Live Project - Design Factory Report
Live Project - Design Factory Edited and Designed by Georgios Pefanis
Abstract
Live Project - Design Factory
My intention was to explore Britishness. After thinking of a few design ideas (multi-use clothes for homeless people, Victorian patterns printed on modern porcelain tea-set), I decided to create a stamps’ collection on contemporary British life. Initially I investigated photographic styles of great photographers, intending to make my own photos for the collection. I experimented with design on Polaroid photos, as well as on digital elaboration. I tried different layouts and typefaces, taking into consideration the feedback that I received from my tutors, targeting on maintaining a graphical unity in my stamps. As my project was progressing, I focused on graphic design, so I preferred to use photos by photographers and not create photos by myself. In the process of selecting the exact themes, I examined several British stamps series. I reoriented my initial plan, abandoning the ideas of including photos of everyday life in my series, as I realised the need to create a series with a very limited number of stamps. I finally decided to form my collection from photos relevant to a few seminal achievements by important British personalities or groups of persons in a period from the mid 20th century up to now. Then I had to select among many important achievements by great British people in several aspects of human activity. I tried to avoid clichés. I attempted to pick themes that are interesting, sometimes even provocative and representative of the British identity. I think that British people are proud of most of these works and of people who created them. Many of them are modern or point to the future. I named this series ‘Cells’ as I consider my themes as cells of the organism Britain.
*All the images without a caption are either photos taken by me or originally designed by me.
Contents Introduction Concept Generation Concept 01 Concept 02 Final Concept Paul Smith - Design Museum Research - Photography Nan Goldin Loucas Samaras First Prototypes Gillian Wearing Jonathan Browning Research - Stamps Classic Album British Design Classics Doctor Who Remarkable Lives William Klein Digital Experimentation Thematology Formative Assessment Feedback Development & Changes Final Choices Layout Development Communication and Presentation Reflection
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Introduction In trying to define what is ‘Britishness’, me, as a young international student, I came in contact with the obvious choices. I carried in my mind the usual stereotypes and my first images from Britain were close to those of an educated tourist. But Britain, as I understood, is a living organism that grows every day in different new directions. So as I began to be acclimatised, I started to understand or tried to understand what catches the eye and the soul of the British people. Through a series of design ideas I decided to create a series of stamps that would describe the British essence in the modern era. These stamps would be, I believe, like cells of a living organism and depictions of what catches the eye, or interests the British people in an ongoing procedure. They are part of my ongoing procedure to understand what is British.
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Concept Generation Concept 01 My initial idea was to design and produce clothes for the homeless people around London. I have developed sensitivity for this issue, due to the increasing numbers of homeless people in crisis stricken Europe. The key in this particular concept was to design the clothes in a smart way in order for them to have multiple uses. For example, the clothes might also be a sleeping bag, or a tent. This idea was influenced by projects designed by Orta Studio like ‘Body Architecture’ and ‘Life Guards’. As you can see in the pictures below, all these clothes can be combined with each other and generate a new object. My idea was to make the clothes for the homeless people look like the red British Army uniform. This uniform represents the element of toughness and pride in people. On the one hand, the concept of a product with multiple uses, especially when it concerns a social group of people who live in the streets, is interesting. On the other hand, as this is a fashion design outcome, the risk of not producing a high level piece of work was quite high. Also there was the risk of offending someone unintentionally e.g. with the use of the red colour of the uniform. It is questionable whether British people would like their homeless people dressed up in the vivid red colour.
1. Red Coat, British Army 2. Lucy & Jorge Orta Modular Architecture – The Unit X10, 1996. (studio-orta.com) 3. Lucy & Jorge Orta Body Architecture – Collective Wear X 8, 1998. (www. studio-orta.com)
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Concept 02 My second idea was to design and produce a tea set, combining old-fashioned / vintage elements with modern ones. I thought of using the ‘Cylinda Line’ tableware designed by Arne Jacobsen. My inspiration came from Paul Smith’ s work named ‘AddColour’, in which he redesigned the legendary Arne Jacobsen Teapots from ‘Cylinda Line’. Paul Smith’ s design was based on the addition of the element of colourfulness. My idea was to create a porcelain similar tea set and print on this set patterns and designs inspired from the ones that existed on the old-fashioned ones and more specifically those designed in the Victorian Era.
