Interior Space Drawing Exercise

For this week's physical studio with John, we were inside the Creative Art building, drawing diverse subjects from different locations and positions. My group began on the ground floor, where I drew two different focuses.

The sketch of the window was created because of the interesting perspective I had; it was initially difficult to correctly draw this section as I had to keep changing the angle of glass panes coming out of the window to make it look accurate. Nonetheless I think it came out well, due to its detail and proportions alongside features by the window.

As I had drawn mainly landscape thus far, I wanted to do something different and sketch people that were nearby; I wish I could have spent more on these, as the subjects either kept changing their position or came and went. However I think the basic outline of the sketches are a good starting point to develop further.

Our next location was the balcony, where I created two drawings. I scrapped the first illustration because I was unhappy with how it came to be, since I wanted to use fine liner as supposed to using a pencil. Because of this- it was impossible to rub out any mistakes, like incorrect proportions. I could have continued with correcting this sketch, but I was unhappy with the position I had chosen, and decided to depict another viewpoint.

This resulted in drawing the second illustration, where you're able to see the linear perspective of the glass balcony. I am happy with this sketch, due to its interesting perspective and accurate depiction; I could have developed this further by shading the pillar for instance, adding depth to the piece.

Finally, the studio was our final location, with access to the large window overlooking the university and into the city. As you can see I depicted the church through pencil and fine liner; I used pencil for the basic outline of the church, and fine liner to add detail and shadow through cross hatching. Overall this piece could have been better if I took time and effort to carefully portray the subject instead of rushing it; with more time I could have stood back and rectified it.

Unhappy with my first composition, I depicted a building and box junction that was within my viewpoint. Like my previous sketch, I could have added more detail to the drawing if I had more time, but it is so far a good start (in particular the yellow box sketch).

From this activity, it has refreshed my life drawing skills, as it has been a while since I last drew people, and have learnt to be meticulous when drawing; instead of rushing, I should stand back and see what my overall viewpoint is, and not lose focus by the end of the day.

First Project Assessment

This seminar was about the upcoming assessment on Thursday/Friday, in which we have to prepare our blog and concertina book for this project; we were told it was going to be a one-to-one with a tutor, discussing the work we have done over the weeks and where we plan to go with the ideas we have collected.

A fact we were told about this project, and upcoming projects for this university year, was how they assess our work:

• a formative assessment can change after it is given; it isn't a final grade but it anticipates what you're expecting to get in combination with your ideas and ability to create your chosen theme.
• and a summative assessment is the final grade by the end of the year

This seminar was very useful to me, as I was told what I need to do to get the best grade for this project, and reassured me that a grade I will be given won't be set in stone; I've had trouble keeping up to speed with completing my blog and work in my sketch book (due to not having as much free time to start work because of the travel time to get home), so if I am able to finish this project by December to the best of my ability, I will hopefully be happy with the grade I will get.

Post-it Typography

To go alongside with our earlier lecture, we were instructed in our seminar to design an assorted range of typefaces for any given letters;  mine were S, T, and U, where I arranged them in a variety of designs.

I quite enjoyed this activity, as it allowed me to think creatively about each letter's properties and depict this; I depicted "S" in a free flowing manner due to its current design and also the property of a snake's hiss, "T" to represent its imposing sound and reinventing its look (though I was careful for it not to look like a Y), and "U" to show opposite sides of the same letter (from the angular to the curved).

After we did this, we were told to place our letters in alphabetical order; doing so allowed us to see the array of design ideas others came up for each letter, a lot of them being very inventive and creative.

Because of this activity- it allowed me to get into the mind-set of a typographer, and how each type design can reflect and change a piece of art.

Typography

Within today's lecture, we were introduced to the history of typography and how it, alongside other features within graphic design, can affect an art piece's meaning and intention.

We were introduced to terminologies used within typography and given the definition between font and typeface: font is what you see (metal and computer pieces) and typeface is what you see (the way the type collection looks).

Example of typography terms

We were then given the history of typography, beginning with Johannes Gutenberg's Bible, the first book created through movable type and widely praised for its high aesthetic and artistic qualities. When he invented the first western movable type printing press, he and his apprentices hand-craved wooden type in the style of the handwritten Blackletter fonts. By doing this, Gutenberg not only created the engine behind a massive explosion of literacy, but also the first "font" in the reusable form we understand today.

