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Design Research Reflection

Over the past twelve weeks of this course I have developed many valuable skills across the research field, from research techniques, referencing and the importance behind the motivation for the topic you are researching.

At the beginning of the research process I felt overwhelmed by all the information I was reading and discovering. I had been learning so much about the history of England and the influences art movements across different forms of design. This phase really opened my eyes to the endless possibilities within research and how much there is still to learn and appreciate. However this did present a challenge for me, refining these topics into an essay question that I found interesting and wanted to continue to explore. I started with the area of design practise because I already knew I was passionate about poster design and the communicative influence it can have on an audience. I am constantly in awe of some of the poster designs people have created to influence actions for a bigger change in society.  

Even though I had been looking into the history of England for my research (due to the ancestor activity we participated in at the beginning of the semester) I was second guessing whether I wanted to purse the country as my main location or whether I wanted to pursue another location that was completely new, and I could dive deeper into understanding. However, when I thought about the essay I though my existing knowledge and new information I had previously found from the beginning of my research could be a more efficient method to this course, as well, I thought it would be interesting to grasp an understanding of what my great grandmother would have experienced. 

Lastly, the era/period of time was a difficult decision because of the many great art movements that have previous occurred in England and had significant impact on design during their time. However, when I thought back to my area of design and my reason for wanting to cover this area I thought during/post war (1940-1950) could work well for an essay. The period between 1940-1950 was a significant time for England and was a time when people needed to hear from leaders and other members in their community. Poster design had a great influence in shaping the attitude and emotions of the public. 

Overall, the research process was an interesting and eye opening experience for myself. I learnt a lot about myself in terms of how I work best and what techniques I should use in the future for a more efficient method of researching. I will be sure to implement all the lessons I have learnt from this course into future research and design processes I participate in.

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Final Images/Examples for Essay (not in order):

These images have been previously displayed in my essay plan from previous posts. 

First, ‘Grow Your Own Food’ developed by Abram Games: Even though this poster was developed during the war I thought it could speak to the state of mind of the country and the sacrifices that the public were making for the benefit of their country. They were conserving resources through rationing, repairing and mending so that greater resources (food, fuel) could be directed to the soldiers. Additionally, I thought it would be important touch on the hardships the community were experiencing, thus the need for ‘sense of community’ through design. 

Secondly, ‘Together’ Poster: An example of the efforts of designers to develop imagery that gave people hope, reassurance that the public and the soldiers efforts had contributed to the win of the war. The poster highlights the triumph of winning the war but communicates a message of teamwork/working together. The collaborative efforts of multiple countries gave the public a sense of hope.

Last, Festival of Britain Poster developed by Abram Games: This poster was a prime example for developing a sense of community. Not only did the poster serve as an advertisement for the event that physically bought people together, but Games’ design draws on national colours and imagery that makes people feel proud and apart of something bigger. The gold clearly highlights the country’s triumph. Additionally, this served as a sign for people to celebrate and be proud of what they had accomplished as a country. 

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Continuing to Build Ideas for Essay:

This is a draft/bullet point notes of subjects I may want to cover in my essay. 

The notes touch on the purpose of the event, techniques Games’ has used in the poster, design aspects I thought may be important to mention and additional research on the background of the event, essentially how it came too light. 

From the beginning of this process I knew I wanted to incorporate the Festival of Britain event into my essay because it was a pivotal moment for UK citizen. A symbol of hope and progression for the country. 

Additionally I admired how the event catered to many industries and assisted the success for many young designers. This portion of my research is where I discovered Abram Games who I have now become very interested in as a designer and his philosophy. I did discover other designers from this portion of research, however, Games’ work was particularly interesting to me. 

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Another Book added to potential Resources List: 

‘Posters: Designing, Making, Reproducing’ by George F. Horn 

For my essay I felt I needed to go back to basics and find additional material about posters and what may have influence their role in communication to shift after the introduction of technology.

