Type and grids - workshop 3

Presentation notes:

- Construction of the grid, before you can make one is you need to know what you are making it form
- In industry you need to know exactly what the client wants before making
- In education it differs
- Start with sketches instead of working straight o the mac, for example thumbnails
- Use a sketch as a base of information to build on
- Grids are commonly made using columns
- Knowing the process is better for manipulation of your own designs to match imagery and content to
- More freedom
- Columns can be subdivided commonly used for stats and figures or articles in leaflets and newspapers
- For statistics, figures, graphs and trend line publications use 4 columns
- These can be subdivided into 8, 16..
- The width of the column dictates the size of typeface used
- For layout design don't just rely on one set


Create:
- Apply the grids to work, a mixture
- Make a concertina no littler the 5 panels and no greater than 16
- Could use content from another brief
- Put your own stamp on grids

Workshop:

During the workshop i made a concertina layout from a ten page document

Collaborative - D&C/ Crit feedback

During todays crit Fred asked up to get into pairs with another collaborative group, the idea was to pitch our work to the other group and receive feedback.

Myself and Emily presented our boards to Katie and Nikki to show what research we had investigated as well as what we were aiming to to with the brief. Below is a photograph of a brainstorm of ideas I generated as examples for what we could have for our final shot.

Below is the feedback Nikki and Katie gave to us, they gave us ideas on how to improve or perhaps change elements of our brief. 

Collaborative - D&C/ Research boards

Myself and Emily designed two presentation boards each, we thought this would be easiest as we have both done different research, the style of the boards look very similar as we wanted a recurring look throughout our work. 

Photography

- We created a pinterest boards to gather imagery on

- Because we have mixed thoughts when looking for imagery so the board is good to compare and contrast our visual opinions, styles and views are 

- Of what contemporary youth culture is 

- We looked at front covers, photoshoots and previous entires for dazed and confused

Photographers

- Samantha West who is a contemporary photographer, her portraits resemble individuality, gender and generation

- Bruce Davidson who's famous for producing documentary work based around events and movements (civil rights movement)

- We quite like the idea of documenting the photographs we take along the process before picking the final image

- Something Emily will concentrate on the editorial and publishing side of things

- Joel Sternfeld is a fine art colour photographer who explores the idea of 'human-alternated landscapes'

- Which is something we'd like to consider..

For example using the influence of music 

To capture an image of an individual at a music event 

How they become part of their surroundings
What tastes shows part of their life style

Overall the cultural experience they have with peers

Kind of sums up a subjective experience at a particular time in life

Wouldnt be able to capture a universal human capacity of what could be said to resemble 'contemporary youth culture'
It's more about individuality, uniqueness and personalities, that what we'd like to reflect in out imagery over all

Collaborative - D&C/ Contemporary youth culture

Here are a few lists i wrote to attempt to unpick what contemporary youth culture means.

What is contemporary youth culture?

Contemporary

- Contemporary era is seen as scientific and political
- 20th century advanced aged
- Period of time
- Present day
- Modern life
- People currently living
- Post war period
- Present age

Present day

- An appropriate period of time
- Time that surrounds the present
- Re-enactments of past experiences, made present
- Media: An event at a literal time, subjective experience, an event at an exact date, a moment in history, an event taken place during an era, published in the media.
* Plot device - used to engage with the audience

Contemporary society

- Human interaction
- Evolution of a humans life
- Anthropological and ecological transformation
- Change
- Lives
- Daily tasks
- Ways of thinking
- Perception
- Life conditions
- Life expectancy
- Gender equality

Youth

- Time of life between childhood and adulthood
- Maturity
- Youth is defined by: The appearance, freshness, vigor, spirit etc
- In-between state 16-24
- Constructing the self-concept: Peers, life style, gender age and culture

Culture

- Cultivation or improvement
- Betterment or refinement of an individual
- Universal human capacity
- A unique identity
- Expression of the unique authentic self

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Collaborative - D&C/ Re-Written brief

Brief Title: 

Dazed and Confused

The Brief:

Produce a single, iconic photograph that portrays contemporary youth culture to be featured in Dazed & Confused magazine and a publication relating to the process and journey that went alongside the development of capturing the final image.

Concept/Proposition:

To display contemporary youth culture in one single image through themes such as fashion, music, trends, social media, events and current affairs. Moreover, to document and exhibit the ongoing process and idea generation within a publication format.

Background/Considerations:

- what aspects of todays youth culture are the most poignant and iconic?

- think about how a single image can capture an array of messages, themes and concepts

- consider the most appropriate design and photography style to fit into an edition of Dazed and Confused magazine

- in 10 years today, which images will stand the test of time?

