What is Research? by harry_ikel

WHAT IS RESEARCH? Harry Ikel Graphic Design Year 1

WHAT IS RESEARCH? DOCUMENTING THE INVESTIGATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF PROJECTS EXPLORING MY PERSONAL DESIGN AND RESEARCH PROCESSESS Harry Ikel Graphic Design Year 1

CONTENTS 5

SELF-ANALYSIS

INFOGRAPHIC

BROADSHEET

121

DESIGN JOURNAL

141

CLOSING THOUGHTS

142

BIBLIOGRAPHY

SELF-ANALYSIS

SELFANALYSIS As an introduction to the project, a brief self-analysis of our personal research methods and their ability to inform our design process was enacted and a presentation detailing the results of the investigation was produced. This acted to ease us into the bulk of the more academic work the project would consist of, and ultimately informed how the artefacts produced later in the project would come together. Additionally, this portion would come to inhabit the front half of my broadsheet when it came to producing this aspect.

Journal entry from 25/02/20 Aaaand we’re on to the second project! I lost marks on the previous project due to my research/discussion of research and inspiration for the modular type, and the layout for my typographic studies journal. Helpfully, this project looks at BOTH of these! I’ll start by mindmapping relevant initial thoughts for the four criteria listed on the brief (which we’ll look at in-depth on Friday) and sketching some very rough concepts for images/layouts.

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

Mindmaps noting initial thoughts and possible routes for the project to go down. Ultimately only a small portion of these made the cut. but putting all my immediate thoughts into paper is a massive part of my research process and is arguably where the most important ideas stem from.

SELF-ANALYSIS

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

QUOTE EXPLORATION A vital element of the self-reflective portion of the project was to find and discuss a quote on research that related to our personal methodology when it came to this area of the design task. I wasn’t yet sure what form my research took as a larger image, but I was incredibly certain on the fact that any research pertaining to my design process aimed to give me an idea of the broader picture of the brief. I aim to become culturally sound; as such, I found a number of potential quotes relating to this idea and annotated them at the time.

“The real purpose of books is to trap the mind into doing its own thinking” - Christopher Morley When I research, I end up bouncing from one idea or concept to another purely by association. Whether I intend to or not, my mind spirals into some new knowledge I never planned on landing on yet DID, and it can prove to be helpful. When willing, the correct resource will fire me into a whirlwind of relevant ideas.

9 “Honest investigation can result only in growth” - Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson I don’t think there’s much research that can be detrimental to the end-product. Naturally not every route and subject you explore will be viable, but at least you’ll know for certain it isn’t crucial. Inevitably it will set you on the path to some strain of research that is, in fact, viable.

“You know my method. It is founded upon the investigation of trifles” - Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes, ‘The Boscombe Valley Mystery’) If some small nugget of information COULD help a project, why shouldn’t I explore it? I really like this one framing research as a mystery or a detective story, too; it’s very much an investigation into the unknown, in the pursuit of finding an answer or a solution.

“I like to inquire into everything. Hercule Poirot is a good dog. The good dog follows the scent, and if, regrettably, there is no scent to follow, he noses around” - Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot, ‘Peril at End House’) In a similar vein to the Bjørnson and Doyle quotes, leaving no stone unturned in an investigation is, to me, a very important part of the research process. Research is just a mystery without any crime.

“Be culturally literate, because if you don’t have any understanding of the world you live in and the culture you live in, you’re not going to express anything to anybody else” - Paula Scher Understand your brief! Don’t be tone-deaf! Know what the task is asking of you in every sense, y’know? If you can research the client or brief or project to the point that it’s second nature, it will feel absolutely natural.

SELF-ANALYSIS

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

“You know method. It upon the o of trifles.”

SELF-ANALYSIS

my is founded bservation

Ultimately I settled on the Sherlock Holmes quote from Arthur Conan Doyle. I love the idea of research being an investigation into the unknown and felt this quote best encapsulated that idea. It wasn’t one that related to design either, which is something a lot of other people had tried doing - mine was it’s own thing. I’ve always liked when a movie or a video game opens with a quote from something seemingly disconnected from the content of the medium, and this was almost an attempt to emanate this motif.

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

WORKSPACE EXPLORATION Initially, my workspace was going to play a massive part in the look of my project. I wanted to base my infographic around it (and my presentation, before I realised that was far too in-depth of me) so set out on how best to represent images of it. The following pages document the sketches I produced in preparation for this aspect, although the idea of basing my work around my workspace didn’t come to light in the end.

Research and analysis of designer AJ Noh’s work on the Duolingo interface in an effort to find inspiration for the workspace illustrations I sketched. Noh’s work has been looked at in a number of my projects, but I have simply always loved the modernised ‘rubber hose’ look of her character designs. The story book I designed at A level took some inspiration from this, and is featured in the bottom left of the page.

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

SELF-ANALYSIS

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

SELF-ANALYSIS

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

After experimenting with illustration and debating what would be the best course of action, however, I settled on simplifying the process. While the potential for a more detailed or stylised representation of my workspace could appear later in the project, it was making the presentation too complicated of a process and I was running out of time to focus on the other elements. I opted to use photos of the places I work and expanded these beyond just my desk; coffee shops play a large part in my design and research process, and I would come to discuss these later.

SELF-ANALYSIS

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

INSPIRATION As the presentation deadline drew closer, I began to collate my information and began work on the remaining sections these would be the ‘Inspiration’, ‘Method’, and ‘Infographic’ slides. While the latter would be an extended mini-project in and of itself, the former two were easy enough to put together as they were quite literally just discussions about my personal methods and ideas when it came to who I was as a creative practitioner. I started with my inspiration, Kel Lauren, a massive influence on how I wanted to shape myself as a designer.

SELF-ANALYSIS

Journal entry from 10/03/20 It’s perhaps not as obvious in my coursework thus far, but as a designer I am greatly inspired by the work and mantra of Kel Lauren. Although she is primarily a merchandise designer she has built up a steady following on YouTube for her logo redesign series and it’s this aspect that first drew me to her. Her care for the significance of the cultural and historical background of a brand more than aids the final designs she produces, and it’s this awareness for context that I maintain in my own work-flow and research. Knowing a brief on a personal level only furthers the image one will produce, and this is certainly the case with Kel’s work; indeed, her logo designs urged me to start the Daily Logo Challenge a short while ago and the work I have produced under this banner has always tried to emanate Kel’s minimal yet unabashedly loud aesthetic in some form. I would not be frivolous in attributing my application to UCA to Kel’s openness about her own time with an art school, and her relative calm and honesty about her experience there and in the design field at large has only assured me of my choice to become a graphic designer. Kel is, essentially, the reason I do this.

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

In terms of artistic influence, Kel’s roots stretch deep when it comes to my logo and branding aesthetic and formatting. I’ve tried to emanate her style in the work I’ve produced under the Daily Logo Challenge; the above logo for a fictional company called ‘Burnout’ was inspired by her logo redesigns and has been reviewed by Kel herself in a livestream. The general feedback was overwhelmingly positive and, as the design was born from a serious lack of motivation, this positive affirmation was much needed!

SELF-ANALYSIS

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

METHOD In a similar vein to the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;inspirationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; section, the method would simply delve into how I personally go about researching, ideating, and designing a project. Much like the previous topics I wanted to support this one with images of my method if possible - helpfully, this section would come to discuss my affinity for galleries and existing designs in this area of the research process so I was not at a loss for images to include!

SELF-ANALYSIS

Journal entry from 10/03/20 My method of research can be clearly divided into two contrasting sections; the unconscious, and the conscious. More often than not I have taken inspiration or been influenced by a piece of design I’ve seen in the real world when I’m likely to not even be looking for an influence. This is the unconscious and, for me, it is a constant process. Inspiration can strike at pretty much any time and I think this is the most effective way for me to begin researching a brief - it’s natural, I’m not forcing myself to commit to finding something. If art has caught my eye and struck a chord with me when I’m not seeking something that would have that effect, it is likely to be an incredibly viable source of inspiration. This will lead into the more conscious, pointed aspect of my research. Having found something I am genuinely interested in, I will delve into the sources available and me to find every morsel of information on that one subject, no matter how small - this will usually be whatever books I can find on that topic in the library, YouTube videos giving an overview, or articles published online. Although this can prove to be detrimental to the outcome if the subject is in fact too niche of an area, it is unlikely that my investigation will prove fruitless. I’d like to think, much like Sherlock Holmes, my method of research is “founded upon the observation of trifles”; if some throwaway comment in an article or book interests me or looks like it has some potential, I will launch into researching this further as well. I’d like to think I scour whatever is available to me to an inch of its life purely to make sure my research is as culturally sound as it can possibly be, so as to ultimately let me understand the brief to its full extent.

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

The unconscious, while an avid attempt to be inspired, is not an objective thing in the pursuit of a specific influence. While visits to various Tate galleries (like the Hugette Caland exhibition in Tate St. Ives) do ultimately change the path of my work I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go into them looking for a specific piece of art. Note-taking and putting my immediate thoughts onto paper, however, is a more pointed and active approach to research and takes up the majority of the process.

SELF-ANALYSIS

INFOGRAPHIC

INFOGRAPHIC With the bulk of the information pertaining to the presentation set in stone, it was time to begin work on the infographic. This had to relate to our own approaches to the research or design process, providing an in-depth look into our ethic when it came to this topic. As an infographic it had to be visually striking and distinct, clearly communicating the intended message without external explanation being needed. This would come to prove difficult.

Journal entry from 05/03/20 The current priority should be the infographic, so I’ll continue to focus on this aspect. A little more guidance was also given in regard to this: • Focus it on a singular representation of data, so some sort of graph, chart, or map; • Use minimal colour palettes, so black and white with one or two other colours; • It doesn’t have to reflect the research itself! A procrastination graph, for example, could show everything BUT the actual work - this shouldn’t be a priority though!

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

INITIAL IDEATION Initially I was set on translating my listening habits into an infographic. Using the data accumulated in my â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Spotify Wrapped: 2019â&#x20AC;&#x2122; playlist, I could get the gist of what I was listening to throughout the previous project and in general. While I was determined to move forward with this idea it ultimately fell by the wayside as it was deemed to be too detached from the idea of my research and design process. Despite this, I created an infographic in this vein in my freetime later in the project; I feel it would be apt to include that in this journal.

INFOGRAPHIC

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

INFOGRAPHIC

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Longshot

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Lust

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n io ct ne on C y e at zz Ga Fu ctu Ga u Fl dio s t Ra ket c Ou un ix Po ned eS r Th et M In los Bu C nd sIs l a our er H ole A ft ng R pa urri My G Rec m V. Pilgi Scott ow Heathr Coffee iends Just a Couple Fr

Eight Till Late

Twin Size Mattress

Bitch Lasagna ng Stay You er Pacifi day th ir B ute Trib ow orr om er T th No ge u e’s f or Yo h er T y To ike u L bb Yo Me Bo e na v Lo on s ad or d c M w sti ck t a s u la Bl co -A g un Yo y a St

Earth Cocoon

Worst of You - Metropolis Studios

Adventure Time

Green Day

Olivia O.