This resource has provided insight into the purpose of posters and highlight that the role/position of the media form hasn’t changed rather the interaction between the actual poster and reader. This book made me think about how we no longer take the time to really absorb the information from posters due to the overwhelming presence of social media and various other technology influences. But in terms of the time period, televisions were prevalent amongst some households which may have been a period of time when people were more inclined to comprehend information from media as apposed too posters. 

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Week 10 Drafting Essay: 

For the SDL in Week 10, I took time to put notes together from the research I had gathered so far. These photos are a portion of the work I had done towards my introduction and first body paragraph. 

These ideas may change, however they have helped with the first draft of my essay. I find bullet points help get my ideas out and prompt me when writing the actual essay. 

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Week 9: Research Continued

Additionally for my research this week, I felt like I needed to understand the state of mind of the country. The position they were left in and what was required of them to rebuild their cities and towns. 

I have focused on this for my first and third topics within my essay. 

First Body: The first paragraph of my essay will provide some background on the war and the extent of England’s involvement. Additionally, I will look into the state of mind of the country to get an understanding of the communication they published. 

I was able to gather more posters that highlighted this idea. They provided insight towards the difficulties in importing food (causing families to ration) and the government wanting people to reduce their travel on public transport so that they could direct resources towards soldiers and sending supplies.  

Third Body: I looked into the background of the Festival of Britain and the reasons behind putting this event together. 

Upon reflection, the success of this Festival led me think about the power of communication design (specifically poster design for the time period). The poster created by Games was essentially an invitation to the pubic to come together to celebrate the recovery of the war (how far they had come) and to highlight advancement people had made in science and the arts. I believe the poster Games created showcased the ‘togetherness’ that had previously been used in design during and after the war. His use of national colours immediately communicates to the public that the event for everyone. The public had worked hard through the years to carry the economy, support the soldiers and each other. Additionally for the poster being a contributing factor to the success of awareness of the event highlights the capability visual messaging can have on people and their motivation towards taking actions for society. 

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Week 9: Research Update

In terms of my research this week I have been focused on finding sources that relate to poster design in England after the Second World War.

I have been constantly been referring to the books I have found in previous week by Gallo and Hutchinson. These books provided me insight into the posters that were designed to serve the needs of the community. The need being positivity and strength of the country. For the many years they had fought, the message of togetherness needed to be emphasised. ‘The Poster in History’ provided me insight towards the timeline of the war, when the US entered and the major role they played towards helping England and France win the war. 

The other book I sourced, “The Poster” has provided images of posters and introduced Tom Eckersley. Eckersley was a British designer that was well-established through his freelance work. Similar to Abram Games, his simplified creations were very effective and instrumental in communication design. I further investigated some of his work with London Transport and advertisements. The Gillette advertisement posters he created after the war were very popular. 

Gallo, M., (1989), The Poster in History, Wellfleet Press.

Hutchison, H, E., (1968), The Poster: An Illustrated History from 1860, Studio Vista Limited.

Snaith, S., (n.d.) Eckersley, Tom, (1914-97), The Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Design, (1), 456-457, DOI: 10.5040/9781472596178-BED-E007

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Week 8 Research: 

This week I have been reflecting on my research so far and have decided to dive deeper into other countries poster design to grasp a better understanding of the movements and techniques being included in design.

However, I found that through the articles and sources I was reading the designs from England were prominent and was finding it easier to link ideas together. This has made me consider solely using design from the UK as the prime example in my essay. 

New Resources I have discovered throughout the week: 

Firstly the book, “The Poster in History’ by Max Gallo has expanded my knowledge within poster design in England after the war. I have gathered more examples of posters (featured above) that were created in addition to the festival of Britain poster Abram Games had created to physically bring people together. These additional posters have given me a better idea of the type of imagery, colours, typography and messaging being used around this time for the benefit of bringing people together.

Additionally ‘The Poster: an illustrated history from 1860′ by Harold E. Hutchinson introduced me to the designer, Tom Eckersley. Another influential designer alongside Games in England after the Second World War.

References (New Sources found this week): 

Gallo, M., (1989), The Poster in History, Wellfleet Press.

