I have decided to use the artwork from my FMP animation to design my business cards. I wanted the design for these and my website to have the same aesthetic...
Redesign of my website...
The website consists of three pages; the home page which features my FMP animation, an images page with a small selection of work and a video page with two of my other animations.
Some layouts for my A2 portfolio...
My 'Voodoo Money Ragdoll"...
The pinned flags read; 'cash in my pocket', 'money on my mind' and 'sex sells'. I may change the quotes on the flags as I continue my research or create more to be pinned all over the doll.
I am currently working on redesigning my website to give it more of an illustrative appearance.
Initially I had the idea that the homepage of the site would be shelving with various objects n the shelves. Each object would represent a different piece of work or area of the site...
After working on this idea for a while I realised it created the same issues I have with my current design. Once people navigate away from the homepage it can be difficult to navigate other pages without ending up with the standard home, about, work buttons - and this is something I would like to avoid.
I then moved onto the idea of the website only consisting of one page meaning that all the work and information I feel relevant will be very accessible to visitors. I also think it would be nice to relate the illustration of the site more directly to the site name - where are my wings.
Birds are a representation of wings and working as individually illustrated icons they could each work as a rollover action to bring up various bits of work.
I spent a lot of time trying out different types of birds and whether or not they should be detailed drawing or basic representative shapes.
I then came up with the idea of origami cranes, people often hang the birds to create mobiles etc. Having the cranes 'hang' down from the top of the page means that I can add or remove the birds easily to introduce new bits of work etc to the site. It also means I can keep to the idea of only have one main page. At the moment I am happy with the idea but not sure whether the design is too basic and if a more illustrative appearance is needed. I have also replaced text on the site with hand drawn lettering.
Some bits and bobs I've been thinking about...
Using tracing paper to layer the images
As mentioned before I want to work with the books contents so I'm am interested in expanding or developing the scenes in photographs and illustrations
Pop ups
Through my research and work my theme or basis for the animation is 'Positive Propaganda' - the basic idea is influencing people's attitude in what I believe to be a positive way.
Initially I looked at the artwork used in Russian Cold War posters and WW2 British posters to see if there was anything to be inspired by ....
I started off with some really basic compositions simple shapes and a bold 'blocky' appearance mimicking some of the styles I had seen in Russian poster art.
Some more bits and pieces ....
I also experimented with making each part of an image out of separate shapes with torn edges similar to Russian and Cuban street art and posters
For this project I have to build a website from scratch that represents me; an online CV, portfolio - full of things that make me or i find interesting.
I've decided to call my website 'where are my wings' (wherearemywings.co.uk). The idea behind it is that learning or trying something new is like finding a pair of wings and learning to fly - so we should always be on the lookout for new things and new wings.
I've wanted to learn more about web design and building sites for some time and this project has given me the perfect opportunity. I initially wanted to make my website in Dreamweaver, I have books and watched lots of tutorials. Although I am beginning to get to grips with the software in order to concentrate on the design and aesthetic of my site I may use a software called Freeway instead - a web design software that's a lot more user friendly!
Initial design layouts etc...
Some websites that caught my eye:
I've begun my 1000 drawings at The Museum of Childhood. It's one of my favourite museums in London and one that I have visited regularly since being a child.
I concentrated mostly on puppets and dolls which I found fascinating to look at and draw, here are some drawings from today.
The opposing poster design to my pro consumer poster from the ideological opinion project last year.
I thought it would be interesting to explore the other side of the argument
I drifted away from the idea of playing cards for a bit - I wanted this project to include text as I had so many memories that couldn't be communicated through image alone. I begun making a notice board like collection of words and pictures.
However I didn't want to drop the idea of playing cards completely. My finished work combines image, text and layouts (such a reflection) commonly seen on cards. Personally I had a lot of fun with this project I enjoyed the challenge of putting emotions, memories etc into a piece of graphic design which others can hopefully see and understand my own connection to this house.