The Shins

beabadoobee

Harry Styles

Pablo Brooks

Slaves

The Big Push

Hozier

Parcels

Still Woozy

C418

isaac gracie

Party in Backyard, pewdiepie

Sugar Pine 7

Cage the Elephant

Lorde

Peaness

Tenacious D

Catfish and the Bottlemen

Lower Than Atlantis

Phum Viphurit

The Velvet Underground

The Cure

Lowertown

Post Malone, Swae Lee

The View

dodie

The Lumineers

Queen

Weezer

Eagles of Death Metal

Maisie Peters

Rainbow Kitten Surprise

The Whitest Boy Alive

Easy Life

Mom Jeans.

Rusted Root

William Crighton

Freddie Mercury

No Hot Ashes

Ryan Gosling

The Wombats

The Front Bottoms

Oasis

Sam Entwistle

XXXTENTACION

girl in red

Oliver Riot

Shag Rock

A number of factors played into the relative failure of this infographic as a final submission: as the bitmap formatting highlights, the tens of colours used (with one for each artist) do not translate to a monotone palette and while the final image is incredibly busy and sleek, it does not immediately make the viewer think of research. Solely as an infographic this is incredibly impressive, but as an infographic about research or design it falls short. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m glad I saw this one through to the end eventually, but it proved the flaws were true.

INFOGRAPHIC

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

TUBE MAP INFOGRAPHIC Having abandoned the music idea for my infographic, I pondered what direction to go in for a long while. Whilst I wanted to gear my image towards the actual research or design process more than the opposite, I felt it still needed to be reflective of me as the project was still rather personal (it was quite literally an introspective task). As such, the idea of emanating Harry Beck’s tube map design hit me. I regularly visit London to see my girlfriend, so basing my research ‘journey’ on this iconic image seemed to make sense.

I’d looked into Beck’s designs for the London Underground tube map previously at GCSE, and his approach had always fascinated me. Prior to his intervention, the established map (shown below) relied on the geographical layout of the tube system, sacrificing legibility for accuracy. However, Beck’s proposed map took inspiration from circuitry to create a more consistent diagram, relying on a grid system and exclusively 90º and 45º angles - his design was introduced in 1931 and became the standard for underground maps internationally.

INFOGRAPHIC

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

While it’s been through a few iterations since it’s introduction in the 30’s, Beck’s design has stood the test of time despite it’s initial mixed reaction by critics. Carrying over the colour code from the preceding muddled design, Beck supported the regiment of this element with a consistently clean and sensible design appealing directly to the hurried commuters of the underground. It’s this orderly, concise aspect that I wanted to emanate in my own design.

INFOGRAPHIC

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

When it came to planning my own map, I effectively created a single detailed sketch including every ‘stop’ I wanted on the final design. While I could’ve experimented with more layouts (a single line as is displayed in tube carriages, for example) I was fairly set on the standard tube map as my guide. I wanted to effectively get an idea as to how the map would come together. While I didn’t work on a grid on this sketch, I would come to work to a grid and a scheme when I began working on the infographic digitally.

Journal entry from 11/03/20 I really want to show how nothing has an endpoint...the research appears in blips, the motivation is scattered, it’s an entire system. Finally, it repeats. I’ll create this on a grid to get the angles right and add a few things - galleries and trips to London to see Amber are essential and should make an appearance if possible!

INFOGRAPHIC

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

INFOGRAPHIC

These pages should illustrate the biggest flaw with this infographic idea - it was very much not built up of black, white, and just one colour but rather some thirteen colours. While I presented it in the coming presentation in full-colour, this immediately negated the purpose of the individually colour-coded lines and this was picked up on in the feedback I was given. Nonetheless, I was happy with the look of it at this point and decided to call this my first draft even if it would later be rightfully shot down.

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

PRESENTATION Finally, the time came to collate and present my work thus far. At this point I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what single colour I wanted to use nor did I know what fonts we would be limited to, so I settled on a bold Roc Grotesk in following with Kelly Laurenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favoured typeface in Persian blue - again, I had not converted my images to greyscale nor bitmapped them, leaving them in full colour. This served well for the infographic I included at the end of the presentation but very little of this submission would carry over to later pieces; I simply used this to show what data I intended to include.

INFOGRAPHIC

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

FEEDBACK The presentation also gave me a chance to get some feedback on the direction I was taking the project as a whole, and genuinely helped guide how I wanted to present my work in the future. Although I didn’t mention it in the journal entry, my layout in the presentation itself was also critiqued - it was far too busy and, while I had used a grid to organise my content, I hadn’t confined my images to these as well as I could’ve. I hadn’t used white space either, and this would come to carry over the broadsheet later on. Hopefully this journal’s layout doesn’t refelct this!

INFOGRAPHIC

Journal entry from 13/03/20 Me again! The presentation went well. Although Vicky liked my infographic, she gave very valid criticism. I’d aimed to mirror Harry Beck’s tube map, and succeeded, but the result was far too similar to the original and would easily be glossed over. Equally, the masses of colours used - while they mirror the original, again! - does not lend itself quite so well to the ‘black, white, one colour’ rule which is being imposed on the project. Yes, I could dabble with dashed lines (this has been alluded to with the ‘arrow lines’) or shades of grey/ the one colour I choose, and I will, but I don’t think the message would come across as well as it could, or does. I want to get an in-depth bit of feedback from Paul or Britta, too, and continue to work on the infographic. If need be, I’ll completely redo it to fit my project more as well! I don’t want my presentation to be an indication of either my book or broadsheet; in an ideal world I’d happily use Roc Grotesk (but I’m going to use Interstate instead) and that blue is GORGEOUS, but I want to use a vivid colour to contrast the black and white of everything. The content I’ve included, however, will largely be a mainstay!

SUDD THER PAND

DENLY REâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S A DEMIC.

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

A CHANGE With social distancing being rapidly imposed on the general public and the university showing signs of closing early for the year, I headed home to Essex on April 20th where my motivation to work quickly disappeared. A lot of very sudden and very uncomfortable changes had hit me all at once and doing coursework, although important, seemed almost comical compared to the grand scheme of things. After a week or so of easing myself into my new normal, I tried getting back to work at home.

Journal entry from 30/03/20 It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I’m now back home in Witham because, y’know. the coronavirus hit the globe. So my work ethic died, I focussed on my essay, and now here we are. Safe, sound, and bored. I’ve not done much for this project since, as my notes and sketches show - up until last week I was under the impression my essay would be due April 3rd, but this was moved to May 1st instead because, y’know, coronavirus. Because there’s a review session in-bound I will focus on my plans for this project instead. With that in mind, here we go!

INFOGRAPHIC

Journal entry from 31/03/20 Second round of feedback on my infographic, from Britta this time! We had online tutorials to give us a quick checkpoint. Here’s the main points: • Indicate where the map starts without possible misinterpretation! Anyone could pick any ‘stop’ and begin there: this also calls for an assured DIRECTION. Perhaps add arrows and a ‘START’ • Perhaps try fitting the map to a particular shape, or letter? This makes it slightly more personal and avoids looking exactly like the original! • Again, use stroke styles and shades to differentiate the lines in place of colour! However, I really like the idea of taking this idea in a different route - I want to use illustration in the style of a particular artist relating to the subject area on the reverse of my broadsheet to represent me at different stages of the project. I’ll produce a few updated variations on the tube map of course, but I’m leaning toward dropping this idea in favour of the illustration one...

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

I produced three variants on my original tube map, each aiming to combat the shortcomings of the previous iteration: I added a ‘PROJECT BEGINS’ tag at the very start to urge the audience to start here, and I’d hoped the arrows right before it would steer them in the right direction (again, my motivation had all but disappeared). This was the first instance of me settling on my chosen colour, #E62647, for the project and the only instance I’d used multiple shades derived from it. While the different lines were fairly distinguishable, my heart just was not in this idea.

INFOGRAPHIC

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

A NEW INFOGRAPHIC As previously mentioned in the journal entries, the reverse of the eventual broadsheet needed to look into a design era we are inspired by or interested in and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s this idea that I wanted to use as a springboard for my infographic. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d abandoned the tube map idea but started putting together mood boards of relevant artists and layouts I could use for both my broadsheet information and infographic. I am heavily inspired by and interested in vector illustration so opted to look into this area of design for a designer I could emanate in my own work.

INFOGRAPHIC

Journal entry from 02/04/20 Helpfully there’s next to nothing on Yasmine Penniman so I’ll negate her and focus on the artists I’ve highlighted in boxes here. I’ll put together another moodboard, too, and collate whatever surface level information I can find on each designer. With that being said, here’s who I’m focussing on: • Kelly Lauren, a designer and YouTuber (but negated, as I have discussed her previously) • Kurzgesagt, a Munich motion graphics studio • Geneviève Gauckler, a French illustrator; • Lucas Wakamatsu, a Brazilian illustrator; • Richard Keeling, a digital illustrator and motion graphic artist

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

KURZGESAGT Kurzgesagt are a design studio based in Munich who specialise in information design and, famously, motion graphics. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re known for their YouTube channel explaining and discussing science, social issues, and relevant topics or theories. Their approach is fully intended to convey information in an approachable and effective manner (and again, I have referenced them before in my A-level research) so this could be a viable source of inspiration!

INFOGRAPHIC

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

GENEVIÉVE GAUCKLER Paul introduced me to Geneviève Gauckler and I have to say, I’m a fan! She’s a French illustrator at Tiphane Illustration with a gorgeous minimal cartoon style I’d happily embrace. Her images are flat and incredibly colourful, putting her in good stead. To top it all off, she generally relies on the exact colour scheme I need to use - black, white, one colour - so drawing inspiration from her aesthetic would not be difficult!

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

LUCAS WAKAMATSU A slight departure from the other artists, Lucas Wakamatsu is an illustrator with a strikingly beautiful style. I only just discovered him but this aesthetic is just too satisfying! Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not infographic-based but his illustrations are so dynamic and packed that his general ethic could easily be translated into an infographic or supporting visuals for the broadsheet.

INFOGRAPHIC

RICHARD KEELING Finally, Richard Keeling is a graphic designer reliant entirely on vector illustration. His work is similar to aspects of all previously mentioned creatives and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not quite as engaged by his work but still! A possible route to go down! Although his work is incredibly colourful with many, many colours being used, the general isometric look could aid my own work very nicely. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still a plausible inclusion for the broadsheet when I get to this aspect.

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

INFOGRAPHIC MOODBOARD Having established my chosen topic as vector illustration under the broader topic of the digital era of design, I decided to have an emphasis on GeneviĂ¨ve Gauckler in my final broadsheet and, as such, began to lean into her work as a source of inspiration for my new infographic. I still wanted to show the various stages or phases I go through in my research and design processes (and the lack thereof), and so put together a moodboard of images and ideas I wanted to emanate. Out of this, the basis for the final image would be born.

INFOGRAPHIC

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

Journal entry from 14/04/20 I want to let my illustrations communicate a developing thing, something continual: ‘Abbey Road’ clearly communicates motion through the focal image of The Beatles. The up-and-down shape of an evolution chart could be taken advantage of, too - different heights could represent different things, like ‘work done’ or ‘motivation’! This is where a police linup comes in. This is effectively a graph of heights using people instead of bars to show this unit. Something along these lines could be successful. I’ll start sketching some rough ideas to develop.

