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Contextual Lectures
Through my recent module I have been attending contextual lectures on different topics such as gender discussion, consumerism, global outlook, psychoanalysis, Anthropocene and the hyperconnected world. There have also been lectures on how each topic relates to design. Throughout this module I have found great inspiration from these lectures as I expanded on my project and essay.
Gender Discussion Notes:
The WEF global gender gap report is a annual report that presents the statistic information on gender inequality and how gender parity will not be attained for 99.5 years.
The philosopher René Descartes said ‘I think; therefore I am’. This quote speaks volumes in a few words with how individuals are content in who they are and believe in themselves.
Karl Marx is a philosopher that believes in the theory called ‘Marxism‘, which holds the idea that our identity comes from our environment and society.
Psychoanalysis Notes:
The theory which aims to treat mental disorders by investigating the interaction of the mind. The unconscious mind associates with free, dreamlike and parapraxis notions.
The three parts of the psyche is the ID (animal instincts), the ego (the I principle) and the super ego (the conscience)
A good book to read and understand the unconscious mind is Sigmund Freuds book interpretations of dreams, it allows an insight into the work of psychoanalysis.
Consumerism Notes:
The link between human interaction and brands/production. Consumerism is all about the connection and trust between a consumer and their consumption such as the brand apple where consumers are always upgrading to the next version because of the relationship between them and the brand.
Private labelling has warped our relationship with consumerism as the product is made by one manufacturer but sold by another brand.
Anthropocene Notes:
Anthropocene is the new epoch where human activity has altered earth significantly through global warming, climate change, chemical imbalance etc.
Steve Cutts is an artist, he created a visual representation of how man has destroyed everything within the world. This video is a great source as it uses design to highlight a big issue that needs recognising worldwide.
Steve Cutts, Man 2017 Video= https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=MTTr7RGH37c
Global Outlook Notes:
Daniel Etter photographed the refugee crisis in 2016, his photos were one of the most influential images to represent the issue worldwide.
We discussed institutional racism and the hidden and seen effects it has on our society. This term describes how racism is embedded into our everyday lives without realising from employment, criminal justice, housing, education, etc.
The Hyperconnected World Notes:
There is a digital divide happening where we are rapidly digitalising and advancing into a new era. We as designers are at an advantage and disadvantage as we live in a world that is in need of designs but also oversaturated and exposed with designs.
The rise in technological advances in the last 20 years has given way for a change in how we interact with one another. In the current climate of Covid we have learnt and adapted to digital learning and working, however we have lost interaction.
A documentary discussing technological advancement such as self driving cars: Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World. Directed by Werner Herzog.
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Our Hyperconnected World
In our current climate of Covid, I have researched and analysed the digitalising of the things around us. We are advancing rapidly into a new era of a digital world, however there is a digital divide happening between the older and younger generations. Younger people are become so immensed in the digital world with video teaching and learning, gaming, advertising, shopping etc. On the other hand the older generation are also being thrown into this world of technology, but without much guidance.
Is this shift to digital and advanced technology good or bad?
As a designer the digital world has always been close to me and the use of social media and software to advance my brand and skills is a postive aspect. But even as a designer the balance needed between physical and digital is crucial for successful work, I find that my inspiration come from the natural world and this allows my ideas to flow.
Overall I am fascinated to see the advancement of technology for a better tomorrow, but wary of the loss of classic simplicity.
“Technology is a useful servant, but a dangerous master” - Christian Lous Lange
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Van Gogh Alive
A few week ago I had the opportunity of visiting the ‘Van Gogh Alive’ exhibition. The exhibition was dedicated to the artist Vincent Van Gogh one of the most famous artist in history, known for his technique of impressionism. The experience was presented digitally through stunning projection and orchestrated classical music.
While walking through I was emerged into the world of Van Gogh through a cinematic experience, it was a beautiful journey through his painting. Van Gogh is known for his unique perspective on the world, his painting the ‘Starry Night’ is recognised around the world for its surreal dream like state. I’ve always been fascinated by painting, since I was young I’ve been painting as a hobby. When I was in college, I explored the work of Van Gogh and recreated some of his pieces using impressionism, so when this exhibition came to town I just had to visit.
The moving imagery create a surreal experience that transports you into Van Gogh’s world, strolling through the iconic work you can also see his written pieces and quotes. This whole exhibition gave me a new appreciation for art and the advanced technology that created this experience.
"I would rather die of passion than of boredom" - Vincent Van Gogh.
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Typographic Play
Typography is a complex form in which written language is preserved visually. In this workshop we were given the task to experiment with typefaces to see what works best together and will create a coherent editorial. I experimented with multiple typefaces and also created my own, I also played around with the format of the typography such as kerning.