Target Audience:

Dazed & Confused readers- british/artistic/creative/fashionable/musical

aged 17-23

male and female

Mandatory Requirements:

- a single photographic image that captures this period of time

- a supporting publication

- evidence the research, documentation, experimentation and development of work through Design Context and Design Practice blogs as well as presentation boards

- label all blog posts correctly

Tone of Voice:

- colloquial

- light-hearted

- informative

- personal

- use of slang

- engaging

Deliverables:

- one single photographic image to be submitted into D&AD 

- publication

- x5 presentation boards

- on-going documentation on design context/practice blogs

- mounted A3 print (if entry is successful in the first selection stage) 

Collaborative - D&C/ Project rationale

Brief title: Dazed and confused - Create a portrait of contemporary youth 

What is the problem?

1. How do we capture and iconic image ?
2. How do we stand back from the usual 'click-consumerist' approach ?
3. What defines our generation ?
4. How can contemporary youth culture in 2012/2013 be summed up in one single image ?
5. What style of image is most appropriate to be featured in D&C magazine ?

What is the intention?

We intend to inform a group of Dazed and Confused readers aged 17-23 who are British/ Artistic/ Creative/ Fashionista/ Musical. We aim to communicate what we think represents contemporary youth culture in 2012/2013.

In order to achieve this we will produce?

1. A single photographic image that concludes contemporary youth culture, to be featured in Dazed and Confused magazine.
2. A photographic journal showing the development of our project in a photo documented style
3. A publication consisting of range of images what we believe represents contemporary youth culture inevitably highlight the final chose image to submit to the brief competition.

How will this be produced?

1. Digital print
2. Photographic film processing
3. Foil - blocking
4. Laser cutting

Collaborative - D&C/ Interest and differences

During the work shop we were asked to complete a form which highlights who we are as creative partners and what we aim to do and what each of out roles are, below is the form we completed a section each.

Below are the lists of interests and differences we have as creative partners, after discussing our lists in the workshop we stated 'YES' next to all the point we agreed on and aimed to work with. 

10 common interests:

1. We both have the ability to work collaboratively and enjoy it

2. We like to be organised

3. We both wish to experiment with different types of photography YES

4. We would like to develop a wide rang of imagery to get that final image YES

5. We think using elements of fashion and urban culture would be the best approach to developing conceptual images YES

6. It was decided that we wanted equal yet different roles in the brief to get the best results YES

7. We like the idea of doing a photographic brief to generate a different kind of work

8. We believe a goo way of demonstrating out photographic development would be to design a photography journal 

9. Our ideas are similar and we wish to reflect our interests in the image to produce contemporary youth

10. We think a useful graphic design product could be made a additional final outcome, this being a publication including a variety of images which reflect contemporary youth YES

10 different interests:

1. I have background knowledge in photography whereas Emily is unfamiliar with aspects of it

2. I have experience working with film and digital photography for previous projects whereas emily hasn't practiced that yet

3. I have a huge interest in high fashion photography as well conceptual art which could be useful for this brief, which i can share with Emily YES

4. Emily has skills in layout design and composition, this will benefit the publication work we wish to design

5. Emily has a different perspective on conceptual thinking to me, so the difference could generate something good YES

6. Emily and I have different style interests this could be useful when photographing people, variety of people taste YES

7. We both have different software skills, the variety could be used to our advantage 

8. Emily and I have different views and opinions in life these difference may be evidence of creating new ideas

9. Different taste in music, another aspect of contemporary culture 

10. Differenet working ethics, when brought together we could develop a strong working plan 

Collaborative - D&C/ Creative partner

Brief 

Create a portrait of contemporary youth - Dazed and Confused

Why have you chosen to work with your creative partner? What are your aims?

I decided to work with Emily as we have similar design interest, an I believe the collaborative work we can produce will be enjoyable and exciting as we both with to experiment with photography. 

What are your specific areas of creative interest in this brief? 

The idea of capturing contemporary youth in an image is, this could be processed by using people, locations or objects as the main focus in the image. I have a huge interest in fashion and culture and i think these can be reflected in the imagery we produce. 

What specific design skills do you have to offer in relation to your chosen brief? How do you intend to use them?

- Photographic skills to contribute to the the work we produce. 
- Editorial design to apply to the work as i have an eye for fashion and layout this could work well for publication products. 

What specific non-design skills do you have to offer in relation to your chosen brief? How do you intend to use them?