INFOGRAPHIC

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

Journal entry from 16/04/20 I’ve had a moment of inspiration. The infographic can be a melting pot of both the tube map AND the illustrations, showing the importance or prevalence of each aspect (or ‘line’) shown on the tube map. This could be percentages or just a simple unit, but I want to do this as a bar graph. Equally showing when they appear throughout the entire design process could work too! I’m still nailing down the style, but it’s getting somewhere. I’ll aim to finish this aspect of the infographic today.

INFOGRAPHIC

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

INFOGRAPHIC

I settled on a particular plan of action quite quickly when it came to this new idea - I’d whittled the list of activities included on my tube map down to 14 ‘essential’ events in regard to my design and research process that I wanted to illustrate in my final graph. I’d toyed with the idea of both a very straightforward police line-up and a single ‘bar’ but chose to move forward with a stylised bar chart showcasing the prevalence of the activities I’d included. Both numerical and alphabetical arrangements would make an appearance.

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

CHARACTER IDEATION At this point I was fairly set on the direction I wanted my infographic to take, but still needed to create the general look of the character I’d use throughout it. As previously discussed I wanted to emanate Geneviève Gauckler’s style and further research her as a designer for the broadsheet, so dabbled with the various character designs she’d showcased in her own work. This was done exclusively on my tablet to achieve that fluid illustrative appearance, and I feel it paid off! The characters would go on to be further developed into the individual ‘icons’ of the bar chart.

I settled on the base model shown to the right. I felt this struck a balance between what Gauckler produced and my own style or appearance. I felt the best way to identify the character as myself was to include my hair while keeping the motif as simple as possible and retaining some sense of originality by taking this aspect in its own direction. As well as being the character in my infographic, I have chosen to represent each section in this journal with him - as the sections progress, he rises a section on the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;gridâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

INFOGRAPHIC From this singular base character, I created thirteen individual illustrations representing the thirteen final ‘events’ I’d decided to include in the infographic. I tried to use the general rule of ‘significant elements are displayed in white, with details added in red’ where applicable (the cover of the sketchbook element, for example, used red instead of white) and included a lightbulb to the right of characters or events ‘entirely vital to the process’ - a key would eventually be adopted on the final diagram to highlight this point.

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

INFOGRAPHIC EXPERIMENTS After creating the thirteen components of my infographic, the time had come to arrange them on a graph. Early on in this process I decided to experiment with both alphabetical and numerical categorisation of the data, feeling both made sense in terms of a legible bar chart. Here, I’ve documented the various arrangements trialled before settling on the final ‘checkpoint’ design; as well as finding a satisfying way for each pillar - as they would come to be known - to lie on the canvas, I needed to find a suitable means of giving them context through labels and axis. Eventually the design came to look quite natural.

INFOGRAPHIC

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

Below is the infographic I submitted partway through the project. After much deliberation I settled on an alphabetical arrangement to create a more dynamic shape whilst aligning the labels along the bodies of the characters further helped to streamline the infographic. The negation of an x-axis attempted to create the illusion that the ‘thirteen pillars’ stem from somewhere beyond the canvas, somehow relaxing the look of the diagram as well. The key, printed in Helvetica Neue, highlights the significance of the ‘peak of the hair’ and the lightbulb too, providing legibility. Overall I was, and am, extremely happy with this design!

INFOGRAPHIC

FINAL INFOGRAPHIC Feedback from Paul helped to nail down the final look of the infographic, which can be found overleaf. Although the alphabetical arrangement created an interesting overall shape, it “doesn’t go far in organising them hierarchically” - moreover, a point was made that “it might be useful to locate the activities on a timeline...to reveal significance”. As such, I’ve opted to use the numerical layout and changed the title to ‘The Thirteen Pillars of my design and research process and their prevalence over 10 weeks”, the length of a single project on the course. I felt this gave enough context for the critic to understand the message to its intended full extent while retaining the rather minimal feel achieved by the lack of an x-axis. Equally, to “coordinate type with the broadsheet” I adopted Interstate in Black and Bold with the title and key set to the right of the canvas. Although I tried aligning both elements to the left in this position, it ultimately came across as a little disjointed. Displaying them in this manner with this alignment creates a more balanced image, and employing two font weights and sizes enforces the type hierarchy I hoped to establish. Overall, I am extremely happy with how this aspect of the project turned out! While it took a fair few do-overs and experimentation to reach this point, I feel it paid off in regards to the final image and the overall path the project took as a result of the in-depth and lengthy process involved in producing the image shown to the right; as such, the following sections in this book came to be far shorter due to the lessons and guidance learnt in this section.

Video games

Caffeine

Music

Sketching

Online research

Note-taking

Prevalence 10

The Thirteen Pillars

of my design and research process and their prevalence over 10 weeks

the peak of the hair signifies the prevalence of an event

Online shopping

Nights off

Social media

Feedback and optimism

Personal projects

Library research

Burnout

a lightbulb signifies an event entirely vital to the process

BROADSHEET

BROADSHEET The broadsheet can effectively be viewed as the penultimate culmination of all the work I’d done so far. It would collate the self-analysis conducted in the first section, build on the artist and design era research from the infographic, and due to its development alongside the design journal the layout would go through a few iterations as I learned how best to work with white space and avoid an overly cramped piece of design.

Journal entry from 20/04/20 Now that the infographic is out of the way I will begin working on the broadsheet. I already have some ideas (namely filling half of one side with the quote I’ve chosen pertaining to research) but I’m going to plan all the bits and pieces to go on the broadsheet. Additionally, I should keep the journal in mind. I’m going to neaten up the notes made thus far to have these in the book as it progresses.

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

LAYOUT INVESTIGATION If the infographic was an investigation into the use of statistics in graphic design, the broadsheet would come to be the equivalent for editorial and layout design. As such, a handful of existing examples were analysed and reduced to the diagrams shown to the right. These gave an idea as to how the elements used should interact with each other to create an appealing synergy between text and image elements, as well as enforcing hierarchy. Across the board, a large element dominating a section of the broadsheet was used; this seemed to be a vital element, and I opted to include one in my own from the very beginning.

Journal entry from 17/03/20 Yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;know the whole virus situation? Yeah, that. In light of this, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been given a collection of folded layouts to analyse for the production of our own broadsheet.

INFOGRAPHIC

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

This ‘Picpus’ broadsheet stood out to me during the analysis - it is detailed in the second pair of diagrams on the previous page - due to it’s tight folding to create sixteen panels, before becoming a wallet-like item fastened with a sticky tag. I think it reminded me of a map in that sense and it stuck with me from this point onwards; a clearly successful layout when it came to folding, this broadsheet allowed a different section to be revealed as it unfurled. At no point would it appear disjointed, and it was this idea that I sought to emanate. From here, I decided to use this 16-panel layout for my own work.

BROADSHEET

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

INITIAL LAYOUT Going with the sixteen panel fold demonstrated previously, I put together the following layout for the first draft of my broadsheet. This used two columns per panel and generally confined the content to these where possible - the text I’d put together for the ‘method’ section, however, exceeded the two-column format I tried to instigate on it so bled into the following panel. This initial idea aimed to fill every space on the broadsheet and, at the time, I was happy with this; I would come to realise, however, that this created an overly busy and bustling broadsheet image-wise. For now the ‘front panel’ (bottom left) remained simple.

BROADSHEET

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

FIRST ITERATION The very first iteration of the broadsheet, while certainly a strong start, was far from a finished product and the feedback from Paul reflected this. While the bitmapped images did indeed allow the background to show through the ‘white’, it created a “very red, and rather a pink red” overall image that became rather monotonous and uninspiring. Another flaw of the bitmaps was that a good handful of the images became illegible or worse due to the over-exposed look, nullifying the aim of these elements (this is only heightened in the version shown here). While the use of original copy from the self-analysis section was well thought out - and would be a mainstay of the broadsheet right through to its completion - the alignment was inconsistent, the rulework was at “a somewhat middling thickness”, and the font weights were far too contrasted. Paragraph breaks would also allow the text to become a little more readable, as would separating the overly busy and tight look of the broadsheet: “some empty spaces would provide balance” was a phrase I kept tossing around myself, and is something I’d always struggled with. However, at this point in the project I had begun working on the design journal, too. This had tuned my editorial design skills, so adjusting the overall layout and composition seemed a far less daunting task now that I was faced with it. As such, I chose to impose a soft-reset and simply redo the layout of the piece with Paul’s criticism in mind. The content would largely stay exactly the same.

BROADSHEET

“You know my method. It is founded upon the observation of trifles.” Arthur Conan Doyle The Boscombe Valley Mystery

The Method My method of research can be clearly divided into two contrasting sections; the unconscious, and the conscious. More often than not I have taken inspiration or been influenced by a piece of design I’ve seen in the real world when I’m likely to not even be looking for an influence. This is the unconscious and, for me, it is a constant process. Inspiration can strike at pretty much any time and I think this is the most effective way for me to begin researching a brief it’s natural, I’m not forcing myself to commit to finding something. If art has caught my eye and struck a chord with me when I’m not seeking something that would have that effect, it is likely to be an incredibly viable source of

inspiration. This will lead into the more conscious, pointed aspect of my research. Having found something I am genuinely interested in, I will delve into the sources available and me to find every morsel of information on that one subject, no matter how small - this will usually be whatever books I can find on that topic in the library, YouTube videos giving an overview, or articles published online. Although this can prove to be detrimental to the outcome if the subject is in fact too niche of an area, it is unlikely that my investigation will prove fruitless. I’d like to think, much like Sherlock Holmes, my method of research is “founded upon the observation of trifles”; if some throwaway comment in

A Hugette Caland painting from the Tate St. Ives exhibition A section of my sketchbook exploring Duolingo’s UI/UX design

an article or book interests me or looks like it has some potential, I will launch into researching this further as well. I’d like to think I scour whatever is available to me to an inch of its life purely to make sure my research is as culturally sound as it can possibly be, so as to ultimately let me understand the brief to its full extent.

Guerrilla Girls’ propaganda, displayed in the Tate Modern

An excerpt from ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ discussing Peter Saville

Wartime propaganda by Abram Games displayed in the Imperial War Museum

The Workspace

The wall next to my desk, smattered with my favourite designs as inspiration.

The entrance to Caffè Nero, my second base of operations in Farnham.

My workspace is very indicative of my research methods and how I learn as a designer. Whether my room is at university or back home in Essex due to a sudden global pandemic, I plaster my walls with things that inspire me. This mostly consists of illustrations by my favourite independent artists, postcards from art galleries, and designs I’ve created more recently; I work best when I’m surrounded by things that urge me to feel comfortable and that put me in a creative mindset. I know working in a library is a preference for the vast majority of people but that feels too clinical and rigid for me. If I’m in my room, I’m happy and feel I can relax into my work a little.

