Brief “The life of our city is rich in poetic and marvellous subjects. We are enveloped and steeped as though in an atmosphere of the marvellous; but we do not notice it.� Charles Baudelaire This brief is divided into two parts. The success of the second part depends on how thoroughly you have dealt with the first part. Part one You are required to research into the graphic language of the street, how imagery, artifacts and ephemera of all kinds bombards the senses with visual messages and experiences. In the first instance you should demonstrate your ability to select suitable subject matter for translation into graphic experiments. This visual research should take the form of traditional or virtual sketchbooks. Your research can be either static, moving image, internet, installation or a mixture of all. You should be able to demonstrate multiple ideas and employ a range of media and methods appropriate to the demands of the project. You should be able to justify ideas and be able to discriminate between strong and weak ideas/concepts. Your experimental work will form the basis of an exhibition exploring the role of the influence of the street on graphic language. Part two From your visual research you should develop the most appropriate concept and a produce a cohesive body of work which explores this concept. The presentation of this work may be a body of static images, moving image, virtual display, animation or physical installation.
2
Martin O’Neill
Martin O’Neill is a UK based Artist and Illustrator who creates unique collages and typography for a diverse range of International clients encompassing advertising, design, editorial and book publishing. Martin’s work evolves from a subtle alchemy of collage, silkscreen, photography, paint and digital techniques. Seventeen years of experimental image making has resulted in his unique and instantly recognisable brand of image making. Martin works from a vast archive of found and self generated material and also works with stock and supplied imagery. The stlye that martin has was what I instantly wanted to apply to this project, I love the mix of materials and textures that can be created within each digital piece.
Alex Williamson
Alex Williamson was born in England in 1973 and now lives and works as an Illustrator and Graphic Artist in London. Williamson has a BA Graphic Design from Leeds Metropolitan University and an MA in Communication Design from the RCA. Alex creates original artwork using cut-out, collage and print techniques, combing ephemera, drawing and photography. The use of these techniques makes his work seem to be quite post modern, or even post-post-modern.
Sarah Jones is a Brighton based artist and illustrator who creates her images using a combination of printed material drawing collage and photography. Working as an illustrator since 1989 her style has evolved from a start in pure photography and she has worked in all areas of design advertising and editorial. Clients include: The FT, John Lewis, M&S, Friends of the Earth, The NHS, Abbey National and Natwest.
Sarah Jones
Tim Marrs
Tim Marrs is a BA graduate of Humberside University and Master of Arts post graduate of Central Saint Martins, London. He has a career in illustration spanning over 10 years and his work has continued to evolve, develop and inspire. He produces a mixture of drawings, photography, screen-printing, and Photoshop techniques. I think that his work has a very hand made look, which I find very inspiring. Marrs has a mix of influences from American pop culture, pulp fiction novels, pop art to polish film posters. He has done advertising, publishing and graphic design with worldwide clients including: Nike, Brand Jordan, Asics NYC marathon, Reebok, k swiss, Ogilvy and Mather, Saatchi and Saatchi, Geffen Records and many more.
4
development
As I developed my ideas for the project, a big issue that stood out for me was the way that big chain companies are all we see when we walk down the highstreet. As I reseached into this issue it became apparent that this would be the basis of my project. I decided to create a campaign that highlighted the fact that all of our towns and cities are evolving and leaving behind small independant businesses, losing individuality and becoming a dull grey expance.
Whilst researching into the matter I came across a lot of news articles about it, which lead onto looking at anti- consumerism. Anti-consumerist activists express concern over modern corporations and organizations
that pursue soley economic goals at the expense of environmental, social, or ethical concerns; these conserns overlap with those of environmental activism, anti-globalization and animal rights activism. An article in The Guardian said that ‘more than 40 percent of British towns have been overrun by chain stored that they have become “clone towns”, according to a report from the New Economics Foundation’. This figure is extremely shocking and made me feel even more passionate about the issue.
This was an experiment that I made as an idea for a final image. I think that it captures the message I was putting across but didn’t show my thoughts on the problem with the highstreet in particular. I created the image using photographs, found materials, painting and other mark
making techniques. As it is quite a negative image, as well as a negative issue, I wanted my final piece to be more positive and show what the highstreet could be like if we didn’t let big corporations take over. It needed to be brighter, with nature and people enjoying themselves.
6
final piece
This image is my final design for the project. I used less mark making techniques in this image so that it wouldn’t be too decayed and grungy looking. I also decided on buildings with architecture that I like as I think it shows more individuality in each town or city. I kept the colours bright to show the emotion of what a highstreet or town centre could be like. In this design I used a quote from an article that Mary Portas had written about the issue and how she thinks we should change it, she begins: “I want to put the heart back into the centre of our highstreets” which is exactly how I feel. Using Mary’s quote is a lot more relevant than in my previous experiment. I also made sure to include nature and people, as these bring a place to life, instead of towers of grey breezeblock buildings as we see today. I hope that using this image in an anti-consumerism campaign would inspire people to make changes rather than show all of the negatives.