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The basic obstacle for this idea was the limited time that I had in my disposal. The process for this 3D item was quite complicated and time consuming because of difficulties posed by the material (porcelain and transfer paper for the prints).
1. Cylinda Line, Paul Smith & Arne Jacobsen for Stelton, 2010. (thebandfrom. com) 2. A Victorian blue & white Persian style plate. (shutterstock.com)
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Final Concept My final idea was to design stamps, documenting the British Spirit as manifested in key cultural and social elements. This project would be a short story telling of contemporary living in Britain. Stamps are known to be the officially accepted image of a country. It is an appropriate medium to present the history, the every day life and the cultural wealth of a country, worldwide. This particular idea was finally selected because the whole research and design process was challenging for me as a student of visual communications’ design. Furthermore, the outcome would be closer to the main frame of my studies.
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Paul Smith - Design Museum
Live Project - Design Factory
These photographs are from my visit on Design Museum, for the exhibition ‘Hello My Name is Paul Smith’. This was an excellent example to understand the Design Factory brief thoroughly, before to start working on my final concept.
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Research - Photography My decision was that my stamps would be based on photography and not on original painting or sketching or illustration or any other style of image making. Initially I had decided that the stamps would be based on my photographic work, so I started researching the work of certain photographers, in order to decide the style of photography that I was going to be influenced by.
Nan Goldin The first photographer that I looked on was Nan Goldin. The use of a Polaroid camera was giving to her photographs different aesthetics in respect of the colour. I also liked the sense of the autobiography into her images.
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Loucas Samaras Nan Goldin’s works led me to the work of an American/Greek photographer and influential artist named Lucas Samaras. His artistic approach on the media of photography as well as the way that he transformed the image was fascinating. 2
1. ‘Nan one month after being battered’ Nan Goldin, 1984. (shootingfilm.net) 2. Photo-Transformation, Lucas Samaras, 1974. (slate.com) 3. Photo-Transformation, Lucas Samaras, 1974. (pinterest.com)
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First Prototypes
Live Project - Design Factory
My first prototypes were designed on different Polaroid photographs, where I tried to design using the chemicals of the film and the paper. The images below were created only to experiment with the different aesthetics of a Polaroid photograph. The themes of these images are not relevant to my idea. These prototypes were quite interesting, some of them also successful. The problem was that these experimentations were closer to the area of the fine arts. I needed to design something more graphical. The combination between graphic design and photography was the key aspect of this particular idea. This was also something challenging to me.
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Gillian Wearing At this stage I started thinking that some of my stamps might have portraits of British people. During my search for seminal portraitists I discovered Gillian Wearing. She uses simple framing, her portraits ask you to consider what is true, what is performed or real and if anything can be known about the subjects. Her distinctive presentation of authenticity in the staging and her manipulation and exploitation of her subjects are the elements of Wearing’s work, which inspired me to use simple framing and the authentic works to create these stamps. 1. I am desperate, Gillian Wearing, 1992-93. (http://www.tate.org.uk) 2. Help, Gillian Wearing, 1992-93. (http://artblart.com)
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Jonathan Browning Then I had to consider the facts that some of my photographs might be pictures of buildings or people caught in everyday life. So my interest shifted to photojournalism and I discovered Jonathan Browning’s work.
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His view as a photojournalist and the way he captures the real life in real time was the most interesting part of Browning’s work, as well as the clear frame, the shape, the colour and the position of the subject in relation to the background. His photographs, look like the photo essays in Life magazine of 40’s, 50’s and early 60’s. My inspiration was his way of composing all these different elements of people, buildings, landscapes and everyday life in an architectural way without loosing it’s real meaning.
