a conversation sketchbook
Project Synopsis
Basic examples or starting points you Aims: This module enables you to develop at Honours may want to explore could include: Undertake creative and ambitious research. level the integrated design methodologies — Visualising a conversation between two Develop a brief through research and required to work in a dynamic, professional, people. This could be spoken or possibly a development. creative and commercial environment. more creative Examine the conceptual and aesthetic The introduction of more demanding projects conversation acted out through workshop potential of “a conversation”. support and generate a greater in-depth activity or creative play. Innovate and explore technical parameters. knowledge and understanding of aesthetic, — A conversation between yourself and Create a contemporary portfolio piece. environmental, marketing and technical technology (Software) iPhone Apps. Make your chosen audience pay attention requirements of design for the creative — An external, political or social conversation to your work. industries. Emphasis is placed upon the that you may support or contest. Requirements: ability to develop high-level flexible thinking — Interrogating the movement of a physical approaches in the pursuit of creative solutions. activity. A football match. A walk in the park. A portfolio of designs involving a high degree of creative and technical skill and A bike ride. Project/Assessment requirements: also market justification, in The assignments will incorporate a range We also want you to consider the capture which there is a clear reasoned and personal of stringent professional requirements, of “A Conversation” and apply the most response to the requirements of the brief. involving personal time management, detailed appropriate medium: Background material in the form of research research, creativity and originality, as well as Print, Poster, Fanzine, Book, Fashion, and concept development will be of a high a high level of technical expertise. Ephemera, Manifesto, Magazine, Direct standard and will clearly support the final Mail, Campaign Posters, Advertisement, outcome. Each assignment will incorporate Project/Assessment Task: Script, Photograph, Screen, Web, App, Film, a high degree of finish and presentation, Brief: A Conversation Animation, Info graphics, Motion Graphics, with all aspects of the brief taken into What’s the most important conversation Generative Design, Game, 30-second TV spot, account. for today? What’s the most important Social Media, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, conversation for the future? Who will you Flash Mob, Behance, Blog speak to? Through the application of your Considerations: chosen practice you are asked to research a develop a visual outcome that centres Where is the most important place for the conversation to take place? How will the around the idea of ‘A Conversation’. conversation be heard?
the brief
ideas After considering a number of ideas for my project I decided to go with the idea of “The Pink Book� because I felt that it was unique idea and it would be quite nice to do a project that would be so close to my own
heart, that I can put a lot of effort into. I also felt that it might be a nice idea because my mum has been writing this book for about 16 years and it will be nice for her to be able to possibly see it come to life.
the pink book The Pink Book is an infamous book in my home. It’s a book full of conversations that me and my brothers had with my mum when we were growing up. I scanned in the entire book that my mum has been writing. There
were over 160 pages all full of stories and conversations and I would quite like to try and use some of the original writing in one or more of my outcomes.
reference images I thought it would be a good idea to find some images of me and my brothers when we were younger to use as a visual reference, as it shows what we were like at the time (nuts). I found these photographs to be really interesting to look back on and
I also liked the colours that they seemed to give off, they feel very warm and homely to me, which is something that I would like to reflect in my project as I come from a very loving family.
robert rauschenberg Robert Rauschenberg was an American graphic artist who mostly communicated his work through the medium of collage. He was well known for his “Combines” of the 1950’s, in which he used non-traditional
methods to create his pieces. I would like to explore the style of collage that uses photographs to create a memorabilia effect that I can develop into my own style.
experiments These are some of my initial responses and InDesign to see what they would look using a collaged approach. I scanned them like with the story that they would respond in and also manipulated them on Photoshop to in a book type setting.
After developing my collage style I decided could be a more effective way to create an to experiment digitally with the style of outcome for this portion of the brief. Rauschenberg. I actually felt that this
digital collages After reading through the stories in the book I selected the best ones and made a collage for each. I think that this will help me to present each conversation in a book, and I feel that this medium is a good way to demonstrate how each child was and
how the book was written, as each collage includes the original piece of writing. I feel like throughout all of the collages that i created for the book, I have established a strong style of my own that is subtly influenced by the work of Rauschenberg.
