End of Module Self-Evaluation

Message & Delivery: Distribution//Research presentation

Today we presented our posters together with our mailshots in groups, and assessed each other's work to discuss which had worked most effectively within the brief.

It was really good to thoroughly look at other people's responses to the briefs, with their mailshots and posters together. We found that the most effective work was that which had a consistency between the two briefs, a clear and generally straightforward message, and initial impact and an aesthetically considered design.

My work was chosen as being the most effective within my group which was really pleasing. The feedback from the other group said that they liked my unusual concertina format, consistent & strong visual imagery and the bright colour scheme which related to the feminist content and had an initial impact. I think the posters & mailshot are clearly related to each other; working in conjunction and individually. Once again it was good to hear that my concept was clear and my design supported & enhanced the message. I feel pleased with the end result of this brief and think I have met the criteria.

Message & Delivery: Distribution Crit & Evaluation

Conceptual Development

I am really glad that my message is now clear to understand even for people who did not previously know what Pussy Riot was - this was a key problem that I had in the poster brief. I specifically wanted to inform and address it with the mailshot so I am glad this has been successfully achieved. 

Practical Development

Good feedback which confirms my design choices of font, colourscheme and image.

Production

Both crit sheets say that the brief has been met and the mailing list is appropriate, but the envelope is 0.5cm off the target size. I did measure it and I guess this only happened through the final making stage and folding - I think 0.5cm probably doesn't need me to remake it though!

Purpose

My intended purpose of informing students is obviously clear, and I think because my concept is also obvious the mailshot meets this.

Additional Comments//Actions Required

Both pairs suggested a shortening of the mailshot. I am aware and was slightly concerned about the length, although it has allowed me to be completely thorough with my information and not squash it all together. The main reason behind the length was to represent the 12 members of Pussy Riot & 2 members who have been imprisoned. I think the concept is strong enough for me to want to leave the mailout the same length. It could perhaps do with a cleaner cut, so I will revisit the mailshot to neaten up the lines and ensure both sides are matched up.

In general I feel that the feedback has been really positive. I think the most important things are that the design & concept are clear and effective, which from the feedback I think they are. Personally I am really pleased with how it turned out - I think it has been an original take on the format which has an initial impact and a Punk feel to it whilst giving out a clear message, and by providing a link to the PussyRiot website a lasting purpose. The envelope & mailing list tie in well with the mailshot and I think they also all relate to both my original news article//body of research & the posters. I don't think I will remake the mailshot to reduce the size because for me the concept behind it is important and relevant, and I don't think the size is a vital issue which hinders the design enough for it to warrant me remaking it.

What is Graphic Design For?

Pinterest Account

Issuu Account

Visual Languange

• Information & wayfinding
• Publishing & editorial
• Branding & identity
• Product & packaging
• Retail & promotion

Categorising: Genres//Contents//Audience//Sectors//Functions//Formats

Information & Wayfinding

• Helps people understand & clarify data visually
• Infographics
• Visually engaging - dull information transformed creatively
• Complex message portrayed through simplified and effective connotations
• E.g. maps, graphs, plans & signs

Branding & Identity

• Brand-percieved emotional corporate image
• Identity - visual aspects that form part of overall brand
• Logo - identifying business work as part of brand - small visual representations in association with brand

Editorial & Publishing

• Magazine design - fashion//music//lifestyle//the arts//technology etc.
• Publishing - fiction//non-fiction//travel//biographies//manuals//childrens' books etc.
• General publication - annual reports//catalogues//brochures//instructional etc.

Retail & Promotion

Product & Packaging

Message & Delivery: Research Crit & Evaluation

Anonymous Crit Feedback Sheets

I was really surprised by the feedback as I assumed that the majority of people would have heard about the case of Pussy Riot - it was all over the news, social media, as well as the Amnesty International campaign. I did try and consider how an outsider would interpret the posters, and I don't think the assumption that more people would know about Pussy Riot was necessarily a stupid one. It is true that if you didn't know about the case my posters would be difficult to understand - but unless I completely moved away from Pussy Riot and literally stripped it down to the most basic level of talking about freedom of speech I don't see how this could have been avoided. It was my intention to keep the message really simple in order to retain the initial impact and the guerilla-style of the design. Similarly this affected my decision to not have any copy//chunks of text - but I may consider having a short explanation on the text poster to elaborate and explain the case.