Live Project - Design Factory
My research on photographic work of great photographers had a great influence on my work. I started to understand what kind of photographs I would like on my stamps.
1. The main protagonist out in the morning feeding corn to the cranes that can be found in the wetland, rural Guizhou province, China, Jonathan Browning. (jonbrowning.co.uk) 2. Entrants of the Shanghai winter pigeon racing competition meet at the underground car park at Hongkou Stadium in Zhabei district, Shanghai, Jonathan Browning. (jonbrowning. co.uk) 3. Pollution in China, Jonathan Browning. (jonbrowning.co.uk)
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Research - Stamps All this time I was looking on different British Stamps. Each series that I examined usually includes from two to twelve stamps. There are many different styles of design including black and white and colourful stamps, presenting an illustration, a photograph or even just typography. Through my research on British stamps I highlighted some inspirational and imaginative stamps.
Classic Album
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I found the ‘Classic Album’ series, which depicted some of my favourite albums of all time. What I particularly liked about this collection was that it presented vinyls, which are enjoying a comeback. Also the records were shown partly taken out of the sleeves in a representation showing movement and playfulness. I decided however that the irregular border was not a suitable solution for my theme.
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Classic Album Covers, 2010. (collectgbstamps.co.uk)
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British Design Classics I also liked the ‘British Design Classics’ series. What I liked most about this series was the strength that each design classic had, due to the white background and the clear cut shape of its image. Some of these designs are inspirational to me in many ways, e.g. the London Underground Map.
Doctor Who Furthermore I came upon the ‘Doctor Who’ collection of stamps where I found succesful the portrayal of the characters, relating to the fact that this is a science fiction series.
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1. British Design Classics, 2009. (britishstamps.com) 2. Doctor Who Monster Stamps (the first 8 Doctors), 2013. (bfdc.co.uk)
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Remarkable Lives
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‘Remarkable Lives’ series is a collection of stamps that most influenced me on how I wanted my stamps to be. The data shown and designed in 2014 is an example of successful stamps, similar to the concept and the aesthetic that I was aiming to design. The lives of 10 people whose centenaries of birth fall this year are the main theme of the series. The classic portrait of the person involved sometimes has a background relevant to the person shown. The information written on the stamp shows the years of birth and death and the profession sometimes with the use of a few words for the description. I decided I would not want all this data on my stamps. I was instead aiming for a strong visual impact.
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William Klein The black and white of the ‘Remarkable Lives’ stamps led me to the work of William Klein. His contact sheets photos influenced me later on the way that I was going to present my work. Through my research on his work, I found a really interesting element. This was the way that he was selecting the photographs on the contact sheet. I thought that I could try something similar, keeping the hand-drawn aesthetic, to use as boarders rather than using a black or white square.
1. Gun 1, William Klein, 1955. (cultuurbewust. nl) 2. Club Allegro Fortissimo, William Klein, 1990. (photodigest.be) 3. Smoke and Veil, William Klein, 1958. (photodigest.be) 4. Gun, Gun, Gun, William Klein, 1955. (worldphoto.org)
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Digital Experimentation After having some key thoughts, followed by my investigation and the analysis on the areas of my project, I decided to start prototyping digitally on my stamps. I started thinking of different ways of how a photograph can be transformed into a stamp. I was trying to find a way to focus on the main theme of the stamp, the photograph. At this stage my intension was that most of the photographs would be taken by me. The only photographs that I would use from an outside source would be photographs like music album covers or portraits of people that have passed away, that I would not be able to photograph. Another issue that I have been thinking about is colour, both in the theme of the stamps, as well as in the borders.
Live Project - Design Factory
I preferred colour photographs, instead of black and white, as I thought that colour attributes better the idea of a Britain alive and vigorous. Equally I didn’t want to use a simple black or white boarder because my goal was to show the aesthetic of hand-drawing elements.
