So far...

So I thought it would be a good idea to list what I have done so far this module, just to see how much I have got done overall.

Design Context:

Gathered a ton of work examples and research to arrange into a format as my synthesis. As it stands I have 3 categories that can be further divided into subsections. Examples of Type, Layout and Simplicity. They all tie in together and inform the overarching subject of Clarity which was originally directed through researching accessibility. I am hoping to get the book/ publication special bounded and am currently secretly seeking a way of getting it printed... can't reveal everything on here!

I got in contact with a ton of people I know through other people about primary research interviews and they have been arranged and sorted through easter. I am really looking forward to getting their views based on message delivery/ clarity of design.

Design Practice:

I have completed 2 briefs (ICM pitch & End of Year entry) and am swimming amongst a sea of 2 other big briefs (The yearbook which I am doing in collaboration with Jimmy, and designing the Library signage system which I am having a crit with Chris Graham today). Both have been heavily research driven, and both print based which is exciting and made me realize I need to do some more digital for my portfolio. The library signage is something I have been looking forward to doing for so long, and I've had some really interesting and useful feedback from Justin and Rachel Oliver. The yearbook is pretty much all set now, we got all the photos done, photoshopped them so the shadows don't make them look 'orrible and eerie. Set-up a lovely complex grid which allows us to be pretty versatile with it. The Grid was something me and jimmy took a lot of time and consideration towards as this project is very precious to everyone on the course and didn't wanna just do a 'click and move'on' job with it. now all we're waiting for is for people to send back the template I sent out with their photos of their work attached. Drag and drop... send to print... wait for delivery... hey presto! (I'm not banking on things running this smoothly, really not banking on it.)

So, I am also in the process of writing up my final comprehensive project for the last part of the year, I can see it being something really immense. However this all depends on whether I can get all this current stuff out the way before we get back on the ball after easter.

PPD (Personal Professional Development):

I have spent a large chunk of my time working and developing this. During the dissertation period, I arranged and reprinted my entire portfolio to portrait scale. Which cost me a bomb. I am very proud of the way it looks at the moment and can see a lot of the work I am currently doing will improve it through addition.

I also built my own website using dreamweaver and brought a domain name to upload it to. I have also produced my own stationary, CV's and business cards to which I won a competition with at the recent Creative Networks event. Amongst that as well, I have emailed a ton of agencies enquiring about work placements, nothing has been confirmed, some have offered me places in the future or have just not got back to me.

Right, got a tonne of stuff to print off. I'll try and post up the stuff I print off today later on. Ciao.

Update

So I've been busy this week, I went to Newcastle for the Michael C Place AKA 'Build' and Adrian Shaughnessy talk at Dance city. It was a really good trip and felt that it informed me more about Graphic Design in such that it gave insight from another Designer's experience.

One of the key points I felt MCP made was that, in Graphic Design, an agency itself can be seen as a brand. And that again is developed through time, which makes it difficult for new or other designers to get business. Established agencies are chosen and expected to do work in a similar style as they have consistent in their portfolio's making it harder for them to expand and try other things. So there are drawbacks.

On another note, had a chat with Rachel Oliver on thursday which also really useful. Her practice/ portfolio is similar to the kind of work I would like to achieve eventually. There was signage, retail, promotion stuff etc... a very versatile, adaptable and sense of usefulness in her portfolio. It was really inspiring, and she waned me to challenge my creativity with my Library Signage brief yet I feel as though for this brief, that I have to think realistically for the client (Chris) which is to keep it formal and honest to what it is... a paper based signage system...

Anyhow, now its saturday, me and Jimmy just sorted out the yearbook stuff. Got a lovely grid, layout choices and now I'm working on the rythm of the book. This meaning how it will flow through, as to not have the same layout for each spread throughout the book and mixing it up.

One thing I can saya nd said to Jimmy earlier is how pleased I am to be using a Serif typeface (Century Schoolbook), as its a lovely font and well timed for my portfolio as I tend not to use Serif's over Sans Serifs. It's kind of venturing into the unknown... taking a scenic route!

Research: Rawdesignstudio

This has given me an idea about what I wish to do for my final major, MAJOR, project.

Information leaflets/ panflets, packaging design for the box and a website promoting its cause. Pretty big for a 5 weeker. We'll see.

Research: Signage

Just been on flickr looking at signage systems, found a picture of this shopfront, the colour is amazing, the spacing, the font. Looks like a thick helvetica ish, close kerning arrangement. beautiful.

Funny: Hand Dryers

Went on builds blog as we're off to see the wizard that is Michael C.Place in Newcastle tomorrow. Very excited.

