INDEPENDENT & EXTERNAL BEN EWING (0706067)
INDEPENDENT PRACTICE EGRD3014
SHORT BRIEFS & WORKSHOPS
FANZINE The hands on approach to design is something I strongly connect with, so when the opportunity came to create a fanzine within a day, I was delighted. Fanzines are a great platform in which to express yourself visually, a format in which I will look to use more in the future.
3 MINUTE VIDEO Short films are often a source of inspiration for me. I have always liked the idea of producing a short film. This brief gave me that opportunity to try it out. When it came to filming I found it harder than I first imagined. Compositions and lighting are vital in film, and it took time to get used to that. Even the editing was tricky. After producing a short film, I know how I would impove it in the future, for example working in Final Cut Pro instead of Imovie. To see my video visit; www. benewing.gdnm. org/2010/10/13/city-escape/
SCREEN PRINTING An opportunity came about to take part in a screen printing workshop. I partnered up with Chris Vickers in creating our design. I thoroughly enjoyed learning the different aspects of screen prnting. I would like to gain further skills in this area as I feel that it is a good opportunity to enhance my knowledge of this particular process. I am keen to work with it in future projects.
SOMETHING I’VE NEVER DONE BEFORE When it came to this brief, I decided it would be interesting to take myself out of my comfort zone. I have never waxed my chest, so along with the encouragement of my housemates I decided to give it a go. As I enjoyed the previous brief of producing a short film, I decided to document it in that way. In terms of whether I learnt anything from the experience, I would say I’ve learnt that asking your friends to help is a bad idea! I did however enjoy editing the video. If I was to do it again I would limit the content of the film, and include more dialogue in it. To see the video visit: http://benewing.gdnm.org/page/3/
CREATIVE WRITING I found this particular brief more challenging than previous briefs. The reason for this is that I feel writing isn’t my stongest asset. I find it quite difficult to put my ideas onto paper. This is an area I would like to improve on, so excercises like this do help.
THE T-SHIRT This is a garment that is most commonly used in some ones outfit, as well as to keep one self warm and covered up. This particular T-shirt has an image on the front and a slogan on the back. This is clearly for advertising and style purposes. It has big use value, as for almost every occasion you need to wear a T-shirt, and the exchange value is high, as these have to bought with our hard earned money. The skills that are expressed in this T-shirt are the ones of craft. Someone all the way in Mexico has made this in a what I can only imagine to be a low paid factory. The designer has also played a skillful part in the creation of this T-shirt. Which possess wit, humour and composition. The processes involved would start from the initial concept of the T-shirt, to the creation of the design, which seems to be done by linocut followed by screen printing onto the T-shirt. As well this you also have to look at the creation of the garment, and shipping and handling of it also. Then finally you have the advertisement in the various shops and possibly online services. The design is appropriate to the function of the T-shirt as they are often worn for stylistic reasons and this particular T-shirt contains and interesting image by which various people would find appealing. The caption on the
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back is interesting as it doesn’t promote the company in a positive way. Which in this case is what makes the T-shirt memorable from others. It reads as ‘Books you don’t need in a place you can’t find.’ Now this is suppose to be advertising a book store, the designer has clearly intended this to be a humorous slogan, which isn’t egotistical towards their company but rather truthful, which is rare to see in advertising. By having a clever witty slogan I believe it references massively back to literature which is what it’s all about. The intended audience is definitely for people who have a lighthearted view on fashion. T-shirts aren’t just their for style reasons, but also can be their for statements too. They’re probably people who enjoy a good book and can appreciate sarcasm. I think the T-shirt would be only appreciated by a selective audience who possibly may have a dry sense of humour. The fact that the T-shirt is clearly originally a linocut is appealing to me, apart from that it’s not really my cup of tea. I’ve never really worn T-shirts with statements on them, as I find it can label your personality. I don’t like the idea of a T-shirt defining who I am.
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BOOKBINDING An opportunity came about to take part in a bookbinding workshop. In past units, my final piece has often ended up taking the form of a book. Although I have a basic understanding of bookbinding, it was a great opportunity for me to develop my skills in this area. Meta was really helpful, and I am glad that I took part. It has definately given me a strong platform for future attempts to create my own books.
RESEARCH & INSPIRATION
DADA My growing fascination for collage and photomontage led me to the discovery of the Dada movement. Artists such as Hannah Hoch and Raoul Hausmann have both played a big part in my decision to focus on developing my collage. My decision to focus my dissertation on this topic has benefited me greatly. I’ve learnt a lot about the philosophy behind the movement and their nihilistic attitude to life is interesting to learn about. Although I do not agree with the background philosophy, I still find it influential.
