APPIE CARRGRAP6030: Graphic Design Practice

SEMESTER 2

www.alteredvisualreality.co.uk

sem2research1.blogspot.co.uk

Overview

An integral element in my projects is trying to work out what a design is trying to say - not just its base content or its end user, but the actual feel of the piece. For example, the Gen II ident was based on what I thought the company wanted to convey; similarly, Watermark’s appearance was partly reliant on what I thought the festival organisers wanted the reader to feel about the festival. Whether I succeeded is a completely different story, but my intention throughout was to be more aware of the subtle interactions between design and target audience.

I think a strength this semester has been confidence in decision-making. As I said previously, I’m not to judge if the designs actually resolve their respective needs, but when developing ideas I certainly felt that decisions were being made for the right reasons, and I felt that the end results came close to what I wanted to create. I felt informed and empowered, and I know can apply this new-found confidence to the most problematic aspect of my work flow, the ever present issue of time management.

I am interested in creativity, in enjoyment. Freedom of action and expression drive me, and I enjoy far too much the novelties in life - I live trapped in the moment. I have a paradoxically linear yet open approach; I can accept nearly any concept, and embrace any idea, but work and think best in a direct, linear way. Hence living in the moment; I can’t consider what’s 3 steps ahead without getting tangled in my own feet.

This benefits my work, however, in that an idea will get it’s mileage if it feels right, and in that the more linear narratives in the compositions are clear, bold, and playful. As I have grown more confident, so has application of colour and compositional elements. The designs feel more sure of themselves.

Visual SummaryProject 1: Gen II

Project 2: Watermark

Project 3: Carlisle Photo Festival

Project 4: Summer Exhibition

Project 5: Animated Poetry

Project 6: Miscellaneous 6a - .Raw exhibition

6b - website redesign

Project 1: Gen IIThis was an external live brief set by training firm GEN II, whom required an update to their corporate identity. It was a reasonably short project, lasting roughly a week from briefing to deadline, and required confident decision making.

* A key requirement of the rebrand was a new corporate identity that would reflect their company’s strength, purpose and direction - something confident and STRIDENT.

* The target market was both corporate peers / business associates and the 16 - 25 college demographic.

Project 1: Gen IIFrom my early research the key element of successful logo / identity design was a successful integration and simplification of the company’s core purpose or attitude.

The ‘how corporate logo’s evolve‘ piece and ‘Aquila’ branding demonstrated to me how this can be achieved with aesthetically pleasing modernity. ‘Aquila’ especially demonstates the idea of balancing aspects of the identity and creating a happy compromise, an important consideration for GEN II’s new logo; they strive to appeal to both big-business types and young, fresh-faced school graduates.

Project 1: Gen IIWith this in mind I began generating ideas for the rebrand:

(Initial ideas sheet with first use of triangle concept)Considering both typeface and the use of an extra visual element, I explored ways to reach both target markets with one strategy; thick but rounded Segoe UI demonstrated corporate strength but maintained a level of approachability.

The triangle implied direction (youth) as well as stability (corporate) - direction, in the form of an arrow, yet stability in the form of the strongest geometric shape; a triangle.

Project 1: Gen IIDeveloping, I tried different variations on the same theme:

This felt like a strong idea to develop, so I tried different sizes and layouts until the composition felt nicely balanced.

I also played with circles; implying strength (through unity) and completion, it seemed a strong alternative option for visual emphasis. Development of this is seen in the folder.

Project 1: Gen IIDigital refinement of the logo:

I tightened the tracking, then opted to use Segoe UI in oblique. It linked the two visual elements and still fit comfortably within the parameters of the design - the angle conforms to the direction provided by the arrow (triangle) and reinforce the idea of growth and direction, the roman numeral ‘pillars’ remain stable strong.

I applied the existing colour scheme minus the gold / yellow (the client expressed a desire to lose the gold but possibly still use the purple). The new red hue is my personal choice for the identity, being a strong, bold colour choice. For the corporate audience, it implies confidence and success, for the student a mentor with surity and strength and means.

Project 2: WatermarkThis was an internal live brief to create mock-ups and concepts for a guide to the 2013 Words by the Water poetry festival in Keswick.

This was also a short project, lasting roughly a week before initial submission to the client. My design was not chosen for stage 2 so I decided to move on to a fresh project, but had it been selected I think my end result would have been easy to build upon.

* A criticism of previous years’ entries was a lack of vital ‘freshness’, a misreading of the target audience due to the nature of the festival. Poetry is not inherently boring and the stereotype that only older people/snobs read it is absurd. The target market is realistically anywhere between 18 and 60+.

* An interesting visual style / theme is a necessity. The magazine needs to reflect the creativity of the festival subject matter.

* The client required mock-ups of:

- A front cover - Contents spread - Feature spread - Festival listings

Project 2: WatermarkI realised very quickly into the research that I was searching out interesting, dynamic colour pallettes rather than purely compositional features such as grid and margins. Because if the magazine was to reflect the content, then it needed to have depth and subtlety but the ability to make a bold statement.

