Major Final Portfolio Part Two - Development

Part Two ― Development

By Elliot Harris

Introduction Initial Direction Development Work Brand Identity Photography Illustration Book

Promotion Materials Exhibition Social Media

Printed Outcomes Conclusion

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Welcome to part two in the process of producing my final major portfolio.

Part two presents the development of the project, showcasing the design and thinking process that has gone into the development of such a big project.

The work presented in part two includes insights into my thinking and analysis on all the elements that were produced for the project, which provides a strong idea of the concept and rationale behind all of the final outcomes of the project, as well as those that did progress that far.

This small section presents my initial thoughts and ideas for the project at the very earliest stages of its development.

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The following images present mind maps that were developed in the early stages of the project.

Each mind map was produced in order to break the project down into the 3 major sections, the branding, the book and the exhibition, with the later being a variable at this stage of the project.

The mind maps allowed me to quickly put my initial ideas down on paper, in which I was immediately able to begin analysing the potential outcomes of the project.

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The development work presented in the following chapter consists of the design of the logo and branding of the project, before then looking at the process of capturing and editing the photography, producing the illustrations, and finally designing the book and other materials.

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The first area of the project that I started to develop was the branding, as it is the branding that would be the platform and set the tone for the rest of the project.

Through producing the initial mind maps the choice for the name of the brand was narrowed down to just two options, HELP (Helping Every Lonely Person) or FEEL (For Everyone Experiencing Loneliness).

Both names had pros and cons attached to the their potential use, HELP uses the word that is sadly not said often enough by the who instead suffer in silence due to the shame connected to the feelings of loneliness they are experiencing.

However, I felt that the ’H’ standing for ’Help’ was one that lessoned the impact of the acronym.

FEEL was an acronym that I felt worked very well in the context of the project, and the subject of loneliness, but admittedly felt a little more ambiguous.

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The following pages present a selection of sketches for both potential outcomes for the logo.

This first spread shows a small selection of thumbnail sketches which were quickly produced in order to get my earliest ideas down and allow me to begin to refining my ideas and the direction of the logo.

These early thumbnails also highlight an initial but strong interest in developing a type orientated logo.

Following on from these sketches, I then began to refine the sketches of the logos using gridded paper, whilst I also moved away from solely focusing on developing a typographic logo.

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This spread shows another selection of type-centric logo sketches, as well as the final consideration of a variation for the Help logo, having determined that FEEL would be the brand name going forward.

Despite the decision not to go with the Help brand identity, the word would still play a significant role in the project, in which the sketch shown on the opposite page was of particular interest and could be refined for use in the book.

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This spread presents the final typographic logos as well as the move toward iconography.

Each logo was designed in the shape of a heart icon, which evokes the emotional context of feeling, whilst the icon logos take elements of connection and communication.

The sketches, which integrate the hands and fingers into the heart are less successful than the others, in which they feel slightly unnerving and sinister, despite the intention of being tender and comforting.

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Whilst the initial sketches incorporating the hand into the heart were unsuccessful in capturing the mood of the brand, I felt that the idea was one that had potential, and thus was worth developing further.

In the process of reworking the idea, each sketch incorporates the hands in a much more apparent way.

The first logo sketch combines two hands, fingers touching at the fingertips to form the shape of the heart, which gives the logo a strong sense of feeling, both in the physical and emotional sense, a perfect summation of what the brand stands for.

The second logo introduces a much more graphical, curved hand shape, in which the one hand overlaps the other, yet with the bottom fingers joining at the bottom. The curve and structure of the hand perhaps feel too reminiscent of MultiAdaptor’s logo for Makaton, a children’s speech and sign language programme.

The third logo brings a more rectangular hand shape, using the same application as the second sketch, in which the bottom fingers again meet at the bottom.

The shape of the logo and bolder, thicker fingers allow the logos image of one hand comforting another to stand out strongly, something which is lacking in the second.

The final sketch shows a slightly altered, ’parody’ version of the third logo sketch, in which the underlying hand is swapped out for a smartphone, satirically yet also cynically portraying how our relationship with technology is replacing our human relationships and interactions.

This sketch also reintroduces the curve to the logo, but in a more subtle way, yet I felt that the more rectangular shape of the third sketch was stronger whilst also feeling much contemporary and original.

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Having produced a range of sketches for the design of the logo, the next step was to develop a selection of them, in which I started with the potential Help logos.

The development of these logos centred around the use of an exclamation mark, in which the first 4 logos use the letter ’H’ as the point, combined with the varying shapes of the usual mark.

Each of the 4 logos have a nice simplicity to them but none have any visual impact, in which they feel boring and amateurish.

The bottom 2 logos introduces the word into the shape of the main stroke of the exclamation mark, both as a cut out and as the spine itself. Whilst the two logos are certainly stronger than the previous 4 logos, they lack the sophistication and presence needed from the identity.

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These two logos revert to integrating just the letter ’H’ into the exclamation mark, however, in this instance the use of the letter is swapped to become the spine of the exclamation mark itself.

Both variations of the logo use the same angled spine of the letter ’H’, forming a wider than usual exclamation mark, yet both differ slightly at the stop.

The first logo adopts a wide, rectangular stop which adds a subtle yet also sharp contrast to the narrowed point of the main spine of the mark.

The second logo opts for more continuity by continuing to angle to the point of the full stop at the bottom of the mark. This creates much more balance and is much more pleasing on the eye as a result of the very slight change made to the mark.

However, despite the change to the logo, I still felt the use of the singular letter for the exclamation mark didn’t convey the brand identity strongly.

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Having determined that the single letter ‘H’ exclamation mark logo didn’t convey ‘help’, I developed the full word versions of the exclamation marks, creating four variations of the refined idea.

The first of the four logo joined each of the letters down the left side of the mark, yet as a result of this, the logo feels very unbalanced, while the letters themselves feel squashed, which is most evident in the form of the ‘E’ that is almost missing.

The second variation of the logo keeps the elements the same as the first, but, addresses the issues of the first through adding space between the letters. The logo has much more balance as a result and is much more pleasing on the eye.

The third logo combines the second with the usual, filled spine of the exclamation mark, using the negative space to create the word, however, once again the word becomes somewhat lost within the logo.

The final logo likewise combines the two elements, yet, the reduction to the size of the letters and placement in the centre of the spine again adds greater balance.

Both the second and fourth logo work well due to the balance and simplicity of the idea and application of the word.

However, the process of developing the ‘HELP’ led me to question how innovative, creative and stylish these logos would be, which was a concern given the need for the logo to feel, fresh, sleek and modern, all of which were very important in order to set the tone of the project, especially given the target audience.

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Having developed a range of ‘HELP’ logos, I next moved on to developing a range of the ‘FEEL’ logos sketches.

The first set of logos developed centred around using the letters in the form of a smiling mouth and eyes, which became the gesture of a face or head during the development process.

The logos join the letters ‘f’ and ‘l’ to form the distinctive shape of the head, in which the ear is created by the ‘f’. The addition of the letter ‘e’ creates the gesture of the eyes to complete the simple formation of the logo and face.

Each variation of the logo features subtle changes, the first two of which are varied around the curves of the letters, while the final logo takes the elements of the first and squashes the curve which connects the ‘f’ and ‘l’ to create a squared shape.

Both the first and last logo work better than the second, whilst the first seemed the strongest of the two, however, I still felt that the concept and logo were not strong enough to be the face of the brand, and indeed the project.

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This set of two logotypes reverts back to simplicity, in which the logo uses simple rectangles to form the letters which are set in a mono-spaced arrangement.

The letters are incredibly simple, yet they have a distinctive character to them, due to the small amount of space between the heavy strokes of the letter.

I felt that the simple, yet bold logo would carry colour and potentially imagery well, which had been a strong consideration, as highlighted by the research conducted into the Colossal logo.

However, the logo lacked personality and a sense of character, which were hugely important characteristics to evoke when designing the logo for a charity, especially one which is connected to loneliness.

As such I decided to revise the logo, with the second ‘e’ being flipped before then being connected to the first. This gives the logo a much stronger sense of being connected, provoking a subtle sense of what the brand stands for, yet, the logo still feels bland and corporate, and still lacks the sense of the brand’s purpose.

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This set of six logos are variations of the same idea, which again make use of very simple rectangular letters, which are then combined in a jigsaw formation.

The fourth variation has a slightly thicker stroke than the third which increases the gap between the letters in comparison to the outside of the letters.

The first variation is the most simplistic of the six, favouring a linear aesthetic in order to allow each of the letters to be easily recognisable. However, this also creates two gaps between the both the ‘f’ and the ‘e’ and the ‘e’ and the ‘l’, which have a big impact on how the logo is seen.

This is also true of the final two variations of the logo which refine the shadows so that white space emerges in the spacing between the ‘f’ and ‘e’ and the ‘e’ and the ‘l’, and as a result each feels much more sleek and modern.

Each of the variations were produced as a way of addressing this issue, with the first applying black to two letters, in order to differentiate them, however, the thin line of the ‘f’ and ‘e’ still don’t allow the issue of the spacing to be addressed.

Both the third and fourth variations of the logo manage to successfully address the issue of the spacing between the letters by making the logo three-dimensional.

The two variations are clearly inspired by the Colossal logo, using the grid created to make the letters to produce shadows, in which the form of the letters and the direction of the supposed light manage to fill the spacing in a more natural way.

Overall, I felt that the two final variations of the logo were the most striking of them all, however, I still didn’t think the logo fitted what I was trying to achieve.

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These two hand lettered logos introduce the heart shape into the development of the branding, which really complements the brand name.

However, whilst the iconic heart shape is always a strong choice to be the face of a charity or brand with such a purpose, it is somewhat overused and clichĂŠd, and as a result the logo would need to be highly creative and original.

As such, I felt that the idea of combining and implementing hand lettering into the iconic shape of the heart was a clever and creative way to ensure that the logo had personality, originality and recognisability.

The first of the two hand lettered heart logos keeps consistency throughout the four letters, shaping each into the shape of the heart. However, in doing this there are some elements of the letters which feel a little squashed and unbalanced, in which there a some inconsistencies in the thickness of the stroke.

This is addressed in the second of the two logos, in which the letters and the space between them are much more consistent, whilst the use of upper and lower case

makes the arrangement of the logo feel much more balanced and natural than it had been in the previous version.

Overall, I felt that the second of the two logos was the strongest, however, I still didn’t think it would work as the logo, but that it may be a potential option for any possible promotional materials, such as posters or t-shirts.

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Whilst ultimately deciding that the hand lettered heart logo wasn’t the solution to be the face of the project, I felt that using the shape of the heart itself was a strong option that was worth pursuing further.

The first of the logos I then developed for using the heart, combined the shape with that of an ear, using the shape of half the heart to cleverly create the gesture of the ear within the space.

The ear is created through simple lines of the same weight of the heart’s, in which there is a lovely balance and consistency between the two, allowing both the heart and ear to complement each other.

Liking the simplicity of the logo as well as its minimalistic aesthetic quality, I then produced several variations of the initial base logo, experimenting with the weight of the lines, stroke caps and joints, whist using the offset path tool to create a more pronounced ear shape and finally trying a fill logo, in which the ear was formed in the negative shape cut out from the heart.

I really liked the variety of the logos I had produced, yet I also had an idea in which I felt they may be even better suited for.

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Having developed an idea that I felt was likely to make stronger use of the heart/ ear logo, I decided to try and implement a pair of hands into the heart shape, the first set of which comprised of two hands joining or touching at the fingertips.

The concept behind having the two hands forming the completed heart shape of the logo through the touching of the fingertips was a really wonderful one which works on many levels, with different meanings, emotions and connotations being driven through this simple form.

The first meaning that is derived from the logo is the most obvious one, the idea of connection between two people merging into a feeling of love or completeness.

Yet, further connotations that are evoked from the logo include the essence of the brand name ‘FEEL’, which is conveyed as both the metaphor for the emotions that come from our hearts and the much more literal, physical sensation that we most notably feel through our hands.

I really loved the ideas driving this logo, however, in the development process of creating the logo I ran into some issues.

Whilst aesthetically the logo appears to be very simple, minimal and even rather elegant, the logo was incredibly complex to design inside of Illustrator.

Due to the way that the logo had to be put together, there were overlapping points where the tips of the fingers met with the lines of the fingers themselves, which in spite of my best efforts and a great deal of time spent trying to address the issue, I was unable to fully clean up.

So ultimatley I decided against opting for the logo despite loving everything about it as I felt that it would likely lead to a host of potential issues further down the line.

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This set of logos combining the hand and the heart was the last I developed during the logo design/branding process of the project, which of course means that it was also the one I ultimately chose to use as the final logo going forward.

Overall, I really loved this logo, especially due the more unique, graphic shape of the heart which gave the logo an immediately original and modern feel, whilst the thick linear aesthetic was one that I felt could potentially carry colour very well.

Whereas the previous set of logos created the shape of the heart through the point of the finger tips, this set depicted a hand holding or comforting another below.

I really felt that the logo was a perfect fit given the younger target audience that I was aiming to connect with in my project.