Hutchison, H, E., (1968), The Poster: An Illustrated History from 1860, Studio Vista Limited.

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My additional research this week led me towards Swiss Design that evolved after World War II. Joseef Müller-Brockmann was a swiss designer who played a key role in developing this style of typography. Additionally, Müller- Brockmann had a great influence towards design structure through both his passion for grid tools and implementation of contructivism in his own work.

The evolution of Swiss design became an interesting idea to involve within my research because the other countries I have explored have either used poster design to create a sense of community, rebuild spirit or protest against the harm that was happening to their country.

References (information and images): 

Raizman, D., (2020), Reading Graphic Design History: Image, Text, and Context, Bloomsbury Design Library, 11-32, DOI: 10.5040/9781474299404.ch-01

Edwards, C., Atkinson, H., Bhagat, D., Kettley, S., O’Brien, S., Raizmand, D., Willis, A., (2017), The Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Design, (2), 417-418

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Self Directed Learning from this week. 

I found this activity extremely helpful for my own research analysis. I feel as though I have developed a more critical eye when it comes to reading or skimming new findings. 

I have used a couple of pages from Megg’s History of Graphic Design Book for this task. I have found quite of bit of research from this book as I have been trying to look at the evolution of design in different countries after the war. However, I selected these pages as an example of how I have analysed other information. 

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A few of the images I have collected for the artists that were discussed throughout the research I have been exploring this past week. 

Abram Games Images were collected from Artstor

Henryk Tomaszewski and Willem Sandberg Images were sourced from ‘Meggs History of Design’ 

Meggs, P., Purvis, A, W., (2016), Meggs’ History of Graphic Design, Wiley. 

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Brainstorm from a collection of research I have found relating to graphic design after WW2. 

This brainstorm was a helpful tool for allowing me to connect ideas and visually understand the influences around the 1950s. 

‘Meggs’ History of Design’ was one of the written materials that I referred to for information regarding design after the second world war. I needed to grasp a better understanding of what elements were used and which designers were most influential around this time. This source was extremely relevant to my topic because it helped me find artists from various countries that had different design styles, techniques and perhaps different messaging which would have been inspired by the place and time. I purposefully wanted to see design from various places to compare the different imagery being used as a way to understand the mentality and perspective people had during this time. 

References (these are some of the written materials that helped with the information): 

Atkinson, H., (2016) Festival of Britain 1951, The Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Design, (2), (14-15), DOI: 10.5040/9781472596161-BED-F015.

Heward, T., (1999), Revivalism and Cultural Shift: British Graphic Design Since 1945, Design Issues, 15(3), 17-18, https://doi.org/10.2307/1511882

Meggs, P., Purvis, A, W., (2016), Meggs’ History of Graphic Design, Wiley.

Snaith, S., (2016), Games, Abram (1914-96), The Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Design, (2), 67-69, DOI: 10.5040/9781472596161-BED-G007.

Victoria and Albert Museum, (n.d.), Britain Can Make It, https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/britain-can-make-it

Weinburg, G, L., (2005), A World at Arms:  A Global History of World War II, Cambridge University Press.

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Graphic Means by Briar Levin

Question and Answer from the Documentary.

What were the processes described in the documentary?

One of the first processes introduced in the documentary was Linotype, a machine that printed set lines of type using letter or numerical characters punched in brass. Following this was the transition from metal to light printing methods. The first being phototypesetting, which became extremely popular by the 1950s. The transition of printing processes was a huge shift for the industry as it initiated the replacement of heated metal print with cold type. Phototypesetting used characters on negative film to print letters onto photographic paper, a prime example of this was ‘Photon’. A further development of the phototypesetter (around late 1960’s, early 1970’s), was the depositor. This was a machine that facilitated the kerning of typefaces, thus allowing manipulation of letter forms, either bringing them closer together, further apart or changing the size. The documentary mentioned the use of a Photostat after the final poster had been design. This machine was purely for scaling and reproduce images. Later, they covered the release of the typewriter by IBM and laser printers when the industry transitioned to digital processes.  