Anyhow, caught this...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/onpaperwings/sets/72157606982413589/


An investigation into the banal and boring.

Research: Wood & Wood

Woodandwood.com

Signage designers, probably the biggest, high profile signage designers in the country. I found them whilst looking up who designed the signage system for the tate modern in London. Wood and wood are responsible for a lot of the high end high street store signage we see on the weekends (if you go out on weekends anymore). Useful research/ case studies for the library signage project.

Research: Another bit of Craft from the Guardian

Saw another piece of craft work on the front of G2 last week. Forgot I took this picture, so thought I'd upload it now. I remember trying something similar like this a couple weeks ago when developing a Logo idea, like an installation for a company.

Research: HORT

Taken from their website....
-------------------------------
Hort in 100 Words

HORT began its inhabitance back in 1994, under the previous stage name of EIKES GRAFISCHER HORT. Who the hell is Eike? Eike is the creator of HORT. HORT - a direct translation of the studio's mission. A creative playground. A place where 'work and play' can be said in the same sentence. An unconventional working environment. Once a household name in the music industry. Now, a multi-disciplinary creative hub. Not just a studio space, but an institution devoted to making ideas come to life. A place to learn, a place to grow, and a place that is still growing. Not a client execution tool. HORT has been known to draw inspiration from things other than design.
-------------------------------

They've also got some pretty interesting stuff and advice on the website which can be useful to find a placement elsewhere. I love how all their images have mouseovers of their logo, making it quite memorable and flashy onscreen. Think it attracts attention of other people around, really good implement.

Forgot to mention....

I forgot to mention I uploaded my website yesterday morning. I used an FTP. Piss easy.

I love dreamweaver, that book I got last summer is finally paying off.

www.kwfolio.com

YES. ITS A DOT COM!!! NOT A CO.UK!!!

FMP: The Major crit before easter update

So today was good, we put up all our work and had a bohemoth of a crit like we did before xmas for the last module. Was pretty useful, and good to see what everyone else was getting up to in terms of progress and style of work. Everyone again seems varied and its really good how we can sit and discuss critically and advise one another on work; as I recall days in first year when everyone was just afraid to say what they felt. Its a good thing that we're not at a level where we can give critiscm and progress as a group.

I knew and had pretty much clarified the different areas of the FMP a while ago but I guess it was useful to reclarify it as a group as there have been heated discussions when people have tried to define them, where my attempt at explaining it seemed difficult to comprehend.

Erm, so in correlation to the work I displayed, I showed 3 finished briefs; The end of year entry, ICM and the 3 minute ISTD brief. The end of year entry is something I touched up and worked on more since submission, ICM was also developed a bit further post submission date (the reason for this is because if I was considering putting it in my portfolio then it needs to be of a higher standard of print/ resolution), and the 3 minute ISTD one is (how i like to describe as a) "do whatever you want" brief.

So I also included work in progress such as the yearbook and library signage stuff which I'm quite absorbed in at the moment. Both heavily relying on typography (which is good right?) and they are both quite high on pressure, by that I mean, in terms of responsibility. The yearbook is important to everyone, it shuold be cherishablefor the longterm, and it will be in my portfolio as one of my proudest projects... I should hope!!! the library signage, its a major problem and oneI've identified it he past as something I've always wanted to do in life. Its wayfinding, its accessibility, its useful, there are boundaries and issues surrounding it, just the sound of it makes me salivate. Boundaries are good, I can't describe how excited I am when I get a brief or problem with boundaries, it baffles me when someone says... "do something creative" "do what you want"... like the 3 minute ISTD brief. In honesty, I did that brief quickly to get me going, dealing with type and layout, not worrying too much about anything else. Like a warm up...???

So anyway, I'm looking forward to the next few weeks, the pressure is piling on. It does seem like a lot of work, the most we've ever had to take on but its all been a gradual load over 3 years, learning to be "stress fit" so Lorenzo once said. I think the final major is a realistic way of working, we'll always be doing practical work, always be researching what's out there like looking at styles and other studios and always be maintaining websites, portfolios etc... was that the almighty master plan?

Anyways, for the the last 50 yards after easter, I'm thinking of doing a website... (easy now)... but seriously, I've been looking at job prospects for the future, and literally everyone, every agency, every freelance job requires "digital", "web based" or" proficiency in animation" skill or something... So I need to get on board that more.... It wouldn't be the whole final thing, but perhaps in support of a campaign...

We'll see. Bed time. I stay up too late doing this kind of stuff.

Screen burn's cheaper than a sunbed, but sunbed's don't make your eyes go fuzzy.

End of Year Show: Tickets

The tickets for the end of year show.

