Introductory Studies
My Visual Journey By Abigayle Grove
Contents 1. Kirsten’s Lecture- What is Graphic Design? 2. Subject Librarian Andy- What is Research? 3. Project One- My journey Home 4. Kirsten’s Lecture- Visual culture 5. Eden’s Software Demonstrations Illustrator 6. Kirsten’s Lecture- Decoding Culture, Introduction to semiotics 7. Amanda’s Lecture- Visual Perception 8. Eden’s Software Demonstrations Illustrator 9. London Trip- Disobedient Objects 10. Project Two- Life and Death 11. Kirsten’s Lecture- Adverts, Creativity and Packaging 12. Laura’s Workshop- Perfect Bookbinding 13. Eden’s Software Demonstrations InDesign 14. Project Three- Through the letterbox (& Amanda’s Workshop) 15. Kirsten’s Lecture- Engaging with Objects and Object Analysis 16. Bibliography
1. Kirsten’s lecture: What is Graphic Design?
T
he ability to provide, energise, and stimulate your audience. To provide an instant reaction from your work, so that it is noticed and remembered.
The Power to make someone say “WOW”. Kirsten asked us all to bring in something which we thought would make the rest of the group have a “wow” reaction. I brought in a newspaper article about a charity event I was part of when I was 10. Where I cut all my hair off. I had reactions which were “WOW” including Kirsten’s.
2. Subject Librarian Andy: What is research?
Looking at data. Having a question: How, when, why, who, what? Purpose/ function? Design- is it a good design? Why has it been designed like this? Historical content Social Content The library: BOB Starting with a question Suggest an answer Topics Sources Gather information Analysis and combine information Answer question
Make notes on where I find research: AUB libary Research resources- ebooks Newspaper Images and maps Jise media hub Research who wrote what and what they have said. Put research into a mind map and make connetions.
3. Project One: My Journey Home From the powerpoint of the briefing I researched some of the artists. Richard long-
Using Andy’s research methods I answered these questions Questions: How do I visualise my journey home? When do I record information about my journey? Why is it my journey home and no one elses? Who is part of my journey home? What makes it personal to me? Richard Long- Spring Walk Purpose/ funtion? A recording of things he saw and the distance he saw them at Design- is it a good design? Personally I think his design is good Why has it been designed like this? To show a story of a journey Historical content- The piece is dated in 1991 Social Content- It has a sterotypical list of things we would expect to see on a spring walk.
3. Project One: My Journey Home I started off this project by looking at what directions a sat nav would give me and looking at distance. I then asked myself what makes my journey personal to me? I decided that it was a bit like a game with a starting and fishing point. I then played along with this idea.
I then made key notes about my journey and what could possibly represent them. In my feedback I was told to concentrate more on the concept and not about the end result, to always refer back to my brief and keep in mind the three main design breakdown points: Idea/generation, development and refinement.
3. Project One: My Journey Home Firstly I took pictures of my journey home capturing different aspects of my journey. In these images I noticed a lot of gates, this lead me to the idea of creating a piece around different points that I see gates. I then walked my journey again, but this time focused on taking pictures of gates. I still wanted to add a personal touch to the image. So I took the photos as I was walking so that some of them would be blurry as I do not usually stop, when walking home.
I then began to think of how my journey was personal to me, and how I could present my map of my journey. I started to play with the idea that my journey was like a game with a starting and finishing point. I then had my first tutorial and my feedback was concentrate more on the concept and not about the end result. I then walked my journey again but this time taking pictures of metal items as I had recorded lots of images with metal in on my first journey.
3. Project One: My Journey Home
I then looked at making the journey personal to me. I then calculated the distance and how long it would take me from each gate to my house.
I then looked at how to present the idea. In my tutorial I took notes that the gates looked better in focus, that I should only use the swirly gates in order to cut down on the number of gates. I then proceed to look at using the gates in a circle shape so that it could indicate the idea of a clock, seeing as I was using time within my project.