When doing this workshop I found that each typography you choose needs to compliment one another to make a page look visually appealing. However you have to also take in to account the content the typeface will be portraying. For my editorial I am aiming for a neutral and contemporary design, which is why I used modern typefaces such as Helvetica and Futura.
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Editorial Spreads
Todays lecture was about the structure and hierarchy of magazines. We looked at the design process of creating a editorial by using pagination plans and page spreads. A double page spread of an editorial is the inner pages across two sides (a double page spread). We looked at various layouts and examples of editorial made by our lecturers. When creating an editorial, there has to be a consistent structure and design approach otherwise the magazine is unappealing.
In this workshop we were given two tasks, the first was to create an initial design of a pagination plan for our editorial and the second task was to create a mock up of a double page spread. This workshop allowed for exploration into the world of editorials, I experimented with compositions and techniques to achieve multiple outcomes. These task were a learning opportunity, in which I discovered how to compose pages that flow together.
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Gender Discussion
The project I am recently working on has multiple paths I could further explore, however the one that spoke to me and I found myself truly engaged in was the discussion of gender. When one normally refers to gender, they think of the two obvious genders- male and female. However in today climate gender is seen in an abstract perspective with people rebelling against the normalities of what it is to be a 'certain gender'. When researching and listening to lectures on gender, I came across French philosopher Rene Descartes. His saying was 'cogito ergo sum', which translates to 'I think; therefore I am'. This practice of knowing one's self presents a deeper understanding of individual beliefs, where you don’t need confirmation from others to feel a sense of knowing or self-worth.
This project will allow me to discuss gender within design, and how the two coincide with each other to represent a 'certain gender'. I will explore through visual and written language the history and future of gender in design.
The feminist finding zine uncovers forgotten histories of feminist publishing
While researching gender within design I came across a rare project about 'the feminist findings' a zine that uncovers the forgotten history of feminist publishing. This zine has been envisioned and created by women to represent the different perspective and underrepresentation of women. The content of the zine consist of digital periodical archives that are uncovered representing feminism. When looking upon the pages of this zine you can see the beautiful craft that went into the design process to visually represent what they were writing. Each page is a different colour to differentiate the parts of written language, allowing for a minimalistic yet bold approach to publishing.
Link: https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/the-feminist-findings-zine-uncovers-forgotten-histories-of-feminist-publishing/
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Make and Break the Grid
Todays lecture was about magazine layouts and the use of grids to create a structure within them. We looked at the method of ‘Paste Up’, which is a old technique of creating or layering published pages that predate the standard computerised designs that are used now, to create a magazine. We looked at a variety of styles in which people hand cut and paste to create magazine. To get a further understanding of the method of hand paste up, we watched a YouTube lecture reviewing the method: 'The Lost Art of Paste-up by London Review Book'.
In this workshop we were given the task to use the technique of paste up to create two spreads- one that was clean and structured, and the other that was creative and experimental. This workshop allowed me to get an insight into different styles in which I could create my own editorial in the future.
Above are my two magazine spreads I created for this workshop. I chose to keep the layout for both the same and just change components to present how different elements create two unique designs. I took inspiration from the graphic designer 'David Carson' for Task Two, as I found his typographic and structural technique to be a unique approach to this workshop.
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The Anatomy of Magazines
A magazine consist of multiple pages presenting a variety of content. The anatomy of a magazine consist of the cover, the inner spreads and the back. When we think of magazines we think of information in a creative format, magazines present information in a way the reader wants to see and read more. This intriguing quality grabs subscribers for magazine brands.
In this session we were presented with a few briefs which entailed creating a magazine cover referencing your chosen theme. The brief I chose was to create a magazine cover highlighting the film director Quentin Tarantino career, I chose this theme because of my love for all things film and cinema. I initially brainstormed on how to design the cover and after research on Tarantino's career I chose to use his films as inspiration to really present his life’s work.
When designing I found that my initial research allowed me to take my layouts that step further to create sharp and professional covers. This workshop really allowed my creativity to flow while creating a design for a topic I have a passion for, which is always fun to do. It also helped me get back into a creative mindset.
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A Good and Bad Editorial
Editorial magazines are articles referencing certain topics, issues or events by creating a viewpoint and analysing a balanced opinion from it. However, it also try’s to evoke and engage with the reader by challenging different or similar opinions through text. A good editorial has integrated creativity with reality to allow their readers to trust them with the information and experience they provide to them.