I completely agree with the feedback about the colours - I stupidly did not realise that black was included as a colour. It is a shame because although I understand the necessity of limiting your colour palette to retain impact, I feel taking away either the green or pink will actually lessen the impact. The black is necessary I think because of the balaclava design, so will consider using half tones or opacities. I liked the comment about the pink representing the feminist nature of the case so will take away the green from the design.

I quite enjoyed the style of the crit - I liked really being able to focus on someone elses work and give such thorough feedback although when it came to receiving my own feedback it was sometimes frustrating to not be able to verbally communicate with the person, explain my idea and in some cases ask them to clarify some of their points. Although I was pleased with my outcomes I can see where the criticism has come from and it has been really useful to have outsiders' points of view. I will definitely revisit my posters to firstly adjust the colour scheme and secondly the content so it is more clear what Pussy Riot is about.

Message & Delivery: Research Crit

I presented my visual research and discussed the potential routes I could go down. Although the article is about the two members of Pussy Riot who are being sent to labour camps I think I want to focus more on the punk protest side of the story, with particular emphasis on the fact that it is feminist based.  I have also been looking into other Russian creatives//artists who have been persecuted by the state in some way for their art. There are a lot of cases of this in Russia and it is interesting that it is Pussy Riot that has been picked up by the world and its media so intensely. We discussed how social media has played such a big part in publicising the story - especially because Pussy Riot are an anonymous band a lot of their self-publication is done via Twitter. Another route to go down might be protest via social media. I think I need to further organise & categorise my research - there are so many potential strands to go down I need to decide which appeals the most to me and which I can gain the most interesting information from.

Blog Questions//5

Does my blog communicate my progress as a designer?

Blog Questions//4

Is my blog completely up to date and complete?

Blog Questions//3

Is the work on my blog relevant & appropriate?

Blog Questions//2

Is there a good quality of written content?

Blog Questions//1

Is my blog easy to navigate?

Alphabet Soup: Partner Typeface//Final Evaluation

Final A1 Typeface & Name Badge

At first I struggled with the brief as I felt that the typefaces I was testing weren't representative enough of Sarah. However after our final crit yesterday I feel really happy with the result of the brief. 

The typeface I created was based on Bebas in uppercase in reference to the style of typography used by Sarah's favourite designer, HelloVon. Although she placed an emphasis on liking bold design I felt that as a person she can come across as quiet and not overly loud, so I softened the type by taking away elements of it and curving the lines. I split the letterforms into two parts to show the contrasting sides to Sarah's personality - one thick bold side which comes through in her design and then the other linear because of HelloVon and her illustrative style of working. In the name badge I wanted to echo the design of the typeface and used more lines to link the letters together. I kept it monochromatic once again because thats how I think Sarah would like it.

Although she was unable to be in my crit I received positive feedback from the rest of the group. They liked the interacting//varying elements to it and the intricacies of the design. To develop the type further I could experiment working with lowercase letterforms.

What is Higher Education?//Feedback

Things I want feedback on

• Practical work
• Quality of general work, final pieces - does it meet the assessment criteria?
• Quantity - have I done enough, in all areas?
• Developmental work
• Design decisions
• Appropriateness of response
• Individual improvement
• Feedback through crits, tutorials, presentation
• Academic//Written work
• Contextual writing and studies
• Understanding of design principles
• Blogs
• Written element of posts
• Visual content - my images & referenced outside sources
• Time management

10 Questions to assess each others blogs as a group

• Is it up to date?
• Is there a good quality of written content?
• Is everything correctly tagged?
• Is everything there? (e.g. all process//developmental work, all modules & set briefs)
• Is the work relevant & appropriate?
• Is everything referenced?
• Is it easy to navigate?
• Is each post in the right blog?
• Are the images relevant & of a good quality?
• Does it communicate your progress as a designer?

Alphabet Soup: Partner Typeface Crit

Three Decisions which came out of today's crit:

• More visual experimentations needed with lower//uppercase, & testing different sizes and widths
• Look at different base typefaces to use as a starting point, and develop them further
• Combine more than one element within the typeface to represent different aspects of Sarah and her personality

Main design sheet that I took to the crit

I found generating multiple ideas before the crit quite difficult as I think I have been thinking too much about the final outcome, and not experimenting enough. The crit was really useful in pushing me into action, and has inspired me to explore more possibilities.

What is Graphic Design?//2

What is Graphic Design?