The fundamental reason for this change was of course to address to the big issue of complicated crossing paths and anchor points which plagued the previous set of logos, yet, this also provided a very strong sense of understanding and empathy to the logo which were valuable traits to have in the brand and the project as a whole.

Yet, the real strength of the logo is in the simplicity of its core elements, in which the logo was developed as one singular hand which could then be easily flipped and put into place behind the other.

Due to the to simplicity of the logo, I also needed to spend less time experimenting with the stroke styles, quickly establishing that I would use the rounded strokes.

The logo also had great flexibility, which would allow me to explore other ways of both implementing and utilising it in the project, as the following spread shows.

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Presented are a set of parody versions of the logo, which were developed to act as a clever visual social commentary on how our relationships with and increasing dependence on technology is replacing the relationships we have with each other.

The six parodies range from visualising our relationships with our smartphones, gaming consoles and the TV, all of which have had the underlying hand swapped out and replaced by the devices we use to control these technologies.

The first three of the parodies (running across the top) replace the hand with the smartphone, with each version produced in order to create the right visual balance between the hand and the device.

The first version of the smartphone parody shows the device face side up, in which the thin frame and white space showing the screen lacks the strength to provide enough contrast to the bold hand, and as such lacks the necessary emphasis to be a really powerful message.

The lack of contrast provided by keeping the device consistent and linear with the logo, led me to rethink and refine the idea.

The rethink and refinement of the idea led to the decision to contrast the device by having it as a solid colour fill which is directly opposite to the style of the logo.

For the smartphone parody, this meant simply showing the back of it, rather than the front, which actually worked better as the camera and sensors on the back of the phone made the device instantly more recognisable than the front did.

The next consideration for implementing the smartphone was whether to show the bottom device coming out from under the hand, which after experimenting with both I decided I would do, as the set shows.

Once the smartphone parody was done, the others were very straightforward to produce, in which I went on to create a parody using a Nintendo Switch controller, Playstation 4 controller and TV remote, each of which were created from scratch.

The final decision to make was which of the gaming parodies to choose from, with the most fitting in terms of context being the Playstation controller, but the most visually consistent being the other, which I eventually chose for visual balance.

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Having produced the parodies of the logo, I turned my attention back to the actual logo itself, creating a suitable, yet vibrant colour palette that presented the brand in a highly original way.

During the process of finding the perfect colour or colours to represent the brand, I experimented with a variety of potential colours, before deciding on four possible solutions for the colour of the logo.

Each of the colours are Pantone colours, specifically from the CMYK coated range, with each conveying different emotions, whilst all have strong connotations with the energy and vibrancy of youthfulness.

The colours are strongly carried through the bold weight of the outlined logo, yet they also work very well as filled colours within the black outlined frame, carrying the bold colours in a visually striking way that holds a great deal of contrast.

I ultimately decided that I would use the original black outlined logo throughout the main elements of the project, such as the book, however, I also decided to use the four colours on a range of materials, in which the red would be at the forefront.

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Having determined the colour ways of the logo, the final step in producing the brand identity was to set a supporting logotype that could be used in accordance with the logo when there is need to give context.

During the early stages of developing my ideas, I opted to employ Helvetica Neue as the font be used most throughout the entirety of the project, as will be explained in Book development chapter.

As such, this was the font that I worked with most throughout the process of the logotype experimentation, whilst I also created tried a couple of other fonts and even produced some of the letters too.

The process of finding the best solution for the type was a very challenging one, due to the unique shape and contours of the logo, in which the middle of the logo is not at the bottom point of it.

As such, the combinations I tried all felt a little unbalanced despite the different widths and applications of the acronym.

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I then refined the idea for the supporting type, sitting the full brand name next to logo, whilst still keeping Helvetica Neue as the font, which in this instance is the bold, extended variation of the font.

I also decided to apply the vibrant red to the first letter of each word, highlighting the ‘FEEL’ acronym in such a way that it cleverly showcases the most important part of the brand identity, whilst giving it the context of what it stands for.

Overall, I felt that the supporting type that I produced worked really well, in which it complimented the other elements of the project and created a solid platform for ensuring visual consistency throughout.

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Having produced the branding, the next step was to capture the photography for the project, which would make up much of the content of the book.

This section highlights the key areas of development for the photography, with images being broken down into a series of shoots and/or similar styles.

Due to the 1000+ images taken for the project, this section only features a small selection of the most important images or themes, whilst showing all images in their post-production state.

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The photography of the sky was the most simplistic to capture in terms of the skill required, for obvious reasons, however, it is perhaps surprising that these images did require a photographers eye.

Whilst I was able to open up the aperture and ISO to ensure the best quality image with no noise, the challenge with these photographs can from their simplicity.

When dealing with such sparse, minimal and colourful shots, it was important to capture the tone in each image as well as the transition between them.

The transition between the images was vitally important as the series needed to show the transition between the lighter and darker sky, yet the transition needed to be subtle, to build a narrative that felt organic but atmospheric.

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Like the sky photography, capturing the clouds in many instances requires only basic photography skills and equipment, however, the selection of images shown opposite required slightly more advanced skills in order to capture the,.

The first four images (left to top right) are simply shot with a wide angle lens with a wide aperture and low ISO, however, the last two images were shot with a macro/ telephoto lens with a higher aperture.

Due to the aperture (changing) and lower light conditions, these images required a higher ISO and longer exposure time.

Whilst the composition of each image has been carefully considered in terms of the framing, cropping and rule of thirds, the last image is the one that really stands out from rest.

The image, which is taken at near 300m zoom length, captures a cropped area in the clouds of high drama and contrast.

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Like the sky photography, capturing the clouds in many instances requires only basic photography skills and equipment, however, the selection of images shown opposite required slightly more advanced skills and the introduction of a tripod.

The burnt orange sky is accentuated by dramatic, black silhouettes of the clouds, and the lighter trail of a passing plane, all of which presented tough challenges to capturing the scene.

Having captured the image and done the usual post-production touch ups, I next created a few varieties using various blur settings, for use in an idea surrounding the danger of dementia, something which is increased by loneliness.

Each of the blur effects works beautifully due to the contrast between the orange of the sky and the black of the clouds, yet the chosen image would be determined by which worked best in context.

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Due to the icicle being both semi opaque and transparent, the contrast needed to be gained through the capturing the finer details of the icicles.

The snow and icicle photography was the first shoot taken during the early stages of the project, as well as being one of the most technically challenging to capture.

These photographs required the use of a tripod as well as a remote controller, in order to remove as much risk of the lens shuddering as possible.

Each image was also shot with a macro lens, allowing me to zoom in and capture the smallest details with sharpness.

The image of the footsteps in the snow uses the ambient lighting from the street, in which the lit up area adds emphasis to the footsteps, highlighted by the deeper, darker shadows in the footsteps.

The image of the icicles that appear to be stood up was taken on a strangely grey, subdued day, in which the real challenge was to achieve contrast between each of the icicles and the background.

Once taken, the image was then refined, increasing the clarity and the contrast of icicle to the background, whilst flipping the image on its head, which changed the meaning, conveying a different attitude towards winter that was very important in the context of the book.

The final two photographs of a lamppost with icicles descending from the lighting presented a very different challenge to the previous, in which I aimed to capture just the area of lighting and icicles, with the background remaining black.

Capturing such images required a low ISO to avoid the image becoming overly noisy yet needed to allow enough light to pass through the lens. Therefore it was really important to balance the shot so that the sharpness and exposure was right.

Both images work well with the areas of detail illuminated from the background, creating a strong sense of drama.

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Capturing reflections in puddles was the final series of photographs to be included in the weather section of the book.

The process for shooting these images was very similar to that required for the icicle/lamppost images, yet, capturing the reflections in these puddles presented a much bigger challenge, perhaps even the most difficult shoot of the project.

Each photograph in the series was taken with a macro lens, allowing me to get very close to the subject to capture the finest detail, however, this also made capturing each in excellent sharpness and perfect colour reproduction very challenging.

Each of the first four images were taken around the Centre For Life, in Newcastle City centre, an area that offered a varied amount of brightly coloured, vivid lights, making it the perfect location to shoot.

The first two images (top left & right) are zoomed out, which give the images more context to what their subject is, whilst it also enables more contrast between the dark areas of the path where light does not hit the surface of the puddles.

The next two images were taken with the zoom at the maximum of 300mm, which gives the subject a much greater a sense of depth and texture, whilst capturing a much wider range of colour and tone.

There is a beautiful abstraction to these image, which feel almost other-worldly in their appearance, however, the images would also need to be included wisely, due to the indifferent sharpness that is a result of the lens at the full 300mm zoom.

The fifth image of the six (bottom left) was another taken at the 300mm zoom length, yet, in this instance maintained the full sharpness in the image, which as a result makes it the most striking and perhaps most stunning image captured.

The final image, taken in an underpass, was another that retained its sharpness, despite the low-light levels of the shot, in which the shot captures the melancholy of the space, making effective us of light.

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The dark paths and streets photography was one of the lowest, of low light shoots that was undertaken during the project.

The images were captured on a very cold, wet, wintry night, in which the paths and streets were entirely empty as a result.

As such, each of the locations felt quite isolating, something which is very much captured in the images too.

That great sense of isolation was one that I was particularly capturing in this series as I felt it was important to convey that impending sense of darkness as well as the vulnerability attached to feeling lonely.

The series really acts as a metaphor for loneliness more than anything else, due to the almost sinister sense of isolation that is so prevalent across the series.

As such, this series was one of the most challenging shoots undertaken, both from a technical (very low-light) and storytelling perspective, but one that is very powerful.

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This set of photographs also captures the streets in the low-level conditions of the night, however, in this small series, there is much more light available.

The images, taken in the back-streets of Sunderland’s City centre, again capture the sense of isolation and vulnerability, but in this instance uses light in order to capture such an unnerving feeling.

The success of the image comes from the ambient orange, stemming from the street lights, which creates an aesthetic that feels almost hauntingly beautiful.

This is certainly the case in the first image of the three (top left), in which the light illuminates just pockets of the immediate surrounding area, creating very dramatic areas of contrast between these areas, and the pitch black darkness of the night.

In this instance, the pockets of light also illuminate a series of barred windows, adding a sense of shutting the world out, and to the vulnerability of being there.

The second image focuses on a small part of the first image, the windows, which are at the illuminated heart of the scene. The image captures the rough texture of the wall, as well as the deep contrast to the windows, in which the bar become so subtle, they are almost invisible.

The richness of the black in the windows, creates a sense that the building too is vacant, making the scene feel that much more isolating, in which it seems their is simply an absence of any life.

The final image uses the lighting with the added perspective provided by the two walls down the narrow street, to create a sense of an almost never ending street.

Adding to this sense is the horizon in the distance, which appears as just a series of small, dwindling lights that are almost missed in the darkness of the night. In the foreground of the image, the small areas of light creates areas long shadow and distinct shapes, whilst the light from the path adds balance to the darkness of the surrounding areas.

Overall, I really liked the orange hue and dramatic range of tone and detail that are captured in this series of images.

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This set of photographs were again taken on a night in Sunderland City centre, in which I aimed to capture light emitting from the windows, inspired by the work of Edward Hopper and the words of Olivia Laing in her book, The Lonely City.

The first series of images were taken from a more zoomed out perspective of the two apartment blocks, which fits beautifully with the quote which the images would sit along side in the book.

The image was challenging to capture due to the various locations and colours of light being emitted in the scene, yet, despite these issues I was able to reduce the amount of over-exposure in the shot, before then further refining the lighting in post-production.

The second set of images shot, zoomed in on the windows themselves, through using a telephoto lens which allowed me to really get close up to the details and various tones of light available from the windows, yet in such a way that the shot still feels very distant, deliberately so.

The resulting photographs have a strong sense of intimacy, which is provoked by seeing into just the small portions of the windows where only the ceilings can be seen, but these small portions make up a big part of their inhabitants lives.

Despite the intimacy of the image, there is also an even strong sense of vacancy, which comes from the lack of any detail found in the windows or the gesture that people and life actually exists within the brightly lit spaces inside.

Overall, I really love these images, and in particular, the top left and bottom image, which I feel perfectly evokes the feeling of isolation and loneliness that can exist in the city, which is really emphasised by the feeling that you are hovering in the void when looking at the bottom image.

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This photograph taken of the Cale Cross building in Newcastle Upon Tyne (at the end of the Tyne bridge) was another from the building series which was used in the final version of the book.

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This selection of photographs were taken around the University of Sunderland city campus, late on a winter evening.

The photographs explore the impact that going to university has on loneliness, and in particular, when that may also mean leaving home, family and friends.

The decision to shoot these images late at night was due to the emptiness of the site, in which the vulnerability of feeling alone, especially in the dark really comes through in the images.

Each image in the series has the same unsettling sense of familiarity, which given the context of the darkness makes each environment feel imposing, providing a visual representation or metaphor for how the days and the nights might feel for a student who has just started university, and potentially left home to do so.

The first of the three images required a bit of work in post-production in order to further illuminate certain areas of the shot, whilst keeping most of it very dark.

The shot captured of the underpass that leads to the Priestman building was also enhanced, yet, surprisingly not as much.