After deciding to create a book, I felt that very simple collage that will go around the I wanted a band to wrap around the book book and be sealed at the back. in order to keep it together, so I created a
concertina book My final outcome for this idea was a concertina/accordion book that folds out into a continuous piece of work. I typed up each story so it can be read easily and on the facing page i included the matching collage to each conversation, so that the reader
can understand each story and also get to see which child it was that was saying the quotes and the original written piece that my mum put into the book. I really like this outcome, as it took a lot of time to create so many collages and put it all together.
amanda colville Amanda Colville is a Norfolk based artist that creates hand printed linocut prints, using the technique of carving into a lino plate, inking it then passing it through a mangle. I like this style of work, and I really
like Colvilles work because it is so clean and relatively simple, yet striking to the viewer. I also like her use of only one or two colours and may experiment with this in my own work.
linocut I have always been a fan of this technique and have used it a few times before, so felt that it would be something that I could do as another idea for this project. I decided to create a linocut for each of the Bowers children. I chose the stories I felt would
look the best and most interesting when carved in this simple style. I then developed and experimented with the prints using Photoshop until I had a desired outcome that I felt I could create something with.
“Mum, get off the tram tracks or you will get electricity-cuted!”
“Have you got a pressy for “Mummy, I turned on the me? Not a kiss a real one!” beautifuls! Look!”
posters I decided to make posters from my linocuts as I wanted them to be the main focus of this outcome. I was surprised at how much I liked the way they look with the simple colours and patterns, and the response I got when I showed them to my peers. I
stuck them up on a wall and felt that when I stood back what I saw was very effective as a series, and it was a nice way to do something completely different from my last idea.
lewis bartlett Lewis Bartlett is a designer and typographer from the South of England. He does very typographic pieces that I find to be effective and really different from any type of work that I have done before. I chose to research
this style because I feel it is something different to the two styles I have already worked in for this project and it could develop into something quite interesting.
typography Initially I used black card and a silver pen, and chose two quotes for each child and drew them out in a variety of styles, taking some influence from Lewis Bartlett. I quite
like the way most of them turned out and I found the “Mummy, I don’t want you to be a grandma...” piece to be my favourite as I felt the quote fit well on the page.
booklet After scanning in my pieces I decided to create a small fold out holder for each piece, in which each pocket represented a different child. I hand drew the title of the book and each name onto the card that
I made the folder from, so I feel that they are quite striking. I was really pleased with this outcome because it was so different to anything I’ve done before and I quite enjoyed working in such a limited colour palette.
formative assessment At the stage of formative assessment I feel that I have really developed this project, however there could be something else I could do to experiment. I would like to create something like a book with illustrations, but I am yet to figure out how to put this into fruition.
I have enjoyed this brief, and I feel that it has allowed me to experiment with typography and collage as I haven’t really explored these avenues before. Hopefully I can get some time whilst doing other briefs to work further upon the Pink Book.
revisiting the brief I thought I would give this brief another go I could do some illustrations that are simple after my formative assessment, as the general yet effective and convey each story, as I don’t feedback was that they wanted to really see want to overcomplicate the book. the book come to life. I want to try and see if
illustrations I thought about doing some illustrations for my revisited version of this brief. I wanted it to look like the Powerpuff Girls illustrations because it’s what I used to watch as a child,
and the book is all about me and my brothers as kids. I gave it a go and even made one in illustrator but I decided that it wasn’t working as well as I had expected so I moved on.
vector illustrations I decided to then develop the previous idea a bit by mixing it up and going with a more cartoon-y vibe. I wanted to make a book that used cute illustrations that were cute and got the message of the book across. I also wanted to make a connection with the reader through the images of each character,
I then assembled these in a book to see what it looked like and I was really pleased with the outcome, however I would still like to develop this further one day, due to the subject being so sentimental.
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