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Thematology In the meantime the thematology for my stamps was evolving. Attempting to depict ‘Britishness’ for my project, I initially moved in a direction to depict most of the things that caught my attention in my stay in UK. I saw Britain as a living and growing organism, cells that are alive and reproducing. In that sense Cultural, Political and Social issues of Britain would be presented. More specifically, I chose to cover the modern period in the areas of Arts, History, Engineering, Public Space, Science and Landmarks of Britain.
Live Project - Design Factory
I went through various faces in my thematology research. The obvious ‘touristic’ choices were gradually replaced by themes more intriguing, out of the ordinary and, as far as I tend to thing, interesting. Slowly I was moving in a direction that focused on a key word: disruptive.
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Formative Assessment
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On 7th February, we showcased our work in progress in an exhibition organised by the students. I decided to organise and present my work on an A2 portrait poster. So, I decided to present all the successful prototypes that I had designed until then. I split my personal space into two A3’s. On the first one, I presented all the stamps in their real dimensions as a contact sheet, inspired form William Klein’s work. The second one was covered with a large print of a stamp, so that the viewer could easily see the visual impact of the photograph and the details on it. I presented a total of 13 stamps.
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Feedback ‘‘A very good concept, which as a set, makes sense in reflecting the essence of ‘Britishness’. What lets you down is the relationship between image, type and composition of the stamp layout. There is no visual unity (brand) between the individual stamps to each other. We need to briefly talk about this to improve the layout since the idea is promising and strong’’. ‘‘I have a couple of keynote presentations on ‘principles of Typography: all you need to know’. Also ‘principles for creating effective designs and composition’ that will be helpful to you’’.
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Development & Changes I looked for ‘principles of Typography’ and I made the respective changes. First, I designed one specific layout for all the stamps in order to have the same font and size of letters and the Queen’s head to be positioned always on the same spot, regardless of the composition of each photograph. However I had to decide on the font that I was going to use. I experimented with many different typefaces so to find the best possible solution. Because the stamps can be used by different ages of people and are issued in a really small format, I decided to use a simple, clear and bold typeface, specifically the ‘Abadi MT Condensed Extra Bold’.
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Then, after showing the development of my work to Martin Ashley and receiving some feedback, I decided to use the same border for all the stamps in order to create the visual unity between the individual stamps to each other. I designed many different styles of them, using many different colours.
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My first idea was to produce a series of around 30 stamps that covered the areas required in the best possible sense. I was reminded then, by Sian Cook, that stamps series do not consist of such numbers and was thus obliged to limit the number of stamps in my collection. This had a very positive impact on my work, because it forced me to take a better look at my criteria and helped me redesign my collection. The remarks on my work so far made me understand that what was important was the graphical aspect and not the photographical. This brought me closer to the core of my work, that is graphic design. Instead of spending time and efforts to take my own photographs, I decided to choose existing images that were close to the photographic research that I had done, but were taken by others, professionals photographers. More precisely I emphasised on two aspects: The stamps design and the stamps themes.
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Final Choices My final thoughts were the followings: First I decided to focus on graphic design work by adopting my tutors’ remarks. Second the photographs that I finally used were those taken by accredited photographers. Last I had to decide among different versions and aspects of the British identity.
Live Project - Design Factory
Here are the basic criteria of my choice of themes: I worked with a chronological frame in mind starting with 1939 and ending in 2012. Even in the choices that I made about stamps that go back to the era before WW2, I chose subjects that for one reason or another have caught the public attention recently and had an impact in the news. Some of them touch controversial matters that still cause debates and are not totally resolved. Some are disruptive. I tried to avoid the obvious choices about what is British and tried to focus on what I consider interesting. Finally I wanted these stamps to connect to the future i.e. I wanted stamps that will be considered modern in the years to come.
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Alan Touring was a great British scientist. His impact in Mathematics and Computer Science is great and he recently received a Royal Pardon that brings to light parts of this tragic life. I chose ‘Touring Bombe’, created by Alan Touring, for its importance to the WW2 ending and to the invention of the modern computers.
Rosalind Franklin was a pioneer woman scientist in an era that women scientists were not accepted as equals. Her contribution was hardly accredited before her premature death and it is still debated whether she deserved a Nobel Prize for her work on DNA configuration. The X-ray photo of DNA’s helix and Rosalind Franklin’s remarkable research were crucial to the science of molecular biology.