I decided to use my Granny's house for this project, as it's the only house I've known all my life. She is also moving this year so it's a great opportunity to bring together memories of the objects there. The house is called Geufron and is in Wales, it's an old farm house with a barn and about 3 acres of land. As a child I loved being able to explore and run off with my cousins without our parents right behind us. Lots of the objects in the house and the farm have family stories, memories and anecdotes to go along with them. I begun collecting photographs and making sketches of my personal favourite things. I've been playing around with the objects creating patterns etc. From a young age my Granny taught me to play lots of card games so the patterns are inspired by the picture cards from a deck.
I've considered changing the name of my film to 'M Is For Martha'
Think I'm going to have an ask around to see which people prefer!
I made some slight adjustments to my Complaint Kit packaging. The main changes were to the type layout and fonts.
Using original designs I modified my Small Ads poster design
Illustrations from the Interview Project -
Illustrations from for Dream Dictionary project
My Completed box design...
Inside bits...
The Brief:
Compile a list of 12 books that have influenced you and your work. Present these as a piece of Graphic Design. These do not have to all be directly connected to Graphic Design.
I was excited about starting this project as I think books that stay with you after you read them are very special. It was hard to choose 12 specifically but I hope the ones I have picked cover a broad range of subjects and possibly are a representation of part of me.
I initially thought of creating a top twelve chart poster with a magazine style layout. However I changed my mind because I thought this is a perfect opportunity to to make my own book. I want the book to be simple and minimal. I was originally going to use the original artwork of the books I had chosen but instead I have illustrated them myself in order for my own book to be more personal.
Some of my illustrations...
I've begun to get together my own photography to include in my poster. I wanted to keep the same richness of colour seen in Hindu images of Goddesses. Here is me, the Goddess of consumerism!
I've been researching a lot of Hindu art work. Many depictions of their Gods and Goddesses are very ornate and colourful. I think elements of these posters would be great in inspiring my poster design for pro free market and consumerism.
The central image of my poster will be the 'Consumer Goddess'. The Hindu Goddess Kali (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kali) has many arms, I'm going to pinch this idea so that my own Goddess and hold many purchases!
Work in progress.........
I've experimented with layout, the elements I would like to include and colour. I used water colours to paint the images above, however I'm not sure if they are bold enough to create the effect I'm after.
I continued using Letraset on glasses for the recipe project. I used tall glasses for main courses and smaller ones for cocktails. I definitely think this idea could be pushed forward in many ways. The cocktail glasses had a lot of interest, but perhaps each glass should contain the whole recipe instead of spread over two/ three glasses so that people at parties etc could make their own drink. There could also be measures on the actual glass?
Although not great photography! The glasses can be tricky to read from a distance, I picked them purposely because of the lines that went around (making it easier to get the lettering straight) however it has in some ways backfired!
Few more bits of work for my small ads project.
I experimented with shapes and a bit of colour as my previous designs were black and white.
I'm continuing with the 'recipe cups' idea. I've experimented with Letraset on on glasses. I think it looks clean cut and quite sleek. I want to play around with lights, possibly, under the glasses to see if there is any decent projections of the recipe onto a kitchen surface.
This is my final logo design. Originally I wanted to create the design onto a paper napkin but after many failed attempts I decided against the idea!
I lost the pink background that featured in my previous designs as I thought it was too rich. I wanted something fresh and lighter than the current branding colour schemes at Starbucks.
I used Helvetica for 'Starbucks' it is quite similar to the sans serif type they use at present but I think it worked best after playing around with others. The 'coffee' is handwritten font called Violation.
I also want to design napkins, cup sleeves and possibly a uniform that are part of my branding design.