We were then introduced to different typefaces used and created over the centuries by designers and artists, including Ornate Gothic, Railway type and Architype.

Ornate Gothic

Railway type

Architype Ingenieur

What I found most interesting was how words are made to reflect, express and perform content appropriate to a design; how the signifer is made to relate the signified. For instance, according to Massimo Vignello, its up to a designer what type they use, but some would think that when they write "dog", it should bark.

After that, we were shown how typography can be used to create interesting and unique designs through assorted means, as shown in these examples:

Detail of a Pirelli poster for a double-decker bus
1961
Alan Fletcher

Calligrammes, Poems of Peace and War 1913-1916
Guillaume Apollinaire

Silencio
1954
Eugen Gomringer

This particular lecture interested me, since I have never been interested in typography before, and introduced me to how to approach type and the possibilities you can do with for design, and the chance to experiment with type myself.


References:

• Terminology: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/30065/how-to-understand-typography-like-a-professional-designer/
• Bible: http://www.lambethpalacelibrary.org/content/ms-0015-f-046r2edited-1jpg-0
• Ornate Gothic: http://www.fromoldbooks.org/Brown-LettersAndLettering/pages/168-German-Gothic-Initials-J/
• Railway type: http://luc.devroye.org/fonts-66503.html
• Architype Ingenieur: http://desktopmag.com.au/features/type-feature-wim-crouwel/#.VkiyTSAeLDc
• Pirelli poster: http://www.petrolicious.com/alan-fletcher-is-the-godfather-of-british-graphic-design
• Calligrammes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calligrammes
• Silencio: http://visual-poetry.tumblr.com/post/19780544380/silencio-silenceschweigen-by-eugen-gomringer

Sense of Place - Fringes/Edges & Convergence/Opposition

This week was very different compared to previous weeks, as we went to Yorkshire Sculpture Park to become inspired for this weeks focus, which is Fringes/Edges & Convergence/Opposition.

Whilst taking photographs of the  sculptures and landscape, I was thinking what lay beyond the hills and the outskirts of the unseen. When I got home, I brainstormed from this point, and ended up with subcultures in Bradford and Huddersfield, like ethnic groups. Despite Bradford converging different ethnicities all in one place, it still faces challenges of social unrest; people nowadays don't feel they have a sense of place and identity, due to the influx of immigrants within this country. Therefore they don't know what it is to be British. As a result, I wanted a way of promoting social cohesion through graphic design.

However, I had difficulty finding artists that could be incorporated and expand upon my idea, in particular it was difficult to know where to start with an idea like this. Because of this- at the suggestion of Spencer- I've dropped this as an idea and focused on the other three instead, which was difficult to do; I thought it was a good idea, and had a noble intention. I just did not know how it could come into fruition. Nevertheless I still incorporated this theme in my brainstorm, to show evidence of its existence.

Convergence

Convergence was the topic of today's lecture, in which it stated that it is an ambiguous term used by various disciplines to describe and analyse processes of change toward uniformity or union. This was shown within the presentation, where it included "hybrid analogue/digital",  which blurs the boundaries between traditional media, and convergence between telecommunications and traditional mass media. 

For instance, traditional media included designs by Saul Bass, which innovated graphic design as we know it, through his logo designs, movie posters and title sequences within Psycho.

This lecture showed the different approaches we can use within graphic design, combining different techniques to create something new.

Reference:

• Logos: http://www.geek.com/news/animated-google-doodle-celebrates-filmmakers-favorite-graphic-designer-saul-bass-1554458/
• Psycho: http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/psycho/

Sense of Place - Material/Form/Sound

For this weeks themes, I came up with two separate ideas concerning Material and Sound, with Form being intertwined between the two; for Material I came up with differing ideas, but settled on how people may see money as a sense of identification, which in turn lead to consumerism and eventually satire. Therefore I chose designers that approached satire in different manners.

Material

Traversing through Pinterest once again, I stumbled upon John Holcroft- whose satirical content and 1950s aesthetic intrigued me; his content ultimately narrowed my decision down to satire, and would make a good starting point to delve into this genre. The simplistic design allows the design's message to be expressed clearly without prohibiting the overall effect.

I chose Barbara Kruger as my next artist due to its upfront messages concerning society, and dramatic stylisation she uses through photography, harking back to the days of film noir. This will add another dimension to this project and enable various design ideas.