Yearbook: Making progress Update

Its Friday 5:00pm, what am I doing here at uni? Hahaha.

So spent some of today working on the Graphics yearbook. Think me and Jimmy have settled on a plum/ maroon ish colour which will appear consistently throughout the book as to not to make it boring; black and white. It is moving along well, drew up a grid on development sheets, measured out what would look comfortable then committed to it by setting up 4 master pages in indesign.

A 4 column and a 7 column. Found a really good book in the library called "the layout book", which has aided me in making this progress. Also picked up "Look at this" by A. Shaughnessy which I found on work experience in the summer, contains tonnes of inspiration for layouts on book design. Will probably be quite useful for Design Context research too.

ICM: How the first brief went...

1: HMV - promoting downloadable music from hmv.co.uk
2: Rennie - Deflatine promo.

So earlier this week we went for our first pitch to ICM regarding the Chip Shop awards. To put simply, we didn't win.

We learnt a lot about the group we were in, as we've never worked together before but soon we realised we were very much similar in our strengths in design as we struggled to think of advertising ideas. Due to a lack of sharpness since first year, I think we struggled to be adventurous when responding to the brief, we've been out of practice of thinking creatively for a while, the last time I did a brief with such broad boundaries was before christmas for the first module this year for "stop telling me" campaign. This year I think me, anabel and toni have all chosen to do briefs with boundaries and set restrictions as this is how we like to work. With boundaries you can manipulate, break, cling onto and exploit, but the chip shop awards is a do anything with whatever you want to do.

One aspect I think was positive was our ability to come up with visual ideas very quickly, we weren't afraid of taking our idea and mocking up. The skill we lacked was defining our boundaries and I genuinely believe that was due to lack of practice. I've taken measures of this by making sure all the briefs I'm working on are defined, audience, context, tone of voice, background etc...

Next time I think we will produce something better, its been an interesting experience and I'd be lying if I said it didn't hinder my confidence but I learn from mistakes.

Library Signage: Design ideas

Tried out some ideas for the library books section. My concern is that this is the most difficult to do job for it so I'm tackling this first, there is no clear way of ordering the Dewey Decimal System. The best thing about it is that it's all numbers and that I as an individual understand it, along with those who have used library's before. However, one thing to consider is that there are kids or individuals that may not understand it and by not making it accessible to that age group of type of individual will be discriminating.

Using the colours of the beams, paper stock and 2 fonts, I'm beginning to see what is legible, illegible, accessible or not working.

Library Signage: Paper test

Just a simple test I did earlier today to see how see-through an A2 sheet of 220gsm paper/ card was when help up to daylight. I had an idea to save money for the library by using simple sheets of folded paper, however it doesn't seem like this way will work.

I also had a chat with James down in print who mentioned that the thickest piece of card he's ever feeded through his printers is about 600 gsm, very thick. Thicker than I'm thinking about at the moment... but thats something to keep in mind.

Research Library Signage: Guardian

Guardian by Cartlidge levine.

Paper based, replenishable, accessible and appropriate to the clients purpose. Environmentally friendly for disposing in the future as well as using matted papers.

Research: Lyons typeface

This guy is a mate of a mates who I met a few years back from Farnham doing Graphic Design, he did this.

Awesome yes?

Library signage: update

Had a conversation with Chris today and a crit with Justin, both really useful. The signage system is looking promising, Chris liked my idea of using a paper tray like box to display the sections, which could be hung from the ceiling using wires.

Its going to be minimalist, type driven. Perfect project right?

Well, I have to consider using the colors they already have as the beams and in the background. The key thing right now is to try new things out, look at existing fonts such as clarendon and helvetica for the signage, one is more legible than the other, yet the othe ris more identifiable with the college... apparently. I'll keep you posted on the on-goings of this.

Yearbook: Photoshoot

So we shot the yearbook photo's today, Matty and Kyle did the practical side of it and thanks to them for doing so.

Research: Devalence.net

Devalence also featured in this months IDN, the thing I like about their work is that it reminds me of Joe Gilmore's stuff at Qubik, theres a definate sense of dated european-ness about their stuff. Certainly of the french ventures of modernism in the late 50's, where the swiss were using Sans serifs, these guys liked using Serifs, much more elegant. The choice of colours and I guess the fact that they do work purely for exhibition or art's sake allows them free roam.

I think I can apply some of these styles to my work, there is a sense of similarity in era between these and the Superhero store stuff stated earlier on this blog.

Research: Hey Ho

Hey Ho are an agency in Paris.