The light illuminating the space already gave a real sense of atmosphere, so the concentration of the refinements was on bringing out the texture and emphasising the darkness of the shadows.

The final image of the lit up interior of the City Space building is perhaps the most interesting and technically sophisticated of the images taken in which the building appears to descend and be swallowed up into the blackness of the night. Whilst again there is a gesture that the space is being inhabited by people, yet, the shot itself is vacant, which provokes thought in the same way as the apartment shots.

The deep black of the background in the final image also made it very flexible in the result of adding elements of text to the image or to support its narrative.

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This series of underpass images was an important one given the context that I would be exploring of the city to present in the book. Of the six images presented, five were taken in Newcastle, whilst one (top left) was taken in Sunderland.

Each of the six images required a similar set up of the ISO, which needed to be set quite high due to variation that I opted for when capturing the images.

Each image presents a slightly different, yet unique perspective which is used to create a deliberately disorientating set of images, which has been used in order to evoke the feeling of being somewhat all over the place in an emotional sense, but depicted in the physical sense.

There are various meanings which can be drawn from these images as a result of the diversity of the angles as well as the spaces themselves. Does it represent the feeling and isolation of being alone in the city or those who spend their life in these places whilst being passed by?

There is also the questions surrounding where the underpasses lead to, the first splits off in two possible directions, whilst the second gives a sense of natural light at the end of the underpass.

The third and fourth images also give a sense of optimism through the natural light at the end of the underpass, whilst the final two images feature the barely visible Baltic and Millennium Bridge in the distance, which gives a sense of being so close to society, modernity and culture, yet being so far away.

The decision to photograph the industrial bin in the foreground of the image adds to the sense of being ‘in the gutter’, knowing there is a way out, but not quite being able to see it and get out of it.

Overall, each of these images were very important to the context of the project and would add a nice sense of versatility to the layout of the pages, however, the selection of which images to use would need to be carefully considered.

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This photograph was another taken during the series of underpass images captured, which would be used in the book. I found the message written in graffiti interesting and felt that it could be quite provocative in the book. The dropped coffee cup in the foreground also emphasises the presence of life has not long passed by, but it is no longer anywhere to be seen.

Continuing with the theme of exploring the dirtier side of the city is this set of images taken in the ally of Grey’s Court, which again conveys a sense of isolation and vulnerability that stems from a place that seems so disconnected from society despite being in the heart of the city.

The images were shot on a fittingly grey morning, resulting in subtle muted tones which feel particularly mundane, yet the level of detail in the image makes it very interesting visually.

Once again, the images were shot from more varied and dynamic angles, which presents the ally from a new perspective.

Again, I was happy with the outcome of the images and had a clear idea on how to arrange them in the layout of the book.

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This set of images taken at Grey’s Quarter and Grey’s Monument represents the first images taken in the more sociable areas of the city of Newcastle.

The series moving towards more sociable spaces brings new emphasis and derives new meaning through the photography, which adds narrative to the series and the story being told through the images.

The narrative explored on this occasion comes from these usually and frequently spacing being completely empty, devoid of any sense of life at all.

The first two images (above) of the empty path down Grey’s Quarter uses the light and columned structure of the passage creates the sense that path is far in the distance, in which the lit up spots add a looming sense that makes the end point of the path feel almost imposing. The decision to capture the walkway in both horizontally and vertically was to give me more flexibility when using it in the book.

The second set of images was taken from multiple angles around Grey’s Monument, usually a hotspot for young people during the day, yet in this instance is completely baron and empty.

Again, the colours in both sets of images feel muted and cold, with the only feeling of warmth being emitted from the lights.

Both images derive metaphors from the empty physical environment with the lack people representing the strong feeling of loneliness that one can experience within such a densely populated place.

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The images taken down High Friar lane shows a place that had historically been a place for socialising, but that has since been left behind and somewhat forgotten by the continuous redevelopment and gentrification that happens in the city on an almost daily basis.

The first image shows the old cinema, a place which was at one time was a hive of activity but now sits empty as a result of time changing and life moving to new more modern areas.

The image perfectly encapsulates life in the modern world in which time seems to pass quickly, with relationships coming and going seemingly in the blink of an eye too, which are major causes of loneliness.

The second image looking up to the sky, between the narrow spaces of the two buildings and past the thread of lights above, highlights the contrast of a place depending on time. Instead of the street being lit up beautifully by the lights, it is instead stark, mundane, lonely.

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Whilst on High Fair Lane I also shot the first images through restaurant and cafe windows, which had been a real interest of mine since reading Olivia Laing’s book and delving deeper into the work Edward Hopper and his window paintings.

The shots taken through the windows of Byron are truly wonderful, especially the first, in which the half finished bottle and empty glasses again suggest that life has been present but is no longer present.

Yet, perhaps my favourite aspect of the image is the colour palette, which has an almost vintage feel that is evoked by the warm oranges and brown tones. However, within this warm space, there is the very cold blue in the reflections of the glasses, which are a stark reminder that you are in fact on the outside, in the cold, looking in at the warm space inside.

This is beautifully captured in the second image too, in which the shot goes straight through the interior and back outside,

Both images have a sense of longing that is provoked by looking in on the warmth of being on the inside of a space, yet, in this there is an emptiness that derives from the inside, suggesting that whatever you may be searching for, you won’t find the thing you want here.

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These two images were also taken as part of the same series looking through windows only to find emptiness, with these two shot taking place through the Burger King on Northumberland Street in Newcastle.

This was another series of image taken on Northumberland Street, this time looking through the windows of CafĂŠ Nero, in which the space had a lovely muted interior of varying browns and cream colours, whilst the image above is sharply contrasted by bright, bold blue of the telephone box which is purposefully reflected in the window.

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This next series moved to the inside of a cafĂŠ, focusing on the emptiness within the space from the inside rather than the outside, as the previous set had done.

The inside of the cafĂŠ was one of, if not, the most challenging series to capture, due to the low light conditions, whilst not also not being to make use of a tripod.

The first two images capture the empty surrounding tables and booths in which there is a real warmth in the decor of the interior, yet, the condiments and cutlery on the tables are in sharp contrast, and feel much colder as a result.

There is a lovely sense of balance to the contrast between the warmth and cold colours, whilst the emphasis of the lack of human presence is added to further by the spotlighting above the tables, which illuminate the empty space.

Whilst both of these to images are very pleasing on the eye, the most striking and beautiful image is the one below, which is perhaps the best of all those captured.

The image focuses on the nearest table to my position, and zooms in on the finer details of the table, seating, condiments and cutlery, shot through a macro lens.

The decision to capture the shot in such a way allows an enormous range of tone and colour to be captured, whilst there is a balance between the sharp details in the foreground and the polka dots that are formed in the background.

Overall, the series has an almost vintage aesthetic charm to it, which makes it one of the most visually pleasing series of the entire project, and one that I felt would provide plenty of context as well.

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This series of images were taken in a McDonald’s restaurant in Newcastle’s city centre, in which capturing the set of images required the same process that had been required for the images taken at the Long Play Café.

Again, I was unable to use a tripod to capture the images so finding the right balance in the camera’s settings and making sure to keep as still as possible when taking the photographs were of paramount importance in order to get images that were nice and sharp.

Overall, this series of images came out surprisingly well given the limitations I had with the equipment and time scale I had to capture them.

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These two shots of cranes looming over the city centre of Newcastle are from a wider series taken, in which I was really interested in how cranes are integral to building the foundations of a city, yet, how the person within the crane is physically cut off and isolated high above.

There was a beautiful simplicity in these images which stem from the silhouetted structure of the crane, whilst the sense of height of the crane can be felt.

However, despite really liking the images, I ultimately decided that they didn’t have a place in the book, due to the importance of other images taking precedence.

These images also represented the last of the environment focused shots taken in and around the cities.

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This series of images would be the first in the suburbs section of the environment chapter, opening up the section alongside a song about growing up in the suburbs which would play throughout the chapter, with both complementing each other and providing plenty of context.

The first two images in the series have a very bright range of colour, which evoke the vibrancy of youth and the optimism of growing up, contrasting the mundane greys of the following city section.

Whilst the two images feel positive and optimistic, the emptiness of the streets creates an underlying sense that there is something missing, which starts the ball rolling on the theme of reflecting on the past of childhood and the changes taking place in a young person’s life.

This is further emphasised in the final two images of the series in which the bright colours of the sky are less saturated and subdued, whilst there are only pockets of light on the street emerging through the shadows which envelope the scene.

Overall, I felt the series worked perfectly in opening the section as well as setting the tempo and narrative that followed.

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The two images of paths in the suburbs, again set the tone for a series of images which would come later in the section.

Again there is a sense of optimism that comes from the bright, vibrant colours, whilst maintaining the underlying theme of emptiness, however, it’s the continually narrowing path leading towards the dark point of the images, which lead into the next set of images follow.

As with the first two images of the last series, there is a beautiful range of tone and colour in these images, which would work well so long as the context given to their inclusion and placement in the book was considered and well thought out.

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The photographs taken down both sides of the cut running down alongside my old school would also be used to accompany the lyrics of a song, again setting the tone for the images to follow.

The first of the two images has the same perspective view as the images of paths taken earlier in the series, yet unlike the path photographed on the previous page, the scene is much less vibrant and much more mundane.

The second image changes the angle and perspective of how the cut is seen, which as a result closes off the opening of the cut from where the first image was shot, whilst it also becomes more blurred and out of focus in the background.

Overall, the images taken down the cut which runs alongside the school acts as a literal walk down memory lane, building up to the following images and context to come regarding school.

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The same use of clever angles is applied to the second image in which another low perspective ensures that the information on the board outside is unidentifiable.

These two images taken outside of the entrance of my old school followed the same aesthetic as the earlier shots in the series, in which the bright blue sky and the green grass have had the saturation reduced to emphasis the narrative.

The consistency between the aesthetic of the images is perhaps most apparent in the second image, which has the same shadows and pockets of light hitting the entrance to the closed school, as one of the streets earlier in the suburbs section.

The way in which both photographs were taken was also particularly clever, as one of the potential issues with the two shots was the danger that they would become (or be seen to be) too personal to myself.

The first shot was taken from a low angle in which the spikes at the top of the fence cuts through the school sign or plaque on the facade of the main building, and takes away that sense of it being specific place.

Overall, the images work really well in the context of the project and the section in particular, whilst the perspective of these shots allows for subjectivity, allowing the reader to look at the images whilst also reflecting on their own personal past.

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Continuing the theme of building on the narrative explored throughout the series of photographs in the suburbs was this set of images taken in my local park.

This series explores the areas where we might once have played and socialised, in which the images of the football pitch and tennis court highlight sports that require participation and more than one person in order to be able to play.

Within this context, the series derives new meaning from these spaces, in which the emptiness provokes a sense of how time has passed, how our younger days have been left behind, how the friends who we once enjoyed spending our time playing with have now moved on with their lives.

The images themselves employ a range of angles, presenting new perspectives on these familiar settings, whilst the colour saturation has been reduced to create a more sombre and atmospheric tone, with the vibrant optimism of youth being quite literally sucked out of the images.

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These two images were also taken down the school cut on a brighter day, in which the focus of them is the encroachment of continuous industrialisation on nature, and the changes frequently being made to the environments we inhabit, where we live and grow.

There is a strong, beautiful and daunting contrast between the vibrancy of nature and the darker, more mundane presence of the man-made which looms over. The presence of the man-made is particularly felt in the impact of the silhouetted fence, which is especially strong in the shadow looming diagonally in the second image.

Overall, these two images offer a perfect balance between nature and man-made industrialisation, whilst again fitting well with the song running through the section.

Although the two images may not seem to directly link to loneliness, there’s strong evidence to suggest that industrialisation and the ever-changing landscapes have an impact on our feelings of loneliness, as Olivia Laing points out in her book.

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This series of images taken in Whickham focuses in on the empty forecourt of the main village shops, in which the aim was to explore how time and big out-of-town shopping centres have impacted small, local businesses and the relationships we have or once had with them.

The scene is usually a much busier one, full of people, many of whom are young students who hang-out around the area, especially during the afternoons, with the local shops thriving as a result.

In these images, though, there is no sign of life whatsoever, whilst the shutters of the closed shops creates a strong sense of abandonment of a place, and feelings of loneliness and isolation that are often evoked as a result.

Overall, I liked this series of images and the connotations they produced, in which I felt they had a place within the context of the book, although they wouldn’t be a prominent part of the overall narrative.

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This series of images, taken from the car park of a supermarket explores how the constant redevelopment of places could cause loneliness, because of the constant changes of places that we come to know, and that we feel a strong connection to and a sense of ownership of.

The images convey the feeling of looking on as the structures we are familiar with and the foundations we build our lives on change, almost before our eyes.

Within the series there is also the strong, yet subtle undertones about the impact of industrialisation on nature, continuing the underlying theme that started in the images taken whilst in the school cut.

In the context of exploring both of these themes, the contrast between the bright blue of the sky and the colours of the man made equipment and environments fits wonderfully, especially as the wire fence cuts through and breaks up the sky.

The image to the far right of the spread is perhaps the most effective of those in the series, in which the natural and man made elements combine to produce an almost disdainfully beautiful scene, with the light from the sun casting shadows of the machinery, making even the mundane and dirty road look somewhat beautiful.