In light of that, I can often be found ideating on my laptop in Caffè Nero. The massive armchairs are perfect, the cosy atmosphere is sublime, and more often than not one of the old people of Farnham will lean over and ask about my work which is a lovely motivational boost! On days when I don’t have classes I’ll spend the afternoon here plodding along with my coursework amid a good three or four caramel lattes. Essentially, I want to feel safe and secure when I work.

The pinboard in my university room, covered in postcards and memorabilia.

The Inspiration

A rebrand of Folgers’ logo, created by Kel in 2019.

RESEARCH OR ( THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF KNOWLEDGE )

A logo for a driverless car company I designed for the Daily Logo Challenge.

‘Burnout’, a brand I conceptualised and had feedback from Kel on!

It’s perhaps not as obvious in my coursework thus far, but as a designer I am greatly inspired by the work and mantra of Kel Lauren. Although she is primarily a merchandise designer she has built up a steady following on YouTube for her logo redesign series and it’s this aspect that first drew me to her. Her care for the significance of the cultural and historical background of a brand more than aids the final designs she produces, and it’s this awareness for context that I maintain in my own workflow and research. Knowing a brief on a personal level only furthers the image one will produce, and this is certainly the case with

Kel’s work; indeed, her logo designs urged me to start the Daily Logo Challenge a short while ago and the work I have produced under this banner has always tried to emanate Kel’s minimal yet unabashedly loud aesthetic in some form. I would not be frivulous in attributing my application to UCA to Kel’s openeness about her own time with an art school, and her relative calm and honesty about her experience there and in the design field at large has only assured me of my choice to become a graphic designer. Kel is, essentially, the reason I do this.

Kel Lauren, my biggest inspiration when it comes to design.

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

FURTHER LAYOUTS After recieving feedback from Paul and making considerable progress on the design journal, I went back to the broadsheet’s layout with a fresh face and an open mind. This time around, I had a much better understanding of editorial design and the use of white space, and knew how the design journal would look; this allowed me to begin creating a broadsheet more in-line aesthetically with the journal, meaning the entire project would tie itself together nicely. Again, I began with the basic framework for the sheet with two variants. The idea of bringing in vector illustration to reflect the back half had also come up.

The pair of layouts created overleaf both conform to the grid of frames established to the right. Additionally, a general colour scheme defines what content belongs in what frames: • Red frames contain text, with the largest holding the focal quote; • Lighter frames contain images and art; • The guides mark the ‘working area’, a set of margins within which all the content confined to individual panels will lie These layouts immediately made a much better use of the available space, and went on to excel at this!

BROADSHEET

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

BROADSHEET

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

The Method

The Workspace

The Inspiration

My method of research can be clearly divided into two contrasting sections; the unconscious, and the conscious. More often than not I have taken inspiration or been influenced by a piece of design I’ve seen in the real world when I’m likely to not even be looking for an influence.

My workspace is very indicative of my research methods and how I learn as a designer. Whether my room is at university or back home in Essex due to a sudden global pandemic, I plaster my walls with things that inspire me. This mostly consists of illustrations by my favourite independent artists, postcards from art galleries, and designs I’ve created more recently; I work best when I’m surrounded by things that urge me to feel comfortable and that put me in a creative mindset.I know working in a library is a preference for the vast majority of people but that feels too clinical and rigid for me. If I’m in my room, I’m happy and feel I can relax into my work a little.

This is the unconscious and, for me, it is a constant process. Inspiration can strike at pretty much any time and I think this is the most effective way for me to begin researching a brief - it’s natural, I’m not forcing myself to commit to finding something. If art has caught my eye and struck a chord with me when I’m not seeking something that would have that effect, it is likely to be an incredibly viable source of inspiration. This will lead into the more conscious, pointed aspect of my research. Having found something I am genuinely interested in, I will

What is research?

delve into the sources available and me to find every morsel of information on that one subject, no matter how small - this will usually be whatever books I can find on that topic in the library, YouTube videos giving an overview, or articles published online. Although this can prove to be detrimental to the outcome if the subject is in fact too niche of an area, it is unlikely that my investigation will prove fruitless. I’d like to think, much like Sherlock Holmes, my method of research is “founded upon the observation of trifles”; if some throwaway comment in an article or book interests me or looks like it has some potential, I will launch into researching this further as well. I’d like to think I scour whatever is available to me to an inch of its life purely to make sure my research is as culturally sound as it can possibly be, so as to ultimately let me know the brief to its full extent.

work which is a lovely motivational boost! On days when I don’t have classes I’ll spend the afternoon here plodding along with my coursework amid a good three or four caramel lattes. Essentially, I want to feel safe and secure when I work.

I would not be frivulous in attributing my application to UCA to Kel’s openeness about her own time with an art school, and her relative calm and honesty about her experience there and in the design field at large has only assured me of my choice to become a graphic designer. Kel is, essentially, the reason I do this.

Knowing a brief on a personal level only furthers the image one will produce, and this is certainly the case with Kel’s work; indeed, her logo designs urged me to start the Daily Logo Challenge a short while ago and the work I have produced under this banner has always tried to emanate Kel’s minimal yet unabashedly loud aesthetic in some form.

“You know my method. It is founded upon the observation of trifles.” Arthur Conan Doyle ‘The Boscombe Valley Mystery’

BROADSHEET

“You know my method. It is founded upon the observation of trifles.” Arthur Conan Doyle ‘The Boscombe Valley Mystery’

What is research? The Method My method of research can be clearly divided into two contrasting sections; the unconscious, and the conscious. More often than not I have taken inspiration or been influenced by a piece of design I’ve seen in the real world when I’m likely to not even be looking for an influence. This is the unconscious and, for me, it is a constant process. Inspiration can strike at pretty much any time and I think this is the most effective way for me to begin researching a brief - it’s natural, I’m not forcing myself to commit to finding something. If art has caught my eye and struck a chord with me when I’m not seeking something

that would have that effect, it is likely to be an incredibly viable source of inspiration. This will lead into the more conscious, pointed aspect of my research. Having found something I am genuinely interested in, I will delve into the sources available and me to find every morsel of information on that one subject, no matter how small - this is why my approach to research is “founded upon the observation of trifles”, and much like a detective story I feel it’s effectively an investigation into the unknown in the pursuit of new knowledge and a concrete answer.

The Workspace My workspace is very indicative of my research methods and how I learn as a designer. Whether my room is at university or back home in Essex due to a sudden global pandemic, I plaster my walls with things that inspire me. This mostly consists of illustrations by my favourite independent artists, postcards from art galleries, and designs I’ve created more recently; I work best when I’m surrounded by things that urge me to feel comfortable and that put me in a creative mindset.I know working in a library is a preference for the vast majority of people but that feels too clinical and rigid for me. If I’m in my room, I’m happy and

feel I can relax into my work a little. In light of that, I can often be found ideating on my laptop in Caffè Nero. The massive armchairs are perfect, the cosy atmosphere is sublime, and more often than not one of the old people of Farnham will lean over and ask about my work which is a lovely motivational boost! On days when I don’t have classes I’ll spend the afternoon here plodding along with my coursework amid a good three or four caramel lattes. Essentially, I want to feel safe and secure when I work.

The Inspiration It’s perhaps not as obvious in my coursework thus far, but as a designer I am greatly inspired by the work and mantra of Kel Lauren. Although she is primarily a merchandise designer she has built up a steady following on YouTube for her logo redesign series and it’s this aspect that first drew me to her. Her care for the significance of the cultural and historical background of a brand more than aids the final designs she produces, and it’s this awareness for context that I maintain in my own workflow and research. Knowing a brief on a personal level only furthers the image one will produce,

and this is certainly the case with Kel’s work; indeed, her logo designs urged me to start the Daily Logo Challenge a short while ago and the work I have produced under this banner has always tried to emanate Kel’s minimal yet unabashedly loud aesthetic in some form. I would not be frivulous in attributing my application to UCA to Kel’s openeness about her own time with an art school, and her relative calm and honesty about her experience there and in the design field at large has only assured me of my choice to become a graphic designer. Kel is, essentially, the reason I do this.

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

The Method

The Workspace

The Inspiration

My workspace is very indicative of my research methods and how I learn as a designer. Whether my room is at university or back home in Essex due to a sudden global pandemic, I plaster my walls with things that inspire me. This mostly consists of illustrations by my favourite independent artists, postcards from art galleries, and designs I’ve created more recently; I work best when I’m surrounded by things that urge me to feel comfortable and that put me in a creative mindset.I know working in a library is a preference for the vast majority of people but that feels too clinical and rigid for me. If I’m in my room, I’m happy and feel I can relax into my work a little.

What is research?

“You know my method. It is founded upon the observation of trifles.” Arthur Conan Doyle ‘The Boscombe Valley Mystery’

BROADSHEET

FINAL LAYOUT After adding the necessary content to either layout, I decided I’d been a bit too liberal with the white space on the first layout; yes, it provided breather space but it just didn’t feel as natural to me. Extending the vector character all the way across the second layout, however, united the entire design wonderfully. Carrying this over to the first layout allowed me to achieve breather space while avoiding the feeling that there was a massive gap on the sheet while the character filled space, it did not introduce new information or an entirely relevant image to the text. This layout also conformed to the folds of the sheet. As I will explain shortly, the bottom half is taken up entirely by the quote and the title page (‘What is research?’) with the bottom row being occupied by the black portion of the quote. I felt this was a sly way of summarising what research was (“the observation of trifles”) at the same time as using the space effectively. Additionally, the content gives the illusion of gradually becomign smaller as it ascends. The first portion, the quote, takes up two entire rows. The second, the images, each occupy an entire panel but for the most part are a single image. I’d also gone back to regular greyscale rather than bitmaps to avoid the blotchy effect, and had refined these to a simple four images to support the text. The third portion, the text, is broken into two columns each - I shortened ‘The Method’ to fit this rule - allowing the piece to slowly build from bottom to top, or top to bottom. This is type hierarchy, and allows the reader to follow the path I have carved for them. This was my ideal layout, and would inform how the reverse would come together.

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

A GUIDE TO FOLDING While folding a sheet of paper into sixteen panels is relatively easy, the method Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve employed does it in a particular way as to more easily compress itself into a neat package at the end. As such, I have provided a guide as to how it would fold; while the compact form is a little bulging, this is purely due to the paper being smaller than the final piece would be. The broadsheet is effectively folded in half before a concertina fold is employed, and is finished off with a final fold in half.

BROADSHEET

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

DESIGN ERA RESEARCH The back of the broadsheet would be occupied by my research and investigations into my chosen design topic; as previously mentioned, I wanted to look into vector illustration. Three artists under our desired field had to be researched and discussed as a reflection of this, so I settled on GeneviĂ¨ve Gauckler as the main focus with Richard Keeling and the design studio Kurzgesagt supporting her. Due to how new this art form was in the grand scheme of things, and the obscurity of my chosen artists, my information was derived from blogs and interviews with the artists; I have collated this information here.