3. Project One: My Journey Home
I then recieved more feedback that suggested; getting rid of the title, that the original grey background was too much and that the gates did not stand out. That the starting and ending point needed to be clearer and that the photographs needed to link to my illustration of the house. So I removed the title, I also had started to use Illustrator and photoshop, so I created my final piece using these two softwares. I removed the background in order to keep it simple and make the gates stand out. I then added a green arrow and a red arrow to show the starting and ending points and I took a picture of my house so that it stayed in theme with the photographs and had a clearer link.
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4. Kirsten’s lecture: Visual Culture
Shared understandings, experiences, languages and codes defining a group of people To be cultured- knowledgeable = high/ low culture construct meaning- make sense, interpreting information To read images its called visual literacy we need to understand our relationship with the image To feminise- objects that represent a certain person or group we give values to items in our visual culture Our personal value- class, gender, ethnicity and styles ranking and how things are evaluated
We were given a task to look up a historical event. I was given the 2012 Olympic Corporate Identity, these were the facts I found out and then gave feedback to the rest of the group:
5. Eden’s Software Demostrations: Illustrator In week one I began to learn how to use Illustrator and it’s functions, by the end of our session I knew how to use the basic tools, I then recreated 3 logo’s as you can see on the opposite page:
6. Kirsten’s lecture: Decoding Culture and Introduction to semiotics
Channels of communication Signs- images and text that can be read, sign systems of culture Denotation- literal meaning Connotation- perceived meaning ICON (looks like/resembles) -- Index (direct link between a sign and what it represents) -- Symbol (stands for something) Laura Mulvey is a feminist film theorist who looked at how women are percieved in films and the way they are positioned in order to get a audience to look at her as a sexualised object.
I
researched Stuart Hall’s 4 stages of communication: “Stuart Hall’s Essay on Encoding/ Decoding These linked but clearly distinct four stages are: Production, Circulation, Use, and Reproduction. Each stage will affect the message (or ”product”) being conveyed as a result of its ’discursive form’ (e.g. practices, instruments, relations). This implies that, for example, the sender of information can never be sure that it will be perceived by the target audience in the way that was intended, because of this chain of discourse. If we recognize that these circumstances will result in messages being imprinted by institutional power-relations as they pass through these stages, we realize that a message cannot be transparent, and that there can be no ”raw” presentation of any information.”1
7. Amanda’s lecture: Visual Perception
2.
perception symbols which are universal symbols that have different meanings geometry semiotics colleges Images from films metaphor
use of colour photography
typography
use of scale
8. Eden’s Software Demonstration:
Illustrator
First attempt:
AG In week 2 in Illustrator we looked at long shadows and blend count. I found this a little bit more tricky than the previous session but after some guadience from Eden I managed to create the shadow.
9. London TripDisobedient Objects
Selection of Images I took when I was at the exbihition.
10. Project two: Life and Death I researched other peoples work from earlier years to gather ideas and information.
9
8
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I created two mind maps. One on initial idea’s of life and death and then picking out the ones I thought I create using my basic knowledge of Illustrator and how effective they could be. I then created a visual mind map with these ideas.
beginning of a relationship, life, and death of the relationship
death of the soliders/ the life of the poppies
Food chain, death of one animal, means food and life for another
face: half flesh half skull
Drugs: Either keep someone alive, or they can take someones life.
Different seasons: winter, the leaves die, spring , they grow back
Project two: Life and Death
I took some photographs in order to play with a few ideas. Looking at the same image in the truck above but on having the window open and one with it closed. I did not feel this work as I didnt belive the message was clear enough. I also looked at my dog when he was a puppy and my dog now, again I thought him as a puppy showed new life but, the picture of him now did not represent death.
My two favourites were these two. I thought they best presented life and death. I decided to go with my drug idea tho as I thought it was different and I had not seen any one else with that idea where as I had seen simular ideas to using a skull like feature to represent death.
one decision can...
SAVE
Or TAKE
...A Life
One decision can...
SAVE
Or TAKE
...A Life
Firstly I photoshoped the colour of the pill, as I wanted the colour connotations of red and green used to represent the life and death. I then played with text, colours, size, fonts and positioning.
1 Decision Can
SAVE
Or TAKE ...A Life
1 Decision
Can
SAVE
Or
TAKE ...A Life
One Decision
Can
SAVE
Or
TAKE
...A Life
One Decision
Can
SAVE
Or
TAKE
...A Life
I then decided that the pill looked better being part of the background and making the text the main focal point. I then carried on playing with the positioning of the text.