Yet, these shadows loom over in a more sinister way, in which they are starting to encroach even further on to the already industrialised seen, creating an unsettling and evocative image, which if used in an clever way, would provide a great deal of emphasis and context.

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The pylon series was the last shot in the suburbs, in which I aimed to explore the idea of connection through the structures that literally give us the power to connect with each other.

The pylons were particularly interesting in the context of loneliness, as they allow us to connect with each other whilst they are themselves located in empty fields and spaces where there are no other signs of human activity or connection.

Each image in the series employs a new angle to capture the plyons, bringing new perspectives to their locations and sense of isolation, whilst there is also a strong Constructivist aesthetic to be found in the images in the series.

The silhouetted structure and detail of the plyons creates a dramatic contrast to the bright blue sky, however, despite liking the the series, I ultimately decided that they wouldn’t be included in the book, as the series didn’t connect with the music and the narrative that it built throughout.

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The two images taken of my house were not directly linked to the suburbs section of the environment chapter, but rather an image that would instead be teased and featured throughout various points in the book before the full image was presented at the climax of the book.

Due to the idea I had developed for the use of the image, I captured the scene at night, in which the light that appears in the small gap between the curtains and in the door were vital to what I was hoping to convey and the success in doing so.

Whilst both images are very similar, there are subtle differences in the tone and the colours of the image, which changed the emotional feel of the image slightly.

After looking at and considering the two images carefully, I decided that the first would be the one used in the book, as the whites of the frames as well as the lighter yellows through them carried more of a sense of optimism.

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The first series of images for the transport chapter were again shot locally, exploring the technique of capturing light trails from car and buses passing by the streets.

The purpose of capturing light trails was to capture the constant feeling of things passing by and time moving forward, one of the major causes of loneliness.

The series of light trail photography is the only one in the entire project to actually feature people in the image, however, due to the technique, they are not physically visible in any of the shots, and whilst it is likely that this will not consciously be picked up on, it adds significant context.

To capture the light trails in this series, the setup of the camera settings required experimentation with a lot trial and error in order to find the right balance between the light and the dark background.

Each of the images in this particular set consist of very baron spaces with no more than two or three light trails occurring in any one shot.

The first two images, taken at a junction, have a lovely sense of cross-over, with the light trails showing how two separate lives intersect before going off in the opposite direction, all within a split second of time.

This perhaps represents the true power of the series, as transport conveys both the physical passing of time and constant cross-over of lives, in which we pass by people who could have potentially been a friend, partner, or someday even family, all within a seemingly insignificant time, in which we don’t even think about it.

It is in this context that I felt the quite of the street really worked well, allowing the series to slowly build up to point where the amount of light and traffic passing by would become almost overwhelming to the audience.

Whilst this set of images were much more grounded and mundane, but at the same time atmospheric, the following images in the series would explore or question the more nomadic spirit of travelling and the routine of it in our modern lives, which was a direct response to thoughts of Dr. R Cuero in his book.

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Following on with the series of light trail images, the set was taken from multiple angles and perspectives looking at one small section of motorway.

The first two shots in this series were the first to be taken in the early hours of the morning, in which the close up shots feel quite intimate to the road, yet the light trail that is the true subject of the image is far removed that sense, almost giving a sense of watching someone leaving.

The second two images is more removed due to the position of the camera behind the railing which physically cut the view off from the road, whilst the change in the colour of the sky also continues the theme of how transport and travel never stops, never slows down.

The final two images, taken from halfway up a footbridge is completely removed from the subject, looking down from the vantage point as life continually passes by at a fast pace.

As a set, the images continue to present and develop the emerging theme, whilst progressively giving more sense of speed and business, whist each shows a strong amount of technical proficiency, which is particularly strong in the first two and last two images in the set.

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These two images are the culmination of the previous set, showing the full nature of travelling on the motorway, as opposed to just the small snapshots captured in the previous set of images.

There is an almost overwhelming amount of light in the two images, in particular the second, literally highlighting the volume of people who pass one another whilst being so close to them and at the same time so far way, isolated in a metal box.

The motorway was an aspect of transport and travel that I was interested to explore from the very beginning of the project, as the motorway is wonderful metaphor for life and our experience of loneliness.

Motorways highlight how we as humans have continued to move away from each other, in which family and friends could reside hundreds and thousands of miles away, making face to face contact much less likely and a harder need to fufill.

This seemingly never-ending stretch of road also has thousands of junctions, leading to millions of potential directions that we can go in, yet, as with life there is an eventual end point to the road and at the end of each of these junctions.

The motorway is the one constant that always remains in place, no matter how far we stray from it, no matter what the direction we decide to take, and as such I felt it was a perfectly fitting element of transport to put into the project.

Adding to these reasons, was also that, like certain times in life, certain journeys on the motorway can also be very lonely as it is long and monotonous and often so far away from where we want to be.

Due to all these points, I really loved these two images and felt they really had the potential to be powerful if they were fully understood or provoked the same sorts of thought in the reader/audience.

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This series of photographs taken over the course of two early mornings on the Tyne Bridge became the most important set of images in the entire chapter.

The images capture multiple light trails of people making their way to work, which gave me a clever, yet simple and effective way to present them in the book, giving them a sense of the mundane everyday routine, despite the striking visuals of the image themselves.

The images combine the excitement and exuberance that we give to travelling and the idea of owning our own car when we are young, with the reality of what these innocent ambitions usually lead to.

The exuberance of youth comes from the bright, exposed lights, which are in sharp contrast to the darker surroundings and structures, keeping the images grounded in the reality of the everyday, representing how structured our lives have become.

Yet, my favourite thing about this series is that it was all shot on the same bridge over multiple days. There is a wonderful sense of routine and sameness that each of the images share, which give perhaps the most powerful amount of context to the story that these images tell.

The constant everyday routine that we live our lives by, in which transport plays an integral part, has made one of the most exciting times in a person’s life become nothing more than an everyday chore, in which the death of our nomadic spirit and aspirations to travel has had a huge impact on our feelings of loneliness.

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Whereas the light trails used to highlight how we travel by ourselves, in our cars was somewhat straight-forward in providing context as to why it may make us lonely, using light trails to convey similar feeling for train and metro travel was much more ambitious and challenging.

As this series was a more subjective one that would be personal to each and every reader, I decided to explore light trails as a way of showing how people pass us by when we use public transport.

Having used a lot of public transport and in particular the metro service during the past three years, I had a strong idea for what I wanted to communicate from the experiences I had during this time.

I have found buses and the metro to be fascinating for gaining an understanding of human psychology, particularly the way we act when surrounded by others within a relatively confined amount of space.

Whilst public transport makes it easier for us to get out and socialise, even giving us the opportunity to do so on our journey, it is perhaps also one of the most socially isolating places to be, especially because of the sense of exposure that is felt when surrounded by people and windows.

Hopper’s painting was truly is the perfect encapsulation of transport, with ads on the metro even jokingly giving advice on how to best avoid eye contact when using public transport, consisting of everything from looking at one’s phone to down at there feet.

Yet, it’s the potential missed opportunities that stems from avoiding eye contact that I ambitiously wanted to explore in these images without having the access inside the metro or wanting to include people.

As such, I felt that the light trails would show how hundreds of people, hundreds of potential opportunities come and go in a flash of time and light, as they had done in the earlier series for cars. I felt that the use of the light trails were very effective in this context, however, I just hoped that this would be reflected and understood by the readers of the book.

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The last series of photographs showing the movement of transport and travelling is this one of planes flying in the distance.

The idea behind this series of images was to how people fly far away to new places, for new adventure, to create memories and alleviate feelings of loneliness.

By presenting such images I also wanted to ask questions and provoke thought, in which I had been inspired by the views of Dr. R Cuero on travel and nomadism.

The first image captured in the series is a quite remarkable one in that it manages to capture the detail of the plane despite it being so far away, yet, it was the other images in which the plane is insignificant in comparison to the trail behind it that I was most interested in.

The first of these two images were taken using different techniques, the first being a standard sharp image, whilst the second was intentionally blurred, with the aim of adding emphasis of being distant.

However, the most interesting image is the final one (right), in which the plane is blocked by the building and only a small portion of the trail can be seen within a cropped section of the image.

The shot makes effective use of the lens used, which in this can was a telephoto lens, allowing me to focus in on the trail of the plane, whilst abstracting the roof of the building in the foreground, which really works well for the context.

I felt that one or two of the images would work well in the book, in which I wanted both to be cropped in such a way that the plane would appear to fly off the image and into the white space of the page, or out of the book entirely.

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Car parks are another aspect of transport that I felt were particularly fitting to the consideration of loneliness, as they also present a compelling insight into human psychology, and one I wanted to explore and convey through my photography.

Car parks are almost on the perimeter of being a social space, as they allow us to park in a place full of other people, which usually means going to a place where all of these other people are too, yet, what is present in these spaces are the empty shells that suggest human presence.

What is most interesting about car parks is the attitude of people waiting to park inside, the loud murmurs of frustration, the honking of horns and the impatience in the desire for other people to leave.

That is what I wanted to communicate in this series through capturing the literal emptiness of the car park’s vast space, as a way of showing how are ideal when we are looking to park, is in fact incredibly isolating and is such a lonely place to be.

Bridges car park was a wonderful place to shoot the series, as the top level of the car park has distinctive, almost shell-like structure, with very high ceilings which make the space feel even bigger and as a result, even emptier.

From an aesthetic perspective, the space was also incredible to photograph due to the strong, almost isolating green of the roof is in sharp contrast to the dull, dark grey of the floor. These elements are also emphasised by the arrangement of the spotlights, which are particularly effective in the first image, where the light draws to a closing point towards the camera, whilst illuminating the empty space in the distant background.

The second image (top right) highlights how the lighting creates dramatic, dark shadows in the structure of the roof, with the third image (bottom left), zooming in with real detail on these shadows.

The final image presents the cross section of the car park, leading down toward the level below, creating a really powerful image that would work beautifully right in the centr of the book.

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The series of photographs captured in the Dean Street car park takes on a different perspective to the previous series taken in the Bridges car park.

The first difference between the series is the shots of the exterior of the car park itself, which presents the structure of the space, and provides a sense of scale and the position of the car parking spaces.

The two images of the car park’s exterior appear almost as grayscale photographs, in which there is only the subtlest of the green tones to show that the image is in full colour, such is the very drab, mundane day that the image was shot on.

The second two images in the series were taken inside of the car park’s structure, in which the close-up image of the car with the reflection of the flickering green light, directly reflects a poem that was written to accompany the entire series.

There is a lovely sense of atmosphere in the image which is emitted from the light, fitting and closing the series really well.

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the fine details and textures in the image, which are also presented as close-ups.

The petrol station series was perhaps the one I most enjoyed capturing, due to the atmospheric nature of the site, especially in the very early hours of a wet morning, when this particular series was shot.

The first image of the series captures the entire forecourt, which makes the space feel that much bigger, emptier and much more isolating as a result.

Like the image captured of the Gateshead Interchange bus terminal, the forecourt cuts into the darkness of its surroundings and draws an invisible line in the image, which lead the eye towards the brightly lit space, whilst making it feel so isolating.

What really makes the image so special is the puddle in the foreground, reflecting the sign and the underside of the roof, as well as providing an even further sense of emptiness, in which the real empty space sits between the two elements.

The ambient yellowy green which lights up each of the pumps have an incredible atmospheric quality to them, capturing

As well as capturing even more of the fine details, textures, and the range of colours and tones, the real beauty of the closeup shots, is the complete darkness and emptiness behind the structure in these images, which give much more emphasis to the overview of the full scene.

The final image was another puddle shot, however, in this instance I felt the image was more suited to this particular series, adding an extra aspect to the scene.

Overall, I absolutely loved this series of images, yet I was aware that the rhythm and arrangement of these images were going to be very important to adding the emphasis and narrative to the series.

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This series is the first of those to look at the stop and stations of public transport, in which each of the images in the series depict the bus stops as being brightly lit, but ultimately isolating spaces.

The first two images are very similar but subtly different shots of the same bus stop, which appears at the very bottom of the image, with the brightly lit space contrasting dramatically against the dark blue sky and the silhouetted house and tree branches. This makes the bus stop feel visually out of place and isolated from the rest of the scene, in which the most beautifully poetic aspect of the scene is the moon at the very top of the image, which is the only that visually connects to the bus stop in the scene.

Having the bus stop at the very bottom in the foreground of the image with the moon far in the distance at the very top of the image creates a bond between the two, in which there is a metaphor for both of these places being so far detached from the world.

The third image takes a much closer shot of the relationship between the bus stop and the moon, but it doing so it removes all of the power and emphasise that had been created by the first two images.

The final three images in the series are much more straightforward in terms of what they are conveying, which is simply the sense of isolation of these spaces in the darkness of the night surrounding it.

Whilst less complex, these images work just as well as the first set of images, yet, they are able to do so when building on from the meaning derived by the first set of the images which build the narrative that is needed for the following images.

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These two images are the final ones from the series taken of bus stops, with these two images showing light trails passing by the bus stop.