8
Brief “Derive ideas from the world around you, from your own background, from your childhood, from relationships with others, from the social and political environment. Don’t be confined to a pond...in which the water is always in danger of becoming stagnant” Ken Garland
In the same way that certain artists attempt to capture experiences, or ephemeral moments of time in their work, as in the boxes of Joseph Cornell and animations of the Brother Quay, you are required to use your personal experiences to build a cabinet of curiosity or shrine. This does not have to be a literal physical cabinet but can be virtual, physical or static. In the first instance you should collect written and visual information based around your personal experiences and interests. You should not be too literal with your work, merely developing a series or collection of shallow, collaged, postcard images but think about your own preoccupations and concerns. You choice of materials should be selective and you should be able to justify choices, image selection and composition. Joseph Cornell did not merely collect elements of his experience and haphazardly make art out of anything he found.. His work resulted from a compulsion to hold onto every experience.....your final artifact should be a memento mori, or a miniature theatre of the mind. If you are producing a physical piece of work the construction should be made mainly from found items, although the 3D laser cutter will be available in Queen St, South. You may use new objects such as original artwork and written resources.
10
Joseph Cornell
Gina Binkley
Gina Binkley is an illustrator from Nashville, Tennessee. Binkley defines her style as “collage or assemble art” she explains, “back in the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s, this style of art was termed Dada” she doesn’t consider herself a Dada artist, however, she is inspired by the time period. Gina searches for materials to use in her work in her woodshop and at markets and what she cannot find, she makes herself. Gina started her career as an art director and is now a freelance illustrator and designer.
Joseph Cornell was an Internationally renowned modern artist that had never had any professional training, he was first and foremost a collector. He loved to scour old book shops and secondhand stores of New York looking for souvenirs, theatrical memorabilia, old prints and photographs, music scores, and French literature. Cornell was born in 1903. He grew up in a grand house in Nyack, New York, a picturesque Victorian town on the Hudson River. Cornell's parents shared their love of music, ballet, and literature with their children. When I look at Cornell’s work, it takes a short while to understand. At first, the little bits and bobs just seem random but once understood you can see why each piece has been included.
Mike Bennion creates a lot of 3D work that I found relevant to the project. I really like the mixture of objects that he puts together, they are so random yet they fit and work as a piece of art. He says he makes a point of avoiding an obvious narrative or meaning in his work, which I think must be quite difficult, this is so that each viewer can project their own story onto them. He takes objects that have no value on their own and combines them with similar objects to create something precious. His work has evolved over the years he’s been doing it and it is increasingly more sculptural and three dimensional.
Kurt Schwitters
Mike Bennion Kurt Schwitters was born in Hanover, Germany. He was a painter, sculptor, typographer and writer. Kurt studied at the School of Arts and Crafts in Hanover for a year in 1908, he then went on to Dresden Academy from 1909 to 1914. He was influenced by Expressionism and Cubism. In 1918 Schwitters created his own form of Dada in Hanover called ‘Merz’. He used rubbish materials such as labels, bus tickets and bits of broken wood in his collages and constructions. I think that work in Schwitters style could work in my project as I want my finl piece to be a digital collage.
12
development
When I started thinking of ideas for this project I was originally going to have the subject be something to do with an experience I’d had or something about me. However, after the recent death of my Grandfather, I decided to dedicate it to him and his life. I had always found his life an interesting subject as he had been in World War II, had a few different careers, been married for 60 years and much more. This meant I had a lot of content to include which was another reason why I decided to do it in a collage style. I looked at a variety of textures to add depth to my images, including yarn, ice, grass and dirt, all of which related to his life. These three images are my initial experiments. I don’t think that any of them work particularly well. I found it difficult because there was so much that I wanted to include that it looked too busy. I also didn’t like the effect of the texture over the photographs as it wasn’t as subliminal as I would have liked and drew the attention away from the images.
14
final piece
This is my final design for the project. I feel happier with this design than my other experiments but I am still not completely happy with the end result. I think that the background images look a bit too faded and feel as though I should have made sections within the design for different subjects, more like a cabinet. I am happy with the content and think I have summed up a lot of my Grandfather’s life in the image. For example, the tickets in the bottom left are from a bus journey when he first ever met my Grandmother, the Burma Star medal was the one he was most proud of, the stamps are from letters from old friends he met whilst travelling that had been kept for many years. I decided not to include any textures after experimenting with them previously, I think the page would have looked far too busy if I had included them.
16
Brief “For millions of years mankind lived just like the animals. Then something happened which unleashed the power of our imagination. We learned to talk, we learned to listen. Speech has allowed the communication of ideas enabling people to work together ... to build the impossible. Mankind’s greatest achievements have come about by talking ... and its greatest failures by not talking. It doesn’t have to be like this. Our greatest hopes could become reality in the future with the technology at our disposal - the possibilities are unbounded. All we need to do is make sure we keep talking”. Stephen Hawking Over the next few weeks you are required to submit visual and written proposals for a new version of the ‘Golden Record’ entitled, ‘Earth Artifact’. This should not be a slavish reproduction of the original golden record, but should be a more contemporary version, which should be reflected in the content and the format/media channel of your choice. You should document all stages of the research and design process, which should demonstrate a critical understanding of the design challenge. You should be inventive and demonstrate your ingenuity in solving this design challenge. It is important you generate several design solutions, taking one justified idea forward to a final solution.