First design
one decision can...
SAVE
Or TAKE
...A Life
Final design
One Decision
Can
SAVE
Or
TAKE
...A Life
11. Kirsten’s lecture: Adverts Adverts are all around us: at bus stops, on buses, billboards, posters Ad busters- anti advertisers in Canada false needs don’t need but want media watch- public’s opinion in the UK shots- collection of adverts around the world Questions: Impact and Importance modern culture, social communication, negative influence, satisfaction Social Grades A- professional B- Immediate managerial C1- Junior management C2- Skilled manual D- semi skilled E- lowest levels of subsistence Appeal to audience emotions- manipulate emotional appeal- feelings use of feelings advertising standards authority- codes visual perception- 80% seen with your eyes
11. Kirsten’s lecture: Creativity and packaging Creativity open minded problem solving infinity everything thinking outside the box chaos innovation useless- useful learn from mistakes imagination originality deviation from the norm passion
EQ- Emotional Intelligence Cognitine process to creativity: selecting relating combining evaluating communicating selectivly Expertise- knowledge of feild but does not always mean creativity
problem solving Often the packaging is more important than the product Considerations: Recycled, contents of use Physical relationship- how you hold the item products that need to last so either through advertises in the food or the packaging. packaging needs to keep the product secure so that it can not be tampered with “eye appeal and buy appeal�
12. Laura’s Workshop: Perfect Bookbinding During this workshop I learnt how to perfect bind abook. I found the workshop really interesting a loved making my own book. I learnt about the grain and how to glue the pages together so that you can not see the cover.
My book:
13. Eden’s Software Demostrations:
In these sessions, I learnt how to use the basic tools in Indesign, we were then asked to start thinking about branding ourselves and to create a double sided buisness card. I looked at working with different weights, and font sizes to create hierarchy and to think about the colour. Whist doing this I learnt how to use even more tools. In my own time I watched tutorials on how to use some of the more complexed tools.
InDesign
Abigaylerove
GDESIGNER RAPHIC
EMAIL 1301600@my.aub.ac.uk MOBILE 07706822095
14. Project Three: Through the letter box
Summary of My Chosen Article:
R
ipa (Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act), was enacted in 2000 was to deal with terrorism, organised crime and murder. Kent police were granted authorisation, via Ripa to obtain the phone records of two journalists and to discover how they obtain their stories. This misuse of this law will result in less people phoning in with information causing fewer stories which means an enhancement of our already secretive society. Kent force defended its action as “proportionate, lawful, and necessary.� Its misuse and abuse inhibits journalists from acting on behalf of the public and therefore threatens our civil liberties.
Research Tom Newton Dunn Normally police would have to apply to a judge to court under different legislation that is compliant with European laws protecting journalist’s rights to keep their sources confidential.3
Chris Huhne Police used anti-terrorism powers to secretly spy on The Mail on Sunday after shamed Cabinet Minister Chris Huhne falsely accused journalists of conspiring to bring him down.4
Plebgate story The row erupted when Mitchell confronted another police officer, Toby Rowland, after he was refused permission to cycle through the main gate of Downing Street. Mitchell admitted swearing but has strenuously denied Rowland’s claim that he used the word “pleb”.5
Links to articles I read: Social network http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Conversationprism.jpeg privacy http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2454109/ Facebook-removes-privacy-option-users-hide-profile-search-results.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17369659 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lane_v._Facebook,_Inc. http://www.struq.com/cookie-and-privacy-policy/
14. Amanda’s Workshop: On Project 3
14. Project Three: Through the letter box Facts 91% 71% 71% 53% 20% 92% 84% 82% 62% 24%
6
post post post post post post post post post post
a photo of themselves, up from 79% in 2006. their school name, up from 49%. the city or town where they live, up from 61%. their email address, up from 29%. their cell phone number, up from 2%. their real name to the profile they use most often.2 their interests, such as movies, music, or books they like. their birth date. their relationship status. videos of themselves.