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Journal entry from 10/05/20 As an art form, illustration has long been a vital instrument in locating “the most efficient, clear, and direct way to make the viewer feel and know what you want them to feel and know” (Sklobovskaya, 2010) and this has not changed since the inception of vector illustration borne from the broader topic of digital art. While visually different to the stereotypically freeing, hand-drawn feel of traditional illustration, the smooth curves and vibrant, carefully selected colours rampant in vector illustration share the same roots and intentions as its classical counterpart despite the vast multitude of unique and exciting styles grown from the medium’s transition in the digital era of design. Utilising shapes composed from specified points on a digital canvas - commonly in Adobe Illustrator upon its release in 1987 - this modern approach to illustration often blurs the lines separating it from graphic design; whether this is through logo design, motion graphics, or the simple transition from graphic design to digital illustration, the collaboration between the two does nothing but further the ideals of either medium. In this sense, I have always been inspired by vector illustration; perhaps it’s the accessibility of art created under its banner, or the prevalence of artists who label themselves as illustrators, but I’ve always found the rather minimal yet fluid aesthetic of a particular strand of vector art incredibly enticing. As a whole, working with vectors allows for constant and easy experimentation, something that ultimately aids the design process. Having designed using this medium time and time again I feel vector illustration is both an effective yet boldly new and relatively untapped art.

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

GAUCKLER ANALYSIS Illustration can be an incredibly personal form of expression, and I feel Geneviève Gauckler’s work is a reflection of this idea. Having started in graphic design with an emphasis on typography, her transition into illustration was marked by her fascination with vectors and “how easy it was to come up with a character without having to draw it, simply by using existing shapes and copying and cutting them” (Pictoplasma, 2013). Since this revelation, her style has not strayed far from the boldly minimal character designs she first established all those years ago and it’s within this curiously wonderful aesthetic that she excels. I think the aspect that immediately draws an audience to Gauckler’s work is how familiar her character designs seem. While they are not inspired by logos themselves, the illustrator has a fascination for logotypes and mascot designs that bleeds into the characters she creates. It’s this simple yet hugely approachable aesthetic that Gauckler has become known for, and yet with the traction her work gains it does not require nor possess - to an extent - a deeper meaning other than being an amusing set of characters interacting with each other in an amusing way. Often reflecting Gauckler’s self-proclaimed “Alien Point of View” (Regine, 2011) her set of characters simply represent an extension of the artist herself, portraying normal events and tasks in a whimsical light, almost appropriating humanity. This was taken a step further in her 2008 exhibition ‘Food Chain’ in which she illustrated known facts and ideas about food and the food industry at large in such a way that they almost seemed comical; while a statement about starvation “wouldn’t be very interesting or significant” (Pretty Cool People Interviews - Genevieve Gauckler, 2008) and an image of a hungry character in Gauckler’s style would just come across as laughable, the two combined baffle the audience and cause them to think about what they’re actually observing. Whereas critics have looked down upon

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Gauckler’s boldly child-like style with distaste, it’s this very aspect that allows it to become a catalyst for change when given the right platform, and achieves this function beautifully. It’s her desire to “simplify shapes, to ‘clean’ them and remove anything unnecessary” (Pictoplasm, 2013) that attracts me to her most of all, and led me to use her as inspiration for my infographic. She never does more than she needs to, treating anything other than the focal characters of her art as expendable. This liberal approach is one I adapted in my own designs, choosing to reduce the elements highlighting the individual events represented in my diagram to as simple a form as possible whilst still clearly conveying the action and differentiating the specific activity from its counterparts. Items in her ‘September’ were arguably the biggest inspiration when it came to the actual character design of my infographic, taking the simple doughy forms and slimming them down to fit my own, before adding a mop of hair emanating the fur often portrayed by the artist. I feel Gauckler’s use of vectors to portray her simple yet profoundly charming forms is a masterstroke of illustration and one that I connect with wholeheartedly.

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

KURZGESAGT ANALYSIS Less an individual designer and more a collective of likeminded people, Kurzgesagt are a Munich-based motion graphics studio specialising in educational videos on a vast array of subjects - it’s their lucratively vibrant style and intensive research process, however, that greatly inspires me. A departure from the side of vector illustration striving to emanate a hand-drawn, natural feel, Kurzgesagt’s aesthetic does not shy away from the fact that it is strictly digital and instead relies on rounded, geometric forms and meticulously complex models to convey their information; a style that “evolved naturally” (Neverthink, 2019) over the studio’s seven year tenure on YouTube. I’ve always likened the studio’s style to the rubber hose style of the 1920s. This era of animation relied on being fluid, with every on-screen element moving in time with the brass music constantly playing in place of voice acting. While Kurzgesagt has a narrator discussing the given subject matter and the music accompanying him does not guide the visuals, the characters and settings created by the team behind the channel are in a constant state of motion reminiscent of this era in animation, with flexible and simple-enough figures moving in a fluid way much like traditional cartoons. A fan of the rubber hose technique myself, I greatly admire Kurzgesagt’s perhaps unconscious adaption of this style into something vehemently modern whilst retaining that flare of simplicity needed to efficiently animate scenes in such a way. While the thousands upon thousands of individual vectors crammed into the almost 200 individual scenes per video may go unnoticed when viewed in full, the feat accomplished by the studio is nonetheless impressive.

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KEELING ANALYSIS When compared to the likes of Gauckler and Kurzgesagt, Richard Keeling is an obscure figure in the vector illustration community but one I would certainly say is on the rise, and for good reason. When one first thinks of vector graphics, their mind is likely to leap to starkly geometric and isometric images, designs with an abundantly digital feel behind them; it’s this side of the field that Keeling represents best. The artist has gained traction from many of his highly detailed, highly precise compositions (leading to collaborations with Google and a senior role at the Londonbased bowling chain All Star Lanes) but it’s his series of experimental designs, titled ‘Shadow Shapes’, that have truly cemented Keeling’s name as a contender to watch in the industry. Using isometric vector forms positioned in such a way as to appear real rather than mechanical, Keeling has created an immense set of images exploring the collaboration between sharp, calculated geometry and vibrant colours exclusive to vector illustration. The result is a complex image somehow familiar in appearance, with an emphasis on how the shadows the individual blocks might cast on their supporting elements. This is made all the more easier by the artist’s use of vectors; due to how easy these forms are to move, scale, or recolour the Escher-like effect can be created and replicated both effectively and efficiently, an aspect Keeling capitalises on both in ‘Shadow Shapes’ and other projects of the same calibre. My geometric logo designs have often relied on how simple vectors are to manipulate in appearance, and I can entirely attribute Keeling’s success on this front as an inspiration here.

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

REVERSE LAYOUTS The layout for the back of the broadsheet would contain a rather different set of data than the front, with a larger portion of it containing original copy discussing the topic at hand. As such, I wanted to create layouts that emphasised this whilst still maintaining a balance between the text and image elements; a bibliography of the general reading/ watching I went through during the research process for the content on this side of the broadsheet also needed to be included with a linkography packaged within this. These compositions explore the possible layouts I could employ.

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WHAT IS RESEARCH?

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There was no reason one side of the broadsheet couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t shift perspective from the front - as such, I experimented with this landscape format just to test the waters. Whereas the front half of the piece had to conform to the sections the sheet would reveal as it was unfolded, the reverse is entirely hidden from view until the sheet is completely unfurled. This allowed me to focus entirely on layouts simply conforming to the overall broadsheet rather than the individual panels; this did not mean I could ignore this aspect, but the landscape does attempt to make better use of the canvas as a single element.

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WHAT IS RESEARCH?

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Vector Illustration As an art form, illustration has long been a vital instrument in locating “the most efficient, clear, and direct way to make the viewer feel and know what you want them to feel and know” (Sklobovskaya, 2010) and this has not changed since the inception of vector illustration borne from the broader topic of digital art. While visually different to the stereotypically freeing, hand-drawn feel of traditional illustration, the smooth curves and vibrant, carefully selected colours rampant in vector illustration share the same roots and intentions as its classical counterpart despite the vast multitude of unique and exciting styles grown from the medium’s transition in the digital era of design. Utilising shapes composed from specified points on a digital canvas - commonly in Adobe Illustrator upon its release in 1987 - this modern approach to illustration often blurs the lines separating it from graphic design; whether this

is through logo design, motion graphics, or the simple transition from graphic design to digital illustration, the collaboration between the two does nothing but further the ideals of either medium. In this sense, I have always been inspired by vector illustration; perhaps it’s the accessibility of art created under its banner, or the prevalence of artists who label themselves as illustrators, but I’ve always found the rather minimal yet fluid aesthetic of a particular strand of vector art incredibly enticing. As a whole, working with vectors allows for constant and easy experimentation, something that ultimately aids the design process. Having designed using this medium time and time again I feel vector illustration is both an effective yet boldly new and relatively untapped art.

Genevieve Gauckler Illustration can be an incredibly personal form of expression, and I feel Geneviève Gauckler’s work is a reflection of this idea. Having started in graphic design with an emphasis on typography, her transition into illustration was marked by her fascination with vectors and “how easy it was to come up with a character without having to draw it, simply by using existing shapes and copying and cutting them” (Pictoplasma, 2013). Since this revelation, her style has not strayed far from the boldly minimal character designs she first established all those years ago and it’s within this curiously wonderful aesthetic that she excels. I think the aspect that immediately draws an audience to Gauckler’s work is how familiar her character designs seem. While they are not inspired by logos themselves, the illustrator has a fascination for logotypes and mascot designs that bleeds into the characters she creates. It’s this simple yet

just come across as laughable, the two combined baffle the audience and cause them to think about what they’re actually observing. Whereas critics have looked down upon Gauckler’s boldly child-like style with distaste, it’s this very aspect that allows it to become a catalyst for change when given the right platform, and achieves this function beautifully.

hugely approachable aesthetic that Gauckler has become known for, and yet with the traction her work gains it does not require nor possess - to an extent - a deeper meaning other than being an amusing set of characters interacting with each other in an amusing way. Often reflecting Gauckler’s self-proclaimed “Alien Point of View” (Regine, 2011) her set of characters simply represent an extension of the artist herself, portraying normal events and tasks in a whimsical light, almost appropriating humanity. This was taken a step further in her 2008 exhibition ‘Food Chain’ in which she illustrated known facts and ideas about food and the food industry at large in such a way that they almost seemed comical; while a statement about starvation “wouldn’t be very interesting or significant” (Pretty Cool People Interviews - Genevieve Gauckler, 2008) and an image of a hungry character in Gauckler’s style would

emanating the fur often portrayed by the artist. I feel Gauckler’s use of vectors to portray her simple yet profoundly charming forms is a masterstroke of illustration and one that I connect with wholeheartedly.