VIGELLE & STEZAKER Two new artists that I have recently discovered in this unit has been the work of Jacques Villegle and John Stezaker. What I admire about the work of Vigelle is the rawness of it. The busy natural compositions that he has been able to capture and the little snippets of typography that appear throughout are very asthetically pleasing. In contrast the use of limited imagery in Stezakers collages is very iconic. Creating obscure portraits of people has similar satire traits of Hannah Hoch. Even though both artists are very different I still respect both styles. It makes me appreciate the different styles of collage.
SOURCING IMAGERY I really admire Martin O’Neill’svast collection of imagery. Since then, everytime I come across something that inspires me I have added it to my own collection. I source a lot of my imagery from old books and encyclopedias from charity shops and markets. It has to be dated material, as the colours and tones have a nicer asthestic imagery, unlike the magazines of today. As time has gone on, I am starting to become quite ruthless in what I cut up. I can see the potential of a better use for it, which generally tends to be in my collage.
PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT
SIMPLISTIC COLLAGE Having just discovered the work of Stezaker, I was really keen on the idea of limiting the amount of imagery I could use. I aimed to try to create several collages in a short amount of time. Combining type and image meant I had the opportunity to create mixed messages within the work. Some were more successful than others as I felt I could have been more dynamic with the compositions that I had made. However I was pleased with the result. By limiting the amount of images that I was able to use, to 3 or 4, it enabled me to think about the composition and layout more.
CONTRASTING COLLAGE Throughout this unit, I have been looking our for potential imagery that I could use in my collages. Whilst searching through the charity shop books, I came across a copy of the 1986 edition of the Guiness book of Records, as well as a book about newspapers during World War II. As in the last batch of collages, I loved the idea of creating mixed message with the images and type. I felt it was the perfect opportunity to do this with my recent purchases. I wanted to create the collages with a feeling of humour. Using images from the war with imagery from 1986, isn’t something you generally see, so I definately had an opportuntiy to make it interesting. The final outcome was effective in terms of creating the humour that I was after. The mix of imagery from different periods and time was succesful, but the compositions could have been improved.
POLITICAL COLLAGE As I researched further into my dissertation topics, it was clear to see that the Dada movement was very political with the ideas that they possessed. They were able to reflect this within collage and photomontage, something that I was keen to try. I based my collage around a topic in the Guardian about the deforestation disasters of Borneo. This was a big turning point for me, as it made me realise how challenging it is. I struggled to source imagery and found it difficult to create a composition that gave the story justice. Working in this way made my collage very contrived. It took away the creative aspect, which is ultimately what I enjoy.
SKETCHBOOK COLLAGE Following my unsuccessful attempt to create politically and socially driven collages I found myself challenged to create meaningful illustration in my sketchbook. It wasn’t until a meeting with Luke that it all began to make sense. What is so great about collage is that it does not always neccessarily have to have an immediate concept to it. It is what it is! Beautifully collated imagery that just works together. Luke changed my perspective on things and encouraged me to start producing work that asks questions instead of anwsers. By doing this, ultimately concepts will start to flow.
WALLPAPER COLLAGE With the vast amount of newspapers that I have managed to collect over recent weeks, I took inspiration from Vigelle’s work. I overlayed several newspaper spreads, then gradually tore strips away from it. It was a refreshing technique, which meant I wasn’t precious about how it looked. Whilst gradually going through the layers I would pick out offcuts, and photograph any interesting crops. The outcome was really succesful as I managed to create and find some great compositions. Without labeling a concept to these particular collages straight away, I feel it leaves scope to tie the work in with other subject matters. I really enjoyed this process.
INDEPENDENT PRACTICE EGRD 3014 FINAL OUTCOME
ALPHABET COLLAGE For my final piece I created 26 different collages in response to the letters of the alphabet. After producing several amounts of collage over the last few months, and struggling with finding concept to my work. I decided to try and produce work that would start to raise questions instead of answers. People connect with imagery in different ways. By making the collage as abstract as possible, then adding something as simple as a letter to it, the viewer will then subconsciously draw on their own experiences to define meaning of the collage.
Each collage was created entirely by hand at A3 size. It was then scanned at high resolution, so as not to lose the detail. A lot of the imagery was sourced from an old series of books depicting the work of late 19th century painters, such as Rembrandt, Jacques-Louis David, Joseph Wright, George Fredrick Watts. The colors that each painting contained were beautiful. I was thrilled with how some of the collages came out. After working with collage so much over the past few months, I feel I am beginning to create a style for myself.