• Functions
• Inform
• Educate
• Increase awareness
• Persuade
• Promote
• Question
• Evoke emotional response
• Comedic value
• Design Context
• Advertising
• Packaging
• Branding
• Posters - promotional//commercial
• Billboards
• Infographic
• Editorial//publishing
• Maps
• Typography
• Process-based: woodcut//lasercut//print etc.
• Design for web
• Design for film//TV & media
• Tone of Voice
• Funny//humour//wit & pun
• Serious
• Playful
• Informative
• Condescending
• Ironic
• Quirky//cool
• Modern
• Minimal
• Targets specific audience
• Message//Idea//Concept - what is it trying to say?
• Political
• Health//Governmental
• Promotion
• Convince//persaude
• Inspire
• Advise
• Ethical
• Aesthetic values
• Intended scale//placement
• 3D//packaging - food & drink, parcels, bags & boxes, other products
• Print - A0 to A5 etc.
• Business cards
• Publication: books, magazines, lefalets 
• Web page
• Signage & billboards
• CDs & record covers//inserts
• Life size
• Street//wall - public graphic design
• Branding in shops etc
• Media & advertisements

Different Contexts

Warehouse Project 2012 - flyer & website design by PIN Collective

I really love the whole branding of the Manchester series of clubnights The Warehouse Project. The printed leaflet has a really modern & slick design, with silver embossing and a high quality printed cover which encourages you to look inside. It has a factory aesthetic which I think fits with the type of music played on the nights so appeals to the target audience. The publication folds out into all of the clubnight dates on one side, and the white dove image which is carried through on the website. The website is similarly intriguing and works well to navigate.

Swedish Design Company Kokokaka's website

"KOKOKAKA IS A CREATIVE STUDIO with a strong belief in digital media. We have a passion for fashion, art, film & music, and love to combine it with interactive ideas."

The design and layout of this website is really effective. By having a selection of works listed as images and not just words, it is more intriguing and lively to navigate. Everything is clearly explained with full information and links, as well as options to view more images, hide and show the text and navigation panels. I think the style in which the site is made reflects the studio's aesthetic - it also demonstrates their skills at working with digital media so acts as a selling point for them as designers.

The Camera Collection by Bill Brown

"A collection of 100 pixelated camera illustrations for anybody to download and use in whatever way they see fit."

Although Bill Brown's images are illustrations they have been organised and collected into a series and catalogued in the form of the website, which puts them into a graphic design context.

Vincci Bit Hotel, Barcelona - Hello Mosaic by Marta Cerda

Good and stylish use of illustrative typography on a hotel welcome desk. Has the welcome message but also functions as a decorative piece of art, and sets a good aesthetic for the hotel.

Different Messages

Bike Like a New Yorker campaign by Mother New York

"Print ads and billboards will be posted throughout publications and city streets supporting the growing bike movement. The ads will also encourage people to visit BikeNYC.org which hopes to become an important destination for the city’s bikers, providing information on events and hundreds of options for social biking. Before long we'll reclaim the streets, two wheels at a time."

Clear message explained literally in the tagline and through the imagery used to encourage more environmentally friendly transport in NYC. Also a really good use of typography.

Good Magazine infographic by Maricor/Maricar

"The creative intersection of complex data and visuals can be deceptively simple in the most successful examples and it's almost like visual poetry dissecting the relationships behind what you are seeing. Our piece is a much simpler example but we were stoked to be able to asked to bring our tactility to the project and show a different side to our embroidery work."

This infographic has a very clear message but presents it in an unusual and interesting style to show how Levi Jeans have tried to reduce their impact on the environment. It is in keeping with the fashion brand and I think simply designed to communicate a lot of information.

 

Identity for a multinational suffering from the economic crisis, A2, 2009 by Mies Van Roy

These posters are communicating a serious and clear message with the tagline 'let's make things cheaper', in order to help the large corporation Phillips through the economic crisis. The design of them is stylish as supposed to corporate and the simplicity of layout, image & type means that the tagline is the focus - which gives it even more impact.

Different Functions

Poster//Flyer for DJ Derek at Distrikt Bar, Leeds - October 2012

This poster and flyer is for a clubnight at Distrikt Bar in Leeds advertising the Reggae legend DJ Derek. Part of DJ Derek's novelty is the fact he is 72, so to use as image of him is humorous and should appeal to the right target audience. The image is placed at the centre of the layout and the type works around it which I think draws your attention to it further and adds intrigue. All the information is there and it can be reproduced on different scales in flyer & poster format. 

Notelets by Crispin Finn

"Crispin Finn are a design duo who produce everything in Red, White and Blue. We offer quality design, illustration and goods released in limited quantity at affordable prices. We hand print and produce nearly everything we make but where necessary we outsource to the best people we know."