This month's IDN does a special on whats going on in Paris and I have to hand it to them, some of the type driven stuff is awesome. I really like the fact they are using such minimalist/ modernist styles of type and making them look worth so much more. Maybe its the fact that a lot of it is in French... thus making it seem worth more... ???

John Hegarty Talk

Went along to hear what John Hegarty had to say about advertising from Bartle, Bogle and Hegarty today.

It was interesting to get some professional insight into the industry seeing as I am not an advertiser and don't aspire to be one, even though I recall a short stage in first year when I thought it could be an interesting path to walk down eventually. Having said that, in many ways (with no disrespect intended), it kind of made me feel glad I wasn't getting walking that path. What I mean is, I accept that the world needs advertising to keep going (capitalism), however I don't believe in massaging the ego's of brands to the extent at which organizations spend vast ammounts of money on doing so.

Especially when it is immeasurable to calculate the effectiveness of advertising and profit from creating adverts. A lot of the examples he showed could have fallen into any of the categories he brought up which made it even more confusing. Perhaps the talk was aimed more purely towards aspiring advertisers, but with someone like me who questions this kind of ethos found it difficult to understand the reasoning behind most of it anyway.

One thing I did like was "to get under the skin of a brand is the only way to deal with the brand". Obvious again, but if you think of it in literal terms... not only is it bloody and violent, but I guess it really means business in terms of "consideration" and "research".

I do appreciate that a lot of advertising is free roaming creative thinking (or is it?). Sometimes I do wonder how and why a client would choose some ideas, both for good and bad reasons. I still have a lot of admiration for BBH, I just don't feel that the talk encouraged me towards advertising as a career path. but then again, he wasn't there to recruit students.

Hegarty was a humorous man, he mentioned things like 'making yourself standout from the crowd' which to be honest, is blatantly obvious. He knew how to entertain a crowd, his presentation skills have probably become second nature... a skill quite useful! Especially if you wear a matching yellow and brown chequered 3 piece suit. Every agency wants someone special, useful or different, the only problem is, being different nowadays is often being part of the mould.

Graphic Design EOY Yearbook: Progress update

Jimmy and I had a meeting with Lorenzo tonight, which was really useful. The premise of the meeting was to sort through the stuff we'd done up until now. The photoshoot has been booked by Matt and hopefully that'll run smoothly next wednesday.

We've decided to go with a new name for the yearbook. Thinking of "First" being we're the first year to graduate on the course.

Also, looking to budget on the cover to make the print process of higher quality. We need to re-shoot people's work or get them to re-shoot it so it looks "Elegant". Thats the keyword we're working against, taking influence from Grafik magazine.

Anyway, we're gonna ring some printers and see what we can do about a sponsorship from the printer, or outsourced associates of the course whom I won't name now unless they decide to give us a chunk of their paycheck! ha. No credit until it's deserved.

ICM: Creative Development

Today a bunch of us visited ICM's offices in Headingly to meet the team. We're now split into 2 groups, Bel, Toni and Me called "Fred" and Jimmy, Andy and claire are called "Milk and 1 Sugar". Kind of race-horse-esque names... except Fred's...

Anyhow, we're entering the chipshop awards for a pitch which should be fun, they're basically looking for a joke which can be used as an advertising/ promotion idea... I think there's alot of leverage for fun here, as we get to decide the brand and idea. so in a way there is alot of free-roaming which can bog us down or positively... allow us to be really creative. The initial pitch is next monday so not got much time, and then the pitch tot he board on wednesday so monday evening is really a case of touching it up. We are looking to win over the board. haha, second place is the first loser. Go on team Fred!

Library Signage: Update

So for one of my briefs I am going to design a new signage system for the Blenheim walk library. I've had a conversation with Chris Graham who is in charge of it all and he's very interested in what I develop from this as it could be implemented officially.

The considerations are that it has to be matte, so that the glare of the sun does not hinder its legibility, and I have to consider point size due to accessibility for sighted people. Other than that I need to keep it consistent in look with the library, we shall see where this goes.

Design Context: Update

So following my tutorial this afternoon I am partially abandoning "Accessibility" as the working title of my Final Major. It has been the driving subject for this investigation however through investigation I have come to realize that my design context is more about clarity of design and not accessibility. Research into accessibility has played an integral role where I have identified one aspect of accessible design having to be clear and minimalist, an ethos that I carry within my personal practice.

Clarity of design is important when delivering a message. It is important in a world that has so many visual messages thrown to the public. It is efficient. There are many aspects about clarity and design, and in defining what interests me in the graphic design world will I be able to accomplish this aspect of the module.

So...

I am looking to separate my design context piece into several chapters based on my viewpoint of what makes graphic design "good"... if that is the correct adjective to work against. We shall see where this develops.