I also found the use of pattern interesting, and decided that it could be interesting to give the spreads a consistent element, a visual anchor that convinced the reader it was linking the spreads and thus downplaying the subtle, blended colours.

Project 2: WatermarkThis idea of developing a theme stuck, and I began playing with ways to make and use a logo-type device related to Watermark. The idea of using ‘reflections‘ was an intriguing and appropriate one, the obvious link being the Words by the Water festival is... well, by water.

However, poetry is also a medium known for reflection, introspection and emotive content.The theme reflects the content (no pun intended) and is doubly appropriate for the magazine.

W

W

Project 2: WatermarkDigital Development:

W WWW

WATERMARK WATERMARK

W a t e r M a r k

Project 2: WatermarkApplying a soft, natural colour scheme I worked in

the diagonal lines and diamond pattern.

Carlisle Photo Festival is an annual opportunity for photographers to exhibit their work to the public in free spaces. The client required advertising for both festival submission (i.e. at photographers) and for festival promotion (i.e at the public).

* Part 1 (aimed at photographers) had a specific set of requirements as to format and content - the client wanted A4 / A3 posters to supplement an existing website. However, the list of necessary content changed to include a postcard and an A5 flyer.

Required to inform, draw attention and link to the website.

* Part 2 (aimed at the public) also had a strict set of requirements: - 50 A4 / A3 posters - 1 A2 banners - 2 A1 blueback posters - 20 A1 posters (to sell) - 1 8x2ft banner (outdoor vinyl) - Leaflet containing map [cancelled but relevant to research]

Required to inform, and indicate the quality of the festival.

Project 3: CPF 2013

Project 3: CPF 2013 (PART 1)Limited to a set colour pallete, I set about finding inspiration that used only few colours also. Knowing that the poster needed to be striking and loud (it would be posted on very busy poster boards) I also opted to look for high-contrast pieces. Typography was important because this would be a primary visual element.

During a meeting with the client I created the below proof of concept, where we decided on the typeface florencesans. Bold, stylised but highly legible, we felt it was perfect for standing out on a crammed noticeboard filled with standard type-faces.

However, after renegotiating the brief the client wished to have 300 A5 flyers printed ASAP. Below is the final version; left are examples of how the diagonal element was tripping up the composition and leaving gaps. The background pattern is reversed to make the design more striking.

Project 3: CPF 2013

Since the client wished the poster to prominently display an example of the level of photography required to particpate, I focused on how to frame the photograph on the page so it rose to the top of the page hierarchy.

Project 3: CPF 2013

The next commission was for a postcard. With only a limited time-frame, roughs were a luxury I could ill afford. Noting down my initial ideas, I was inspired by my research to use a full bleed photo for the front of the card.

Project 3: CPF 2013

For Part 2, i was provided with an image that had been chosen to be used on most of the advertising. The design challenge was finding a way to make it fit multiple formats, as well as designing elements that would complement the imagery and the tone of the festival.

Research was focused on typographic examples that made good use of space provided and complemented the style of the imagery.

Project 3: CPF 2013 (PART 2)

Project 3: CPF 2013I developed an idea from my roughs to extend the sky in the photograph. With the multiple portrait formats to be used this seemed a prudent option.

I carefully replaced the original cloud layer with a false one that I could extend indefinitely and made sure to make the transition seamless (far right):

(Process further documented in folio)

Project 3: CPF 2013

With the extra vertical space to play with, I tried to place the text in a composition that used the space well but left the space ‘airy‘ enough so as not to clutter the poster. The logo ended in the top right where it balanced out the heavy lower left, allowing the smaller text to fall below in an attractive if simple linear hierarchy. On the right is development of the logo stripe.

Project 3: CPF 2013

The final commission for CPF 2013 was an 8 x 2 foot vinyl banner, located inside the folio for your tactile pleasure. The house colour seemed an obvious choice for the background; it is more eye-catching than white or grey, and, since the banner was to be outdoors, will show grime less readily.

Project 3: CPF 2013

(Full sized banner in A1 folder)

This was a one day project, requiring 4 final exhibition posters with 4 invitations. Each required different approaches and ingredients, although all required the same body copy, and the brief was limited to one day.

* The question to answer was simple; how best to combine the allowed elements in an interesting and dynamic composition?

* The target audience was pevious students of the UoC and the wider carlisle community. Specifically, the invitations would be targeted at relatives and persons of interest.

Project 4: Exhibition Posters

“A deadline is negative inspiration. Still, it’s better than no inspiration at all.”

Rita Mae Brown

Project 4: Exhibition Posters

First set (typographic); challenged to use one word as a title, one display font prominently, one type family for all other text, one texture and a visible grid or structure. I think “fromage” is an

in-joke from the morning briefing...

Project 4: Exhibition Posters

Second set (photographic); challenged to use one word as a title, one photograph, three different typefaces (non of which I’ve used in any other of the posters).