The vivid colours and Japanese style of Tadanori Yokoo's work caught my attention, since it was unlike any other graphic design I had seen; his aesthetic pop art and contemporary critique will add a different level to this theme.

Because of the artists I have chosen- it will allow me to either incorporate or narrow design ideas down through experimenting with style, and the message I am ultimately wanting to convey.

Sound

For Sound, I  wondered how I could incorporate sound within my work, thinking from the literal to the abstract, until- through the selection of my artists- decided to represent a place through sound (from either silence and tranquility in the countryside to the hectic life of a city).

The literal sense of linking sounds to appropriate images is what drew to these posters created by Saxsofunny, a sound company, with the simplistic design and interactivity of the poster drawing the viewer in.

Letter Home
2011  
Jennifer Cantwell

I stumbled upon this design because of its mysterious and innovative decision to represent a letter through sound wave; the message is entirely up to the viewer therefore, due to the suggestion of the title and layout.

Tang Yau Hoong's first piece intrigued me through its creative collaboration of negative space to create two images in one design. Once I looked further into his work, I stumbled upon his negative space work concerning cities and this developed my idea further to represent and advertise city through sound.

By using different ideas concerning sound, it will allow me to experiment once again with design ideas and see what would be appropriate for this project.


References:

Material:

• John Holcroft: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/519039925781631246/
• Barbara Kruger: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/42925002673685532/
• Tadanori Yokoo: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/150800287498757706/

Sound:

• Saxsofunny: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/354658539378745574/
• Jennifer Cantwell: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/426716133417640538/
• Tang Yau Hoong: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/350436414728192078/, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/279575089342014767/

Blog Setup and Vimeo Account Setup

Todays workshop was to finally setup our blogs and Vimeo account, so we can recount what we do during our course and to upload videos created using After Effects.

After sorting out the basic framework for the blog I selected specific typefaces and changed colours to my liking. I then decided to choose the photography light as my background image, because I like photography and being able to capture a composition in different ways (through rule of thirds).

And after sorting our Vimeo account, we were told what our project for this workshop would be: create 10 slides on Photoshop showcasing a book or TV show. My chosen book was To Kill a Mockingbird, as that was the most recent book I have read, and started coming up with various ideas and images to symbolises the themes and scenes within the novel.

Reflective Writing

Reflective writing was the topic in Wednesday's seminar, where we discussed how to approach your blog when writing; for example, you should observe what you have done, analyse from different perspectives to get a balanced viewpoint, what were the strength and weaknesses of your work, and how would you improve upon it. They also showed us good and bad examples of blog posts, with bad examples exhibiting unneeded information and lack of depth in analysis and good examples displaying succinct information and going into what went well in their work.

Thanks to this seminar, it has reminded me how to approach critical analysis, and in turn my blog, which will allow me to explain my reasons behind certain decisions, and ultimately add flesh to any ideas I have for future projects.

Summon system and Library

Within today's seminar, we were told to analyse the principles of a selected movement in graphic design by using the Summon system in the library; my chosen subject was grids, since I didn't see the importance of them. However, after studying Basic Design 07: Grids, I have now gained a new understanding of the area that has resulted in influencing how I layout my work.

For example- grids are effectively used to organise various elements on a page; they bring order and structure to designs. They can be used to add a high degree of dynamism to a design as well. Particular positions can create dramatic impact on a page. They can also be used to direct the flow of a spread by determining where the reader starts, bias of a design through the location of an axis (invisible line of balance that runs through a design; controls sight line of the viewer and the order which the information is used), and how white space interacts with other elements in a spread.

Besides grids, the book informed me how texts can affect the appearance of a general design. For instance, typographic colour can darken or lighten a page (Helvetica Neue 25 compared to 95), and changing the typeface can affect the colouration of a page.

Overall, studying this subject made me realise that grids help create a robust and individual identity, defining the presentation of text and images with colour and typefaces.


References:

• Book cover: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Basics-Design-07-Gavin-Ambrose/dp/2940373779
• Helvetica Neue typeface weights: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/64528207132402318/

History of Graphic Design

The history of graphic design was the subject of this week's lecture, which I thought was very interesting considering I have never done this subject before, and have no knowledge of this field.  This lecture introduced me to various artists who influenced and eventually created graphic design as we know it today.