- Photography - The ability to capture a story in a series of images to get the final still

- The ability to work with others - We both enjoy collaborative work as there is twice the input and twice the ideas generated

- Great research ethics, the ability to research in depth to a chosen subject. 

What will your specific roles be in the collaboration in relation to your brief?

Lisa: People photography - Capturing fashion and culture influenced imagery, portraits that reflect people of this time and contemporary youth within it

What will your individual responsibilities be in relation to your brief?

LIsa: Research aspects of photography, photographers, current imagery published in dazed and confused. Taking time out to do test shots in the photography studio, look for models to use for portraits, find locations for shoots.

What will your joint responsibilities be?

- Booking out the photography studio to do test shots
- Make decisions on which are the best photographs 
- Be adventurous and look for location and models for photoshoots
- Research a relevant and substantial amount for influence and inspiration in the brief 
- Both have creative design input to final products 

Studio brief: What is good/ Re-written

Below is my edited version of the brief, i have altered elements of it to match my ambitions with in the brief. 

Brief

I aim to produce a body of work which explores the relationship between content, context and product in relation to Marc Jacobs perfumes. I will discover information in relation to my chosen theme and aim to produce a response that clearly and effectively exploits the concept of 'perfume'. I will do this by investigating 'a collection of' perfumes.
My aim is to create a brand of perfume inspired by elements of existing perfume bottles and packaging design, yet injects a fresh and individual feel to the products. The products should excite and attract young fashionable perfume collectors who are interested in beauty, the target audience are females aged 21-30. This age group will be interested in the popularity of perfume as well as the charming excitement that promotes scents. 

My work should practically and conceptually explore designs and innovative ideas such as bottles, packaging, samples, adverts, websites and additional promotional products. 

Background / Considerations

This brief is in three parts

Part 1: Attend all introductory workshops and crits to receive ongoing feedback in relation to 'perfume'. Investigate though roughly into perfume, product and packaging design. Explore research from a  range of primary and secondary sources for ongoing documentation on my blog.

Part 2:  I will develop a body of practical and contextual research that explores the relationship between TWO of the following areas of design.

Publishing & Editorial

Information & Way-finding

Branding & Identity

Product & Packaging

Retail & Promotion

I will focus primarily on branding and identity to develop a contextual body of research to refer back to when designing, as well as to use for inspiration and guidance when practicing elements of branding and identity myself.  I will focus my secondary research based upon product and packaging as this is an area of design i wish to learn a lot about as well as practice in my work, by doing so i will be able to document a critical, observational and reflective understanding on my blog as well as produce a 16 page Design Context Publication which will include research areas in relation to perfume - Marc Jacobs.

Part 3: I will develop and produce a practical and contextual response to my research about perfume that brings together my research into content, context, specific design disciplines and appropriate media/formats. My response should explore the relationship between product range and method/media of distribution as well as aim to please a female audience aged 21-30, the tone of voice addressed will be endearing as well as exciting to attract attention.

Mandatory requirements

I will need to meet any mandatory requirements specified on individual briefs.

In addition to the submission requirements for the briefs I will need to evidence the research, development and production of your resolutions.

My work should be documented through regular labeled posts to my Design Practice and Design Context Blog.

Correct labeling of my work on my blog is essential.  Failure to organize my work clearly will affect the assessment of my work 

My response to the brief should be supported by a short rationale (250 words) and evaluation of my work in relation to the initial brief.

Deliverables

Design sheets showing an exploration of drawings resulting in illustrations, bottle and packaging design

Mock ups for experimentation and alteration development 

Final products executed of a high standard to compare with the existing competition in the perfume industry

Photographed and documented work on my blog

Presentation boards articulating the selected research development, resolution and contextualization of my work.

Posts to your Design Practice & Design Context blog demonstrating my ability to effectively record, document and critically evaluate the progress of my work in relation to your own intentions and appropriate areas of contemporary creative practice.

A 16 Page Design Context Presentation and supporting research

Studio Deadline

Interim Concept Presentations - 19 / 03 / 2013

Module deadline

21 / 05 / 2013 - 1pm

Design ideas:

- Design and produce a next in line 2013 perfume product to join the editions of the Marc Jacobs series.
- Design and develop my own brand of perfume which will consist of bottle, packaging and promotional material inspired by Marc Jacobs perfumes. 

What is good - Concept boards/ Re-worked

Here ar ethe boards i have re-worked and prepared for tomorrow formal crit.


