23rd - 26th January 2016

In this project, I was required to                                          create and design a book based on the theme ‘Precious’, which needs to reflect my chosen pathway (Graphic Design). The objective of the brief was to produce a front cover along with three double page spreads, however, I have produced the whole book because I wanted to see what the whole book would look like and see whether all my ideas would work together. I was also required to challenge the definition of a book, which I have done throughout the project by constructing it into a cremation box.

This project was successful because it meets most of the eight principles of design. The background for the pages are symmetrical, making the book feel balanced and contains a sense of rhythm through the use of repetition of the geometric shapes and the sense of direction. There is more emphasis from the centre because it is where the pattern starts and a space has been left in the centre for the viewer to take their eyes away from the tension and it balances everything out. A sense of direction is created as the viewer starts off with looking at the centre of the double page and moves their eyes around the pages in a cycle. I like the layout of this book because there is a contrast between light and dark, and the limited colour emphases this contrast and allows the viewer to appreciate the bold outlines from the shapes. I like the fact that I have included under shadows on the photos and the text box because then it separates the different elements and stops them from blending into the background, creating the illusion of a surface. Each photo is of an equal scale (five centimetres in height), creating balance and giving each photo equal importance; it feels like it is part of a collection. The proportion of the text boxes creates a similar amount of space as the collection of imagery, making the layout feel spacious and free flowing. This book is unified as a whole. The layout of the book is equally spaced out and allows the viewer to face the slight changes within the layout; the drawings have been placed at the front and at the back of the book in order to avoid strong contrast between the pages, and the imagery has been changed from left to right as you move deeper into the book, giving the viewer an exciting layout that isn’t too repetitive and dull.

I also like my book because it is readable; I have used italic Times Roman typography because it is evenly spaced out, elegant and easy to read, and it is often used for laying out sensitive information such as funeral pamphlets. 

I started off this project trying to figure out alternative ways of interpreting the theme because I wanted to avoid going with the most obvious, however, my tutor advised me to produce a piece of work that is personal to me, so I decided to focus on family; family is the most precious thing I value. Because I like making my work emotive, I decided to make my book about my late dad, which increases the meaning behind the book and makes it seem more powerful to the viewer. I was determined to make the front cover into a cremation box because it illustrates to the viewer what the book is about, and it goes with the idea of keeping something secured and hidden; I only decided to replace my dad’s name into ‘precious’ at the end of the project because it is the theme of the book, and the viewer is able to convey that the individual was someone that was loved by many and was worth thinking about. I think I should have explored further the alternative ideas for my front cover; however, I was mostly focussed on putting together my portfolio and completing other projects that were set by universities. I was mostly concerned with

what was going to be in my book rather than the front cover, and I must admit that I haven’t been as experimental for this project as I usually am. I then started to look at Neville Brody, a Graphic Designer recommended at the start of this project. I tried to see how I could use his work and explore his use of text; I also wanted to use the dada movement he was using because I liked the use of collage. However, most of Brody’s work is based on the dada movement, and I wanted to research the movement on its own as well as adding Brody’s style into the book, and I started to realise as I went through the project that I could use Brody’s use of limited colour, which creates a specific mood within my book and sustains the contrasts in light and dark, and geometric lines. I started to do further research on what I can put in my book that is related to grieving, and I came across a website from Marcellina Hardy, which talks about how people create a scrapbook of memories during bereavement; it is supposed to help them through the process of grieving and it makes it easier to let go of a loved one. This helped me realise what a book is actually for. Books are not   I was also looking on Pinterest for how I could present my book sculpturally because I didn’t want my book to be a flat surface. I wanted to make my book as physical and meaningful as possible. I liked the idea of hiding a burnt flower in the book, which is a combination of two ideas from Pinterest that doesn’t have much information about the artists: I only found Kay Williamson, who alters books and specialises in project design. 
specifically aimed at the public! No one said it didn’t have to be private! So I decided to make myself or any family members my audience. I also looked at Melissa Kelsey’s sketchbook because I was looking for inspiration on how to present my work, and that is why I have made the last drawing patchy and rough; it showed a rough appearance, as if it the imagery has been discarded or recovered from somewhere. Carlo Carra was another artist that I found, I was interested in his use of layering and how he emphasises certain shapes and combines imagery with text, which was when I decided to create the
background of my book using scraps of magazine paper, marker pens and masking tape. As I went further into my work, I was exploring different layouts of my book, which made it easier for me to recognise what could go into my book and what colours should be involved. I was considering to out poetry into my book in order to emphasis the emotion I am currently going through, however, I was lucky enough to find a post on Facebook, which should poems from sun gazing.com and lifelessonslearned.com; they explained the bereavement process

and explains why it hurts so much to lose someone.

