17th- 21st April 2017

This week, I have finally finished my researched and I have concluded that I need to create a brand that focusses on Weston's architecture because it is a key feature that is unique to the town. One advantage to this art deco style is that the logo will come out as modern as well as welcoming and friendly, which is the key approach to this rebrand as many visitors fail to see the welcoming atmosphere that locals experience.

I have also been researching a few more artists regarding logo and typography design. One is from Landor Sydney Office, they have designed an iconic vibrant 'M' for the city of Melbourne, which represents a modern version of the city and gives it more personality. The other artist is a freelance designer from Mexico, who focuses on the Art Deco aesthetics, which I found very inspiring because it has allowed me to consider what characteristics in this art movement I need to use (or what I could use) and has given me an insight on the atmosphere this movement creates and what general personality that is achieved. I was particularly interested in the typography as I was mainly researching for typography that had an art deco influence but a mixture of geometric/modern aesthetics with it in order to appeal to the young generation. I have experimented with this designer's use of typography, which I think is very suited to the town and its current state, however, I would like to create a symbol like the iconic 'M' designed by Landor; a symbol would be recognisable to consumers, and changing the typography of the town isn't a discreet identity that shows the consumers what the town has to offer and showing the name of the town means that the viewers don't have to remember the name of the town.

The photos shown on the left side are sketches of my ideas and exploration of typography. I am interested in potentially creating iconic symbols like the 'M', however, a simple 'W' will not be enough to represent Weston Super Mare as there are other towns will the same initial and the town's name is to long to go by one letter, so I might need to use three letters instead (W.S.M); it will be recognisable to the consumer.

My research has lead me to decipher how I can represent the town and what I need to avoid whilst doing this. I have come to the conclusion that the town is safe, however, like any other towns or cities, the night time is often filled with individuals that do not consider others and put them in danger. The town is seen as  family orientated, however, visitors and locals both agree that the town could do with a few more activities for all ages, which is currently under development. I need to show the town's university status without ignoring the family atmosphere and the town's unique quality. I also need to avoid placing too much emphasis on the imagery of a beach resort because they are often seen as a tropical beach with clear blue skies, and with experience of living in the town year by year as well as researching the statics, it is clear that I am unable to represent the town as warm and sunny; otherwise it will break the brand promise and destroy consumer trust.

Next week, I am going to explore my logo designs and see how I could represent the town through a single symbol.  I am considering manipulating shape in order to create my own typography; geometric shapes are key features within this movement, and I have found that exploring typography that already exists isn't as thrilling as creating your own and it doesn't capture everything you want to say about the client. After achieving this, I will look into the symbolism and psychology of colour in order to create ambiguity within my logo as well as a positive response from the viewer; this will allow the logo to stay simple and easy to look at whilst being able to interpret that towns personality and purpose.

10th - 14th April (Easter Hoilday)

This week, I have been doing more research into the history of Weston Super Mare by reading several books and organising every event onto one timeline, which was time consuming, however, it has allowed me to clearly see how the town has progressed and the characteristics that have remained after so many years. The one thing I have learnt is that the donkeys we know on the seaside were once used to carry the fisherman's catch of the day during the 18th century (not the same donkey's obviously), showing the relevance of these activities and proving that the town does provide activities that allow people to interact with history; however, one thing I should suggest is that the tourists were informed of this history and the significance of these activities because I wouldn't think that even the locals know of this history, and it would make the tourists feel inspired by each visit.

I have also looked through my sketchbook and added a sticky note to explain how I could use my research, which allows me to get ideas on how I can move on and it allows me to move on faster because I only have 5 weeks left after coming back from holiday! I will primarily be focusing on my research and ideas during this project because after I display my work, I will have the half term in May to finish my sketchbooks so I can prioritise practical activities rather than annotation; as long as I keep a brief note on what my thoughts are then it will be easier to get back to.

