OUGD405 Research (Studio Brief One)

I decided I was going to base my backing paper on dreams. To get an idea of the dreams that people have, I asked my flatmates what the weirdest dream they ever had was. These are below.

"I was on a caravan park, I knew it was a caravan park, however there was only one caravan that was very derelict and decayed. The whole ground was covered in holes, about the size of bowling balls and I had to tread really carefully to avoid getting my leg stuck. For some reason I knew I had to get to the lonesome caravan. I got to the door and knocked and stepped back as the caravan door opened outwards. The door swung open and there stood bugs bunny, however he was rabid and terrifying. He said that he needs to rip out my heart to bury it in the ground, unless I take a bag full of hearts and dry them out in the back of my car. The next thing I remember is driving down the road with the back shelf of the car completely full of human hearts. Then I wake up. It's a recurring dream that I've had since I was six years old and I have no idea what it means." - Hayley

"I was with my dad and it was back when he used to smoke, and he was smoking and accidentally burnt a bit of his face. A couple of days later he took me to some kind of floating cabin on the water in Jamaica and we went inside and in the lighting in the cabin, you could see that the burn on his face had gone white and his eyes had turned red, and he was trying to kill me with a knife. He was trying to kill me and I was shouting 'please don't kill me, dad!' and then I woke up. The dream also happened another time with another person that I knew who smoked." - Chay

"I had a dream that I worked in a corner shop and then the shop turned into a department store and I was chatting to a complaining customer and my supervisor started crying and he was like a small child. Another time I dreamt I was in the TV show crystal maze, which was pretty cool. And another time I had a dream I was being attacked by an eagle, and it wasn't just an eagle it was like a heron sized eagle, but for some reason I wasn't running away from it." - Florence

OUGD405 Photoshop Induction (Studio Brief One)

For my photoshop induction, I was asked to create a poster for a film of my choice. I decided that I would create a poster based on Avatar as it's a really good movie and I thought it would be really fun to test myself and see if I could edit someone into an Avatar character. I asked my friend to take a photograph of himself and to send it to me. This was the image that he sent me.

I then basically just played with the settings, contrast, colours and opacities. This was the final outcome, that I'm really happy with. As I have quite a lot of experience with Photoshop, I really wanted to push myself and do a really good job, and I'm really happy with the outcome as it looks very similar to the original.

OUGD405 Development (Studio Brief One)

I decided that my theme would be memories, as that is what photoframes are generally for. However, I decided i would base my backing paper on my own personal memories. To do this, I looked through some of my photos that I have taken through-out visits to different places and locations. These are some of the images that I found. The first is an image that I took in Warrington of a fly on a flower. It's really simplisic however I think the image would look really successful in a frame.

The next was also taken in Warrington. I personally prefer this one, as I think the position of the text works a lot better and the colours really compliment each other.

This was taken in Warrington town. I think it's good as the black and white image would look really good in a frame. The colour didn't show up too well so I decided I would add a low opacity circle as it made the type stand out a little more.

This was also taken in town and I think it works really well. I think it's strange that the image is of a carpark, however it still seems quite professional and the colours work really well.

This image was taken in London on Brick Lane. I think it's quite an effective design, however it is a bit boring to look at.

I then decided to change the way I would display the size of the frames. This can be seen below. I looked through some of my photographs on Flickr that can be found HERE. I then added different sizes to the photograph. I think these designs looked a lot slicker, so I figured this is the style of design I will go for once I have taken some photographs for this project, and not ones I have already taken.

I inverted the type and shape on the images, so that you could see it on whatever image I would put it on and I think it was really effective and looked slick.

I then played with the shape that the type was inside, and also the position of the type and shape. These can be seen below. I think the square definitely works, but so does the circle - however the circle only looks good in the centre of the image, and depending on what the images I take look like, this could be an issue if I don't use the rule of thirds.

OUGD405 Idea Generation (Studio Brief One)

I am unsure whether to create illustrative designs or use photography. For this reason, I think I will explore both and see which outcomes I prefer most. I am going to go take some photographs on the weekend of the city and then decide which I am going to take forward and develop further. As I already have quite a few images that I have taken myself of the countryside from when I have been at home, I am going to begin experimenting using them, until I get a solid idea.

Once I have created these, it will probably be nearer the weekend and I will then design some illustrations, as I think the ones that Urban Outfitters sell would work really well if they were with a simpler frame, and I really like the idea of using a pattern.

OUGD405 Design Process, Frames (Studio Brief One)

For this brief, we have been asked to create 3 images that would fit in a photoframe as the photo that the frames would be bought with. The brief requires us to reimagine the backing images, however each image must include the dimensions of the frame. The concept of the design should be shape, however we should be creative with our manipulations and compositions. The designs must be part of a set or series.