Project 4: Exhibition Posters

Third set (texture); challenged to use up to three words in combination as a title and one ‘new’ display face to create a pattern /texture.

Project 4: Exhibition Posters

Fourth set (free); challenged to use the resources I’d been given in any combination and quantity and anything else appropriate.

A self-directed brief. The required output was a modern retelling of a classic poem, in a style that could be applied to other poems for a larger collection.

* The question to answer, then; how to make an old or classic poem interesting to a new, literature-light audience?

* The target audience was the 14+ demographic, spefically the internet generation. Designed primarily to interest those who would not seek out poetry for entertainment.

Although I originally intended to use multiple sources for the narrative content,

the latter 50% of development was all aimed toward purposeful representation

of the singular narrative in ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’.

Project 5: Modern Poetry

Project 5: Modern Poetry

Inspired by artwork from videogame “the Cave”, I wanted to portray the narrative in a linear and stylised fashion. Even at this early stage I had a good inclination of what art style I wanted to pursue. Silhouettes, shadows and a muted colour pallete were rife in the research.

Project 5: Modern PoetryHaving narrowed down the content to just Frost’s seminal piece, I decided an animation would answer the brief better than a printed book. My research into animation fed into my development, particularly the collage style and the use of layered elements, and I storyboarded the poem from start to finish, creating a basis from which to work digitally.

Project 5: Modern Poetry

As I began creating digital mock-ups, I discovered the wealth of animation options open to me. Trying different ways to animate the same assets was led by the research; for example, the first set of trees (top) are animated similarly to a piece from my research (middle, top). Yet I also attempted something more dynamic, more infographic in style, growing the tree by the individual branch.

Similarly, a researched animation (a countdown for a sports event, centre) highlighted the importance of smooth minor transitions, the focal poit of any animation being the transition between states - for example, my full moon to blackest night (right)

Project 5: Modern Poetry

(final frame examples)

Project 6a: .Raw exhibitionA live brief from the third year photography students, I was asked to supply a logo and advertising concept for a final exhibition. The logo was to be “clean, simple, modern” and in some way tied to the advertising campaign. The target market was all ages, but particularly non-university affiliated people and possibly parents/friends of students.

* The question to be answered; how to make an attractive, simple, relevant logo that could transfer in an iconic way to advertising.

Project 6a: .Raw exhibitionI began with sketched ideas exploring how to integrate a logo into a theme:

Strong, geometric shapes were an initial idea I expanded on and developed, a visual anchor that could be used within imagery on posters or a catalogue.

Project 6a: .Raw exhibition

Digital development:

The client wanted a range of options, presented with advertising examples.

(Next page)

Project 6a: .Raw exhibitionThese images demonstrated the logos with sample imagery, to provide an idea of interaction options. Something as simple as highlighting key features proved to be the ‘iconic‘ element they were looking for, and the client chose the square logo shown in the image bottom right.

Project 6a: .Raw exhibitionI presented the final concept to the client, and they were pleased with the result.However, at this stage I moved onto the CPF project and another designer began work with my logo/concept.

Project 6a: .Raw exhibition (affiliated)I was asked to create a poster and tickets for a fundraising event. The design requirements were to include all provided copy, but I had full creative control over imagery and typeface. With a deadline of 2 days to design and print, I began digital work immediately:

Final poster designFinal ticket design

Project 6b: Website RedesignFollowing redesigned branding, my website required some work. The previous version was inefficient in its navigation, and not representative of its content - it was both too showy yet too clunky.

* The question to be answered; how to simplify navigation and best bring the site’s aesthetic inline with new branding guidelines?

* Target audience is potential employers, thus the style must be honest and represent the work and my own attitude.

Project 6b: Website RedesignThe previous website contrasted with the new branding and house style:

Project 6b: Website RedesignExisting layout:

[Streamlining interaction]

All content accessed through individual channels, all roads lead to home page. Minumum 6 clicks to access 2 projects.

All content found through portfolio link. Content linked horizontally as well as through portfolio path. Minimum 3 clicks to access 2 projects.

Proposed layout:

Home

Home

Design

Portfolio

Content

Content Content Content Content Content

ContentContent ContentContent ContentContent

MusicIllustration

About / Contact

PhotographyEditorial About Contact

Project 6b: Website RedesignThe splash page / Home page. Much more personal, with the new house style represented - orange, purple, white, black, Rockwell and Rockwell bold.

The simple navigation is less intrusive, and less cluttered.I rounded off the harder edges to integrate the elements into the page. This softer approach is less visually stark.

The contact/about page integrates elements from the identity

Project 6b: Website Redesign

New, streamlined navigation. Home leads to the portfolio of selected work

Selecting a project thumbnail opens the individual page,and images can be opened for full sized preview.

SEMESTER 2

Dissertation:

“An investigation into models and theories of video game immersion, their cultural applications, and future ramifications.“