Additionally, this week I have come across signs from the 'Wonders of Weston' project whilst walking on along the beach. It amazes me that I had never seen them before, however, I feel that doing this project has put me into the mindset of a tourist and I have become more observant and enthusiastic about my home town, which contrasts with the attitudes of the locals as they see the town as everyday surroundings. The project was set up in 2008- 2010 in order to revitalize seaside towns. These signs were created by Wrights & Sites based on the town's characteristics. The project is called 'how to build a town' and it is meant to challenge ‘the assertion of regeneration to improve upon or to replace what is already in existence’; the viewer is taken through historical and contemporary stories behind each piece of architecture, making the viewer think and place value on each area.  I like these signs because they are imaginative and make the viewer consider the architecture more. These signs have certainly made an impression on me and the more you try to read into these signs, the more you want to find out about the history of the town. In a way, these signs have been rebranding the town because they are making the viewer see areas of Weston in a different perspective.
I have also been researching an abstract artist called Kandinsky, who focuses on colour, form and symbolism. I am considering using symbolism in my work through semiotic theory because I am interested in conveying what isn't accurately within the image in order to create a simple and powerful brand; I want to be able to depict Weston's character and personality in a simplistic manner, making the viewer feel comfortable looking at the design as well as being able to interpret what the town is about and the atmosphere that is given out as soon as you step into the town centre.
Next, I am hoping to research the different methods in which Weston has promoted their town throughout history, which will allow me to gain an idea on how communication has changed and what the current trend is. Additionally, I have used the data from the survey to collect other secondary resources regarding crime rate, weather and population, so I am hoping to read more into that in order to identify whether the town is a safe place, whether I can represent the town as a sunny seafront, and identify at what caused the town to have a rapid increase in population. I will make a mind map in my sketchbook saying how I could represent the town without going against the brand promise, which will give me a clearer idea of what I need to do, and it acts as a piece of visual information that I could reflect back on throughout this project. I was hoping to do more this week in ways of idea generation, however, it is more important to get my research sorted in order to further my understanding and to make my idea generation more relevant to what I am trying to achieve. I might consider using the Wonders of Weston quotations within my project, or highlight the importance of different aspects within Weston;  I am very interested in the poetic language that this group has used and it has made me think about what rebranding actually is, so I will consider this work as I move closer into my project.

3rd April - 7th April 2017

This week, I have been visiting the L.T Gallery in Weston, which was a gallery completely dedicated to one artist's work, 'Lorna Bryce', who has been painting landscapes from her youth. I quite like her work due to the strong pigments and how they create a dynamic atmosphere. I also like her work because she has managed to put so much detail to the landscapes as well as making her work very expressive and full of life. I might consider using her work as I get further into my project because I might look at different promotion methods for Weston.

I have established that I need to start researching into the town's promotion methods as well as putting detail into my branding research.

I have decided to make an accurate plan for my project after going through a group discussion about the grading criteria; it talks about planning and preparation, which makes me aware of my organisation and planning.  Making a plan has proved to be more effective as I was unaware of what stage I needed to be at. According to my plan, the ten week project included the holiday time (Easter), which means I need to spend my half term effectively. I should be at the experimentation stage by the time I come back from the Easter holiday because I would have only five weeks left until my project needs to be completed. 

I have also fixed the demographics of my survey by allowing older ages groups to answer my survey; sharing my survey on Facebook limits the age groups that are able to answer my survey. I have printed out my survey and handed it to the learning support office with the University Campus, Weston College as well as the Weston Conservative Club (where I work), which allows me to gain data from working ages as well as pensioners.

Additionally, I have also looked back at my research and decided to go around the boundary of Weston Super Mare's centre and take photographs as well as observations, which allows me to observe any key features or characteristics.

Next, I am going to annotate my research and start researching artists and branding.

27th- 31st March 2017

This week, I have been filling in any empty spaces in my sketchbook that I didn't annotate, and I displayed my one week starter project within the Island gallery in Bristol.  The Island gallery display took place on the 28th March, which I found very diverse and inspirational, especially Joanna Ellams' work, which has made me put into perspective how I can present Weston in a geometric and abstract form; this would allow me to promote the art deco movement within Weston as well as depicting the town's modernisation and progression.