I am going to go to a couple of shops over the weekend and do some research into backing paper that already exists. In the meantime, however, I am going to look into backing paper online, as I would like to atleast get an idea of the backgrounds I would like to create after doing some primary research in store.

To begin with, I have googled backing paper frames. Not a lot of images came up in the search, so I decided I would look at online stores and the photoframes that they offer. I firstly started by looking on Urban Outfitters. I think the image and the frame below really compliment each other, as the colours and image style really match with the tv style, however it could've worked even better if the image was in black and white and was quite grainy.

Personally, I don't think the backing image in the frame below works too well as the image and the frame don't relate too well, as the image is illustrations of horses and the frame is created out of a daisy change pattern. I think the image would've worked a lot better if it was in black and white and the type was in colour, as I think there is a little too much going on and it's quite harsh to look at. 

I then decided that I would look online at photoframes from Marks and Spencers, however the photoframes on there didn't have any images in them. Personally, I think these actually look a lot better displayed like this, as they are simple and you seem to get a better look at the frame, as the eye isn't distracted by the image. I then decided I would look at John Lewis. I think this design is really great as it's incredibly simplistic and modern. I think the typography used really works as well, as the 'O' matches the circle theme. 

I think this design is a little too simplistic and I don't personally enjoy the colour scheme used, however it does fit with the frame, as it doesn't distract from the design of the frame. 

I will create a new post on the weekend once I have gone to the shop to look at some designs in store, as I don't think I can get the true effect of the image online.

OUGD404 Icons, Symbols and Logos

We were given a talk from John about icons  and symbols and we were split into groups and asked to redesign the fire exit sign, that is world known and incredibly recognisable. My group began by deciding which colour we would want our sign to be. We think that the dark green colour that is used is very ugly and we wanted our sign to be aesthetically pleasing, so we decided to change the colour to a turquoise/teal kind of colour. We decided this as the colour red means danger, however the fire exit shows safety, so therefore it is the opposite. We started thinking about the conotations behind the colour blue, and it generally means cold or cool. I think that is the perfect message for a fire exit, as it'd be away from the heat.

This is our final design for our exit sign. I think it's really successful as the colours are really striking against each other, however I don't think it'd work in anywhere other than English speaking countries, as it wouldn't be worth risking people not understanding where the fire exit was. This is generally why symbols are used, because of language barriers.

OUGD403 Evaluation

I’ve really enjoyed this module as I have learnt multiple new skills, such as Indesign, and I have also developed my skills in certain areas, such as drawing and also Illustrator. A particular brief I thoroughly enjoyed was alphabet soup as I really love thinking conceptually and I think this is a particular strength of mine. I tried to stay away from the obvious choices for the word ‘mature’, such as mature cheese, as I thought this would, excuse the pun, be really cheesy, and I wanted my typeface to be legible. For this reason I created a letterform based around development, which I think worked really successfully. I also really enjoyed the Delivery brief, in which we had to make three posters, as I enjoy poster design and this brief also allowed me to think conceptually. I was also really happy with the three final posters that I produced, as I think they work as a series even though they all have a different message. 

I think through-out the module, I was really successful with time management, as I finished all of my briefs in time for each critique. A weakness of mine was definitely keeping up to date with my blog, as I didn’t at first and it took me quite a while to catch up. I plan to keep on top of it in the next module. I found this module quite challenging as there was quite a lot of information to process, however I will be more prepared next module as I have an idea of the work load now. I found it really interesting learning about artists that I hadn't heard of before, and I found the briefings really useful as Simon went into detail about some of the artists and their particular styles, such as Shepard Fairey.

OUGD403 Final Crit (Studio Brief Four)

In the final crit, I presented my three final posters to the group. Overall, people said that the colour scheme definitely works, a lot better than the original red and black theme I was going to go with. They also gave me some suggestions of how to improve the posters if I had more time, for example the Type and Image poster could be edited very subtly just so it had the two planes instead of the stars, and there wasn't necessarily a need for "bullshit" within the poster, however if I did this it wouldn't be a type and image poster. They also discussed with me whether they thought the type on the bottom of the image poster was necessary, and I said that I think it was as it broke up the image and made it a poster, whereas before it looked more like an illustration. I chose to use Helvetica for each poster as it apparently doesn't give off a specific message or theme, and I think it worked for each poster as it kept a constant within the series. Overall, I am really happy with my posters and the development behind them, as you can almost see my thought process as I was trying to think very conceptually.

OUGD403 Poster Development, Image Only (Studio Brief Four)

For the final poster, I had originally started trying to design posters based on the conspiracy theory, however I was really struggling as the posters really lacked typography and explanation - the message wasn't too easy to understand and they weren't aesthetically pleasing. This is one of the posters that I originally designed. I think the message is clear, however there was far too much negative space to be an effective poster design, and it looked quite empty. I think the concept behind the poster was really successful though.