Poster for the First Secession exhibition
c. 1910
Gustav Klimt

For example, Gustav Klimt was key to the emergence of the Secession movement in Vienna; this poster in particular caused controversy over its nude male model, requiring over-painted trees to cover certain areas. And above its entrance was placed the phrase "Der Zeit ihre Kunst. Der Kunst ihre Freiheit."- which translates as "To every age its art. To every art its freedom."
Secession artists were concerned, above all else, with exploring the possibilities of art outside the confines of academic tradition, in which they hoped to create a new style that was free of historical influence.

Tropon
1898
Henry van de Velde

Henry van de Velde focused on design and the designer, rather than as an artist, and was vital in the emergence of the Bauhaus in Weimar. This poster demonstrates strong leaning to Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau, integrating type and image in conjunction with elegant lines influenced by Glasgow School (circle of influential modern artists and designers who began to grow in Glasgow in 1870s).

Lengiz Books on all Subjects
1925
Alexander Rodchenko

And Alexander Rodchenko's composition of this poster was typical of his use of photomontage in the period (combination of photography and text). And it also reflects the ways in which he updated Russian advertising using geometric compositions and bright colours to trumpet modernity. While his designs were directed at promoting companies or products, it also endorsed goals of political revolutions of the time.

Through this introduction- it has made me knowledgeable of graphic design and appreciate where certain influences have come from different artists over the years.

References:

• Klimt: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/421649583836710929/
• van de Velde: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/368169338257967012/
• Rodchenko: https://www.adbusters.org/content/alexander-rodchenko

Sense of Place - People/Movement/Navigation

In this weeks studio- I didn't particularly come up with initial ideas for each theme, as my previous concept last week incorporated many of this weeks current focus, in particular people.

However, I could illustrate movement by using a longer shutter speed within my photography, for example, or by showcasing where I live to portray navigation, as an initial idea to link with last week's focus. and expand last weeks concept.

Therefore, today I simply analysed my artist research and planned out how I was going to lay my work out in my sketch book.

Location Drawing

During the Location drawing with John- we were told to use Huddersfield as our source material, using various materials like tracing and grid paper to draw upon. Drawing to get into the theme of grids and frames, we were allocated groups, with my particular group beginning at the New street shopping area.

Drawing from this location was initially difficult, due to altering the perspective many times to correctly depict the area. Because of this, it resulted in a image that was incomplete; if I were to change anything, I would have perhaps carefully looked at my surroundings before putting pen to paper.

Still in the same location- I tried to quickly depict passersby in front of this shop. As you can see it isn't the most successful piece, since the shop is unfinished and the subjects aren't clearly defined since they quickly came and went. To improve, I would perhaps have solely focused on this sketch and illustrate who passes by. Through this practice, it has made me realise how capturing specific moments quickly can change a piece of work, the same being said for photography.

Moving onto the Gothic Quarter, I focused on the monument in the centre and, using a different material and medium, drawn it in an illustrative style, depicting the shadows through cross-hatching. Overall I think this piece is more or less successful in its depiction of style. Through this, I may adopt this style in the future. However- to add depth to it- I would perhaps add more cross-hatch, varying the pressure of it. 

Within the same area, this sketch was drawn because of the unique curvature of the building. Even though it isn't complete- I quite liked it thanks to the shape and intricacy of the building. In the future, if I were to complete an image similar to this I would quickly draw the basic shape of the subject and then draw in the detail.

Finally, at the Market and Piazza, I decided to use a different medium for this sketch, choosing marker pen. In hindsight this was most likely not the best decision, since the thickness of the tip didn't allow any subtle features to come through, and also made it difficult to cover any mistakes. Regardless- I think this perspective drawing is more successful than my first drawing, as you can overall see the perspective in the image, compared to only composing half of it.

From doing this activity, it has allowed me to practice my sketching skills once again, and made me see buildings in a different light, thanks to the grids and frames theme. It has also made me realise what I need to do to quickly compose sketches so I can get the most out of them.

20 Questions

Once we recapped what we learnt in the previous week, the topic for James' seminar this week was research and how reflecting upon it from a different viewpoint can add another dimension to your work. The example he used was a parallax, where the subject stays the same but appears different from an altered perspective.

An example of the parallax effect

To better reflecting on our research- we were told to get into pairs and ask each other twenty questions about something the person was thinking about. We soon realised that there was an ebb and flow with the line of questioning, ranging from broad to narrow. This links in with research, and how stepping back from a project can allow you to overview what you have done and what other areas you may go into.