I was required to attend the gallery with a few other students last Friday for a couple of hours in order to guard the gallery and make sure it is open for the public. Whilst I was in Bristol last Friday, I visited the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, but I was unable to see any other exhibitions because they didn't seem to have any available at that point due to preparation for new exhibitions or other events that are taking place. I had checked the Arnolfini, Spike Island and the Open Space Gallery in Bristol, however, they all seemed to be unavailable. As soon as I came to Weston, I taught it would be beneficial for me to catch up on the town's history and try a different method of research by attending the Weston Museum; however, it is going through refurbishment and isn't due to reopen until August. So I will have to see which galleries are open next week and plan a journey into Bristol.
I have also been looking through a tourist guide for inspiration on how the town is viewed, and I found that there are a few galleries within Weston (I live here and didn't even notice!), which would be good for inspiration on days that are too short and busy to travel to Bristol.
As I visited the Bristol Museum and art gallery, I managed to find a few abstract pieces of artwork, which links in with Joanna Ellams' work; I am interested in abstract work and geometric forms, and I am very keen to find an artist similar to her work. However, I found that the abstract work was very limited in the range of style and most of the artwork didn't have strong contrasts in geometric shape; it was mainly based on organic form, which isn't the style I am looking for. The closest I could get to geometric form was William Scott's work called, 'black, Grey and blue',  however, the shapes have too much of a spatial element and it isn't illustrating any specific imagery, making the viewer feel alienated from the piece due to lack of familiarity.
My favourite piece of artwork was the painting of the coast because of the way the artist has used pure pigment, making the image visually stimulating as a whole due to the saturation and vibrancy. I also like this work because of the contrasting hues are emphasising the juxtaposition between water and land, depicting the coolness of the water and balancing out all the temperate pigments. I might consider researching more into this artist because using pure pigment would make the town feel vibrant and it will put a bit of life into it, which will entice people and persuade them to visit Weston Super Mare.
At the moment, I have a lot of research to go through in order to backtrack where I am and figure out what else I need to do, so I should expect to put research into several artists by the end of next week and possibly explore some ideas; this will strengthen my work and it will enable me to explore what ideas work well and see how I can integrate my research into my work.  Next, I need to collect the results from my online survey and use it to reflect what Weston is like as a whole and how I could improve the town's image.

Aleatory starter project- 20th - 24th March

For this week project, I have been required to produce a piece of finished artwork based on the theme, ‘aleatory’, which is to be displayed within The Island gallery. Due to the quantity of students taking part in this exhibition, I have been given the limitation of working within the dimensions of 1 foot by 1 foot.  This has provided me with the opportunity to enrich my C.V as well as being able to expose my work to the public. The main aim was for this project to link in with my final major project proposal, which involves rebranding and promoting Weston- Super- Mare. I linked this ‘aleatory’ theme to my project by exploring the process of mark making, which allowed me to focus on capturing a new perspective and composition on Weston- Super- Mare. Even though I was not required to include this in my sketchbook, I thought it would benefit me because it acts as a good starting point in my project and it will allow me to justify why I have taken specific steps and it illustrates how my ideas have adapted throughout the project. I am hoping to use this starter project and develop it because it has allowed me to find what composition I am trying to depict, which will make the process of rebranding easier and more straight forward rather than having difficulty with moving out of the research stage.

I have starter off this project by creating a mind map and exploring different interpretations of the word ‘aleatory’ in order to get an idea on how I could link it with my final major project.  One definition that caught my eye must was, ‘an uncontrolled element in the details of life or the creation of art’ because it links with mark making due to the randomness in movement and the expression being captured within the drawing. With this idea, I started exploring different pieces of work that explored mark making and produced a mood board for inspiration. My mood board also looked at composition of cities, which gave me an idea on how to present Weston. Additionally, I also looked at 20^th century posters in the hope that my work would transform into a piece of visual communication, however, due to the amount of time I had, I was unable to do any further research on the layout or the history of these posters; however, I did manage to gain a general idea on how Weston was promoted in the 20^th century, which I might consider looking further into because it will be interesting to compare the attitudes towards Weston.