Below is the notes i have prepared for presenting my boards to the group:

Marc Jacobs - Perfume

- My favourite good thing was 'perfume'
- In particular the Marc Jacobs fragrances
- Did some background research into the man behind the brand
- He's an American fashion designer
- He was ranked one of the most influential men in the world in 2010
- He launched the first ever Marc Jacobs perfume in 2001
- Fragrances have been really popular in young men and women

Fragrance - Collection

- In total Marc Jacobs has 47 perfumes
- A very popular edition is the Daisy collection which was created in 2007
- Popularity was generated to the iconic bottle designs
- This shows a chronological time line of the perfumes created by date
- i like the similarities in all the perfumes, yet they have an individual look about them, very noticeable

Daisy - Product range

- Scents are know as fresh, floral, sophisticated and likeable
- Pretty popular among consumers
- The quality of the perfume making, bottle and packaging design has a luxury appeal
- Gold and white colour pallet resembles a daisy but in a more alluring form
- Design/ colour pallet is suitable on a range of products relating to the perfume

Design inspiration - Format

- Idea of incorporating illustrations into my work some how

- I think the fashion illustrator Laura Laine demonstrates this well in her work

- She draws elegant women clasping onto desirable objects  

- Resembles a lot about female culture, the desire to want nice things

- I've looked into product and packaging design to see what has and hasn't been done

- Because a perfume is a really individual possession, develop something new and fresh and quite unique 

- I've also looked into promotional material such as adverts, campaigns and exhibitions to see what other designers do

- Dior has collaborated with a bunch of directors and artists to develop an augmented reality vision from a 3d pop up book, which is then showed to a webcam to get the experience for the 'Miss Dior Cherie' perfume

Design inspiration - Processes

- I'd like to apply processes such as foiling, spot varnish and laser cutting to my work for experiments and final results 

What is good - Concept boards workshop

Todays workshop/ crit was a little different to normal, instead we had the opportunity to have our concept boards critted as apposed to our work or ideas. This was very useful for me as i'm not great with layout our nor do i grasp exactly what a concept/ presentation board should have presented on it some times. 

In groups of 6 we circulated our presentation boards around table giving each person the option to annotate positive and negative feedback in relation to the layout, composition and content of the boards. 

- Number presentation boards, for order 

- Alter spacing error in the Marc Jacobs title 

- Align titles to copy

- Including back ground information helps audience understand concept more

- Reduce amount of text on boards

- Well layed out and organised 

- Perhaps have bullet points to key information comparisons 

- Good idea having the name and date bottle each perfume

- Pictorial timeline is a good idea, self explanatory 

- Good use of space on board, aligned imagery 

- Use of white space on boards recurs, but is the gap between the header and title needed?

- Well laid out with interesting imagery 

- Use capital letters as you have in other headings 

- Too much text to read on a board

- Reduce amount of text to key points

Here is the list we were asked to make to help up us write out brief:

5 words that sum up your good

1. Fragrance 

2. Fresh

3. Brand

4. Individual

5. Popular

5 words that sum up your target audience 

1. Young

2. Fashionable 

3. Collectors

4. Beauty enthusiasts 

5. Females 20-25

5 words that sum up your tone of voice

1. Endearing 

2. Exciting 

3. Interactive 

4. Influential 

5. Engaging 

5 products that you want or could create

1. Perfume bottle design 

2. Packaging design 

3. Promotional products (samples, miniature perfume bottles, gift sets)

4. Website 

5. Campaign or advert 

Processes i would like to practice 

1. Foiling 

2. Laser cutting 

3. Spot Varnish 

4. Craft skills (net cuts outs)

5. Embossing/ Debossing 

What is good - Concept boards

Below are the concept boards i created for todays crit, each boards explains the them and direct of which my research has entailed so far.

Secret 7 " - Laura Marling presentation boards

Secret 7 " - Haim Presentation boards

Secret 7: Laura Marling - Beast

Themes that were in the song Beast were: Love/ Hate, You/ I, Goddess/ Beast, Mirror/ Mirror.

To touch upon these themes I thought a a useful piece of work I had once produced for a portrait project could be used to bring out the main components of the song. The image below resembles mirrored identities, a subject of life and death and a case of human or not?  

To make a start on the work I made circular images for repetition. 

I flipped the portraits so that the faces were reflected, much like a mirror.

I scratched away the the appearance of what could resemble a beast like figure.

The purpose of this is to show the beast being revealed from a dark and sinister figure as it is portrayed in the lyrics. ''and here comes the beast"

I tested layered colours over the design to experiment with dark or subtle shades.

Over all I liked the sepia tone as it showed an aspect of the Laura Marling story site and it wasn't too ominous. 