It’s her desire to “simplify shapes, to ‘clean’ them and remove anything unnecessary” (Pictoplasm, 2013) that attracts me to her most of all, and led me to use her as inspiration for my infographic. She never does more than she needs to, treating anything other than the focal characters of her art as expendable. This liberal approach is one I adapted in my own designs, choosing to reduce the elements highlighting the individual events represented in my diagram to as simple a form as possible whilst still clearly conveying the action and differentiating the specific activity from its counterparts. Items in her ‘September’ were arguably the biggest inspiration when it came to the actual character design of my infographic, taking the simple doughy forms and slimming them down to fit my own, before adding a mop of hair

Bibliography and General Reference Sklobovskaya, N. “The Process Behind Good Illustration (Part 1)” (2010) /Smashing Magazine/ [online]. Available at: www.smashingmagazine. com/2010/06/the-process-behind-good-illustration-part-1/ [Accessed 10/05/20] “Geneviève Gauckler: Recognition Value With A Soul” (2013) /Pictoplasma/ [online]. Available at: pictoplasma.com/interview/genevieve-gaucklerrecognition-value/ [Accessed 10/05/20] Regine. “Pictoplasma Focus: Interview with Geneviève Gauckler” (2011) /We Make Money Not Art/ [online]. Available at: we-make-money-not-art.com/ pictoplasma_focus_interview_wi/ [Accessed 10/05/20] /Pretty Cool People Interviews - Genevieve Gauckler/ (2008) YouTube video added by Submarine Channel [online video]. Available at: www. youtube.com/watch?v=6KJHThKWuYg [Accessed 10/05/20] “Featured Creator Interview: Kurzgesagt” (2019) /Neverthink/ [online]. Available at: about.neverthink.tv/news/featured-creator-kurzgesagt/ [Accessed 11/05/20] /How to Make a Kurzgesagt Video in 1200 Hours/ (2020) YouTube video added by Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell [online video]. Available at: youtu.be/ uFk0mgljtns [Accessed 11/05/20]

Fig.1: ‘September’ Gauckler, G. (2019) ‘ça va?’ cartoon. [online image]. Available at: genevievegauckler.com/ [Accessed 04/05/20] Fig. 2: ‘Addiction’ Kurzgesagt (2016) Still of a soldier from ‘Addiction’ educational video. [online image] Available at: www.behance.net/gallery/36756099/Addiction [Accessed 05/05/20] Fig. 3: ‘Shadow Shapes’ Keeling, R. (2016) Image from ‘Shadow Shapes’ series. [online image] Available at: www.richardkeelingdesign.com/shadowshapes/ ors4pvx62xjmpzmzx66nyd8f1wvv1i [Accessed 05/05/20]

Richard Keeling When compared to the likes of Gauckler and Kurzgesagt, Richard Keeling is an obscure figure in the vector illustration community but one I would certainly say is on the rise, and for good reason. When one first thinks of vector graphics, their mind is likely to leap to starkly geometric and isometric images, designs with an abundantly digital feel behind them; it’s this side of the field that Keeling represents best. The artist has gained traction from many of his highly detailed, highly precise compositions (leading to collaborations with Google and a senior role at the London-based bowling chain All Star Lanes) but it’s his series of experimental designs, titled ‘Shadow Shapes’, that have truly cemented Keeling’s name as a contender to watch in the industry. Using isometric vector forms positioned in such a way as to appear real rather than mechanical, Keeling has created an immense set of images exploring

Kurzgesagt the collaboration between sharp, calculated geometry and vibrant colours exclusive to vector illustration. The result is a complex image somehow familiar in appearance, with an emphasis on how the shadows the individual blocks might cast on their supporting elements. This is made all the more easier by the artist’s use of vectors; due to how easy these forms are to move, scale, or recolour the Escher-like effect can be created and replicated both effectively and efficiently, an aspect Keeling capitalises on both in ‘Shadow Shapes’ and other projects of the same calibre. My geometric logo designs have often relied on how simple vectors are to manipulate in appearance, and I can entirely attribute Keeling’s success on this front as an inspiration here.

Less an individual designer and more a collective of like-minded people, Kurzgesagt are a Munichbased motion graphics studio specialising in educational videos on a vast array of subjects - it’s their lucratively vibrant style and intensive research process, however, that greatly inspires me. A departure from the side of vector illustration striving to emanate a hand-drawn, natural feel, Kurzgesagt’s aesthetic does not shy away from the fact that it is strictly digital and instead relies on rounded, geometric forms and meticulously complex models to convey their information; a style that “evolved naturally” (Neverthink, 2019) over the studio’s seven year tenure on YouTube. I’ve always likened the studio’s style to the rubber hose style of the 1920s. This era of animation relied on being fluid, with every on-screen element moving in time with the brass music constantly playing in place of voice acting.

While Kurzgesagt has a narrator discussing the given subject matter and the music accompanying him does not guide the visuals, the characters and settings created by the team behind the channel are in a constant state of motion reminiscent of this era in animation, with flexible and simpleenough figures moving in a fluid way much like traditional cartoons. A fan of the rubber hose technique myself, I greatly admire Kurzgesagt’s perhaps unconscious adaptation of this style into something vehemently modern whilst retaining that flare of simplicity needed to efficiently animate scenes in such a way. While the thousands upon thousands of individual vectors crammed into the almost 200 individual scenes per video may go unnoticed when viewed in full, the feat accomplished by the studio is nonetheless impressive.

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BROADSHEET

After experimenting with the bibliography in the very first layout, I tried omitting it in the subsequent designs as the references would be included in the design journal along with the extensive linkography. The images I chose to use were also featured in this aspect, so the below layout and the one overleaf both negate the bibliography for this purpose. This ultimately gave me more real estate to work with.

Kurzgesagt Less an individual designer and more a collective of like-minded people, Kurzgesagt are a Munichbased motion graphics studio specialising in educational videos on a vast array of subjects - it’s their lucratively vibrant style and intensive research process, however, that greatly inspires me. A departure from the side of vector illustration striving to emanate a hand-drawn, natural feel, Kurzgesagt’s aesthetic does not shy away from the fact that it is strictly digital and instead relies on rounded, geometric forms and meticulously complex models to convey their information; a style that “evolved naturally” (Neverthink, 2019) over the studio’s seven year tenure on YouTube. I’ve always likened the studio’s style to the rubber hose style of the 1920s. This era of animation relied on being fluid, with every on-screen element moving in time with the brass music constantly playing in place of voice acting. While Kurzgesagt has a narrator discussing the given subject matter and the music accompanying him does not guide the visuals,

As an art form, illustration has long been a vital instrument in locating “the most efficient, clear, and direct way to make the viewer feel and know what you want them to feel and know” (Sklobovskaya, 2010) and this has not changed since the inception of vector illustration borne from the broader topic of digital art. While visually different to the stereotypically freeing, hand-drawn feel of traditional illustration, the smooth curves and vibrant, carefully selected colours rampant in vector illustration share the same roots and intentions as its classical counterpart despite the vast multitude of unique and exciting styles grown from the medium’s transition in the digital era of design.

the characters and settings created by the team behind the channel are in a constant state of motion reminiscent of this era in animation, with flexible and simple-enough figures moving in a fluid way much like traditional cartoons. A fan of the rubber hose technique myself, I greatly admire Kurzgesagt’s perhaps unconscious adaptation of this style into something vehemently modern whilst retaining that flare of simplicity needed to efficiently animate scenes in such a way. While the thousands upon thousands of individual vectors crammed into the almost 200 individual scenes per video may go unnoticed when viewed in full, the feat accomplished by the studio is nonetheless impressive.

artists who label themselves as illustrators, but I’ve always found the rather minimal yet fluid aesthetic of a particular strand of vector art incredibly enticing. As a whole, working with vectors allows for constant and easy experimentation, something that ultimately aids the design process. Having designed using this medium time and time again I feel vector illustration is both an effective yet boldly new and relatively untapped art.

Utilising shapes composed from specified points on a digital canvas - commonly in Adobe Illustrator upon its release in 1987 - this modern approach to illustration often blurs the lines separating it from graphic design; whether this is through logo design, motion graphics, or the simple transition from graphic design to digital illustration, the collaboration between the two does nothing but further the ideals of either medium. In this sense, I have always been inspired by vector illustration; perhaps it’s the accessibility of art created under its banner, or the prevalence of

When compared to the likes of Gauckler and Kurzgesagt, Richard Keeling is an obscure figure in the vector illustration community but one I would certainly say is on the rise, and for good reason. When one first thinks of vector graphics, their mind is likely to leap to starkly geometric and isometric images, designs with an abundantly digital feel behind them; it’s this side of the field that Keeling represents best. The artist has gained traction from many of his highly detailed, highly precise compositions (leading to collaborations with Google and a senior role at the London-based bowling chain All Star Lanes) but it’s his series of experimental designs, titled ‘Shadow Shapes’, that have truly cemented Keeling’s name as a contender to watch in the industry. Using isometric vector forms positioned in such a way as to appear real rather than mechanical, Keeling has created an immense set of images exploring the collaboration between sharp, calculated geometry and vibrant colours exclusive to vector illustration.

The result is a complex image somehow familiar in appearance, with an emphasis on how the shadows the individual blocks might cast on their supporting elements. This is made all the more easier by the artist’s use of vectors; due to how easy these forms are to move, scale, or recolour the Escher-like effect can be created and replicated both effectively and efficiently, an aspect Keeling capitalises on both in ‘Shadow Shapes’ and other projects of the same calibre. My geometric logo designs have often relied on how simple vectors are to manipulate in appearance, and I can entirely attribute Keeling’s success on this front as an inspiration here.

Genevieve Gauckler Illustration can be an incredibly personal form of expression, and I feel Geneviève Gauckler’s work is a reflection of this idea. Having started in graphic design with an emphasis on typography, her transition into illustration was marked by her fascination with vectors and “how easy it was to come up with a character without having to draw it, simply by using existing shapes and copying and cutting them” (Pictoplasma, 2013). Since this revelation, her style has not strayed far from the boldly minimal character designs she first established all those years ago and it’s within this curiously wonderful aesthetic that she excels. I think the aspect that immediately draws an audience to Gauckler’s work is how iconic or familiar her character designs seem. While they are not inspired by logos themselves, the illustrator has a fascination for logotypes and mascot designs that bleeds into the characters she creates. It’s this simple yet hugely approachable aesthetic that Gauckler has become known for, and yet with the

traction her work gains it does not require nor possess - to an extent - a deeper meaning other than being an amusing set of characters interacting with each other in an amusing way. Often reflecting Gauckler’s self-proclaimed “Alien Point of View” (Regine, 2011) her set of characters simply represent an extension of the artist herself, portraying normal events and tasks in a whimsical light, almost appropriating humanity. This was taken a step further in her 2008 exhibition ‘Food Chain’ in which she illustrated known facts and ideas about food and the food industry at large in such a way that they almost seemed comical; while a statement about starvation “wouldn’t be very interesting or significant” and an image of a hungry character in Gauckler’s style would just come across as laughable, the two combined baffle the audience and cause them to think about what they’re actually observing. Whereas critics have looked down upon Gauckler’s boldly child-like style with distaste, it’s this very aspect that allows it to become a catalyst

for change when given the right platform, and achieves this function beautifully. It’s Gauckler’s desire to “simplify shapes, to ‘clean’ them and remove anything unnecessary” (Pictoplasm, 2013) that attracts me to her most of all, and led me to use her as inspiration for my infographic. She never does more than she needs to, treating anything other than the focal characters of her art as expendable. This liberal approach is one I adapted in my own designs, choosing to reduce the elements highlighting the individual events represented in my diagram to as simple a form as possible whilst still clearly conveying the action and differentiating the specific activity from its counterparts. ‘September’ was arguably the biggest inspiration when it came the actual character design of my infographic, taking the simple doughy forms and slimming them down to fit my own, before adding a familiar mop of hair emanating the fur often portrayed by Gauckler. As a whole, I feel Genevieve Gauckler’s application of vectors to portray her simple yet profoundly charming forms is a masterstroke of illustration and one that I connect with wholeheartedly.