Reference:

• Parallax image: http://wiki.panotools.org/SmartBlend

Creative Process Illustrated A2 sheet

During this week's first seminar- we were told to create a visual representation of our creative thinking, from beginning to end of how we approach an idea and how we end with a final piece.

As you can see the design is based upon the rolling snowball effect; my  idea usually starts off small and eventually gains momentum; the rocky barrier represents being stuck and content with an idea, until I research other artists which help get my work back on track.

Through this activity, it allowed me to reflect on my strength and weaknesses, and what we I can work improve on so that I don't make the same mistakes again.

How to have an idea

With Richard presenting our first graphic design lecture of the week, we were introduced to where ideas come from and the preparation that goes into them. For example- there are stages to creative thinking:

• you discover an artist's piece of work, and research further if interested
• define what they're trying to achieve and ascertain if you're able to feasibly create your idea once you've linked it back to the brief.
• then develop your idea further through other influences that have inspired you, refining it each time once you've experimented with various compositions.
• and finally deliver your design proposal once you've resolved and are satisfied with the results.

What was most helpful about the lecture was how to maintain your research (by keeping a bibliography), and also questions to think about yourself and your ideas; where do my tastes come from? Who produces me? And how do adverts work? This will allow me to break an a piece of work down, and see what features they have that make it successful.

Sense of Place - Grids/Frames/Micro/Macro

Being represented with our first project this year, we were told to come up with ideas to do with the broad theme of "sense of place",  with this week's focus being grids/ frames/ micro/ macro.

My initial idea started with frames, and branched from there; ranging from window to comic book frames, I branched off from picture frames, until I eventually decided to begin with photography, which links in with this weeks other themes as well (i.e., rule of thirds= grids, and micro and macro photography).

James Mollison's Where Children Sleep

Christopher Relander's We are Nature series

To being my project, I went on Pinterest to find some initial photography ideas that I liked and that could inspire my work. I came across the work of James Mollison and Christopher Relander; both are quite different technically, but they both have something in common: they represent people with landscape. This narrowed my focus towards my family and in turn my home, which allowed me to come up with an idea that would link to the project's general theme: what makes a house a home, in particular my house.

Richard McGuire's Here

Within our group meetings, at the suggestion of Stephen, I looked at the work of Richard McGuire's "Here", since its focus was similar to mine. Liking its layered but restrained pop style- I decided to incorporate this into my research, to get another angle besides photography and expand my skills.

Dan Burgess' The Wolf King

Saul Bass' collection of work

Once I decided to explore graphic design and illustration, I once again went on Pinterest and discovered both Saul Bass and Dan Burgess. I was drawn to them because of their simple but dramatic application of design. Through their work, I will be able to create different compositions and ultimately different ideas; inspired by Burgess' dark imagery, I wanted to develop my theme further by portraying contempt instead of stability at home, and perhaps represent my family in a graphic and ironic way.

Through this selection of artists- I will be able to experiment with various styles and see what I create as a result of their work.


References:

• James Mollison: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/353884483198515319/
• Christopher Relander: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/498140408760270408/
• Saul Bass: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/423127327461523245/
• Dan Burgess: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/353884483198515327/

InDesign Modernist Poster

In our first Process and Production lesson with Richard- we were told to create modernist posters in the style of Josef Müller-Brockmann using InDesign.

At first I was quite confused as to how to construct the poster, as I have never used InDesign before and became lost when Richard was going through the design step by step. However- once I knew where we were I quickly got use to the program.

Considering this was the first time I had used InDesign, I am quite happy with the end result of this poster, especially in its similarity to the original. Yet to improve I would change the angle of some of the lines, as they don't seem to be straight in comparison to others.

Likewise- I am pleased with how this turned out, as it was quite technical replicating the finite features Müller-Brockman used on InDesign. Despite this- I'm not quite happy with the curved features within the poster; I would next time use another feature instead of using the Pencil Tool.  I would also have liked to change how large I made the features in comparison to the original because it seemed to squash everything together.

Overall I am happy with how these posters came to be,  and if I experimented further with what InDesign has to offer, then I may use it for my course and future projects.

Reference:

• https://unilearn.hud.ac.uk/bbcswebdav/pid-1640350-dt-content-rid-2470319_1/courses/TFD1412-1516/InDesign_101_PosterTask.pdf