Researching paper cups and cup sleeves I found some interesting designs and ideas.
http://www.finecraftguild.com/starbucks-coffee-cup-holder-easy-beach-craft/
http://www.packagingoftheworld.com/2008/09/tak-out-caf.html
http://img.xcitefun.net/users/2009/09/115408,xcitefun-paper-cup-holder-4.jpg
http://ny-image2.etsy.com/il_430xN.55804774.jpg
For my final box design I kept the plain pink background and changed the font back to the original type. I'm still not sure if the patterned background from my first box would have been better however when printed it wasn't as clear as I would have like it. I was also unable to have my box printed onto a card similar to cereal boxes, so I made a card board net and printed onto A4 sticker labels which I then transferred onto card.
I have really enjoyed the cereal project. I think it was really beneficial to have a project with a long time to work on. I had the opportunity to reevaluate my designs and pick at what I would change and realise what did and didn't work. I still want to get by box printed professionally to have a more sleek finish.
I am going to make wallet sized 'goal cards' inspired by Ardens book, Whatever you think, think the opposite. I begun making minimal black cards with a white rectangular goal shape in the middle.
They were really simiular to the page in the book, so I'm playing around with different layouts colours etc. At the moment i like the idea of a pack containing 4 or 5 cards (differently coloured) that people could separate short to long term goals.
I redesigned my box to see if changes to font, colour and layout would improve my box design. I had a mixed reaction from classmates on which elements they preferred. I have decided to create a combination of the two using positive elements of both to have a finished design.
I have added audio to my advert and changed parts of it to a sepia tone. Again some people preferred the original colour version to the new one. However I think I will keep it as it is! I will post it on YouTube and soon as I have my final box design (I need it as the end shot).
During the first week of the Postcard Project I experimented with posting some unusual formats of post. Midget postcards are a novelty card sized 90mm x 70mm. My own 'Stamp Sized Postcard' failed to make it through the post however I liked the idea of creating something smaller than what is usually expected.
I decided to create my own Mini Mail Masterpieces, making mini canvases with a postcard size and format. I believe the canvases are fun and have a novelty element any image could be printed onto the canvas however I chose to put some of my previous work onto my set of postcards.
The brief for the Wish You Were Here project is to create a set of 6 postcards.
I've begun by researching and thinking of some topics/ ideas related to the postcard such as:
Materials and texture (linen, wood, card, metallic, glossy embossed, applique....)
Shape (traditional 5x7in, novelty, round, square, 3D, midget...)
Use/ Purpose (advertising, aesthetic, communication)
Shape (traditional 5x7in, novelty, round, square, 3D, midget...)
Use/ Purpose (advertising, aesthetic, communication)
I've been interested by many of the novelty and non-standard types of postcards so I made some unconventional types of post to see what if any come back to me.
I have been working on my Surrealist Typographic 1 minute film. I begun by researching and playing around with various animation/ film software I found online, however I've settled with using Microsoft Movie Maker.
As I want to create a dream-like disorientating atmosphere I begun by having several story boards which I mixed together to create parts that I thought worked well together.
I've taken my camera to a local church and graveyard to take photos and film clips at night. I also experimented with writing words into steamed up mirrors and onto surfaces outside.
So far I've completed 30sec of my film. To finish I need to edit the last 30sec and play with the audio and lighting effects to give a finished feel to the 1min film.
After practising and practicing the coke typography I draw it onto graph paper which helped me with keeping the letter heights and weights consistent. Once I was happy with the type I went over it with a black liner, scanned it and played with the contrast to make the graph lines invisible. I then printed it (very lightly) onto red card and went over it with a white liner pen. As coke cans are shine I decided to put my work onto photographic gloss paper, I photographed my work played with the contrast on the computer and had it blown up to A3.
On Friday we had the day to begin the Excuses Project.
Because the project is purely typography I begun by looking through books in the library related to the history of type and the use of it in graphic design.
I brainstormed ideas for excuses - dividing them into two categories 'honest and dishonest'. Sketching and playing around with the excuses I had come up with I decided on three designs that I felt worked visually.
