Ellen Setterfield
OUGD603 Extended Practice
Brief 1
DR ME
The Brief DR ME, a design duo from Manchester briefed on one day brief named A Day In The Life of DR ME. Students were split into duos alphabetically which was the same way DR ME met each other. We were presented with a brief sheet consisting of three tasks, these tasks were examples of live briefs DR ME had worked on in the past. We were only given until 4pm to complete each task, some were collaborative and others were individual. This meant that time keeping was essential in order to meet the deadline.
Research Task one was to create a 12 inch vinyl sleeve for Evain Christ’s remix of DUGA-3. Research for this brief started with listening to the song and then looking into the background of the song. Our findings showed that the song had samples of the DUGA-3 within it. The DUGA-3 was a Russian transmitter used as part of the Soviet ABM early-warning network. The DUGA-3
transmitted a sharp repetitive tapping noise which lead to it being named the Russian woodpecker. We decided to focus our concept around this fact as it presented us with some interesting aesthetic options. Task two was to create a poster for the band ODONIS
ODONIS, DR ME supplied an email that detailed the content needed on the poster but did not offer any direction visually. This meant that the brief allowed full creative range over layout, colour and images. Research for this task was again to listen to some ODONIS ODONIS songs and look at their online following to get a feel for the aesthetic to aim for.
Task three was a self-directed art piece. The brief was inspired by 365 days of collage, a brief DR ME set for themselves, the reason for this brief was to create an expression visually without having a brief to work to. Research for this task was more internal as it was open to interpretation.
Ellen Setterfield
OUGD603 Extended Practice
Brief 1
DR ME
Development Development for Task one involved looking at photos of the DUGA-3 to understand what it looked like in context. The transmitter is located near Chernobyl and Chernihiv in Russia and looks quite out of place in its surrounding environment. By layering photos of the DUGA-3 in Photoshop the design linked closely with the work of DR ME and also represented
the meaning of the song. By playing with the opacity the outcome had visual depth and created an experience for listeners to look into the design to reveal other images. An illustration of a woodpecker was used to represent the DUGA-3’s nickname. By repeating the illustration a sense of movement was created within the print outcome.
When approaching the ODONIS ODONIS task the design was inspired by the designs on their website. As the brief was intended to have a quick turn-around the content was stripped back and simply used the information supplied to create a type based poster with a colourful background.
Task 3 was based around organ donation and had a very simple and pure message. Development for this task was to look at which organs can be donated and illustrate them in way that will give the message the desired effect.
Ellen Setterfield
OUGD603 Extended Practice
Brief 1
DR ME
Vinyl Outcome The final outcome for task one (left) took longer than expected due to the amount of research needed to complete the outcome. In the end the cover could have been executed with a higher quality finish. Overall, the cover was not up to the standard desired which meant extending the brief as an individual to achieve the standard needed. The final outcome
created outside of the collaboration (right) features a similar aesthetic and uses some of the same imagery from outcome one. A layer of noise was added to represent the crackling sound that the DUGA-3 transmits and it could also be argued that this is a better representation of the woodpecker tapping than a literal illustration of a woodpecker. An image of a
woodpecker was added to the background and the opacity was turned to 40% to ensure that the bird was subtle. Type was also added to the final outcome to improve user experience. It is important to ensure that users who want to listen or buy this song can identify it from the cover and the best way to do this was to add the title of the track to the
cover. It was also important that the title did not take away from the artwork so a bold typeface was chosen to work with the background.
Ellen Setterfield
OUGD603 Extended Practice
ODONIS ODONIS Outcome The collaborative outcome to this task (left) uses a similar technique to task one as it also makes use of layered backgrounds. This was done to link to the work of DR ME in order to fully understand the purpose of the workshop. The ODONIS ODONIS poster was completed very quickly and
therefore did not have achieve the standard appropriate for submission. A new design (right) was created that suited the brief more and also paid attention to the specific outcomes in the brief set by the band. As band posters are re-produced very often the second outcome was created to use only two colours which would result in lower printing costs.
Brief 1
DR ME
Ellen Setterfield
OUGD603 Extended Practice
Brief 1
1. 6.
5. 2.
3.
4.
PASS IT ON.
Thousands of people are waiting for organ transplants, donate yours when you die. Save a life. 1. Lungs 2. Heart 3. Kidneys
4. Liver 5. Pancreas 6. Small Bowel
Self Directed Art Piece The purpose of this task was to create a visual expression of something that was not restricted by brief outlines or clients. The topic chosen was organ donation and the message it portrays is the importance of organ donation and why people should think about joining the list. Illustrations of the organs that can be donated were used as well as a line
of text saying ‘Thousands of people are waiting for organ transplants, donate yours when you die. Save a life’ the intention of this was to strike a chord inside passers by and hopefully persuade them to join the list. This task was the most successful of the day as it was an individual task. Working on this brief collaboratively was challenging as
different design methodologies were brought to the table and they did not work well with each other.
DR ME