How has printing processes influenced the aesthetics of the era mentioned in the movie?

At the beginning of the documentary it was clear that the work produced using the early printing process was very strategic and time-consuming. They placed much importance around the structure of publications (newspapers), making sure the typography was appropriate and the size of all text was perfect. The aesthetics of publications were very polished as seen through the form of typography they used throughout the era.

What were the methods, tools and evolving social roles that gave rise to the graphic design industry as we know it today?

The printing processes of Linotype and Phototypesetting appear to have been the most influential in the industry. However, the time consuming planning, constructing and hands on steps were just as valuable as the printing itself. Graphic designers during this era had immense practise in pasteup and layout techniques that aren’t as predominant today. They would use overlays to indicate what changes need to be made from placement, to colour or type. Additionally, the documentary highlighted the gender imbalance in the workforce throughout the printing years. This mainly occurred when phototypesetting was introduced in the 1950’s. The era gave rise to many jobs, with women taking most in cold type. Women were severely underpaid, only being compensated half the amount that men received for completing the same job.

How was the transition from manual and digital means of production in the discipline of graphic design?

The transition from manual to digital began from the introduction of the Macintosh computers created by Apple. People were hesitant about what changes would be made to the design process along with the products they would achieve. However, they did highlight that there was an integration of analogue and digital processes which helped ease into this new era of design. When print became digital the typography appeared pixelated which was disappointing to many designers, they felt as though they had to compromise on their work. Overtime, the implementation of new software gave designers the ability to generate iterations with different colours, type and imagery. As Lupton mentioned, the speed at which designers can now create posters or illustrations aligns with the speed of our thought processes. However, another designer mentioned that the digital processes have introduced a culture of endless deadlines, reduced thinking time and shortening the entire process.  

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Making and Print Processes Mood Board

For the printing processes, I dived into Phototypesetting and Inkjet. These were the two most prevalent processes during the 1950s as many developments were made to the phototypesetting throughout the fifties and sixties. 

Resources: 

Attfield, J., (1996), Give ‘em Something Dark and Heavy’: The Role of Design in the Material Culture of Popular British Furniture, 1939-1965, Journal of Design History, 9(3), 185-201, https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/1315920.pdf?casa_token=9VHwd1U9olIAAAAA:3MA2Boz7iA4cno1p2rr5XZik8X4TzlsfzOVlCN_FSrKLoJpDkyethbAGXqze5W5sTQtXs452yhu-WBb1Q4iuZb3TMiK_wodcMbwGOiVlaLqe9Qn6Z6Q

Carter, R., Meggs, P, B., Day, B., (2012), Typographic Design: Form and Communication, John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated

Haley, A., Poulin, R., Tselentis, J., Seddon, T., Leonidas, G., Saltz, I., Henderson, K., Alterman, T., (2012), Typography, Referenced: A comprehensive Visual guide to the Language, History, and Practice of Typography, Quarto Publishing Group USA.

Victoria and Albert Museum, (n.d.), Cupboard, https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O134431/cupboard-maples/

Wikipedia, (n.d.) Inkjet Printing, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkjet_printing

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Art and Design Mood Board: Part Two

This second mood board covers sculptures, photography and ceramics. The differing styles across all the artists was inspiring to see, how they all expressed  their vision in a distinct yet unique way. 

References: 

Evans, B., (July 11, 2020), David Bailey’s August Cover Is His 99th For British Vogue, Vogue UK, https://www.vogue.co.uk/news/article/david-bailey-august-cover

Moss, S., (May 8, 2011), Enid Seeney Obituary, The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/may/08/enid-seeney-obituary

Tate, (n.d.), Sir Anthony Caro: Women Waking Up 1955, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/caro-woman-waking-up-t00264

Tate, (n.d.), Sir Anthony Caro: Early One Morning, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/caro-early-one-morning-t00805

Tate, (2016), Sir Eduardo Paolozzi: Cyclops 1957, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/paolozzi-cyclops-t00225