Then I researched Weston Super Mare and its competitor’s attractions and characteristics in order to separate the town’s uniqueness, which enabled me to have a clearer idea on what composition I wanted to depict and it made me more confident with how I was going to approach this week project as well as the final major project as a well. Then I collected different compositions of the town trough photography, which was mainly orientated to high altitude locations in order to illustrate the three settings of the town within one single image, which wasn’t too difficult as I was very familiar with Weston and was aware of the scenic viewpoints within Weston. After choosing my favoured photo, I researched an artist called Steven Jones in order to speed up the experimentation process and to gain an idea on what materials and techniques I could see within my work. I liked the warmth presented within his work that was created through rich oil pigments and dynamic movement. I have used acrylic paint because using oil paint would be too time consuming; acrylic dries quicker and is easier to manipulate. I have also made use of his colour by presenting a mixture of delicate and contrasting colours in order to create a dynamic atmosphere, which brings the town to life and brings a new perspective on Weston as a whole. Weston is often represented as a quiet traditional seaside town, however, I have captured a composition that depicts Weston for its urban settings and gives the town a dynamic feeling that will become attractive to young consumers; the town is of a university status, therefore, reaching out towards students. Whether it is tourism or locals, the town needs to become attractive to the young without compromising the town’s unique qualities.

I have produced this piece by printing out the photo on A4 paper and using the lightbox to draw the outlines of the image because I wanted to make my work accurate in proportion and it is less time consuming than having to correct any imperfections in your drawing. After achieving this, I photocopied my original drawing and enlarged it to an A3 piece of paper so it would be give me more space for my mark making. I only had enough time to paint one piece, which ended up as my final piece because I was too precious with my work and wanted it to be accurate and familiar to consumers. As I was progressing through my work, I started getting impatient because there was so much s=detail to be covered in my work and my work wasn’t appearing professional (it looked close to a child’s painting); however, I considered using a fine liner to go over the outlines in order to recover the details in the buildings and to give the image a cleaner appearance, which proved to be very effective. I am pleased with my work because I found a way to improve my work and work my way through problems while on a deadline. I am also pleased that I was able to use mixed media because each medium has a different effect on the image in depth and texture, and using the same medium in a single piece makes the image feel less dynamic and too consistent; there isn’t much excitement I the variety of texture.

I have met the brief because I have carefully linked my work to the final project as well as sticking to the given dimensions. I like my work because it has a strong contrast in colours, which enriches the pigments and places emphasis on the town’s vibrancy and gives the town a dynamic atmosphere. This draws the consumer’s attention because the composition of the town feels desirable; the town emits dynamic energy, which conveys the town as fun and atmospheric. There is also a sense of direction within this composition because the viewer’s eye is drawn towards the tallest building (cathedral) and then they direct their attention upwards due to the negative space adding a sense of relief from all the chaos at the bottom. The viewer is left moving their attention in different directions because there is so much going on t=in the image, making the town appear busy and exciting, which juxtaposes the current concept of Weston being a quiet seaside town. This image also has a sense of rhythm because the use of medium has been used throughout and the contracting pigments have been spread out in order to create balance as well as unity. It is important to consider the principles of design because otherwise it becomes noticeable to the viewer; they feel uncomfortable looking at the layout and the composition of the piece, which limits the amount of time they look at it as well as reducing the likeness that your piece will be memorable. A good design is subtle. The viewer doesn’t notice the significance of the layout, however, the design is known for being pleasing to the eye and visually stimulating.

The area that I was most successful with was the research because it gave me a clearer image of what I was doing, and it added context to my work. However, I think I need to improve the development of my ideas because I didn’t have enough time to experiment and I was mostly concentrating on collecting primary and secondary research. In order to improve, I would balance my work a bit more by focussing less on the context and experiment on different concepts. I will consider this as I go through my final major project because experimentation allows me to learn from my mistakes and explore what works and what doesn’t; it helps me develop my work further and enables me to be more reflective in my work. I think balancing out this project would have made this project less contextual and broader in my ideas, which would have allowed me to do more experimentation. I think my weakness for this week project was that I don’t like going through a project ‘blindfolded’; I want to know exactly what I am doing before I start experimenting, which limits my range of ideas and it shows that I am being too sae with this project at the moment.

In conclusion, this week project has acted as my first step towards my final major project and has given me an insight on how I want to present Weston- Super- Mare. This project has allowed me to capture different elements within one image, which adds context to my work and shows that my compositions and my visual communication with the consumer has improved. My strongest point is my research, which allowed me to strengthen my work contextually, however, I didn’t explore the mark making/ experimentation process as much as I would have liked to, which constrained the development process as well as the broadness of my ideas. In my final major project, I will make sure to be less precious with my work and touch every surface by balancing experimentation with research.

