a message' to an audience. He said how fashion tells us what to wear, graphic design tells us what to buy and art tells us how to think and feel.

But I think the line between art and design is very thin. Who says an advert can't be a piece of art?

Photography - Induction

Today I had my photography induction in the dark room at the Clarendon Building. The lesson was with Ikuko Tsuchiya, a photographer who had an exhibition at the university last month. Her work focuses on using photography as a therapeutic agent in healthcare.

http://www.nugits.nhs.uk/page.asp?id=274040

Today we worked without a camera and were taught the basic principles of exposing photographic paper to light. The process involved placing an object on top of the photographic paper, exposing it to various strengths of light and then fixing that image in a chemical bath.

Above are some examples of the work I created today, the first was created with a long exposure to light which resulted in the dark black area. The image to the right was created by flicking the chemicals from the bath onto the paper.

Photography

I focused on Photography quite a bit in my last project as the final poster was image-led. Since the hand-in I remembered looking at the work of John Rankin and wished I'd mentioned him in my sketchbook.

http://rankin.co.uk/

His work is amazing and what I particularly find interesting is how he manages to capture the character of his subject.

Thom Yorke, Radiohead

Pete Doherty, The Libertines

His lighting allows him to create beautiful images and makes me want to learn more about his mothods and the photography process.

On Thursday I will be having my first photography induction at the University. I can't wait as its something I've been wanting to get into for a while now and that has been shown in my past projects.

Final Poster - Presentation

On friday I presented my final poster design to the class. I tried to show the development from the original idea to the final A2 piece. I made a point of addressing the various aims put forward in the brief. I showed a clear thought for the posters target audience and explained my 'journey' concept and how it could relate to them.

I am fairly satisfied with my final design, I think the type could still do with a bit of work but that will have to be done in my own time now as we've just been given a new brief. 

I think the presentation could have gone better, in the last few I've been trying a method in which I haven't been using key cards or notes and just talked about what was on each slide. The method works for me but I need to prepare what I'm going to say as I feel I may have missed out some key points on friday.

Road Typography

I managed to speak to my tutor today about my final design idea and we decided it still needs a bit more work.  The edge of the text box created a line/divide which was not aesthetically pleasing. I also hadn't really created any hierarchy within the type. It was not clear what was to be read next and what was the most important information.

So I went back to the working on the type. I'd explored all the 'safe' options but couldn't find a solution to the design problem. I went back and did a bit more research into image led posters and decided that I needed to create a focal point. 

When someone looks at a portrait, the first thing they see is the eyes. I decided to create a frame around the eyes using the type. So the observer looks at the eyes then moves onto the title.

I liked the idea of the audiences eyes moving down the page, on a journey. I thought creating a road out of type would be fitting to the subject at hand.

Road to Nowhere - Final Design

I'm closing in on a final poster structure. I'm following a simple 4 x 7 grid with 28 fields. The grid allows me to keep the main focus on the image.

The title and sub-titles fit to the first two fields in the top left. They are in equilibrium with the contact information in the bottom right.

I still need to work on the opacity of the text boxes, the darker they are the more the type stands out. The more opaque, the easier it is to see the image underneath. I have to try and create the right balance.

Above, the opacities range from 25% to 75%. I'm tempted to go for one between 25 and 50 because at any higher value, the balance between image and type is lost. Any lower than 25 and the type becomes illegible. 

Road to Nowhere - 'Special Edition'

I've been working on this idea of a 'special edition' poster. What makes someone want to keep a poster and have it up on their walls. Originally I thought, if the image was strong enough I could simply have a nice stock paper and aim for quality.

I then decided to think of other uses of posters. During the world cup I had a poster that had a timetable on the back. This was obviously useful but frustrating when I had to take it off the wall and turn it round to look at the back.

I believe I have solved this problem in the above image. If the poster was split in half and folded out to reveal the complete image I could place information on the insides of the 'wings'.

So at any one point there would always be a complete poster image. If both 'wings' were opened it would have a complete image with information on either side.

I would have to think about printing on both sides of an A2 sheet as well as the type of paper; string but still foldable.

I think this should tick all of the boxes in the brief; both the image and message and now the special edition have been addressed. 

Road to Nowhere - Text Box

Over the weekend I've been working on putting the type on my poster without obstructing the image. While researching into how type is used on black and white images I came across this idea of using a coloured text box. By adding an 'opacity' we are still able to see the image through the text.

I started off with the red of the filmfour logo but then decided to go black to blend in more with the image. I think I'm on to something but it still needs a bit of work.

I can play around with the opacity, if its made darker the type stands out more but it becomes harder to see the image,

Road to Nowhere - The Grid

Yesterday I went home to take some photos of my Granddad. He wasn't too pleased when I said I needed an old weathered face! I tried to replicate the stock image I used last week to explain my idea in the critique.

Again I've had to focus on the grid when positioning the type. The face forms a natural grid with the nose in the centre.

I have to work in the text so it becomes part of the image. It shouldn't obstruct the image but must also be clear and legible. The one on the left feels more 'edgy' and 'current', but we've been warned about having type on its side as we naturally read from left to right.

I've started to come up with my own grid, its a mixture of the two above. Using the natural grid of the face, and the lines in the face as contours/guidelines for the type.

Its a very hard task, working the type into the image. I think the concept is perfect so I need to work on placement of the type, because I want to get it right. I'm going to look into other black and white posters and see how they deal with type.

Historical Studies - Pepsi

We've been asked to compare two pieces of graphic design from different periods and discuss the reasons behind the changes in style.