18
Patrick George
Patrick George is an illustrator who’s designs are always clean cut, concept-driven and witty. He mainly enjoys to work on children’s books but his style works equally well in a corporate and media context. I love how bold his work is and hope to incorporate his style into my own work. Patrick’s previous clients include: Dell, Toyota, Royal Mail, Radio Times, Houses of Parliament and The Times. He has also produced his own books.
Peter Grundy Tilly Northedge and Peter Grundy set up Grundy & Northedge in 1980 because they were both interested in information design. This was because it was less about selling things and more about explaining things which seemed very interesting.
Grundy & Northedge spent 26 years making information visually interesting and in the process developed a way of drawing simple images to illustrate ideas that became their signature. They called it iconography, pictures that provide
information and explain complex things. When Tilly left design in 2006 Peter set out with the intent of making more extensive iconographic experimentation, for people who would see his work and buy one for there home, office or elsewhere.
Whilst researching into what format I could use for the brief, I came across this illustration on Pinterest, I couldn’t find out who had made it but I found it very interesting and thought I could possibly do my own version. I could use recent events, different types of places, people and cultures and in one very interesting illustration. I like the fact that you see something new every time you look at the image, it continues to be interesting for a long time.
I also came across this leaflet design after having the idea to create a leaflet for aliens visiting Earth. I liked the bold style with the simple colour palette. I think that this style will work a lot better with the brief as it would be an interesting way of using my skills alongside the requwsts of the brief. Using this style would also be a good way of incorporating more iconography and semiotics.
20
development
To create the images for this project, first I sketched out my ideas of the layout, then I drew them in Adobe Illustrator. I haven’t used this programme a lot before so found it quite challenging. I needed enough detail for the viewer to see what environment each image included but I also needed to make enough space for writing and symbols. I am quite happy with most of the images. After creating them, I then used Adobe Photoshop to colour them as I am much more confident and farmiliar with this programme.
For each image I wanted to use a symbol to show whether the climate in that environment was hot or cold and also what transport was needed to get there. I created some familiar symbols that can be instantly recognised.
During the process I had to find out about semiotics, a subject that I only knew a little about. Whilst researching, I found out: Semiotics is an investigation into how meaning is created and how meaning is communicated. Its origins lie in the academic study of how signs and symbols (visual and linguistic) create meaning. It is a way of seeing the world, and of understanding how the land-
scape and culture in which we live has a massive impact on all of us unconsciously. Our actions and thoughts – what we do automatically – are often governed by a complex set of cultural messages and conventions, and dependent upon our ability to interpret them instinctively and instantly.For instance, when we see the different colours of a traffic light, we automatically know how to react to
them. We know this without even thinking about it. But this is a sign which has been established by cultural convention over a long period of time and which we learn as children, and requires a deal of unconscious cultural knowledge to understand its meaning. Viewing and interpreting (or decoding) this sign enables us to navigate the landscape of our streets and society.
22
final piece
My final piece consisted of 7 images that when put together create a leaflet in the style of a holiday brochure. The idea was to show off Earth’s different environments and a few facts. Overall I think most of the images work well but the text doesn’t really look right together with the images. I also think that I should have used more semiotics throught the series of images.My favourite is definately the front cover, I think it somes up the environments well and the colour palette works. If I revisited the project I would also change the double spread page, at the moment it looks too bare and doesn’t fit in with the others. I used information which I thought was relevant however it doesn’t read like a travel brochure, which is dissapointing.
24
26
koichi fujii
Koichi Fujii worked as an Art Director for advertising companies in Tokyo for two decades. Making use of his long experience as a creator, he has now become a London based freelance illustrator and graphic designer, working on creative projects worldwide. As soon as I came across Fujii’s work, not only did I like it but I could see the shapes of letters throught them. I then decided to use Fujii as inspiration for my typeface. I find his overall use of shapes really interesting especially in the animal pieces.
28
development
Whilst creating my typeface a lot of my experiments were quite chunky, bold fonts, I decided that i wanted a more sleek and thin look as I could always change how thick the lines were in Adobe Illustrator afterwards. I think the style I decided on goes well with Koichi Fujii’s work and the fact that he is from Japan, I think that my typeface looks slightly japanese. If I was to experiment further, I would try to do the alphabet in lower case and also use colour to highlight the shapes within the typeface.
30
final piece
This is my final design for my typeface, inspired by Koichi Fujii. I think it works well as a font for titles and headings. If I was to change any of the letters, I would choose: B, F, I, J, S and Z. The reason for this is simply because I don’t think they fit in with the rest of the letters or even work well as letters on their own. Overall, however, I think that I captured Fujii’s style well and I am quite happy with my typeface.
32