The images once again provoke the sense of isolation that comes from the bus stop, whilst the passing light evokes the sense of the world passing by, as time seems to stop as we wait to move ourselves.

There is a wonderful contrast between the two aspects of transport, showing both the speed of how the world moves by and the sense of time stopping, slowing down whilst we wait for our chance to move on.

Overall, there is a lovely balance between these elements and the technical aspects of the images, which further explore the narrative of our connection to transport.

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This set of images focuses on train and metro stations and platforms, which is a continuation on the theme of stops and stations shown on the previous spreads.

The first two images (top) were captured in Newcastle Central Station in the early morning, allowing me to capture images that contained no traces of people, which was important given the overall theme and narrative explored in the project.

Once again, it’s the contrast between the light and the dark in these images that is so important to creating the emphasis on the isolation and loneliness felt in these places, which are perfectly encapsulated by the empty seats and departing train.

The final two image were taken on metro platforms (Sunderland and Gateshead), with the first having a somewhat similar feel and visual balance as the one of the departing train, albeit empty in this case.

The strength of the image again comes from the arrangement and shooting of the lights, which help to draw the eye in.

Between the lights and the half lit, half darkened platform is a small endpoint of pure darkness, in which the perspective of the image beautifully draws the eye deeper and further towards.

There is also an incredible contrast in the image between the eerily lit platform and the almost complete darkness of the train tracks, in which the black void from the edge of the platforms derives even more powerful connotations, which are much more sinister in the context of loneliness.

The final image captures a still moment in time through electronic display board, in which the surrounding darkness make the time displayed feel unreachable, as time seems to stand still in this place.

Overall, I really liked this series of images and the connotations that they provoked, despite them being rather bleak.

I also felt that this particular set of images would lead into the next rather well.

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This selection of images was captured as part of a series taken inside and outside of Gateshead interchange, looking at the physical emptiness of the space, which provides a visual narrative and metaphor for how lonely and isolating these places can feel, even when full of people.

The first two images focus on the ticket barriers and walkway leading towards the exit and bus station of the interchange.

There is a atmospheric balance of light and dark within the images, in which both lead toward pitch black end points.

The lights in the image gives a sense that people are present in the space, using it or at passing through, whilst also giving no reference to time, in which it could be any point through the day, except for the darkness looming in the background.

The effectiveness of the lighting and the balance between the brightly lit area and the dark of the background is particularly strong in the second of the two images.

One element that I especially love in the second image is the little detail of the wet floor cone, which provides a further sense that someone must be present in the space, yet this is the only sign of life within the image.

The second set of the two images capture the escalators in the interchange, taken from two different perspectives, in which the second has a much greater sense of theatre and drama than the first.

Again there is wonderfully dramatic sense of contrast, whilst the cropping of the top of the escalator isolates the space, with no sense of what is above at the top. The butt out cigarette crushed into the floor at the bottom of the escalator also added a nice little mundane elements, which again gives the sense of human presence. This is similarly achieved in the full image of the steps and escalators.

The final image taken of the bus terminal at night is perhaps my favourite of those in the series, in which the lit up terminal contrasts the darkness of the sky and the road beautifully, splitting the image into two halves. There is a real sense of Edward Hopper in this image.

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Illustration was another very important part of the book, having been chosen for the technology section, initially down to the decision to not include any people in the photography for the project.

Despite not being an initial consideration for the project, due my lack of work and experience in this area, the illustrations actually became one of my favourite and most enjoyable parts of the project.

All in all, I was absolutely delighted that I ambitiously chose to employ illustration in my project, as it helped me improve my skills and to also explore a range of exciting, creative and conceptual ideas.

Gazing Through Windows is an illustration which uses iconography and association in order to create a clever metaphor.

The illustration applies variations of the Windows 10 and Twitter logo, produced to ensure instant recognisability without infringing copyright, with the Twitter logo constructed using circles in the same way as the original logo was produced.

The Windows 10 logo has been placed in the bottom left of the spread whilst the Twitter logo sits in the top right.

The Windows 10 logo literally becomes a window in the illustration, with a figure sitting, perched within the frame, which had been initially sketched out.

The figure is posed in such a way that it is seen gazing, longingly at the Twitter logo (moon) in the dark sky of the night. The finalised illustration recreates that sense of spending nights staring into space at the moon, but instead staring at Twitter.

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In this illustration, the emphasis is placed on the figure and the two large pieces in the foreground at which he is gazed at.

This illustration derives from the song Same Dark Places by JR JR, specifically the lyrics “everyone has curated their own life, makes you feel like your not living right”, a fitting summation about the stuff people put on their Facebook wall.

The song recognises and expresses that “everybody goes to the same dark places” but questions why we put up a pretence of a perfect life, especially online. Whilst the singer sings about his disdain for such actions, he also sings about compassion, making it particularly fitting for the book.

Going back to the illustration, the focus was on that one specific line of the lyrics, introducing a simple, empty, lined figure, standing, pondering on what to put on his Facebook wall, through the narrative of building an exhibition.

The space depicted in the illustration is equally simple, likewise favouring subtle lines, making use of the white space and placing the emphasis on key areas.

The print in the foreground shows a full, finished, smiling face, whilst the second, sitting slightly further back, features only an outline of the figures profile, with the set of three in the background being left completely blank.

The decision to include fewer and then no detail to the prints in the background was to add more emphasis to the figure’s pondering in which the decision on what face to paint next and the arrangement of the paintings take real consideration.

From the initial sketch, the illustration was produced using Procreate on a Ipad Pro with the Apple Pencil, before the text was added using Photoshop, allowing for the use of smart objects in which the mural follows the perspective of the wall.

The bold weight strongly contrasts the subtle lines of the illustration, which adds further emphasis, and cleverly draws the eye towards the points of impact. The full illustration is a clever, satire on how we show ourselves on social media.

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This illustration depicts a family portrait in which the head of each family member is replaced by a piece of technology.

Each piece of technology is used in order to represent each of the generations in a family and the technology associated to their youth.

Whilst each member of the family is seen sat (or perched on the end of) the same settee, the positioning of the figures and their gestures isolate each member from the other. This is further emphasised by the use of each item of technology which adds perspective and direction to what is an otherwise very flat illustration.

Overall, the illustration and in particular the illustration style work really nicely in this instance, conveying the impact that technology has had on dividing families with great clarity.

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The application of both the Facebook and Twitter colours in this instance don’t work too well, standing out like a sore thumb from the rest of the illustration.

This illustration derives from the song I'm A Wreck by Mt. Joy and the lines “in the daylight there are monsters in my closet using up the WiFi” which is again a lyric that links perfectly with the technology chapter of the book.

This illustration takes the linear figure and places it in a busier, more complex scene, in which the figure is sat vacantly, staring into the computer screen while the ’monsters’ of social media peek out from the closet (wardrobe).

The initial sketch combines two possible variations of the final illustration, with the second idea having the face being sucked in towards the screen.

Both variations of the sketch were again developed into illustrations through the use of Procreate on the Ipad, before the original illustration idea was then taken into Illustrator for colour to be applied.

Overall, the illustration doesn’t have the impact of the others produced, feeling a little complex and unbalanced, whilst it also lacks the necessary emphasis that is required to give it a real sense of impact.

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This illustration combines the figure from the previous three illustrations with the bold, minimal style of the first.

The illustration conveys our addiction to smartphones, in which the figure is seen literally injecting himself with technology, something that is commonly associated with drug addiction.

The association between the object and the action make the illustration easy to understand with a very clear message.

The clarity of the illustration is not only achieved by the simplicity of the idea, but from the refining of the initial sketch too.

The initial sketch sets out the gesture of the figure and the performing action, in which the phone is set on an angle.

These elements were kept the same in the initial development of the illustration in Illustrator, yet the phone and the wire were both refined using perfect shapes, geometry and measurements.

With all of the elements of the illustration in place, I then applied colour, opting for bright vivid colours. Yellow was chosen as it was the colour that bared the most similarity to the brown colour of heroin, whilst it can also spark anxiety as well as contrasting sharply against the light blue.

The light blue colour was chosen for its association with Twitter and the very cold sense it gives off, which is used to portray the withdrawal symptoms of an addict.

Whilst this particular colour combination works very well, the darker shade of blue on the tourniquet is less successful, as is the tourniquet itself.

The use of shadow underneath each arm gives a suggestion of shape and action that would otherwise be lost, however, the shadow is not pronounced enough, whilst it also accentuates the flaws in the the shape of the arms too.

The first version of the illustration felt a little over-complicated and awkward, so I decided to refine the illustration, whilst also reducing its size to just one page.

The second version of the illustration is much cleaner and has a nicer balance.

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This illustration is one of three that derive from the song I Get Overwhelmed by the band Dark Rooms, and the last featuring the linear illustrated figure.

The illustration accompanies the specific lyrics “Mirror, mirror there’s your crooked nose, boring hair, a thousand wrinkles” in which the illustration uses a smartphone in place of the mirror.

The illustration when combined with the lyrics becomes a satirical statement about the increasingly superficial world we live in, which leads so many people to being less satisfied with their appearance, and more likely to compare themselves with others, as highlighted in my research.

As well as being derived directly from the lyrics of the song, the illustration would also be used alongside the findings of the articles concerned predominantly with Tinder. However, the illustration could be just as easily used as a cynical piece to do with apps such as Instagram too.

The style of the illustration works well in the context of communicating on such a subject, in which the faceless, featureless, expressionless figure stood in the mirror perfectly encapsulates the idea.

The smartphone promotes a number of various connotations for reason behind the constant self-monitoring of looks, in which anything from comments/trolling, filters, making comparisons and rejection are all potential factors for why.

The lack of a face on the figure not only keeps consistency between each of the illustrations using the figure, but adds to the narrative of the illustration too. The (ugly) features stated in the quote aren’t possibly present on the vacant face of the figure, which highlights the paranoia and insecurities that people have about their looks, even when the imperfections they aren’t really there.

Overall, the illustration has a wonderful simplicity, which allows the meaning of the statement to be communicated with perfect clarity and a degree of humour.

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The second illustration of three to derive from the song I Get Overwhelmed by the band Dark Rooms, presents a much more direct criticism on dating apps like Tinder.

Once again the illustration accompanies specific lyrics from the song, which are as follows; “ All the women That you wanna f*ck On the internet Wouldn’t give you a second look Did you fool yourself?

That’s privilege That’s power without power That’s a business Business” The lyrics are powerful and offer a deeply cynical take on dating apps like Tinder, which can be used to great affect.

The illustration combines the typical ’No Right Turn’ road sign with the action of swiping that is used on the Tinder app, in which swiping right expresses an interest in another user’s profile.

The use of the road sign in the illustration synthesise the concept down to a point of real simplicity, in which the minimalistic sign complements the bold lyrics, adding an important contrast between the two, whilst placing the emphasis on the lyrics.

While the illustration acts in a supportive capacity to the lyrics, the design of the sign itself was still very important to get right, as the sign would help to determine the tone of the entire spread.

As such, I decided to try and incorporate the phone into the illustration too, which I felt could add to the recognisability of the illustration and the context of Tinder.

When integrating the body of the phone into the illustration, I wanted to keep the same minimal aesthetic and framing of the road sign within the dimensions.

The first variation of the illustration uses a more detailed phone, which despite the consistency of the line weight, distracts from the sign and statement itself. This is also the case in the third version of the illustration despite removing details with just the shell of the phone remaining.

NO

RIGHT SWIPES

NO

RIGHT SWIPES

NO

RIGHT SWIPES

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This is the final illustration to derive from the song I Get Overwhelmed, yet unlike the previous two, the song does not directly quote the song, with the song only acting in a supporting capacity in this instance.

The relationship between the illustration and the song represents a switch around from the previous relationship between the two elements, in which the use of the song is due to its role in the film A Ghost Story, the inspiration for the illustration.

The illustration combines the meaning and story of the film with the snapchat logo, to create a clever piece about how we interact with the world through the use of social media.

This is reflected powerfully through the incredibly simple illustration which itself combines the film’s posters and covers.

In the development of the illustration, I began by sketching out the figure of the ghost, using both the snapchat logo and references images taken from the film.

The process of sketching the ghost was a simple one due to the startling similarities between the Ben Affleck’s ghost in the film and the Snapchat logo, even down to the appearance of the hands through the sheet in the film. As a result, I was able to combine the full gesture of the ghost of the Snapchat logo, with the eyes and shadows of the sheet from the film.

Having sketched out the design, I then developed four different versions of the illustration, three of which can be on the opposite page.

The first version simple uses flat colours placed on to a bright yellow background, whilst the second more directly reflects the actual Snapchat logo by applying a black outline around the figure. The third is a much more minimal representation of the logo, having merged the shadows into the background, which leaves only the silhouette of the ghost’s sheet.

Overall, I felt the second version of the illustration was the most successful as the black outline not only creates a more direct reflection of the Snapchat logo, but also adds contrast from the background.

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This illustration series depicts the effects that smartphones and dating apps such as Tinder are having on relationships.

Each of the six illustrations in the series are a variation of one, in which each has been subtly changed to determine the most effective and appropriate to use in the book, as well as complementing the supporting article.