The art of vector illustration

Richard Keeling

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

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The art of vector illustration

Genevieve Gauckler Illustration can be an incredibly personal form of expression, and I feel Geneviève Gauckler’s work is a reflection of this idea. Having started in graphic design with an emphasis on typography, her transition into illustration was marked by her fascination with vectors and “how easy it was to come up with a character without having to draw it, simply by using existing shapes and copying and cutting them” (Pictoplasma, 2013). Since this revelation, her style has not strayed far from the boldly minimal character designs she first established all those years ago and it’s within this curiously wonderful aesthetic that she excels. I think the aspect that immediately draws an audience to Gauckler’s work is how iconic or familiar her character designs seem. While they are not inspired by logos themselves, the illustrator has a fascination for logotypes and mascot designs that bleeds into the characters she creates. It’s this

simple yet hugely approachable aesthetic that Gauckler has become known for, and yet with the traction her work gains it does not require nor possess - to an extent - a deeper meaning other than being an amusing set of characters interacting with each other in an amusing way. Often reflecting Gauckler’s self-proclaimed “Alien Point of View” (Regine, 2011) her set of characters simply represent an extension of the artist herself, portraying normal events and tasks in a whimsical light, almost appropriating humanity. This was taken a step further in her 2008 exhibition ‘Food Chain’ in which she illustrated known facts and ideas about food and the food industry at large in such a way that they almost seemed comical; while a statement about starvation “wouldn’t be very interesting or significant” and an image of a hungry character in Gauckler’s style would just come across as laughable, the two combined baffle

the audience and cause them to think about what they’re actually observing. Whereas critics have looked down upon Gauckler’s boldly child-like style with distaste, it’s this very aspect that allows it to become a catalyst for change when given the right platform, and achieves this function beautifully. It’s Gauckler’s desire to “simplify shapes, to ‘clean’ them and remove anything unnecessary” (Pictoplasm, 2013) that attracts me to her most of all, and led me to use her as inspiration for my infographic. She never does more than she needs to, treating anything other than the focal characters of her art as expendable. This liberal approach is one I adapted in my own designs, choosing to reduce the elements highlighting the individual events represented in my diagram to as simple a form as possible whilst still clearly conveying the action and differentiating the specific activity from its counterparts. ‘September’ was arguably the biggest inspiration when it came the actual character design of my infographic, taking the simple doughy forms and slimming them down to fit my own, before adding a familiar mop of hair emanating the fur often portrayed by Gauckler. As a whole, I feel

Genevieve Gauckler’s application of vectors to portray her simple yet profoundly charming forms is a masterstroke of illustration and one that I connect with wholeheartedly.

In this sense, I have always been inspired by vector illustration; perhaps it’s the accessibility of art created under its banner, or the prevalence of artists who label themselves as illustrators, but I’ve always found the rather minimal yet fluid aesthetic of a particular strand of vector art incredibly enticing. As a whole, working with vectors allows for constant and easy experimentation, something that ultimately aids the design process. Having designed using this medium time and time again I feel vector illustration is both an effective yet boldly new and relatively untapped art.

the collaboration between sharp, calculated geometry and vibrant colours exclusive to vector illustration. The result is a complex image somehow familiar in appearance, with an emphasis on how the shadows the individual blocks might cast on their supporting elements. This is made all the more easier by the artist’s use of vectors; due to how easy these forms are to move, scale, or recolour the Escher-like effect can be created and replicated both effectively and efficiently, an aspect Keeling capitalises on both in ‘Shadow Shapes’ and other projects of the same calibre. My geometric logo designs have often relied on how simple vectors are to manipulate in appearance, and I can entirely attribute Keeling’s success on this front as an inspiration here.

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The final composition had a glaring gap in the top left corner of the sheet. I experimented with a couple of ‘banner’ designs, as pictured below, to fill this space. I’ve seen a few examples of using text aligned to either side of a text box to create a blocky, uniform appearance (the castlist on the ‘Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)’ poster was displayed in this manner) so dabbled with highlighting ‘THE ART OF’ in this manner, as well as including my illustration of a coffee cup to link into the theme of vector illustration - ultimately, however, I didn’t feel either of these elements worked as well as I’d hoped.

BROADSHEET

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

FINAL LAYOUT Having experimented with a variety of layouts for the reverse of the broadsheet, I ultimately chose to move forward with the landscape composition as I simply felt it made the best use of the available space whilst still maintaining - or adapting - the general aesthetic established on the front half. A few changes to the scheme I’d used on this side’s counterpart have been instigated, purely because this was a far more word-based entry and so the text needed to be emphasised or focussed on a lot more. In that light, I feel the text is a lot more legible when displayed in the wider columns shown here. Still in-line with the grid shown previously that the entire broadsheet is sat on, the more substantial content written on this side did not read as nicely when confined to the more slender columns previously used. Additionally, I have depicted the introduction discussing vector illustration in a ‘regular’ weight rather than ‘light’ as well as using black in place of the signature red. I felt this drew the eye from the vibrancy of the rest of the text; even though this section is located to the right of the sheet rather than the left, and therefore breaking our natural inclination to start reading from left to right, I feel the content explains itself without the reader needing to continue following the text from the right. The character I’ve included is also on this side to avoid directly mimicking the front half of the sheet. Overall, I feel the layout I have adopted here best showcases the research, topic, and content I intended to display with the central image naturally accompanying the largest chunk of text, as it should. It should be noted that the bibliography has also been negated from this format; all references are instead included in this book.

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This was taken a step further in her 2008 exhibition ‘Food Chain’ in which she illustrated known facts and ideas about food and the food industry at large in such a way that they almost seemed comical; while a statement about starvation “wouldn’t be very interesting or significant” and an image of a hungry character in Gauckler’s style would just come across as laughable, the two combined baffle the audience and cause them to think about what they’re actually observing. Whereas critics have looked down upon Gauckler’s boldly child-like style with distaste, it’s this very aspect that allows it to become a catalyst

Genevieve Gauckler Illustration can be an incredibly personal form of expression, and I feel Geneviève Gauckler’s work is a reflection of this idea. Having started in graphic design with an emphasis on typography, her transition into illustration was marked by her fascination with vectors and “how easy it was to come up with a character without having to draw it, simply by using existing shapes and copying and cutting them” (Pictoplasma, 2013). Since this revelation, her style has not strayed far from the boldly minimal character designs she first established all those years ago and it’s within this curiously wonderful aesthetic that she excels. I think the aspect that immediately draws an audience to Gauckler’s work is how iconic or familiar her character designs seem. While they are not inspired by logos themselves, the illustrator has a fascination for logotypes and mascot designs that bleeds into the characters she creates. It’s this simple yet hugely approachable aesthetic that Gauckler has become known for, and yet with the

In this sense, I have always been inspired by vector illustration; perhaps it’s the accessibility

of art created under its banner, or the prevalence of artists who label themselves as illustrators, but I’ve always found the rather minimal yet fluid aesthetic of a particular strand of vector art incredibly enticing. As a whole, working with vectors allows for constant and easy experimentation, something that ultimately aids the design process. Having designed using this medium time and time again I feel vector illustration is both an effective yet boldly new and relatively untapped art.

The art of vector illustration

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

BROADSHEET MOCKUP To demonstrate how my final design for the broadsheet conforms to the folds of a sheet of paper I have produced an A4 mockup of the finished piece, here displayed in black, white, and red. Due to the reduced size, the paper bulges slightly more in this version than it would in the actual product but the final effect is still emphasised. Note the slim piece of tape fastening the ‘closed’ sheet; this was employed on the ‘Picpus’ broadsheet as a means of keeping the condensed product closed, and I have adopted it in my own version as I believe this would aid the overall design. With this, the broadsheet is complete.

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DESIGN JOURNAL

DESIGN JOURNAL To round out the project, a design journal collating the entire process that went into creating each submission was to be created. Much like the broadsheet this would involve investigations into layout and editorial design, as well as a general awareness of how a formal book delving into our personal approach to the work would come together. Due to the size of the book (at least 100 pages) I have chosen to document the initial decisions made about the layout and appearance, as well as significant or notable changes made throughout the process; if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve made it this far, the final design should be evident!

Journal entry from 25/04/20 I think I want the finished journal to tell a story in a sense - the story of how everything came together, mapped by a ton of development sketches, notes, and designs. Really this journal should reflect me - the project is looking at how I research and work, so a book talking about just that should reflect, well, just that!

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

LAYOUT RESEARCH From the very beginning I wanted this to be less of an academic journal and more of an art book akin to those put together for exhibitions. Fortunately I have a small collection of existing books showcasing video game art so looked at the layouts employed in ‘The Art of Rocksteady’s Batman’, a hefty showcase of the entire process that went into creating the visuals for the ‘Arkham’ series of video games. Much like the existing broadsheet layout analysis, these sketches were originally done incredibly rough in pencil so I have translated them into Illustrator files for ease of access here.

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SETTLING ON THE LAYOUT I already had an idea as to how I wanted the journal to look, and analysing the layouts from successful products helped to cement this format. Deciding on a 3x4 grid with an additional gutter for the headings and page numbers included on the majority of the pages, I produced the layout pictured here. This version includes all the elements that would have some significance at this stage, although the coming pages detail the changes I’d make to these general rules as the development progressed; for the most part, however, this scheme is consistent with the final design.

Journal entry from 25/04/20 I REALLY like full-page spreads accompanied by a little note or caption, and I think a three-column layout works very well. I’ll try to implement this; it gives the impression of an off-centre layout, but avoids having an unbalance between large and small elements. I think using colour for emphasis is a good move too, and I want to ensure the font sizes and weights I’m using emphasise my ‘story’ perfectly. Obviously the content I’d put into the book is not yet complete, but when my broadsheet’s completely finished there’ll be all the information I need available to me. There’s no reason I shouldn’t begin work on the parts I CAN document though!

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Until Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d ammended the key shown below, I stuck with this consistently throughout the journal. In much the same format as quotes are displayed in certain mediums, I opted to include transcripts of notes from my original journal entries in italic to distance them from the body copy shown below the heading. Additionally, captions referring directly to an image on a page were depicted in the same body copy format but in red. Initially no elements had to align themselves to either side of a page, save for the headingand-body-copy pairing which always appeared on the outer side. This rule, however, would later be reviewed.

DESIGN JOURNAL

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

CHANGES IN DEVELOPMENT Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s generally gospel that a project will go through changes during its production, and the journal was no exception to this rule. Whether the changes I made to the layout, format, or appearance of the book at large were due to personal preference or feedback from my tutors and peers in meetings, I have documented the original appearance of all amended elements with the improved variant in these pages. As my understanding of editorial design grew, I adapted the work Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d done thus far to fit my newfound skills.