The Good Editorial: No Man's Land
The editorial magazine I have chosen as a representation of good is the No Man’s Land magazines. The No Man’s Land is a collection of magazines ‘aiming to bring smart, edgy and sensitive’ content to a wide audience. This magazine can be seen as forward thinking with its design direction presenting contemporary visuals. This design is beautifully crafted with its simplistic elements on the cover that draw people’s gaze. The contents of this magazine touch on the issue of the world from ‘politics, racism, immigration, abortion, work and death’. They represent the real topics of today through typography, layout and design. This magazine is a good editorial piece through its bold touch points of design and its textual language that references real issues for the masses to read.
The Bad Editorial: Seventeen
The editorial magazine I have chosen as a representation of bad is the Seventeen magazine. Seventeen was first published in 1944, it was a simplistic and chic magazine for young girls and women to read, however over time the magazine has lost its art direction and used text to grab there audiences attention. The use of text on the covers of Seventeen magazines has become overwhelming with different font types and colours. The attraction of this magazine has gone down with its objective view on what girls want to read and how they visually present their magazines. As you can see on the cover of Seventeen magazine, it is chaotic with all the hook lines they use to try and grab the audiences attention, they haven’t moved with the new generation of young females that want to know the real issues of the world like the magazine No Man’s Land represents.
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LIVE PROJECT:
Colour Palette:
While driving I gained inspiration when staring at the traffic light, I found that a red, yellow and green colour scheme would work great with my concept of hassle-free, grab and go food. This insight and understanding of colour theory provides my design process with visual symbolism through colour.
Colour meanings:
Red: Stop/ Order
Yellow: Wait/ Food being made
Green: Go/ On the move
Traffic light visual:
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LIVE PROJECT:
Limited Design Assets Workshop:
Design Assets are the visuals languages that represent your brand, for examples McDonalds assets are the red and yellow colour scheme and the gold arched M. The design assets allow your brand to be instantly recognisable. When designing assets simplicity and uniqueness is key- you want you brand to stand out from the masses. Communication is key when it comes to assets, you want your visuals to represent and relate to your brand.
The limited assets workshop allowed me to explore multiple versions of one design. I found that with this simple assets you can make multiple outcome to really make your brand stand out in a variety of ways- allowing your assets to be versatile.
My Limited Designed Assets:
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LIVE PROJECT:
The Art Of Mood Boards:
A mood board is a visual display of ones creative mind. The formation of a mood board represents what the artist is envisioning prior to the final design. The use of a mood board will allow a visual interpretations of your thoughts to be presented to the client or audience before you complete your work. The reason I love mood boards is because of the variety of ways you can present you thought process without using words.
In this workshop we were given a set theme of summer which we had to interpret into a mood board. My instant thought of summer was the beach and the ocean, so I created a mood board showing the waves, beach, and palm trees. This workshop allowed to me explore different ways in which I can get my ideas across with visual language.
My Summer Moodboard:
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LIVE PROJECT:
Choosing A Brief:
The live project module is where we as students interact with clients to get an insight into the industry world. We were presented with multiple briefs to choose from, however the two that caught my eyes were the Hetty’s cupcakes and the Turner Duckworth briefs. The Hetty’s cupcake really inspired me with the owner’s passion and heritage, which could be added into the design process, and the Turner Duckworth brief intrigued me with the chance to interact with one of London’s biggest designing agency’s. After reviewing all the information on both briefs, I chose to go with the Turner Duckworth brief. I chose the Turner Duckworth brief because of the many opportunities it offers such as gaining feedback with top designers and the chance to win an internship.
After choosing to do the Turner Duckworth brief, I then had to choose which old brand to redesign from the choices of Blockbuster, Post Office and Wimpy. I decided to create a mind map to visually see all the avenues I could take with each. My final decision was Wimpy, I felt that food has a place in people hearts and could always be revived. This module, though it will be intense, is a good opportunity to explore new styles and ideas. Now is the time I can explore and make mistake to learn from.
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Design Principles:
In groups we discussed the design principles within graphics and how each one has a purpose of benefiting a design or the design process.
The design principles:
Shape
Balance
Proximity
Alignment
Texture
Size
Repetition
Colour
Line
Space
Contrast
Direction
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Letterpress outcomes:
Theme: Bonfire Night
Here I have presented a single print version of my typographic design and a overlay printed version. I found that the different typefaces used added to the theme of bonfire night.
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Typography Anatomy Workshop:
I started off by selecting a single letter and sketching it to size. I manipulated the letter to form multiple designs, thus presenting the effect one design can have with multiple versions. The typographic anatomy is similar to the human anatomy, however in typographic terms it relates to the types letter form.
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Letterpress Workshop:
Theme: Bonfire Night
The letters are inked and pressed onto paper forming the printed design.
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