Tate, (2016), Sir Eduardo Paolozzi: Dr Pepper 1948, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/paolozzi-dr-pepper-t06935

The Art Story, (n.d.), Eduardo Paolozzi, https://www.theartstory.org/artist/paolozzi-eduardo/

The Met, (n.d.), Odalisque 1984, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/483189

Vanity Fair, (March 31, 2016), How David Bailey’s Portrait of Jean Shrimpton Changed His Life, https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2016/03/david-bailey-jean-shrimpton-photo

Victoria and Albert Museum, (n.d.), Cecil Beaton: Royal Photographer, https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/cecil-beaton-royal-photographer

Victoria and Albert Museum, (n.d.), Photograph: Festival of Britain, https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1223476/festival-of-britain-poster-abram-games/

Victoria and Albert Museum, (n.d.), Post-War Design: Throughout the Museum, https://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/post-war-design

Victoria and Albert Museum, (n.d.), Photograph: Homemaker, https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O171392/homemaker-plate-seeney-enid/

Victoria and Albert Museum, (n.d.), Photograph: Queen Elizabeth II Coronation, https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O244423/photograph-cecil-beaton/

Widewalls, (n.d.), The Energy of the 1960s in David Bailey’s Photography, https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/david-bailey-photography-gagosian

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Art and Design Mood Board: Part One 

This mood board entails artists specialising in graphic design, painting and collage. 

References: 

Abram Games, (n.d.), Post War 1946-1996, https://www.abramgames.com/post-war

Arthive, (n.d.), Interior at Paddington, https://arthive.com/lucianfreud/works/288505~Interior_at_Paddington

Art UK, (n.d.), Girl in a Green Dress, https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/girl-in-a-green-dress-63422

Francis Bacon, (n.d.), Francis Bacon: 1950s, https://www.francis-bacon.com/artworks/paintings/1950s

Tate, (n.d.), Lynn Chadwick: Dragonfly 1951,  https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/chadwick-dragonfly-n06035

Tate, (2016), Lynn Chadwick: Stable with Mobile Elements 1950, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/chadwick-stabile-with-mobile-elements-t11966

Tate, (2016), Peter Black: On the Balcony 1955-7, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/blake-on-the-balcony-t00566

The Art Story, (n.d.), Peter Blake, https://www.theartstory.org/artist/blake-peter/

The Art Story, (n.d.), Richard Hamilton, https://www.theartstory.org/artist/hamilton-richard/

The Browse Gallery, (n.d.), Peter Blake - !00 Sources of Pop Art 2014, https://browse.gallery/en/portfolio/peter-blake-100-sources-of-pop-art-2014/

Visual Arts British Council, (n.d.), Abram Games (1914-1996), http://visualarts.britishcouncil.org/collection/artists/games-abram-1914

Yood, J, W., Lucian Freud, Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/art/painting

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Socio-Cultural Mood Board: A snapshot of what influences were apart of society and shaped the way people carried themselves. Additionally these elements of society culture likely played a part in the self expression and identity. 

References: 

Marcopolos, F., (4 October, 2019), Virginia Woolf’s Enduring Influence, The Bookquarium, https://thebookquarium.medium.com/on-virginia-woolfs-enduring-influence-e5ef41bb5399

Temple, E., (25 January, 2018), A brief Visual History of Virginia Woolf’s Book Covers, Literary Hub, https://lithub.com/a-brief-visual-history-of-virginia-woolfs-book-covers/

Perone, J, E., (2009), Mods, Rockers, And the Music of the British Invasion, Praeger Publishers.

Victoria and Albert Museum, (n.d.), The ‘Golden Age’ of Couture, https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-golden-age-of-couture

Victoria and Albert Museum, (n.d.), The Peacock Revolution: 1960s UK Menswear, https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-peacock-revolution-1960s-menswear

Woolridge, J., (November 29, 2010), Cover Stories: English Football Magazine Cover Portrait Photographs 1950-1975, Sport in History, 30(4), https://doi.org/10.1080/17460263.2010.527560