This was an idea that I had that was based on the government not being involved in the disaster, however more on the rememberance. I think this poster could definitely work, however it is very simplistic and after research, I have found out that it has been done quite a few times before.

This is my next poster design, based again on remembering the disaster. I think this design is very slick, simplistic and successful, so will be my final idea. However, the message of the poster isn't too clear, so I am going to add some very small type at the bottom for a website that can be found HERE. I think this will be okay as it just gives some further information about the meaning of the poster.

This is my final design with the type added. I think it definitely needed it, and it also makes it look more like a poster than the previous. I think it's good as it links to a website that is all about remembering those who lost their life in the disaster, instead of being just an illustration.

OUGD403 Poster Development, Type and Image (Studio Brief Four)

For this poster, I knew I was going to stick with the same colour scheme as the previous poster, as the link between them all would be more apparent. This was one of the posters that I designed, based on remembering The Twin Towers and how they are a very important piece of history that should never be forgotten. This specific poster was based on the against side, where the people don't believe in the governments involvement in the disaster, and care more about remembering the people who lost their lives. I think this poster could have been effective, however posters like this already exist and look better than my design, as they aren't limited to 2 colours.

This is another poster that I designed. I think this poster works really well, and is also for the same reason as the above. I think the simplicity of the poster works really well and is very relevant to the message of the poster. Again, however, it is quite simple.

Instead, I decided for the type and image poster, I would use the message that the government were behind the collapse of the Twin Towers, as I thought I would really struggle to create a poster based on this without using both type and image. I think this poster is really good as it sticks to the colour scheme and works really well. I thought the message could be a little clearer, so I changed 2 of the stars in the flag to planes and made it really subtley look like they were flying into the Twin Towers - something you would only really notice if you studied the poster closely, as I didn't want to offend people viewing the poster too much.

As this didn't really look like a final poster, I decided I would add a website to the bottom as it would look more like a finished outcome. This is the final poster design, which I'm really happy with.

OUGD403 Poster Development, Type Only (Studio Brief Four)

I decided I would jump right into using Illustrator to create my posters, as I thought this way I would be able to create better quality, and slick posters. This was the first poster that I designed, which was based on being open-minded about who was behind the 9/11 disaster. I think it works, however it is incredibly simplistic and I think too simplistic. I changed the U so that it would look slightly like The Twin Towers, however I don't think it works too well as the message isn't too clear.

I then designed this poster, that was supposed to have the same message. I think this works quite well, as it isn't about trusting the government, just about having your own opinion and doing research on them opinions. I think this was a lot more successful as the message was a lot clearer and the poster also had a reason - which was to buy Russell Brand's new book "Revolution".

I thought it might be effective if I added a quote from Russell Brand himself. I got this quite from the interview on Newsnight. I think this poster could definitely work, however right now seems a little basic - however I think it is definitely high impact and makes you question your opinions and loyalties.

As this poster was working, I decided I would add a reason for the poster, which was again to buy Russell Brand's "Revolution" book. I also added two strokes of red across the poster, as I thought this would represent the falling of the Twin Towers and show the reason why he made the point about trusting the government and the media. I think this definitely works, and it also looks vaguely like the English flag, which shows that you should not only question the American government, but your own government. 

I then looked into the quote from Russell Brand a bit more, and decided I would focus more on The Twin Towers and the reason he made the point. I thought the vague illustration of the twin towers worked well for the previous poster, so I decided (as this is a type only poster) I would edit a letter in the quote to look like the Twin Towers. I think this was definitely my most successful poster as the message of the poster is very clear.

To make this part of a series, I decided it would be most effective if all my posters followed the same colour scheme. So for this reason, I changed the colours of the previous poster colours to the colours of the American Flag, which again will just make the message of the poster even more obvious. I think this was really successful and I am proud of the way it has turned out.

OUGD403 Research, Sedki Alimam (Studio Brief Four)

Sedki Alimam is a graphic designer based in Uppsala in Sweden. I think his work is incredibly interesting as he uses very basic and limited colouring, something I have looked into a bit as I am limited to using 2 colours for my own poster designs. I particularly like his illustrations entitled "Bic Man" which can all be seen HERE. He has created multiple characters based around the Bic logo on his favourite pop culture characters. I particularly like the design below, which is based on the character Heisenberg from the series Breaking Bad. I think the limited use of colour really works for his poster designs, as they are aesthetically pleasing and simplistic, however you can still recognise a lot of the characters that he has tried to recreate in the limits of the Bic logo.