The base illustration features two phones ‘connecting’ which depicts how modern ‘relationships’ are evolving thanks to the the smartphone and the emergence and increasing popularity of dating apps.

Due to the very provocative context of the illustration it was really important to find the balance between gesturing enough of what the action is, whilst been subtle to ensure that the illustration would not be deemed offensive by some.

This was perhaps the most challenging and important element to get right out of all the illustrations produced, as there was such a fine line to get the tone right.

Finding this balance was done through a variety of methods and subtle elements, the most subtle of which is the very small adjustment made to the camera, which cleverly becomes the gesture of an eye, half closed, looking somewhat drained, bored and uninterested.

The second element is the curved figure appearing within the frame of the phone screen, which is set in a cold, blueish grey to further emphasis the lack of passion or ‘connection’ between the two, despite the physical connection through the wire.

The final element predominantly centred around the smartphone’s main button, in which each features a different icon or or arrangement to subtly add emphasis.

The most successful of these for me was the bottom middle variation, which uses the Tinder logo breaking out of the frame and into the screen, complementing the quote and article perfectly.

The illustration would be used alongside the articles on how the likes of Tinder are affecting our relationships, mental health and our loneliness.

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Adding to the already unnerving feeling that the illustration provokes is the very clever use of Instagram’s camera logo/ icon, which form the eyes of the portrait.

This illustration of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was produced to accompany an article that would feature in the book.

The illustration, inspired by the work of Noma Bar, uses iconography connected to Facebook, which heavily influences the way that the illustration communicates and complements the article.

The illustrated portrait is very minimal in its aesthetic, using a flat colours, and a limited colour palette, consisting of blue tones, white and auburn, orange colour.

The main feature of the illustration is the Facebook ‘F’ logo, forming the abstract shape of a nose and mouth, allowing the figure to become instantly recognisable as the Facebook founder.

The link to Facebook and Mr Zuckerberg is further emphasised by the application of Facebook’s iconic ‘like’ button, which is cleverly implemented into the design, and feels perfectly unnerving.

The use of the icon gives a sense that you are always being watched when you use either Facebook or Instagram, which is particularly fitting in light of the recent events around how Facebook influenced the 2016 US Presidential Election, whilst perfectly complementing the article too.

Due the connotations connected to the Instagram logo, the ‘like’ button becomes more powerful too, suggesting a ‘mission accomplished’ attitude to the actions of Facebook regarding their abuse of power and mistrust to their users, as the article fully reveals.

The title of the illustration derives from the song, The Man Who Sold The World,

by David Bowie, which is about trying to discover who you are when you’re young.

Overall, I feel that the illustration works incredibly well, it is powerful, yet simple, deeply cynical, yet stylish and abstract, making strong use of the colour palette and iconography connected to the brand.

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This illustration derives from an article on ‘social snacking’, in which the illustration was produced to accompany said article.

In order to depict ‘social snacking’ visually I chose the form of the a bag of Skittles, with the small rounded sweets inside of a bag being the a perfect representation of the circular profile pictures on Twitter.

Due to the similarities in terms of shape, I decided to produce the illustration with the focus specifically on Twitter, in which the design of the Skittles bag as well as of the lettering itself made it a perfect fit.

The base of the illustration was the bold, and minimal graphic of the bag, which set the tone for the rest of the illustration, as well as setting up the layout of the design.

In order make the link between Skittles, Twitter and social snacking very clear, I looked closely at the distinctive lettering of the Skittles name on the packaging, as well as researching the closest font to it, before reproducing the font as a piece of hand-produced lettering.

As well as the lettering, I also blew up the wings of one of the many Twitter birds I had produced, which were placed in such a way as to evoke the abstract hooped design on the Skittles packaging, before then adding the profile picture sweets in order to complete the design.

Added to this are more of these profile picture sweets, which poor out of the bag and down to the very bottom of the page, depicting the sense of social snacking in a way that is immediate and easy to get.

Finishing the design, I decided to use the colour of Twitter for both the bag and the background sitting behind it, whilst also keeping all the details of the illustration in black and white.

The result of using such a simple colour palette is an illustration that is stunningly simple, yet very bold, in which the sharp contrast creates an aesthetic that allows the illustration to really pop, whilst also conveying meaning with great clarity.

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Linking with the idea of ‘social snacking’ is this illustration which depicts the idea of ‘Facebook envy’, with the idea again being both informed and inspired by an article on the subject, which would again accompany the illustration in the book.

The aim behind the idea of this illustration was to convey how every Facebook user is presented in the same way, yet, within this sameness, explore the feeling that other users, including even our ‘friends’ live better, more exciting lives than we do.

This is reflected in the use of the letter ‘f’ which is set in the font that the Facebook logo is based on, and placed to the far left side of the spread, whilst the rest of the alphabet sits together on the right side.

The remaining letters to the right of the spread are also set in lower case letters, however, each is set in a different font, which creates a lovely sense of contrast and each letters a distinctive personality, making each seem ‘special’.

Adding to the strong sense of energy and fun that is being emitted from the variety of the characters, is their arrangement on the page, in which they overlap with one and other, creating a sense of interaction between them, in contrast to the ‘f’ that is completely alone on the opposite page.

The initial idea I had for the letters was to keep them strictly linear, which created a beautiful balance between the two pages of the spread, working well aesthetically, however, I felt that this really lacked the emphasis needed to convey the meaning.

As such, I decided to apply a wide range of colours used throughout the book to each of the letters, giving them a much greater sense of personality and interest as opposed to the ‘plainness’ of the ‘f’.

I had also planned to produce the words ‘feeling blue’ from the letter ‘f’, which I felt would place greater emphasis on the idea of ‘Facebook envy’.

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The Facebook Messenger warning sign is another that combines social media with everyday signage.

This illustration takes inspiration from the ’high voltage’ warning sign, in which the sign cleverly incorporates the Facebook Messenger logo in place of the lightning bolt that is present on the usual sign.

The main warning sign containing the logo is supported by the notice which always sits below the sign, in this case containing the words “Danger. High maintenance”, in which the word maintenance replaces the word voltage. The use of the word is vitally important to the success of the illustration in adding weight and emphasis, reflecting how high maintenance using such apps are and how high maintenance we often become when using them.

Overall, I really liked the simplicity of the illustration, in particular the application of the logo in place of the lightning bolt.

Danger High Maintenance

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Like the Facebook Messenger illustration, this one also combines social media with signage, in this instance combining the the typical speed camera sign with the Instagram logo.

Due to the differentiating dimensions of the speed camera icon and the Instagram logo, the illustration was a challenge to produce in a way which reflected a usual speed camera sign.

The thickness of the border and amount of curve on the rounded edges, perfectly resemble that of the typical sign, whilst the addition of the very graphic, abstract fingers adds further recognisability to the original road sign.

Whilst the finished illustration does not match the speed camera sign as directly as in the previous illustration, I felt that it still help enough recognisability to make the illustration effective in conveying how there is always somebody watching and judging you on social media platforms.

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The Apple eyed emoji was developed to be used in the ’Technology’ chapter title spread, in which the requirement for the illustration was to instantly convey what the following chapter would entail.

The idea of using a ’sad’ face emoji for the illustration was very a straight-forward one given the connotations it holds, however, the idea to incorporate the Apple logo into the illustration was much more inventive and one that I felt would really elevate it.

The idea of merging iconography to form an illustration was inspired by the work of both Noma Bar and Paul Pateman, as well as the simplicity of the idea itself, yet, the final illustration has a much more Aaron Draplin-like aesthetic to it.

The decision to produce the illustration using thick black lines was one taken due to the appearance of the Apple logo first and foremost, as well as the simplicity of the overall design. I also felt that such a simple, yet bold style would work very well in print, especially when paired with the typography style I planned to use.

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The illustration follows the same aesthetic principle and use of symbols as the Apple eyed emoji previously.

Once again there is a stunning simplicity to the illustration, which in this instance is even more striking as a result of being even more minimal.

The illustration combines the same thick lined circle, adding consistency between the two illustration despite the expected space between them in the book.

Despite its simplicity, the symbols were actually more challenging to incorporate into the illustration than in the previous one, due to the need to create a hierarchy and recognisable face from the symbols.

Whilst the triangle made an obvious nose, I played around with the other symbols for the mouth and eyes, before deciding that the circle would be used as a mouth.

The illustration would be used alongside a piece regarding the impact of gaming on loneliness, in which I feel it will work well.

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This supposedly simple illustration of the Amazon Echo Dot turned out to be one of the most challenging to produce from a technical aspect due to the perspective taken of the device.

The first part of the process for producing the illustration was to take a selection of reference photographs, before using one to produce to main body of the echo dot from the chosen perspective.

The buttons and speakers were created from an reference image taken looking down on the device from above, before being distorted to match the perspective.

The subtle grey shadow was added to sit below the device in order to give it some sense of grounding rather than feeling as though it was floating on the page.

Overall, I was pleased with the simplicity and technical quality of the illustration, whilst I had an equally simple, but clever way of implementing it into the book.

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The (Twitter) Birds climbing frame was the first of two illustrations produced to follow quotes about cinema and loneliness and the relationship they share.

This illustration is inspired by The Birds,

by Alfred Hitchcock, with the film directly referenced to by the climbing frame, one of the most important scenes in the film, and most iconic too.

The illustration makes brilliantly clever use of the climbing frame, in which the birds that take over the frame in the film are replaced by variations of the Twitter bird logos, all of which were created with the geometric shapes to create the real logo.

In the scene, the main character sits on a bench whilst being blissfully unaware of the birds which slowly flock towards the frame, building an increasingly ominous sense of anticipation, the climax of which is the realisation that the bird have now taken over.

This is the meaning of my illustration, in which the use of the climbing frame and the connotations attached to it provokes the idea that Twitter has now taken over our lives, and even the playgrounds where kids innocently used to play.

I really love how this illustration uses the inspiration that film so often provides us, and takes it in an exciting new direction, deriving new meaning from them.

The illustration would sit on a background colour of the Twitter shade of blue when it was displayed in the book.

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This illustration was the second of the two to be produced and inspired by film, with this particular illustration being inspired by the film Silence Of The Lambs, or at the very least by the title of the film.

As such, the illustration obviously makes use of the iconic Hannibal Lecter mask, in which the shield over the mouth has been replaced by the WiFi icon symbol.

This immediately suggests a silence that is connected to the internet, which also directly references the film’s title, whilst the lambs become the idea that we are becoming ‘sheep’ on social media.

These connotations are ones that I feel come through clearly due to the simple clarity of the illustration, however, I also felt that producing a quote to support the illustration would be a good idea.

This illustration would also sit on a colour background in the book, but in this case it would be bright yellow for contrast.

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Having produced the major illustrations for the chapter on technology, I then set about creating some additional pieces.

The additional illustrations would be used on a couple of spread which considered and explored the potential ways that we could use social media in a way that was more positive and really evoked the true spirit of sharing and connecting.

The first of these illustrations was one on emojis, created using Procreate for Ipad Pro and the Apple Pencil, but produced in such a way that it felt quite organic.

The illustration was produced quickly to ensure that it had an almost rushed sense of pure emotion, the purpose of which was to accompany a piece I wrote on how the emoji can’t express the raw and complex emotions we feel, ultimately leading me to ask the question of whether we could instead draw our own emojis.

I felt that the illustration worked well in this context and complemented the idea that I was presenting effectively.

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This illustration, like the one preceding it, was produced to support a written piece inspired by reading Tanya Goodin’s book Off: Your Digital Detox For A Better Life.

The illustration worked in the exact same capacity as the last, however, the style of the illustration reverted to the one used throughout the illustrations in which the figures appear.

The decision to revert back to the much cleaner, linear aesthetic of those earlier illustrations derived from the title of the section, in which I wanted to visualise the physical action of drawing a selfie.

I felt that making this decision regarding the style of the illustration was a strong one, which was shown to be well-judged in the final printed outcome of the book.

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The final additional illustration was this on, inspired by the Where’s Wally books, in which the idea was to find the lonely person within in the image.

The idea of having to try and find the who lonely person is within the illustration was an obviously impossible one, which makes the point that absolutely anyone can feel lonely.

The illustration was firstly sketched out at A4 landscape, a painstaking process that required a lot of time and patience.

Once the sketch was completed, it was then scanned before being traced, again using the Ipad Pro and Apple Pencil.

The final step was to image trace it inside of Illustrator, allowing me to remove the white background from the initial image, which would make using the illustration much more flexible.

I decided that I would use the image as opening pages to the presentation of the book at both the beginning and the end.

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The exhibition was one element of the project that I hadn’t completely decided on including in the project, due to a lack of clarity surrounding the form that any possible exhibition would take.

I had two possible ideas for the form that the exhibition would take, the first being house in the traditional physical space, whilst the second would make use of technology to create an experience using a VR headset.

Both ideas were very roughly sketched out as part of the consideration process, however, both also relied on a number of other variables.

In the early stage of developing the book, I spent time considering the format that the book would be produced in, sketching a range different format and layout ideas.

Within each of the sketches shown there is a great deal of consideration given to the potential layout of the content of the of the book, with the arrangement of the text and images as well as the margins of the page all entering my early thinking.