These notelets//greeting cards play on simple and fun design and strip the concept of the card to the bare essentials: the message. To simply have the literal text of the greeting card without image yet still make it interesting and well-designed is an achievement. 

Deskidea Branding

"Deskidea is an office supplies e-commerce business with one main aim: to get a major sense of simplicity from the very first purchase from their website until the receipt of the material in your office. The brand identity was designed to boost this simplicity value and the graphic solution came from the name itself, Deskidea. The idea was to convey its value using basic office objects, with the pencil taking lead role. The different corporate applications are based on the pencil as a symbol, operating by itself or embedded within the identity."

Weezer Dry Cleaning Company Logo designed by Sam Kaufman//East Fork Studio

Incorporates image of hanger which relates to the business, as well as a mini W logo and the company name in a separate typeface. Has a slogan and location included too but in a simple, well laid out manner.

Different Tones 

Explode Into Space by Paul Bernhard

Explode Into Space is the book about the dry observations of a man travelling to another planed in the year 1986. It has 176 pages of photographs and illustrations with little text. The book is designed in a very minimal style and is based around the imagery as supposed to text - and these images act as the narrative. It is fictional and a piece of graphic design yet also a story and work of fiction.

Cornelli Ice Cream

“The bold yet elegant logotype of the Cornelli master brand is confident and proud of its ice cream roots, created to celebrate Italian flair and ice cream expertise. The ripple of vibrant colour celebrates and expresses the richness of life, the joy to be had by living in the moment and the deliciously sensorial experience of all the products. The naming and tone of voice carries this passion, feeling and energy from the packaging right through to all brand livery, signage and guidelines.”

The tone of voice of these products are fun and colourful with an emphasis on typography as image. Although these could end up looking tacky the refined nature of the typefaces used give them a vintage and authentic feel.

Head Full of Snakes Issue 1

Head Full of Snakes is an Australian//New Zealand motorcycle magazine published by the designers Luke Wood & Stuart Geddes using Risograph print. It also comes with a free flexi-disc. Because of the risograph printing technique the publication has a DIY tone to it, which I think is representative of the urban culture in its content. 

Sightglass Coffee by Boon Design

"Sightglass: A new identity for San Francisco–based artisanal coffee roasters, the mark was inspired by the actual sightglass window on the proprietors’ vintage Probat roaster. Boon created a full branding program—stationery, business forms, collateral, packaging, signage and website. (Identity/packaging were a collaboration with Kyle Blue."

The packaging has an organic & natural feel to it and the design is simplistic and looks handmade, which I think is suited to the idea of sustainability within the coffee industry.

Different Scales

Good Ol' Sailor Vodka

"The new Swedish eco-vodka is distilled four times and has a clean, fruity nose with some spicy aftertaste and released in a Swedish-made PET packaging for minimal environmental impact. We have worked closely with Technologists at Petainer. Together we have produced a container which is environmentally friendly, has high levels of clarity and great shelf appeal, whilst at the same time is easy to manufacture in high volumes. We wanted to exploit the phenomenon of PET in the best possible way. The goal was to design would be integrated with the bottle." Designed by Mattias Broden

The packaging design for Good Ol' Sailor Vodka is very specific to the clear bottle and inspired by the contents. It definitely is integrated within the bottle and works well as 3D product design.

Deluxe Edition of Muse's Album The 2nd Law

The packaging for Muse's latest album relies on liquid ink and heat sensitivity - the law of thermodynamic being referenced in the album title. Inside the box contains an LP in its own sleeve and a hardback book which contains the CD album and DVD. The cover of the book and LP sleeve also draw on the neuro-imagery of the album cover giving the whole package an integrated design.

Colors Magazine #84 - Apocalypse

"A lovely intricately-illustrated monochrome poster-cum-cover leads into the crisp, clear content, with the designers making excellent use of some stunning photography. A seriously good-looking treatment of this uber-dramatic subject matter." - via It's Nice That

Although produced on a standard A4 magazine scale the cover of the publication not only fits the magazine but also folds out into an A2 poster, working across different sizes to perform different functions within a single context. 

"Christmas & New Year decoration for Siam Center. We created hanging installation made by used drinking straws–these colourful plastic tubes act as the building blocks of larger shapes and words, which will bring the spirit of the Christmas season into this 3 dimensional installation. This installation tried to emphasize the idea that nearly anything has a second life and can be reused." - via Farmgroup

Nice typography on a larger scale with an environmental concept behind the use of material.