The Beatles are not controversial now but they were very controversial in their time. I feel that British music has shaped the 20th century and if one has to choose a band it has to be them. Abbey road, their final recording as a band and their best selling album has become a landmark in music and the album’s picture taken at the Abbey Road zebra crossing is also considered one of the British landmarks. The album’s cover is not only associated with the band, but also with music and even the whole era.
Damien Hirst’s shark embodies I feel the controversy and beauty of modern art. It is now considered a classic and its impact is growing. The visual impact of the shark in the tank is so strong that I decided that I did not want the front or inclined view of it. I chose the side view in order to make the image easier for the end user of my stamps, the public.
The British Museum Great Court Roof is a personal best in architecture that always makes me feel that I want to visit time after time. It is modern in the best possible sense. I chose the photograph of the roof because it highlights the playfullness between the geometry of the structure and the building of the British Museum. The reflected light on the roof enhances the result.
The Millenium Bridge had a shaky start and this was what caught my attention in the news but learning about it I discovered that it brought together some of the best minds of Britain to construct it. The footbridge is always user friendly and a joy to look at and walk across Thames. The strong sculpturelike image of the Bridge in the foreground and the classic architecture of St. Paul’s Cathedral in the background creates the contrast that I wanted for the stamp.
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Banksy’ s “London Phone Booth” was picked as an outrageous work representing British social commentary art. The famous pseudonymous street artist’ art works, usually disappearing almost instantly, removed either by the authorities or by unknowns for sale, are part of the modern face of art in Britain. The photograph of the murdered telephone booth is a strong image in a dominant red colour. It creates a controvercial and provocative stamp.
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Black Mirror is a popular British TV series by Charlie Brooker, an innovative deep satire of our addiction to digital technology and the social media. I chose it for its commentary fiction and its vector to the future. High technology is most of the times associated with loneliness and solitude. The image that I chose evokes these feelings. It is even reminiscent of a modern prison.
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Sir Ben Ainslie has done so much in such a young age, yet he always moves on towards the next project with great ambition. The project of bringing back America’s Cup to England, if staged, is by no means an easy one, but 4 golden Olympic medals were not easy as well. I picked for my last stamp Ainslie’s image with a British flag. It shows him celebrating his fourth golden Olympic medal in the London 2012 Olympic Games. I chose it because it ends the series with the sense of British pride that I wanted to communicate.
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Layout Development As I stated before, I worked on a chronological frame. Thus, I decided to change the layout of the stamps to something clearer, a timeline. This particular layout and the use of a line were inspired from the London Underground map. I considered this layout as more successful for many reasons but basically because it connects each stamp to each other, showing the central idea of the terms ‘Cell’ and ‘Britishness’. Finally, I used different colours for different prices in order to make the stamps more colorful.
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10p Blue 20p Pink 50p Orange £1 Green 1st Class Red
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Communication and Presentation My first thought was to present the stamps only as a series representing the final piece, after having them transferred on stereoscopic film so that they would be watched by stereoscopic viewers. Later on, I realised that it would be interesting to write some informative text for each stamp and its importance, presenting my idea as a whole. Therefore, I had the idea to design a book. Inspired by William Klein’s contact sheet work, I had the idea of presenting my series by combining each colour stamp with a black and white contact sheet of photos relevant to the theme of the specific stamp. The aim was to highlight on the selection of a single photograph from a series and to focus attention to this particular photograph, the stamp.
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Finally, due to the change of the stamps’ layout, I decided to design a folded paper showing the timeline as a whole. This works also as a promotional leaflet, a presentation pack for the stamps.
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Reflection
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Overall I am satisfied with the learning outcome from this particular project. At the stage of the Formative Assessment, I was happy with my work, and the feedback I received by Martin Ashley was satisfactory as well. However, I developed the visual impact further to design something more appropriate and as a result to present the British identity in a better way.
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