The excuse 'My Little Brother Lost It' I put into a word search playing with the idea of finding the letters. I also thought of doing a crossword style format with the words 'I'd prefer to be doing crosswords'. My final idea was 'I spilt drink on it', in the coca-cola style of lettering.
The story sequence (using a disposable camera) was my chosen idea for the photography project. I based my story on Little Red Riding Hood, using a mixture of sets and dolls I created and the real world for close ups and some backgrounds. I put my story together in a book form which resembles a photo album. In hindsight I think i should have either put more of a twist on the story (from the original) or created my own story sequence. Using a disposable camera meant that I was using the first shot I took -no editing! Because of this some images are blurred or cropped in a way that I had little control over.
For the One Day photography project I chose the second brief 'Alone with Everybody'. I begun by finding a copy of the poem, I fond reading through the poem brought more meaning to the title and helped me to feel more creative. I went to Canary Wharf at lunchtime, it was very busy with groups of people generally swarming in one direction (towards specific restaurants, toilets etc)..... these represented the 'everybody' people being viewed as a collective or one unit. Unaware of these people's thoughts and emotions my alone aspect of the photo featured one individual singled out, standing next to a clock fixed in time whilst everybody moves at a different pace.
For the Photography Project I going to do some research and initial ideas for two of the outlined projects to get started.
I'm interested in the Restrictive Photographic Narrative, I've been looking through children's books as they are often able to tell a story with visual images
The project involves using a disposable camera, they normally have 27 exposures so I've been working on story boards with 27 frames. At present I've only worked on well known fairy tales so over the next few day I want to possibly create some of my own!
Alphabet in the Environment is the other project I'm going to look at, so far I've just taken a few shots of interesting shapes I've seen whilst out and about that resemble letters
Finished my A5 books. All laminated, ring bound and with front and back covers!!
Our last task will be to decide on how the machine will make marks. We currently have various ideas but want test them out first and see which works best and that we agree on as a team.
On the 21st Oct we had Drawing Day
I completed a series of 30 A3 drawings using a variety of media. All the drawings had a title (eg draw a self portrait eating a catus!) given at the start and were done under varying time limits.
I have begun to turn my 30 A3 drawings into 4 identical A5 books. I had the A3 pictures colour photocopied and resized to A5, costing a pricey £54! I have now laminated all the A5 copies along with A5 descriptions of each drawing, which will appear opposite the drawings inside the books.
To finish my 4 books I still need to decide how I'm gong to bind them and also make front and back covers.
Yesterday we managed to have something that actually made marks on paper! Unfortunatley we didn't have all of our group together so there are various aspects we still want to perfect and fine tune! By taking apart the casing of hand held fans we had to motors which we then attached to the wheels we had made.
We attached sponges to the wheels that were then dipped in paint as the machine moved accross the page marks were made. We are hoping to have a variety of colours and marks as we work towards finishing the machine.
Team Ink Tank is born!!
Working in a group we have combined our initial ideas and new ones to develop a more sophisticated machine. At the moment we’ve concentrated heavily on the mechanisms of our design to ensure it moves in an interesting way, incorporating sound activation will be a big challenge but would add an exciting element to the way in which marks are made. We hope to work on the appearance of the machine and the quality of the marks it produces later in the week.
Working in a group we have combined our initial ideas and new ones to develop a more sophisticated machine. At the moment we’ve concentrated heavily on the mechanisms of our design to ensure it moves in an interesting way, incorporating sound activation will be a big challenge but would add an exciting element to the way in which marks are made. We hope to work on the appearance of the machine and the quality of the marks it produces later in the week.
These are my initial ideas for a Drawing Machine. I begun by brainstorming simple words I thought of that related to something that could move and make marks!
Yesterday we were given the challenge to create an imaginative piece of art using a pound coin/s. I chose to make mini scenes representing proverbs which include the word 'pound'.
Hey
Welcome to my first ever blog................... just posting this entry to make sure I've worked out how to use it properly
Chi
No comments:
Post a Comment