The sketches of the book allowed me to question what the most appropriate and effective format of the book would be, in which I ultimately decided that a portrait book would be most suitable to the plan I had for using full spread images, despite many of the sketches been landscape.

Elements such as the use of cropping of images off the page and overlaps across the spread are ones that became hugely influential when designing the book, with the sketches of the heart and cigarette on the page gave me clearer idea on how I would introduce warnings into the book.

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Having determined that I would produce a portrait book, I then determined what the size of the book itself would be.

After experimenting with a range of sizes through applying place-holder text frames and images, before ultimately deciding on a 240mm x 300 mm format, which had to later be revised to 240mm x 297mm for the printing specifications required by the printers who would produce the final finished book.

The book was also given a bleed area of 5mm, whilst three separate master pages were created to provide a sense of both variety and consistency between each of the pages in the book.

Master A was the main one that would be used throughout the entirety of the book where body text was needed, in which I gave the spread 20mm margins from the top, bottom and outside of the page, and an increased size width of 30mm to the inside, ensuring that elements such as the body text would be easily readable.

Master pages B and C were introduced to be used mainly for the arrangement and layout of the images, the introduction and chapter text and section title spreads.

The margins and the grids were changed to fit the purpose of the spread, providing greater flexibility for the arrangement of the content to be placed, enabling me to create a set of spreads and layouts that would be visually compelling, whilst also being visually coherent too.

Overall, I felt that the decision regarding the format and three master page layouts was a smart one, as they gave me great versatility for designing the pages of the book, whilst maintaining consistency to ensure that the design wouldn’t become too different and inconsistent.

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The concept behind the book was much the same of the concept that had driven the entire project, in which there was a desire to produce a highly engaging and immersive experience that would inform and provoke the audience.

As such I decided that the book would be a highly visual piece, full of photography, illustrations, bold typography and colour, all of which would give the book a strong sense of personality, with the aim being to immediately remove any stereotypes of what lonely people are like.

Within the vibrancy and creativity of the book, I also wanted to communicate the dark, underlying risks that loneliness has on our health, yet, in such a way that the warnings would appear at various points of the book, without any recognisable or definable reference to their place inside.

Building on the warnings about loneliness and the dangers that it presents, would be a series of bold, impactful quotes that were to appear throughout the book and would highlight the personality of it.

The quotes would perhaps be the most important visual element of the book, in which they would convey a strong sense of different emotions including cynicism and reflection, whilst both informing and influencing the overall tone of the book.

Adding to the overall concept and tone of the book was the decision not to include any page numbers throughout the book, feeling they would restrict the narrative, whilst reducing the overall impact of the warning signs that would be intermittent.

As such, the overall tone of the book was an ever-changing one that would make the audience laugh, cry and reflect, with the rhythm created throughout being key to the journey that the book would take the audience on. Further insight into how this would be done can be found on the following spread.

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The rhythm throughout the book was the most important and challenging aspect of producing the book from a conceptual point of view.

The rhythm of the book would of course visually come from the layout of the book, the chapters, sections and consideration of the order of the content, however, the true rhythm and pacing of the book was influenced through implementing music.

The decision to not only support the book with music, but to actually integrate the music directly into the book is where the true brilliance and innovation of my idea takes shape, in which the music directly influences the journey through the book.

This is done through Spotify, specifically by using the codes on the album artwork which can be scanned inside of the app as a way of enabling music to be shared more quickly and effectively. Yet, my idea to have the codes actually printed inside of the book itself is one that I have never seen before, despite its obvious simplicity and similarity to the QR codes often used.

In order to use the codes inside my book, I simply needed to screenshot them on my phone, before creating a automated batch process in Photoshop, allowing me to quickly crop, resize and covert each for use in the book.

As I was also exploring new and untested grounds by implementing the codes into the book, I also did a series of test prints in order to ensure that the codes could be scanned at what size too.

I then produced the content around the music and earlier findings of my research, exploring the narrative being told through the lyrics, which required an incredible amount of time and patience in order to get the rhythm and pacing of the book to be absolutely perfect.

Overall, I really loved the creativity and originality of my idea to implement music directly into book, which added a strong amount of context and narrative through the journey of the book, whilst deriving an incredibly powerful amount of emotion, reflection and emphasis from the subject.

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The final element that I needed to decide upon before beginning to design the book was the choice of font(s) that would be used throughout the book.

Having experimented with a wide array of different fonts, including creating my own unique font, I settled on Helvetica Neue as the chosen font to be used throughout the book.

The decision to use Helvetica Neue as the font for every element of text in the book was a result of careful consideration, in which it was specifically chosen because of it’s popularity and connection with the modern world, particularly social media.

The styles and weights of Helvetica Neue that were used throughout the book are presented on the opposite page, showing everything from their use for body text, titles, various quote style, as well as for the references too.

Helvetica Neue Light Helvetica Neue Light Italic Helvetica Neue Bold Helvetica Neue Bold Italic Helvetica Neue Condensed Black Helvetica Neue Bold Extended

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Having determined all of the elements that would be used in the book, the next step was to actually start designing the book itself, starting with the chapter titles.

I wanted the chapter titles to convey the strong sense of personality presented in the chapter that followed, and as such I wanted to create a striking aesthetic that combined bold typography with imagery and/or vibrant colours.

The title spread for both the Introduction and References chapters combined the large format typography, set in Helvetica Neue Condensed Black, with the vibrant red colour at the forefront of the project.

Evoking the sense of ‘connection’ that is present throughout the book, I decided to split the text with an em dash, which very cleverly enabled me to visually split and connect the words.

The title spreads for the Environment and Transport chapters swap out the colour for the use of photographic imagery, each giving a sense of what is to come.

The spread of the Technology chapter title combines both imagery and colour, using a cropped portion of the illustration of the Sad Apple Eyed Emoji.

Overall, I felt that the chapter titles were a wonderful opening to the chapter that followed, whilst creating a bold aesthetic that conveyed a sense of personality and importance, which provided emphasis.

INTRO — DUCTION

REFER —ENCES

OUR CONNECT — ION WITH TRANS — PORT OUR CONNECT — ION WITH TECH — NOLOGY Major Final Portfolio | 197

As well designing chapter title spreads, I decided to design section title spreads too, as a way of breaking the chapters up into a series of structured sections, which I felt would help navigate the audience through the book.

The importance of the section titles was to visually recognise exactly what certain points of the chapters were looking at, in which I thought that doing so would give some insight into how the images should be looked at and understood.

The challenge of designing the section titles was in finding the perfect balance between both informing and teasing the section, without giving away exactly what the connotations of the section were, as the power they had was in the subjective feelings and emotions they provoked.

I decided to create a very simple spread, placing a cropped image on the right of the spread, whilst picking a colour from the image to use as a background on the opposite side, before placing the titles, in Helvetica Neue Extended bold.

In order to tease and derive some sense of meaning from the spread, I applied a few words in the form of poems, quotes and musings, providing just a gesture of what to expect from the section.

Overall, I felt that the section titles were a very effective way of breaking up the chapter into smaller parts, which was of particular importance in the Environment chapter, which is where the use of them are most successful too.

CARS, TRAINS & PLANES

Connection By Courtney Speedy

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The quotes were the most used element visually throughout the entire book, and as such, they were the most important element to design too.

Due to the widespread use of the quotes throughout the book, I decided to create a series of variations that could be used in different ways, for different purposes.

The biggest and boldest variation on the quotes character style gave the quote a heightened sense of importance, which is why I used this particular style for the quotes that made a very serious, informed or bold point, a clear example of which can be seen in the image in the top left.

Then there were two smaller variations of the same quote style, which could be used to fit any purpose or to provide any context, with the decision made from a strictly aesthetic perspective.

The second and third image reference the aesthetic based decisions made, in which the use of the bigger quote in the second has been used to house an image within,

whilst the smaller quote is used on the third to really emphasise the amount of white space on the spread, in which the illustration of the Amazon Echo Dot sits in isolation in the empty space.

The fourth image of one of the spreads in the book shows how the quotes can be further customised, in which the outlined words contrast against the fills to create a strong sense of emphasis, by picking out and highlighting certain words.

The final two images of spreads in the book show the alternative style used for certain quotes in the book, which display extended lyrics from the songs featured throughout the book, which adds a much greater sense of significance as to their importance in the book, emphasised by the fact they have their own spread.

Once again there is versatility within the use of the quotes themselves, in which both the housing of imagery and use of outlines can be seen in these spreads.

Overall, I was really pleased with the use and style of the quotes, whilst they were all individually kerned, which had been a challenge but one well worth the time.

– Kate Leaver

Kate Leaver’s blunt summation of what loneliness is perhaps the best way in which it can truly be defined. Loneliness is subjective, a personal experience stemming from one’s emotional state, lack of desired affection, closeness, and social interaction with others.

Mental health charity Mind list that most people describe being lonely because “they simply don’t see or talk to anyone very often” or “they don’t feel understood or cared for”, “even though they are surrounded by people.” The Campaign To End Loneliness lists these as different types of loneliness, emotional loneliness and social loneliness, all of which are of course completely personal and the reason why loneliness is such a bastard of an epidemic.

“ALEXA, WHAT’S LONELINESS?”

– MR. Blue Sky, Electric Light Orchestra

WOMEN WANNA F*CK INTERNET WOULDN’T SECOND LOOK, FOOL YOURSELF? PRIVILEGE, POWER WITHOUT BUSINESS” – I Get Overwhelmed, Dark Rooms

– MR. Blue Sky, Electric Light Orchestra

NO

RIGHT SWIPES

pestilence won lost no hope no hope gone, overcome” – Winter Winds, Mumford & Sons

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The layout of the photography in the book was the part of the design process that I found most challenging, due everything being condensed to just a white area on the screen.

The lack of a physical reference when designing the pages meant that I had to trust my own instinctive thoughts when designing the spreads and arranging the photography within them.

This process was helped and informed by the wide range of books I looked at during my research, each becoming a very useful and influential reference point, in which I was able to take inspiration and borrow ideas from the layouts I had seen.

I wanted to create a sense of playfulness in the arrangement of the images, using cropping, cut-outs, overlaps as well as a variation of sizes and orientations to give each spread its own unique feel.

However, it was also of vital importance to maintain a clear sense of consistency, continuation and rhythm that would help

to create the narrative storytelling that the book was built upon exploring. This is where the strict use of the grids created really helped, enabling me to be both very inventive with the placement of images, yet whilst also keeping them controlled.

Overall, I felt that there was a really nice balance between both the more simple and more creative layouts of the images, which created a strong sense of rhythm and consistency that really came into its own when the book was actually printed.

The weather defines our days, changes our plans and has the power to affect our mood.

The sun tends to bring most of us outside, basking in glorious sunshine together, the rain drags us back indoors, whilst the cold prolongs our captivity for months, but is it really that simple?

Indeed, winter is recognised as one of the biggest causes of loneliness as well as being one of the most dangerous times for anybody who is suffering from it.

The recognition of the season as such a prevalent cause in our feelings of loneliness has even led Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) to be often referred to as ‘winter depression’. However, Seasonal Affective Disorder is a very different prospect, it “is a type of depression that comes and goes in a seasonal pattern”, not only the months of winter.

Whilst it is recognised by the NHS that SAD “often improves and disappears in the spring and summer”, Physiologist Stanley Loewen has found that the true cause of SAD is a lack of light, and a resulting lack of vitamin D, meaning cloud cover and rain in any season can affect our mood.

So, does that mean that the hottest, sunniest, day of summer

will likely make us all happier?

Not according to Psychologist Dr. John Grohol, who finds a “link between human aggression and higher temperatures” resulting in intergroup conflicts also tending “to jump — by 14 percent”, and interpersonal violence rising by 4 percent, all of which could cause periods of division and isolation.

The rise in aggression is also found to be similarly caused by heavy rain, whilst life satisfaction was also found to decrease, as a result of ‘cabin fever’ felt by the isolation of remaining indoors.

It is clear that the weather has a big affect on our mood and our feelings of loneliness, yet, the true weight of its significance as raised by Grohol is as surprising as it is alarming. Grohol finds that suicide has a seasonal pattern, with suicide rates peaking during spring and summer, a “constant, if not a universal behavior that affects both the Northern and Southern hemisphere.” But the big question is why?

Why do so many feel there is no way out during the warmer weather? Is it that they become more isolated, whilst also seeing people out socialising in the sun?

Why do we allow the weather to define how we live?

Clouds gather, looming overhead, Closing the door where light once shed.

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The final major elements that I needed to produce in order to finish the book was a series of warning signs that intermittently featured throughout the book, providing greater emphasis as to its importance.

The first of the warning signs produced conveyed how “loneliness increases the likelihood of mortality by 26%”, in which the graphic depicts such a dramatic rise by combining the ‘l’ and ‘k’ into an arrow which points directly upwards.

Adding to the bold aesthetic style of the warning sign, I combined the main colour palette from the project, which creates a powerful visual impact, which cannot be ignored with the message likewise.

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This piece is not so much a warning sign, but a graphic, which would accompany an article that I wrote which derived from a study finding Britain to be the loneliness capital of Europe.