I have used a range of mediums including paper mashay mix, old books, acrylic paint, a lighter, PVA glue, scrap paper, craft knife, scissors, pencil, mobile camera, photocopying, mashing tape, marker pens, and InDesign Software; this has allowed me to explore a new skill in publication, which I can use in my degree course, and using different types of medium allows me to create the best effects for my book.

I think using the InDesign software was the most successful because I felt in my element and I knew exactly what I was doing. It also thrilled me to see what my

project was turning into as I was using the software. However, my least successful areas were when I was fitting everything together because I found that the old book (reused) was too big, but I managed to trim it down for a comfortable fit. Next time, I need to go more in depth with measurements. I think this would have made the process of making easier and less time consuming and stressful.

I also didn’t have time to create the folds for

the box, which hasn’t made a significant difference to the box; the side just doesn’t stay up. However, I think it would have been nice to include the folds in order to make the box seem more secure and protective over the contents.

In conclusion, this project has been a lot harder than I had imagined because there were times when I needed to edit my dad’s photos, which was very difficult; you have to focus and spend a lot of time looking at someone that you know you can’t see again, which is very hard. In some way this has helped me through the process of

bereavement (even though it has been more than a year) and it has made me realise that I can’t keep trying to ignore it. I find this a bit ironic because I have tried keeping my mind clear from everything that has happened through college work, and yet, I find that this piece of college work has done the opposite. I wouldn’t change the topic I have chosen because I like to challenge myself and I wanted to keep my work personal to me, therefore, my portfolio will be able to be filled with personality and people will be able to feel connected with

the person behind the design.

16th - 19th/01/2017

 Last week unfortunately I was unable to apply myself towards my project as much as I would have liked to due to interviews, however, I have had the chance to research artists such as Carlo Carra, Neville Brody and the Dada movement, which enabled me to come up with several ideas for my book. I experimented with Brody's concept of  emphasizing the text through movement and direction, and Carra's use of lines and geometric shapes. I have also decided to create a background through collage, which is influenced by the Dada movement in order to replicate a sense of chaos that we feel when we have lost someone very precious to us. I like the layout of the background, however, I don't think it follows Brody's work and I think there is too many colours to look at; it doesn't feel balanced in colour and all the colours seem to disagree with each other. I have photocopied this collage, which replaced the colours with orange and beige just before leaving collage last Friday. I prefer the combination of colours because it isn't staining to the eye and it goes well with the front cover, which is brown. I haven't yet explored the different compositions for the layout because I have only just researched more ideas for what else could be applied to my book. As I was experimenting with Brody's work, I felt like I was going off track and making it too personal for something that is going to be read by the public, so after more research, I have decided to create a bereavement book in the form of my dad's cremation box; a book is there to present imagery and data and it doesn't specify that a book is supposed to be for public use. The purpose of my book is to help myself and my family cope with grief, which goes over treasured memories and thoughts.

Life Drawing was a bit difficult this week because it involved drawing without looking at the paper. I found this very frustrating, however, it did make me realise how much of a difference it makes to pay attention to both the paper and the model at the same time. This practical was also supposed to be motivation for the illustration students in order to gain ideas for new characters, however, it could also be interpreted for Graphic purposes; the abstract forms can be altered into backgrounds and prints.

Next, I am going to explore different compositions for my book, create a dummy book and then start making my final piece. I will also do some more research because I saw a couple of interesting posts on Pinterest, which focuses on sculptural ways to present a book.