“ Some don’t use privacy controls. Almost 13 million
users said they had never set, or didn’t know about, Facebook’s privacy tools. And 28 percent shared all, or almost all, of their wall posts with an audience wider than just their friends. Facebook collects more data than you may imagine. For example, did you know that Facebook gets a report every time you visit a site with a Facebook “Like” button, even if you never click the button, are not a Facebook user, or are not logged in? Your data is shared more widely than you may wish. Even if you have restricted your information to be seen by friends only, a friend who is using a Facebook app could allow your data to be
”
transferred to a third party without your knowledge. 7
14. Project Three: Through the letter box
For this project I decided to create a leaflet to be posted through people’s doors making them aware of the privacy settings on facebook. On the bottom of the leaflet I wanted to have a link that would take them to a website, which would give them more information and show them how to change them. I then created my leaflet and started a mock up of my websites home page.
Facebook Privacy Settings Update Status
Add Photos/ Video
Home
How to
Links
Who can see what, on your facebook? Do you know how to use your privacy settings? Does your family and friends know how to control their privacy settings? Friends
Post
Who should see this?
Public Anyone on or off Facebook
Friends Your Friends on Facebook
More Options
Update Status
Add Photos/ Video
Who can see what, on your Facebook Do you know how to use your privacy settings? Does your family and friends know how to protect their information? Friends
Post
Who should see this?
Fact
25% of Facebook users do not bother with any kind of privacy control.
Public Anyone on or off Facebook
Friends Your Friends on Facebook
More Options
To find out how to change your Privacy Settings and why look at my website:
“I was shocked when I found out how much information facebook was allowing everyone to see and that advertisement companies were receiving private information about me.�
www.fbprivacysettings.co.uk
Final Design: Back- Room for a stamp and an address
www.fbprivacysettings.co.uk
Final Design: Front
Update Status
Add Photos/ Video
Who can see what, on your Facebook Do you know how to use your privacy settings? Does your family and friends know how to protect their information? Friends
Post
Who should see this?
Fact
25% of Facebook users do not bother with any kind of privacy control.
Public Anyone on or off Facebook
Friends Your Friends on Facebook
More Options
To find out how to change your Privacy Settings and why look at my website:
“I was shocked when I found out how much information facebook was allowing everyone to see and that advertisement companies were receiving private information about me.�
www.fbprivacysettings.co.uk
Final Design: Website- Home page
Update Status
Add Photos/ Video
Facebook Privac
Home- Brings y this page
Basic information about settings- What do differe
How to Change you setting should you h
Find out more- Links to arti information regarding priva
cy Settings
you back to
Friends Who should see this?
Public Anyone on or off Facebook
Friends Your Friends on Facebook
More Options
your Privacy ent settings mean?
ur settings- What have on/off?
icles and more acy settings!
Post
15. Kirsten’s Lecture: Engaging with objects and Object Analysis/ Photo-journalism Power of the image Photography have different cultural connatations The meaning behind photographs Reporting news through photography We view history through photographs but they could have been corrupted “War doesnt determine who is right, it determines who is left” Research- Weegee was a photojournalist and he would be the first one to a scene to capture the story. He would arrive before the police and sometimes would even corrupt the scene in order to take a better picture.
Primary Research Finding information about the object.
16. Bibliography 1. http://blogs.cornell.edu/newmedia11ko244/2011/04/20/stuart-halls-essay-on-encodingdecoding/ 2.http://www.teacherfiles.com/clip_art_symbols_signs.htm 3. http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/oct/06/sun-official-complaint-ripa-journalists-met-police 4. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2780809/How-policehacked-Mail-Sunday-Officers-used-anti-terror-laws-seize-phone-records-identify-source-exposed-Chris-Huhne-s-speeding-points-fraud. html 5. http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/feb/06/plebgatekeith-wallis-jailed-police-andrew-mitchell 6. http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/05/21/teens-social-media-and-privacy/ 7. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/06/facebook-your-privacy/index.htm 8. http://veeveeen.net/aub-2012-life-death/ 9. http://danielaosoriob.wordpress.com/ 10. http://readmeidontbite.wordpress.com/2013/11/06/life-anddeath-handing-all-my-work-in-on-time-or-not/