Next, I will attend the Bristol gallery called, The Island, and take a photo of my piece in order to act as evidence that my work has been displayed. Afterwards, I will go through my sketchbook in order to backtrack what I have been investigating and resume my final major project.

14th- 17th March

Testing digital drawing with a tablet.

This week, I have been writing my proposal for my final major project. Unfortunately, this week was only used to write the proposal so the week has been very slow. However, I have managed to get a head start on my research for the final major project and have decided that I am going to rebrand Weston- Super-Mare by modernising the town's image. I have done some research on Los Vegas as a case study and found out why a city needs its image to be promoted and how comer trends can change the characteristics of a city. I am going to create a logo to represent the town that is going to have a balance between the traditional values as well as suiting today's consumer trends.  I have found that donkey rides are becoming less attractive to consumers, which is one of the features that the town is famous for. In order to attract consumers, I need to put more research into the town's history and present and decide how I could transform the town's image.

This week, I have also finished my last Life Drawing session, which was the best life drawing I have experienced in this course. This life drawing took place in the mac room, and we were taught how to draw with a graphics tablet. I found this difficult at first, however, after practising this technique I found that using a graphics tablet is less restricting than a mouse, and you get use to the idea of not looking at the pen; you get into a rhythm and you pay more attention to the computer screen. However, one restriction I find with this technique is that you are unable to measure the model at a distance and move back away from your work, which makes it harder to get the proportions accurate. On the other hand, it is somewhat easier than drawing physically because you are not afraid of making mistakes because you know you can use the easer and no marks with show. 

As i was getting deeper into the practical, I started to get used to the thickness of my digital brush and changed it to a size 7 in order to create delicate outlines. During my fourth drawing, I was taught how to add tone and colour to my drawing by adding another layer to the drawing and changing the opacity and hardness of the brush (decreasing both of them), and once you are finished with the tones, you merge the image into one layer and change the brush to the 'colour' mode. Once this is achieved, you are able to choose the colours using the colour palette, allowing you to add colour to the shadings; you are unable to add colour to the white areas. I was unable to add any colour to my fourth drawing because I was trying to master my shading in my drawing and time was running out, however, I was more comfortable with my final drawing and was able to add colour towards the end. I think my final drawing is some of my best work and would be pleased to place this into my portfolio; I have been adding personality to the model and made sure that the face was completed in order to make the model feel less like an object, and gain a connection with the audience. I must say that the model did look very uncomfortable, which is why her eyes are closed in the drawing; however, I think capturing this is effective because it brings personality to the drawing.

Photoshop was used along with the graphics tablet because it is efficient editing software that allows me to create as many layers as possible and gives me the opportunity to manipulate my drawings if I need to. One example of this is changing the opacity of my shading because my brush marks were too dark, so i needed to make the shadings more discreet and delicate.

I might consider using this technique again in my final major project, perhaps when I am collecting primary resources from the town; it is as effective as drawing and doesn't involve preparation and you don't have to get your hands dirty; however, I would suggest thing a photo of weston first and then sketching it digitally because Weston is mostly known for its bad weather and I don't want to get my laptop or the college's graphic tablet wet or damaged. I could also do some physical sketch work in my own time in order to demonstrate a set of different skills.

For this final major project, I intend to touch every surface and see how far i can go with this project; I would like finish this course with more than a pass and strengthen my portfolio.

20 minute drawing on Photoshop

I was sure that the starter's project was supposed to be this week, which i was really looking forward to, however, i this it will start next week along with the fine major project. During this week, i have also found that it is easier to research my work while listening to classical music because it is calming and gives me the motivation I need to continue with my work; I have been able to continue with my work without even noticing the time, so i will continue with this method. According to Belle Beth Cooper's article, 'the surprising science behind what music does to our brains', moderate noise levels increase abstract processing and can improve visual attention.

Next, I will start putting research into weston's history and present, and discover what the current attitudes towards weston, which will give me an insight on how i can challenge these attitudes through rebranding.