The graphic was a very simple piece, in which I simply recreated the EU flag and then removed one star from the ring of stars and placing it to the far left side of the spread, isolated from the rest.

The design of the simple EU graphic also holds connotations about Brexit, which is also referred to in the article, creating a great sense of emphasis and importance as to how our relationship to each other, and to politics can affect our loneliness.

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Like the previous piece, this graphic sign was produced to support a quote about the shame surrounding loneliness, and an article written to sit alongside.

The graphic cleverly uses the distinctive shape and aesthetic of a ‘stop’ sign, with the word ‘stop’ being replaced with the word ‘shame’, creating the bold message to ‘stop shame’, which could perhaps be the most important message presented throughout the entire book.

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This quote warning about how loneliness is as bad for our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day was another that came directly from the findings of a study that featured in my factual research.

In this instance, I decided to combine the distinctive shape of a lit cigarette with a bold typographic arrangement, in which I used the condensed black and extended bold weights.

This enabled me to visually pick out the most important words and to establish a hierarchy, which provided the quote with a strong sense of emphasis.

Overall, I felt that the arrangement of the typography into the shape of the cigarette was an effective one, whilst being much more recognisable than other designs I had produced for the same quote, but in the shape of smoke.

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This typographic warning sign is literally a warning sign on loneliness, or at least made using repetition of the word.

The design derives directly from a quote I read during my research, which stated that loneliness was a warning sign that something needed to change.

The increasing size of the word from top to bottom adds real emphasis, depicting how the warning signs of loneliness grow and grow to the point where they become overwhelming, provoking a strong sense of how dangerous it is to suffer from it.

The exclamation mark within the warning sign was then cut out from the letters to ensure that there was no potential issues with overprinting.

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This photograph taken of a lamb’s heart was to be used as a warning sign about the affects of loneliness on the heart, in which the image would accompany facts about the risks of loneliness which are linked specifically with the heart.]

The image would also be combined with bold typography to really emphasis the dangers of loneliness and the importance of acknowledging those dangers.

The heart would also be placed right in the centre of the spread, so it was literally at the ‘heart’ of the spread, which whilst sounding a little (or a lot) cliché, it was the cliché that the spread was built around.

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The final elements of the warning signs I produced were graphics for loneliness crime tape, the intention of which was to highlight how the shame surrounding the subject creates victims out of those who suffer from the ‘shameful’ experience.

I produced two versions of the graphic, the first of which was a cynical satire on the typical crime scene tape, whilst the second carried the emphatic statement that “loneliness is not a crime”.

Out of the two versions, I felt the second was the stronger as it was much easier to understand the context of its message, as well as the weight it carries.

However, I ultimately decided that there was no place in the book for the graphic, however, I was still interested in using it in the project in some capacity.

The idea I had developed for its use was to potentially get the tape itself printed, in which I would then use it to house my project in the exhibition, although such an idea would need to be discussed prior.

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Having finished the design the inside of the book, the final step in producing the book was to design the cover, in which I applied the same use of typography and colour that played such an integral part in the book itself.

The cover is very simple with a bold, yet understated design, which both contrasts and complements the design and feel of the inside of the book.

The cover uses the vibrant red colour that is prevalent throughout the book and the project, whilst the typography takes the same bold aesthetic of the chapter titles, but simplifies the arrangement of it and setting it aligned left.

The title on the spine uses the extended bold weight which is used for the section titles inside the book, whilst this has also been used to apply my name to the cover.

Every element on the cover has been set with a 10mm margin from the edge, both on the front cover and the spine.

OUR CONNECTION WITH THE MODERN WORLD — AND ITS IMPACT ON LONELINESS

Elliot Harris

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Adding to the project’s main element of the book are a selection of promotional materials, which support and promote the book, and the project as a whole.

The designs of the materials are heavily influenced by the main colours from the branding and the distinctive aesthetic style of the book, employing a very bold typographic arrangements and the use of various imagery.

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A2 Exhibition Poster The first of the promotional materials was the design of an exhibition poster, which was produced to both promote and tease the full reveal of the book, taking place at the University Design Degree Show.

The design of the poster is built around the images taken from each of the three main chapters of the book, having being converted to grayscale to fit the aesthetic of the book’s cover.

The typography applied on the poster is also inspired directly by the book, using Helvetica Neue Condensed Black for the book’s title on the poster, like the cover of the book, with the supporting information set in Helvetica Neue Extended Bold.

The vibrant red is also taken of the book’s cover and applied sparingly to details on the poster, including the logo and Twitter handle, which gives just a gesture of the aesthetic of the book, teasing it, without giving too much away.

Overall, I felt that the very simple poster would work well in promoting the book.

BOOK REVEAL 15.06.18 Design Degree Show, City Space, University Of Sunderland, SR1 3SD

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The second of the promotional materials again consisted of posters, however, on this occasion the posters were produced to promote the actual book itself.

The idea behind the posters was to show the three main chapters of the book, as well as the book cover too, and as such, I decided to produce a series consisting of four posters, one for each element.

The design of the first poster derives from the book’s cover, whilst the type derives from the chapter titles inside the book, creating a simple but very bold aesthetic style that creates an immediate sense of symmetry with the book, promoting it in a very recognisable way.

The foundations of the layout were then used to develop the chapter posters, in which the red colour was applied to the text, whilst grayscale images were taken from each of the chapters and set below the text in a flexible arrangement which perfectly aligned to the grid. I then added a multiply transparency effect to the text.

The multiply effect allowed to the images to be seen through the type, whilst the darkened areas of tone created by these overlaps adds a lovely amount of contrast between the light and dark elements of the posters, which work really well with the white background of the posters.

I finished off the design of the posters by adding the logo and Twitter handle at the top of the posters, in which I managed to give them enough space to the top of the posters, without encroaching on the main design and drawing the eye away from it.

Overall, I was really pleased with final outcome of the series of posters, in which each the posters give a strong sense as to their part of the book, whilst binding them all together through the distinctive aesthetic of the cover and chapter titles.

@FEELCharity

@FEELCharity

@FEELCharity

@FEELCharity

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Another set of the promotional materials were four A5 flyers, which were designed to support the technology chapter of the book, in which the flyers act as a set of social commentaries on our connection with technology.

Each flyer carries its own bold message and vibrant colour, which are connected to technology as well as the impact it has on our lifestyle and loneliness.

The bold messages being communicated through the flyers are set out in an equally bold typographic arrangement, in which all of the words are fully justified, as well as being exaggerated to produce added emphasis to certain words.

There is a very strong use of hierarchy to the layout of the flyers which really add to the very bold aesthetic style, whilst the addition of the black bar to hour the less important words not only visually breaks up the type but also allows the logo to be implemented neatly into the flyers.

Both the first and final flyers (top left to bottom right) make statements about the way in which we treat loneliness and how we use technology, in which the latter also integrates the smartphone into the flyer to add real emphasis to the message.

The second and third flyers use two of the most popular acronyms from social media and re-purposes them to bring the focus on to the epidemic on loneliness.

Overall, I was pleased with the outcomes of the flyers, in which I particularly liked the contrast between the vibrant colours and the heavy, bold type.

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A further set of the promotional materials was a set of four bookmarks, which were designed to add continuity to the designs of the flyers, using the same bold colours and typographic arrangement.

Whereas the messages on the flyers were serious commentaries, the messages on the bookmarks were much more playful and positive. The messages featured on the bookmarks combine the purpose of the bookmark with supportive messages that people might say to one another to reassure them when they are troubled.

Due to the dimensions of the bookmarks and finding the appropriate hierarchy, the logo is set below the type, and has been given a lot of breathing space.

Overall, I was pleased with the outcome of the bookmarks, which complemented and contrasted the flyers beautifully and would work nicely with the book.

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I also produced a set of labels to be used with a set of printed t-shirts as the final promotional materials in the project, the designs of which were based on the one used for both the flyers and bookmarks.

Like the bookmarks, the bold typographic arrangement on the labels also contained playful messages that linked directly to labels themselves, as well as connection and questioning stereotypes.

Once again, the design of the labels also used the four main colours that feature on the flyers and the bookmarks, which further strengthens the consistency of the project, particularly throughout the sets of promotional materials.

However, whilst I really liked the labels, I ultimately decided not to print them, as I was not going to produce the t-shirts.

The decision not to produce the t-shirts was down to a need to reduce costs, as the project had been an expensive one to get printed, even at this stage.

LIKE NOT CONNECTED

LABEL

CUT OFF Major Final Portfolio | 231

The exhibition was one element of the project that I hadn’t completely decided on including in the project, due to a lack of clarity surrounding the form that any possible exhibition would take.

I had two possible ideas for the form that the exhibition would take, the first being house in the traditional physical space, whilst the second would make use of technology to create an experience using a VR headset.

Both ideas were very roughly sketched out as part of the consideration process, however, both also relied on a number of other variables.

The two images shown on the opposite page present my initial ideas and thinking for the potential form of the exhibition.

However, due to the scale and importance of the book, which went far beyond what I initially thought possible at the start of process, I was unable to progress the idea of the exhibition beyond the initial phase.

However, the time spent researching the exhibition, visting various spaces as well as thinking about the idea certainly was not a pointless exercise or wast of time, as the consideration of sound which had emerged from my visit to the exhibitions at the Baltic inspired my idea for having the music inside of the actual book.

Whilst it was a shame that I was not able to produce the exhibition, the book itself became like an exhibition, and all in all I definitely felt I made the right decision.

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The final element of the project was to create a social media page that would provide a platform encouraging people to open a dialogue and discussion about loneliness, as well as to share their own experiences and their personality.

Twitter Header The chosen social media platform for the project was Twitter, which I felt was the most suited to my project given its wide reach, the format it uses and the critical analysis of platforms like Facebook in the research and development of the project.

The FEEL Twitter page would be used as the main place for the audience who read the book at the exhibition to go, allowing them to engage with others and express their thoughts on the book, as well as on the subject itself.

To set up the Twitter page ready for the exhibition, I would need to add content gradually in the build up toward the UoS Design Degree Show, yet before this point I needed to design the Twitter header.

Again, the design of the Twitter header was influenced heavily by the book, and in particular the design of the cover, with the same combination of typography and colour used for the main design. This is supported by the use of the inside section title for the information about the book’s reveal at the degree show/ exhibition.

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The printed outcomes were the final step of completing the project, in which I had to make decisions on the paper stocks and paper finishes that would be used to print the materials of my project.

The biggest element to consider for the printed outcomes of the project was of course the book, as the main focal point of the entire project.

All printed materials were produced by local company Photoline, who are based in Newcastle Upon Tyne.

The final printed version of the book was produced in a hardback format, with the inside pages being printed on 170gsm silk papers.

The print quality of the book is beautiful with the photography and typography in particular really standing out because of the choice of the paper stock used.

However, one unfortunate aspect of the final printed and binded book, is how it is actually binded.

The book is more suited and was in fact designed specifically to be produced as a layflat bound hardback book, however, I was unable to find a local company who offered such binding methods, whilst I was not able to find a company further a field who could do so in the time.

This is something that I will though look to do for my portfolio and if possible for use in the Design Degree Show too.

Overall though, I was delighted with the final printed version of the book.

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Presented are a small selection of images showing the final printed materials from the promotional elements I produced to support the book, as well as for use in the degree show too.

Overall, I was pleased with the printed outcomes of the promotional materials, in which I felt that the decisions I made for the stocks and finishes of each item was well judged and suited their use.

The stand-out feature of the final printed outcomes was the colour reproduction on each of the promotional materials, which ensured that there was a strong sense of visual consistency across all elements.

The only slight grievance I had with the materials was the cut of the flyers, which appears as though they are very slightly unbalances to the one side of the flyer.

Overall though, I was very pleased with the final printed outcomes of the items.

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Reflecting upon the development of the project, as well as the project itself as a whole, there are a number of things to consider about the journey.

The first of these was the subject matter of loneliness, which I was very glad to have chosen as the focus of my project, as it was an issue that I personally felt was very important to address, whilst it is also a subject that I have never seen handled in such a creative manner.

The subject of loneliness was though, an incredibly challenging one to attempt to tackle, due to the scale, scope, stigma and sensitivity that surrounds it.

The design and production of the book is undoubtedly the stand-out outcome from the project, where the innovation and originality of my idea really came to the forefront of my work.

The book grew astronomically from what I had initially set out to achieve and from what I even thought was possible, really pushing me to the limit not only in terms of volume of work, but conceptually

and technically too. Through the book I have been able to not only address the subject in an informative manner, but I have created a narrative, telling a story about the experience of loneliness, with the support of an assisting soundtrack.

The most challenging part of producing the book was having to proof read every aspect of the book, having spent so long actually designing it, in which I struggled to find every little error in the book, or indeed anybody to proof read it for me.

Overall though, the book is something that I was incredibly proud of, in which I truly believe it to be a very thoughtful, engaging, compelling and informative piece that explores loneliness in a way that is visually exciting, understand and above all, thought provoking.

Like my feelings towards the book, I’m proud of all the work I have produced in the project, and whilst there were some elements that I was disappointed not to be able to produce, overall I felt the hard decisions I made were fully justified. I absolutely loved developing this project.