Final design:

Type and grid - Workshop 2/ Double page spread

Model obsession - Double page spread 

Here is a spread i put together after being assigned a task by Phil in the type and grid session, the spread displays photography and a life story about the iconic model - Kate Moss 

Type and grid - Workshop 2 / Presentation & task

Th rule of thirds

The rule of thirds governs the placement of points of interest in a scene, for example in a photograph.

The rule of thirds can be divided further into proportions. Breaking down thirds into further thirds.

People looking are more likely to notice the focal point.

Peoples eyes are draw into key pieces of information known as information points for example on a website, the navigation bar is the information point, this is what the eye dreads in proportion. 

Van De Graaf - Canon

A gridded pag is much like a scaffolding for a building.

It is a structure that elements can be organised. 

Its a method that can be used in book design to divide a page in pleasing proportions. 

The canon is also known as the secret canon.

The construction of Van De Graaf's canon, works for any page width: height ratio. Its purpose is to divide into asymmetrical and symmetrical portions. 

During the session we were asked to have a go at designing the Van De Graaf construction. Below is the result on my designs from using InDesign:

Initially we started off with a double page spread and divided the pages into symmetrical proportions following the De Graaf system.  

We then used the rulers to to align with top left corner of each to get the correct divided proportions for dividing into 2's resulting in 4 equal boxes. 

Margins

Margins can have an influence on the overall feel of a page of print. 

Too small - looks over full

Too large - exageration

Is it all about aesthetics?

(have an opinion about it all)

Make a double page spread, use the canon, decided on content, mixture of type and image, symmetrical or asymmetrical.

To start off with i used the canon proportion diagram i made to give me a starting point with the layout composition. 

I then added some columns for the text to be applied to. 

I decided to do a double page spread on my favourite model Kate Moss, i wanted to create and informative spread about her life along with imagery of her posing in iconic photography shots. 

During the process of design i made text boxes to insert information about the model, the style of layout i was going for was fashion magazine as it is relevant for the subject of the spread. 

Below is the final double page spread, overall i am happy with the end result, it signifies fashion, models, photography and mode layout. 

Studio brief 1: / What is good/ Product, range, distribution

 Brief

Produce a body of work that explores the relationship between content context and product in relation to your individually identified subject or theme. You should aim to produce a response that clearly and effectively exploits the function of your concepts in relation to:

A Brief History of....

A collection of.....

An Introduction to.....

Things you need to know about....

An exhibition of.......

Your work should practically and conceptually explore the possible products, ranges and methods of distribution that may be suggested by your content or reflect your own creative ambitions within Graphic Design.

Background / Considerations

This brief is in three parts

Part 1:  Based on the introductory workshops develop a practical, visual and contextual investigation of a specific subject of your own choosing. You should aim to develop research from a range of primary and secondary sources in order to fully explore the opportunities for informed creative development. Your research and development of this part of the brief should be documented on appropriate blogs and will be printed as part of your interim concept pitch.

Part 2:  Develop a body of practical and contextual research that explores the relationship between TWO of the following areas of design.

Publishing & Editorial

Information & Way-finding

Branding & Identity

Product & Packaging

Retail & Promotion

One of these should be your primary focus of contextual research with the second allowing you to relate this discipline to the broader creative and professional contexts of graphic design. Your contextual research, critical observations and reflective evaluations should be documented on your Design Context blog and summarised in the design and production of a 16 page Design Context Publication.

Part 3: Develop and produce a practical and contextual response to your research that brings together your research into content, context, specific design disciplines and appropriate media/formats. Your response should explore the relationship between product range and method/media of distribution as well as specific audiences, contexts and appropriate tone of voice.

Mandatory requirements

As defined by your interpretation of the selected brief.

You will need to meet any mandatory requirements specified on individual briefs.

In addition to the submission requirements for the briefs you will need to evidence the research, development and production of your resolutions.

Your work should be documented through regular labeled posts to your Design Practice and Design Context Blog.

Correct labeling of your work on your blog is essential.  Failure to organize your work clearly will affect the assessment of your work 

Your response to the brief should be supported by a short rationale (250 words) and evaluation of your work in relation to the initial brief.

Deliverables

Resolutions & Products appropriate to your selected brief(s).

Presentation boards articulating the selected research development, resolution and contextualization of your work.

Posts to your Design Practice & Design Context blog demonstrating your ability to effectively record, document and critically evaluate the progress of your work in relation to your own intentions and appropriate areas of contemporary creative practice.

A 16 Page Design Context Presentation and supporting research

Studio Deadline

Interim Concept Presentations - 19 / 03 / 2013

Module deadline

21 / 05 / 2013 - 1pm