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Raw greyscale photos of my sketchbook, while organic, produced a grim grey colour from turning the paper black and white. To try removing this off-putting effect, I tampered with the Levels of the image to highlight the extremely dark areas (primarily the penwork on the page) and remove anything lighter than these. This proved to be effective for simple pages using nothing but writing or sketching in pen and, for a while, I stuck with this format to allow these excerpts to lie flush with the page as shown below.

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Converting a sketchbook excerpt to a highly exposed image did not prove to be beneficial for a good handful of the pages I wanted to include, however; any photos Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d included on the original pages would end up looking highly bleached while pencil lines became next to invisible. So, while this effect aided less elaborate pages like the one shown previously, it hindered the appearance of pages with anything other than just penwork. This idea was therefore abandoned in favour of the more natural, raw look given by the straightforward greyscale scan of the photos, which is now present throughout this journal.

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I used a number of breather pages throughout the design journal to break up the rather repetitive, albeit unavoidable, appearance of each section. Originally these pages retained the titles and page numbers present in the other pages of the journal but, to disrupt the flow, I opted to remove these elements and introduce breather pages with nothing but the focal content displayed on them. I feel this works so much better than the original and I have employed this technique multiple times throughout the book. It should be noted that the large gutter in the centre of the page is simply to conform to the appearance of the printed book.

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In my second tutorial after beginning the journal, Vicky pointed out how cramped the body copy appeared on the page and how, above all else, it may appear a little too large when printed; although A5 is a small paper size, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still big enough to service a smaller font size. As such, the 10pt body copy shown to the left was reduced to 9pt, which worked well and eased the entire look of the book. The leading was not changed between lines as every single piece of text is aligned to the invisible baselne grid.

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A few images had a white background - these were a lot harder to distinguish from the background of the actual book pages, and was highlighted on the presentation spread where the title and quote pages could easily be misconsctrued as body copy. To avoid confusion I introduced black 1.5pt borders on any necessary images (this did not include the layout analysis maps present in the Broadsheet and Design Journal sections as these were self-explanatory) and moved the presentation slides to the right page. Although not conforming to the column rule, the effect aids the overall spread.

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As my initial ‘key’ illustrated, there was no set place for the captions for images to sit on the relevant pages. As such, I generally just located them beneath their corresponding images or wherever they looked best on a page; however, it made more sense to constrict the guidelines on this aspect and, as such, I opted to place every caption in the inner two columns of each page. This meant that, while body copy and journal entries would sit on the outer columns of the spread and therefore grab the reader’s attention immediately, the captions would be more of a supporting element to the main content of the book.

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DESIGN JOURNAL

FINAL ANALYSIS While a few more very minor changes have been made to the journal other than the ones documented here, they should ultimately reveal themselves purely through the images provided and the finished book you, the reader, are perusing. Although this section of the journal is far less substantial than those preceding it I believe this was always going to be the case; it is the culmination of my efforts up to this point, effectively bringing in the skills Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d picked up since ideation first began several weeks ago right up until final tweaks were being made on the artefacts mere days before now. The result is a journal personal to me, telling the story of my own design and research process and the application of the methods described in producing the final pieces outlined in these pages. I am incredibly pleased with how the book has turned out. My layout and editorial design skills were lacking in the previous project (I had never been formally taught how to go about handling editorial design) but I hope the fact that I have improved in this area to a great extent comes across in this piece, especially in spite of the unprecedented conditions thrust upon me.

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CLOSING THOUGHTS

CLOSING THOUGHTS And, with that, the ‘What is Research?’ project draws to a close. I am immensely proud of the work I’ve produced under this topic and feel I’ve certainly answered that question in terms of my own approach and mantra; research is an investigation into the unknown in pursuit of an answer through the continual and in-depth turning of every stone one may stumble across on their journey. It is integral to the design process, informing decisions the designer will make and giving them a far better grip on what the given brief is asking of them. This was something I proved time and again; by looking at existing designs and products, and successful creatives in the relevant areas, I was able to ensure my designs were produced to a high degree accurate to my own thoughts about the project. This process also gave me access to designers I would not have otherwise discovered, most notably Geneviève Gauckler, and greatly strengthened my ability with InDesign - something that was lacking prior. It would be ignorant of me not to comment on the unusal circumstances the project was completed under, and the effect this had on the outcomes. No one expected to be thrown into a pandemic halfway through this but, alas, here we are; this threw off my motivation for a good few weeks which utterly disrupted my work ethic and stunted progress for far too long. Additionally, this cut off access to the full extent of the library’s books and so the research for the back of the broadsheet suffered as a result. I fully believe I would have produced better text for this section if I were able to read up on my chosen subject area during the project. Although the outcomes of this project differed rather greatly from the initial research and ideas I came up with, and involved a good few restarts to reach a conclusion, I think the final designs are far and away some of my best.

WHAT IS RESEARCH?

BIBLIOGRAPHY Illustrations Fig. 11: Kel Lauren photograph Lauren, K. (2019) i am incredibly overwhelmed by the positive feedback on my latest videoâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;i truly cannot thank you guys enough. i wasâ&#x20AC;Ś [Instagram]. December 9. Available at: www.instagram.com/p/B5nxOqyHLLo/ [Accessed 28/04/20] Fig. 12: CLNSE branding Lauren, K. (2017). [online image]. Previously available at: www.kellylaurendesign.com/ [Accessed 05/03/20] Fig. 13: Folgers rebrand Redesigning Popular Coffee Logos. (2019) YouTube video added by kel.lauren. [screenshot from 00:34:33]. Available at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ESUihAHTYU [Accessed 28/04/20] Fig. 22: Harry Beck photograph Harry Beck with map designs (1933). [online image]. Available at: www.fifteendesign.co.uk/blog/st-georges-daylooking-back-at-iconic-british-graphic-designers/ [Accessed 02/05/20] Fig. 23: 1927 Tube Map Original tube map (1927). [online image]. Available at: www.londonreconnections.com/2010/inpictures-the-1927-london-underground-map/ [Accessed 02/05/20] Fig. 24: 1931 Tube Map Beck, H. (1931). [online image]. Available at: www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/harry-beckhenry-charles-beck-1902-1974-5593328-details.aspx [Accessed 02/05/20]

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BIBLIOGRAPHY Fig. 25: Kurzgesagt Earth Kurzgesagt (2016). [online image]. Available at: www.behance.net/Kurzgesagt [Accessed 05/05/20] Fig. 26: ‘The Great Filter’ Kurzgesagt (2018). [online image]. Available at: www.behance.net/gallery/70442639/TheGreat-Filter [Accessed 05/05/20] Fig. 27: ‘Loneliness’ Kurzgesagt (2019). [online image]. Available at: www.behance.net/gallery/78805941/ Loneliness [Accessed 05/05/20] Fig. 28: ‘Space Elevator’ Kurzgesagt (2016). [online image]. Available at: www.behance.net/gallery/37136421/SpaceElevator [Accessed 05/05/20] Fig. 29: ‘Addiction’ Kurzgesagt (2016). [online image]. Available at: www.behance.net/gallery/36756099/Addiction [Accessed 05/05/20] Fig. 30: Geneviève Gauckler photograph Photograph of Geneviève Gauckler (n.d.). [online image]. Previously available at: academy.pictoplasma.com/ masterclass/ [Accessed 04/05/20] Fig. 31: ‘September 1’ Gauckler, G. (2017). [online image]. Available at: genevievegauckler.com/ [Accessed 04/05/20] Fig. 32: ‘Veggie Poster 3’ Gauckler, G. (2015). [online image]. Available at: genevievegauckler.com/ [Accessed 04/05/20] Fig. 33: ‘Running’ Gauckler, G. (2016). [online image]. Available at: genevievegauckler.com/ [Accessed 04/05/20]

WHAT IS RESEARCH? Fig. 34: Lucas Wakamatsu photograph Wakamatsu, L. (2020) @bfaiotto mudei de ideia, acho que prefiro essa [Instagram]. January 30. Available at:www.instagram.com/p/B77OI8-BI5t/ [Accessed 05/05/20] Fig. 35: ‘Mosaico’ Wakamatsu, L. (2019). [online image]. Available at: lucaswakamatsu.com/Mosaico [Accessed 05/05/20] Fig. 36: ‘Bugle’ Wakamatsu, L. (2019). [online image]. Available at: lucaswakamatsu.com/Illustrations-2019 [Accessed 05/05/20] Fig. 37: ‘Me’ Keeling, R. (2015). [online image]. Available at: www.richardkeelingdesign.com/character [Accessed 05/05/20] Fig. 38: ‘Shadow Shapes 5’ Keeling, R. (2019). [online image]. Available at: www.richardkeelingdesign.com/shadowshapes [Accessed 05/05/20] Fig. 39: ‘Coinsquare’ Keeling, R. (2018). [online image]. Available at: www.richardkeelingdesign.com/coinsquare [Accessed 05/05/20] Fig. 40: ‘WOW’ Gauckler, G. (2017). [online image]. Available at: genevievegauckler.com/ [Accessed 05/05/20] Fig. 41: ‘Limbo’ still Bramsen, M. (2010). [online image]. Available at: www.thegamecritique.com/recent-posts/ in-response-to-the-responses-i-got-for-what-i-said-aboutlimbo/3760/ [Accessed 05/05/20] Fig. 42: ‘Staggering Beauty’ still Brower, G. (2012). [online image]. Available at: kathleenart214.blogspot.com/ [Accessed 05/05/20]

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BIBLIOGRAPHY Fig. 43: ‘Abbey Road’ Macmillan, I. (1969). [online image]. Available at: www.thebeatles.com/album/abbey-road [Accessed 05/05/20] Fig. 44: ‘The Usual Suspects’ still Still from The Usual Suspects (1995). [online image]. Available at: geekireland.com/top-5-heist-movies/ [Accessed 05/05/20] Fig. 94 - 106: Pages from ‘The Art of Rocksteady’s Batman’ Wallace, D. (2015). The Art of Rocksteady’s Batman. New York: Abrams Broadsheet Citations and General Reference Sklobovskaya, N. “The Process Behind Good Illustration (Part 1)” (2010) Smashing Magazine. [online]. Available at: www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/06/theprocess-behind-good-illustration-part-1/ [Accessed 10/05/20] “Geneviève Gauckler: Recognition Value With A Soul” (2013) Pictoplasma. [online]. Available at: pictoplasma.com/interview/genevievegauckler-recognition-value/ [Accessed 10/05/20] Regine. “Pictoplasma Focus: Interview with Geneviève Gauckler” (2011) We Make Money Not Art. [online]. Available at: we-make-money-not-art.com/pictoplasma_ focus_interview_wi/ [Accessed 10/05/20] Pretty Cool People Interviews - Genevieve Gauckler (2008) YouTube video added by Submarine Channel [online video]. Available at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KJHThKWuYg [Accessed 10/05/20] “Featured Creator Interview: Kurzgesagt” (2019) Neverthink. [online]. Available at: about.neverthink.tv/news/featured-creatorkurzgesagt/ [Accessed 11/05/20] How to Make a Kurzgesagt Video in 1200 Hours (2020) YouTube video added by Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell [online video]. Available at: youtu.be/uFk0mgljtns [Accessed 11/05/20]

“You know my method. It is founded upon the observation of trifles.”