So often you see similar work to this taking the format of a book. I wanted to try something different and present them as postcards. This way people can do as they please with them, instead of just living on a bookshelf, they may well feature on various walls. My intention is to send them out to various designers and illustrators, so that they are aware of my work. As well as this, I hope to sell some at bookfairs and bookstores. To view all the illustrations visit: http://benewing.co.uk/illustration/ collage/
INDEPENDENT PRACTICE EVALUATION Over the last few months, I have learnt a lot about myself in terms of the direction I want to take after graduation. I approached this project as almost a ‘practice run’ FMP. Although we were asked to provide 5 areas of proposed investigation, for me all along I knew it would end up being Collage that I would focus on. It has always been a growing passion of mine, and the realisation that it may well be the direction I take after this degree is taking hold. The early projects that we all took part in were extremely beneficial. By being given a week to make a video or a fanzine, it made me very pro-active, and for me it set the tone for rest of the semester. I really connected with the fanzine brief, and it kickstarted ideas to work with collage. I had decided that collage would be the topic of investigation for my dissertation so when it came to research for this unit, I was surrounded by influential work. Many artists from the Dada movement such as Hannah Hoch and Hausmann inspired my choice to focus on collage.
However when it came to producing the work, I had plenty of challenges. I was constantly aware that my work was in danger of having little content to it. This was having a huge effect on my creativity and it wasn’t until I had feedback from Luke, that I realised what I had to change. Instead of worrying about finding the answer to my work, I had to start creating work that would ask questions. Once I had this in my mind I was focused on the route my work was going to take. On reflection, I found this unit challenging and often frustrating. I began to dislike collage, but once I focused on the project, I enjoyed the process. I am thoroughly pleased with work that I produced. It has made me realise that although I enjoy illustration, Graphic Design still plays a big part in my practice and I don’t want to lose that aspect of my work. I would quite happily integrate elements of collage into my FMP, but I do not think I would be satisfied with having it as my main focus for the project.
FMP PROPOSAL
EXTERNAL POSISTIONING EGRD3013
NETWORKING
EXHIBITION CURATION Along with 9 other students from Epsom, I curated an annual typograhic exhibition in London which was hosted by the TDC (Type Directors Club) We had to make decisions about which particular artwork we wanted to be viewed, along with designing how the work will be displayed. Ensuring that the exhibition flowed efficiently was very important to us, something I feel we succeeded in doing. By having the opportunity to curate our own exhibition was very beneficial. It also enabled us to develop our contact list by being introduced to several designers from the industry.
NETWORKING EVENTS I attended the event known as ‘Bladdered’ a few months ago. It was a bizzare experience, hosted in a small, sweaty Soho pub. Designers from all across London attended, and were all very willing to chat to you. A few of us were even invited to come up to their studio, which was great! At first it was quite daunting, you get the impression that everybody knows each other apart from you. But once the drinks started to flow, I started to gain more confidence in going up to chat to people. It’s definately something that I will look to take part in in the future.
‘HARD UP’ BLOG Joey Dean and Aaron Kitney are two friends of mine who have recently started thier own blog called ‘Hard up, Hungover & The Bastard Landlord’. It features current work from creatives across the globe. They kindly featured my ‘Alphabet Collages’ on their site. Even though they are friends of mine, I still feel priviledged that they asked me to feature on ‘Hard Up’. Since their post of my work, I’ve received numurous amount or traffic to my website. Exposure like this is only going to benefit me further when it comes to graduation and finding work.
COLLABORATION
COLLABORATIVE ZINE Throughout this project, myself, Chris Vickers, Aaron Kitney, Bob Wilson, Ben Gardiner and James Fraser have been producing a zine every week. We select a word randomly, then each provide imagery that is fitting to that word. Every Monday we meet up and collate the zine together. There are no boundaries, you can do what you like with your imagery. This is an ongoing project with the intention of producing one final zine which will showcase only the best response to each word. We intend to eventually approach bookfairs and small independent stores that are willing to feature our fanzines.
FREELANCE WORK
ALBUM ARTWORK A few months ago I was approached by Vaughan Oliver to provide artwork for a new single release by David Lynch. Lynch’s work is quite dark and mysterious, so I was eager to reflect this throught the typography and imagery. I overlayed the type onto some of my own photography and then held it up to a light and photographed at obscure angles to give a animated effect. Unfortunately my artwork wasn’t selected for the final sleeve. The record company felt that it didn’t tie in with the other imagery that Vaughan had lined up. I was disapointed as I had been given the impression that it would get used, however I understand that this sometimes happens and it is something that I can take on board for the future.