I also really like his work entitled 'Dissociative Identity Disorder'. He describes it as "A mental disorder on the dissociative spectrum characterized by at least two distinct and relatively enduring identities or dissociated personality states that alternately control an animation character's behaviour" which basically means it is based on a cartoon character whos actions are controlled by another. The series can be seen HERE. I think the concept is really interesting, as it's true that the character couldn't develop without the other, and infact both characters wouldn't really exist or have a purpose without the other. For example, in this particular cartoon, the Roadrunner wouldn't torment the Coyote, and Wile E. Coyote wouldn't have much of a purpose as a character without the Roadrunner. They both shadow each other, however both compliment each other at the same time. I particularly like this design as the Alimam has screen printed the designs onto t-shirts and jumpers.

OUGD403 Research, Cranio Design (Studio Brief Four)

I had an idea of creating a poster about how the government were behind the 9/11 attacks. My idea is that I will use George W. Bush's eye, and then have the reflection of the Twin Towers within the pupil. As I don't want the eye to be life-like, I decided I would look at artists that use very minimal colours and create illustrations of eyes. Izzie told me about the artist on Behance called "Craniodsgn", who has a series of images that were exactly how I wanted my illustration to look. The website can be seen HERE with the whole series on.

I particularly liked the illustration below as the expression is incredibly explicit and is a similar style to the type of eye I would like to illustrate for my poster. I think the textures and simplistic shading really works for this illustration as it is incredibly slick.

I think this kind of expression would also look really successful for my poster as it gives off the feel of mischief, guilt and cunning. 

Cranio is a vector illustrator and graphic designer from Valencia, who works as a freelance artist. He has worked for many big clients, such as Warner Bros and Nike. His other illustrations are incredibly clean and slick, and I think they're really effective as they generally use around 2-3 colours (which is perfect inspiration for the poster I plan on designing). Some of his illustrations are quite psychadelic, such as his design of Thom Yorke from Radiohead, and a t-shirt designed entitled "Out Come The Wolves". 

OUGD404 Negative Space

Negative space within graphic design is most commonly seen within logo design, for example the FedEx logo has an arrow in the negative space between the letter 'E' and 'X'.

We were told to choose a word at random and have a go at creating our own design. I originally started by creating artwork based around the word 'rain'. I started by putting the letter 'r' into a raindrop. I think this looks quite effective, however it's very simplistic.

I then tried to create rain drops around the letter 'r'. I think this was really poor and it was quite hard to do. I decided I was going to rethink my word choice as I was struggling quite a bit.

I decided I would use the word 'snail'. I came up with this through a random word generator. I started by writing out the word and trying to put an illustration on of a snail on one of the letters.

I then decided that I would play around with the 'S' as it looks a similar shape to the shell of a snail. These experiments can be seen below. I think they look quite nice, however they weren't really what I was going for.

I then decided to play around with the letterforms in the word some more. 

This is the final design that I came up with. I think it's the most effective as it's simplistic and I can simplify it even more through Adobe Illustrator.

This is the final design that I came up with. I think it's effective because it's really simple.

OUGD403 Interim Crit Feedback (Studio Brief Four)

In the group crit, I mainly spoke about the message and ideas I had drawn out for my posters. People seemed to think it was a good idea that I create a poster for each view on the 9/11 attacks, as it's quite a touchy subject as people lost their lives, and also there are already quite a lot of posters out there already that are based on the conspiracy theory side. I also think it would be a good idea as I'm not really sure what my own opinion on the disaster is, and I want my work to be meaningful to me.

OUGD403 Final Crit Feedback (Studio Brief Two)

In the final crit, we were in a big group and showed everyone our final letterforms. I didn't get much feedback, however mainly people agreed and said the grid wouldn't be very useful or easy to use. People also said that they think I chose the right kind of layout to display my type, as they thought it would've looked quite overcrowded if I had made it more complex. I decided my font would be called Matura, as it was based on the word mature using the font Futura, so I thought it was quite an effective name, and people in the group crit seemed to really like the name.

If I had more time for this project, I really would've liked to use the software that creates it into an actual typeface, as I have never done this before and it would be a whole new learning experience, however probably very complicated to do.

OUGD403 Final Grid (Studio Brief Two)

I am now going to create a grid for my typeface using my finished letterforms. I think this should be quite easy to do, however I am quite worried that it will look incredibly complex. Below are the grids that I have created. Personally, I don't think they'd be useful at all for the creation of my type, as they are very full, however didn't really help at all when simplified.

This is the grid that I created for my uppercase letters. I have added a letter into the grid to show how it works.

This is the grid that I created for my lowercase letterforms. Again, it's incredibly complicated and quite confusing to use.

This is the grid that I created for my numbers. It's not as complicated, but I think that's just because there aren't as many numbers as there are letters, so it's clearer to see and use.