 

09 - 12/01/17: Precious

For this week, I have been given a brief for a three week project, which involves producing a book under the theme precious. I have been considering creating a book for grieving family's because I want my book to be personal as well as practical for my target audience. My target audience is young adults because it is easier for them to relate to the author. I haven't been doing as much research as I would have liked to due to the preparation of my university interviews. I am pleased to say however that I have successfully completed my project brief that Coventry has set me, which took me three hours to complete. The task was to create imagery for a poem, which needed to be suitable for other books as well. I decided to draw a picture of an elderly resident gazing longingly outside because the poem is under the theme 'fleeting youth' and I wanted to interpret the feeling of distance and create the same mood within the poem. I like this bookmark because the tree on the left balances the imagery as a whole and creates unity. The imagery also has direction because the viewer's eyes are first focused on the detail on the old man and then moves towards the curtains and the tree, and it carries on into a cycle that keeps the viewer interested. One thing that I could have improved however was the writing on the left, if I had more time to produce this work,  would have scanned my imagery digitally and layer it with Waterston's typography. I would have also created a template in the scale given to me; my final piece was too big, and when I tried to scale it with the photocopier, the image was too small in width.
My life drawing session focused on emphasising the light on the model, which I achieved using black paper and white chalk. I found it difficult at first because I didn't ignore the light coming from the window above the model. My second piece was more successful because I only drew the concentrated areas of light, which gives the viewer a vague impression of the light. I found it more difficult to draw because I was unable to see what I was doing and it is difficult to keep track of the correct composition, so I spent longer than I should have on my drawing. In order to improve, I could increase the speed I draw by drawing faint lines of the model and then rubbing out any areas that wasn't concentrated with light.
Next, I am going to start researching artists for my project and gain ideas on what I am going to produce.

week 1 (03-05/01/17)- Visual Communication

 This week is the start of my chosen subject, which is Visual Communication, and from now until June my work will be assessed and monitored throughout. We have been doing small individual and group project in order to build up our portfolios as well as making it an easier transformation into the illustrator/ graphic designer mindset; it introduces us to problem solving and challenges the level of creativity we have.

We had a late start to our introduction because we had to swap out studio with the fashion students because they have two large studios and most students have chosen to study into Visual Communication.

 My first project was manipulating a piece of text into a piece of visual communication. I chose to manipulate the words into my own text because I found it difficult to think of how I would make these words into images, however, after looking at other students work, I understood how they can be manipulated. My best piece was, ' Devour tea,  films, music, books, painting, poems, photographs, conversations, dreams, trees, architecture, street signs, clouds, light shadows. The only things to fuel your imagination'; it acts as motivation to any creative individuals.

I have also been through group work, which involved using all resources within an envelope and making them into either a magazine, book cover, poster or any other form of communication. Within this envelope, we were given a large picture of a random person, a newspaper with Chinese writing, a sticky note, graph paper, a page from a mathematics book, and we were expected to use the envelope itself as well as draw on the piece. My group decided to create a fashion magazine because the newspaper had a fashion advertisement and we wanted to make use of it. We also made use of the Chinese writing, which we thought would look better vertically opposite the model. In order to make both the model and the writing more interesting and balanced, we blew up the colours from the photograph, cut them up into geometric shapes and paced them behind the model in order to direct the viewer towards the clothing as well as creating a three dimensional effect. I like this work because it is exciting to look at, and it contains the design principles that we were previously shown: direction, unity, balance, contrast, emphasis, rhythm, proportion, and hierarchy. This project has allowed me to work on my problem solving skills as well as being able to negotiate ideas with team members. And it has enabled me to practice using design principles and understand how to use them when I am doing my design work; as we were going through this project we were thinking about colour and how it should be balanced as a whole as well as contrasting with words and the background. We were also considering the composition of each object and their scale and refuse to stick them down until a sense of unity was achieved.
We also took part in a project called, ' finish the scribble', which involved making something out of someone else's scribble. I found this enjoyable and enlightening because it is one technique use to create imagery out of mothing. This project in particular has made me more open minded and it has unleashed my inner child, and I am considering using this technique again when I need to create fictional world. My first imagery was an octopus, which wasn't as creative and as adventurous as I would have like it to be and it had no character to it, however, my second attempt proved to be better; I was able to create my very own character.
And  my last project involved adding characters to photography, which interacts with the objects with =in the scenery.
 Next, I am going to review the brief for my first project and try to get back into my routine. I will also improve my writing in my sketchbook because I have read my reviews and have found that I write too much in my sketchbook and over explain things, which is time consuming in itself, so I will record my general thoughts and I will try not to evaluate every piece I experiment with, just reflect on my practical's as a whole. I might consider creating more scribbles in my own time because it is a useful practical to get your creative juices flowing and it builds up my portfolio as well.
I think the layout in this subject will be easier for me because my lessons are on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, which allows me to record everything in-between lessons instead of having everything piled up in the first half of the week.