When I was reaching logo design for the 'Digital Graphics' project I discovered how much the Pepsi logo has changed since it was originally designed in 1898. The origional design resembles the distinctive cursive script used by Coca-Cola in 1885. The typeface, known as Spencerian Script, was the main form of formal handwriting in the United States.

The most recent Pepsi logo was designed by Arnell, an american brand and product invention firm. It has a much more modern, minimalist and iconic image.

The brand identity, and most importantly the logo, has undergone a radical change to create a new modern image, which still pays homage to its original designs.

The Grid

Today we had a tutorial lesson on 'The Grid', an essential tool used by designers in order to create coherent work which is aesthetically pleasing but also controls the viewer and tells them where to look next.

The Brief

We were given 4 grids and were required to use them to make a range of poster layouts:

• 1 field - Idea, Image, Strap-line, 2 Logo's
• 4 fields - Idea, Type, Strap-line, 2 Logo's
• 12 fields - Idea, Image/Type, Strap-line, 2 Logo's
• 20 fields - You decide combination but must include 2 Logo's 

I was quite happy with the work I created today, the task taught me a lot and I think it could prove to be very useful when creating my final poster for the Graphic Projects module.

Film Festival - Poster Concepts

Tomorrow we need to have 3 rough versions of the film festival poster. Each poster needs to have a different concept. At the moment I am going with:

1. Audience on a journey
2. Character has been on a journey
3. Symbolism of a journey

I think each the of 'concepts' are broad enough to contain several ideas and experimentation. Below are the rough drafts of the posters:

I think the central image is the most striking and would attract the audiences attention. At this small size I think the third one has the most obvious message.

Things could all change tomorrow once I have had my critique but I'm open to suggestions because I think I'm starting to hit a wall. I need to get my sketchbook up to date and do a bit more research. I want to play around more with the second concept (weathered face). The idea of the lines on the face also representing paths could be something I could look into.

Weathered face

Today we had a studio session with our tutor in which we could talk through our ideas. One of the main aims of this project is to teach us the definition of a concept, a group of ideas based around a similar theme.

I realised that the idea of a chair on a road is a nice idea, but not necessarily a concept! An audience member going on a journey however could be one. I'd need to work on finding different ways of portraying that idea.

Concept 2 - Weathered Face

I put that idea to side for a bit and went back to one of my previous 'concepts', which was the idea of a weathered face symbolising a person who had been on a journey.

I think this would be a much better visual, it could be striking and provoke emotion with the audience. With this concept there are several areas I could investigate:

• lines on face representing roads/map
• face/contours could represent a landscape from above
• 'the star' of the film who has been on a journey - aged/tired

I think the idea of keeping it simple in black and white photography is in keeping with the film style of the project. It will create emotion rather like a film does.

The Journey

One of the concepts I'm working on at the moment for the poster is the idea of a film taking the audience on a journey. People go to the cinema to be entertained but also for the escapism and i think that idea is captured well in this image.

I think the idea fits in well with the given target audience (18-28), its an impact image with a modern idea behind it. The idea still needs a lot of work and some photography of my own could really help. There is also a given text we are required to incorporate into our poster, so I need to work out where that will go.

Graphic Design - iPhone Apps

I've been using 'Notes' on my iPhone a lot recentley to jot down any ideas or thoughts I have about my projects. The process has been very useful as I don't have the best memory and don't always have my sketchbook with me.

It got me thinking about other apps that could be beneficial to my course and future career in Graphic Design. Below are my top 5 apps for designers:

1. Omnifocus

Omnifocus allows you to organise your work and is particularly useful if you have several projects on the go. It reminds you when a deadline is approaching and lets you tick off the work as your finish it.

2. Sketches

Sketches can be used along side 'Notes' if I have an idea but not sure how to express it in words, I can simply just sketch it out with my finger.

3. What the Font

What the font is a brilliant app I found recently that allows you to scan a piece of design such as a poster or web banner and then detects what font has been used.

4. Dexigner

Dexigner delivers the latest design news, events, exhibitions, conferences and design competitions. It lets you keep track of what is happening in the world of design today.

5. Adobe - Tutorials

Adobe have created several apps that consist of tutorial videos on their creative suite. I downloaded the Flash app a few weeks ago when I was creating my web banner. The menu is very useful as it allows you to select specific areas of Flash that may be troubling you and lets you watch those videos.

Road to nowhere - a celebration of 'Road Movie'

I decided to look into the three film genres in more detail and found particular interest in the Road Movie option;

'A road movie is a film genre in which the film's plot focuses around a road trip. A kind of bildungsroman, a story in which the hero changes, grows or improves over the course of the story.'

Wikipedia

I thought there could be several different ways of expressing this idea of a journey and growth visually.

Concept 1 - light/movement

An obvious place to start my research is 'traveling' and 'movement'. I travel down to Leicester most weekends and brainstorm my ideas while driving. I've often tried to take reference of things I have seen while driving to add to my 'Professional Studies' module. Only last weekend I made a note of the movement of the shadows caused by my headlights when maneuvering.

Concept 2 - life is a journey

When I first read the brief I had an idea of an impact image lead poster. I thought using the audience as the 'star' in the film. By showing a weathered face that suggested the subject had been on a journey themselves. Although this idea doesn't really fit the target audience of the poster,18-28 year olds, but I still think it could be worth pursuing. 

Possibly by having two images overlapping, like a hologram. At first glance the figure may appear young but then as the audience moves the picture changes and the figure ages.