FLAGS IDENTITY ‘Flags’ are an experimental indie band that I know from the SouthWest of England. They wanted to redesign their identity and asked if I could put something together for them. I felt a change in typeface was needed, so I chose an effective script face, which I felt would be in keeping with their music. They also wanted some graphics to use on their ‘myspace’ page. I decided to play on the visual representation of the word ‘flags’. This job is still at the early stages of production. These are my intial designs and ideas and I am currently waiting for their feeback. www.myspace.com/flagsuk
BORO LOVE WORN A friend is currently working on the launch of a new clothing and lifestyle boutique called ‘Boro Love Worn’. Based in London, ‘Boro’ attempts to characteristically define the essence of low-key, individual and effortless style. The designer asked if I could create the logo for the brand. I have provided several designs over the past few weeks via email for the her and her collegues to review. They both seem keen for a hand drawn feel to logo, so I have been working on various illustrative styles. These are the most recent designs that I have sent to them.
WEBSITE
WEBSITE For a while now, I have wanted to start my own website but just never felt I had enough work. I thought it would best get one up and running now, ready for when I graduate. I designed it through a site called ‘indexhibit’. As I have little experience in coding, Indexhibit was great as it does the majority of it for you. It’s definately an on-going project as it takes a while to get it right. But already I am receiving traffic. This clearly proves that having a website showcases your work. As well as this, when it comes to meeting designers, showing them your work via your website, gives a good impression.
COMPETITIONS
PHOTOGRAPHY NOW This is a project set by the Street Photography Now team. They set a different brief each week, and this is one of the briefs that I took part in. Even though it’s not directly linked to my collage work, I still think its relevant to my professional development. Photography often plays a big part within my work. I love to experiment with different cameras and techniques, so when projects like this come around, I will always try and produce some work to showcase.
D&AD BRIEFS I spent sometime reading over the wide selection of briefs. As I feel both Graphic Design and Illustration are areas I could see myself working in I decided to work towards the aim of entering two briefs, one of them being the branding brief set by ‘Partners’. Branding is something that my portfolio lacks so I felt this would be a good opportunity to change that. After speaking with Chris Vickers we both decided that by collaborating together we would be able to submit a stronger idea. At this current stage we have a large number of potential ideas that we have been reviewing with Bev each week. Instead of completing the work for this unit hand-in, we would prefer to develop them further ready for the official D&AD submission date. My second brief that I have been working on is the brief set by Diesel. I decided to enter this brief quite late on so I feel that at this stage the work it is not quite ready for this unit hand-in. Therefore I am going to develop the work ready for the D&AD submission instead, so that it has stronger potential.
V&A STUDENT ILLUSRATION AWARDS Each year the V&A host and award ‘The Best Student Illustration’. There isn’t a set brief, you simply enter 3 illustrations, and give a few words of explanation about them. Although I have never entered the competition before, the collage that I was producing at the time were some of my stronger ones, so I felt there was no reason why I shouldn’t enter. There will be thousands of applicants, so I’m not sure what my chances will be. But its an exciting thought just to be a part of it. www.vam.ac.uk/activ_events/ events/illustration_awards/
EXTERNAL POSITIONING EVALUATION Graduation is creeping up on us and I realise that I have got to start making a name for myself and start gaining contacts for future employment. I feel that this unit has given me that kickstart. Networking is so important in the graphic design industry. More often or not people are going to employ someone by recomendation, rather than the qualifications on your CV. It is all about who you know. For that reason I feel it is really important for me to attend events like the ‘Typographic Circle’, and ‘Bladdered’. You meet so many people and it is a great way of building up contact lists. I am pleased to have my website up and running, it gives people the opportunity to view my portfolio at anytime. Having an online presence is really important. One thing that I would like to organise is an internship. Understanding the industry that I will eventually be working in is key, and it is something I feel that I currently lack. Throughout this next semester I plan to follow this up, and start arranging internships for the summer. Although I would not like to be a freelance designer long term, it
is a good way of building up my portfolio as well as working on something other than a university brief. I have been lucky enough to be asked to do different jobs over the last few months, something that I am really pleased about. I would love to be able to say that I have won a D&AD award. You have to be in it, to win it! For that reason I decided to enter a couple of briefs that I feel play to my strengths. Although I was unable to have it ready for this hand-in, I have been constantly developing and strengthening my ideas in preparation for the later submission date. I was still able to enter other competitions which I am very pleased with such as the V&A and the Photography Now project. Overall I feel that I am on the right track in terms of meeting people and building up my portfolio, although I have not expressed a desire to work in one particular area of design as of yet. By working as both a Designer and an Illustrator I feel I am creating a range of opportunities for myself.