2017
PORTFOLIO : EMMA BARBER
PORTFOLIO EMMA BARBER
Hello. My name is Emma Barber, I am 19 years old and am currently studiying A levels at a local sixth form. I would like to introduce you to my latest portfolio, where I have tried to summarise my A Level course work in 3 subjects. These are graphic design, photography and arts & crafts. At this stage it is all pretty much work in progress but I have selected key pieces to give a flavour of what my projects have entailed. I hope you enjoy.
Various thumbnail layouts
FILM POSTER GRAPHIC IDEAS INFLUENCED BY: NEVILLE BRODY SAUL BASS ALAN FLETCHER DAN NORRIS
For this series of posters I have focused on reflecting the work of designers Neville Brody, Saul Bass, Alan Fletcher and Dan Norris. I love their minimalistic and simple yet clever style of presenting typography and images. Using Neville Brody’s typeface ‘ff World One’ I have created movie posters to represent elements of the film within the text and imagery. The bright colours and use of space are similar to my artists. The use of the red accent is powerful against the yellow background. I tried to porttray the action filled and violent nature of the movie by using a red highlighted slice through the text.
Influences
Neville Brody Typeface ff World One
Development of hand drawn japanese writing
FILM POSTER GRAPHIC IDEAS INFLUENCED BY: NEVILLE BRODY SAUL BASS ALAN FLETCHER
Here I have taken the same approach as the previous Kill Nill poster however I have experimented more with imagery and shapes. Again I have limited my use of type to Neville Brody typefaces ‘ff Tokyo Two Solid’ and ‘ff Harlem’. After many variations, concepts andideas I finally decided on two designs that i thought best put across my intentions. In these two movies posters I investigated the use of type within the available letter shapes and supporting imagery. Having the text and images combined is appealing to me and I really like the bold way it speaks to the viewer on the page.
Neville Brody Typeface ff Tokyo Two Solid
Below are some of the numerous thumbnail layouts I produced before deciding on the above design
Neville Brody Typeface ff Harlem
Below are some of the numerous thumbnail layouts I produced before deciding on the above design
BEAUTIFUL FREAK GRAPHIC IDEAS INFLUENCED BY: MIKE JOYCE (SWISSTED) THE BAUHAUS MOVEMENT
I wanted to extend my previous poster studies further so chose to use the promotion of the ‘Beautiful Freak’ tour and an album by ‘Eels’ as a vehicle. For this set of posters I have used the work of Mike Joyce (the founder of Swissted) and the Bauhaus movement to influence my designs and layout. As it is an event poster I have utilised bold use of text just like my chosen designers. The colours I have used are bold and bright and I have introduced a theme of strong shapes, some abstract, to dominate the poster but still leaving a lot of negative space for effect.
Influences
Below are some of the numerous Bauhaus influenced thumbnail layouts I produced before deciding on the above design
Below are some of the numerous Swissted influenced thumbnail layouts I produced before deciding on the above design
BEAUTIFUL FREAK GRAPHIC IDEAS INFLUENCED BY: CATHERINE ZASK NEVILLE BRODY SAUL BASS
With the influence of graphic designers Catherine Zask, Neville Brody and Saul Bass I have produced more event posters in the style of those artists. I have tried to include clever imagery to really make my posters standout to be unique and visually interesting. Still using Brody’s fonts to make them link with my movie poster from before. By this time I am starting to develop my own style of elements I think work well together on the page.
Influences
Below are some of the numerous Zask and Brody influenced thumbnail layouts I produced before deciding on the above design
Below are some of the numerous Saul Bass influenced thumbnail layouts I produced before deciding on the above design
Below are some of the numerous typographical layout thumbnails I produced before deciding on my favourite design to the left
TYPOGRAPHICAL EXPLORATION GRAPHIC IDEAS INFLUENCED BY: MIKE JOYCE (SWISSTED) THE SWISS TYPOGRAPHY STYLE
Because my interest in typography was growing rapidly I wanted to really experiment with the scale, composition, spacing and colour of letters on a page. So using the Swissted’s signature typeface I fashioned a few poster designs where the typography is the main focus, including all the information needed for the event and also the lyrics of the song to add visual interest and decoration. The shape of the eyelash and the semicircle to suggest hair has now become my identifier for ‘Beautiful Freak’, a logo that will reoccur throughout my project as it develops.
Influences
FINAL PIECE DEVELOPMENT BEAUTIFUL FREAK TOUR EXPLORING IDEAS
For my final piece aswell as using bold typography I wanted to research more into combining this with the shape of the human body along the lines of Saul Bass and Neville Brody in some of their posters. This is a collection of initial ideas I have had that I believe worked well with the typography of ‘Beautiful Freak’ as well as the freaky positions of the body. All these thumbnails are a result of combining numerous of my influencing designer’s styles and layouts.
FINAL PIECE INITIAL CONCEPTS BEAUTIFUL FREAK TOUR MERCHANDISE INITIAL DESIGN IDEAS
This page presents my initial concepts for the promotion and merchandise for the Eels’s Beautiful Freaks tour. I have shown examples of how I could apply my design onto different promotional items such as album covers and sleeve inners, final poster designs, digital platforms such as the iPhone and on merchandise such as clothing and bags. My project is still on-going and forms a completion of my sketchbook design development studies that make up part of my graphic design A level course work.
WORK EXPERIENCE DESIGN DEVELOPMENT TWENTYSIX, LEEDS
During my time with TwentySix I attended meetings and was given design briefs which I then had to deliver on within tight timescales. As a team we would review my work highlighting the good parts and considering the parts that needed further development. Some of my ideas were taken forward to be developed to present to the client as part of the companies current workload. My experience at Twentysix opened my eyes to the demands, opportunities and deadlines Graphic Designers experience. I loved being in that working environment and it really gave me an insight into how the industry is run.
Twentysix is an award winning interactive, digital and marketing company, with offices in Leeds, London, Birmingham, New York and Hong Kong. I was lucky enough to spend a week working in their busy Leeds office at Royal House, 28, Sovereign Street. I worked directly under the supervision of Guy Sherman, the creative director. and along side a number of senior designers supporting current campaign work, logo design and online banner advertising the company was undertaking. This was a very stimulating, educating and enjoyable week.
WOULD YOU THINK
I WAS LONELY?
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PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIES PORTRAITS
Alongside my Graphic studies I also enjoy photography and have undertaken an A-level in this subject. I also think that it is important to understand the importance and techniques of photography whilst working within the graphic design discipline. I realise that photographs can be a very powerful way to visually communicate with your target audience. Although my photography work may be quite graphical I still have gained sound knowledge about basic photography techniques and what can make some images stand out from others.
PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIES EXPERIMENTAL
The theme of my photographic work is surrealistic portraiture. I have looked visual artists such as Magdeil Lopez, Tommy Ingberg and Brno Del Zou. All these photographers have influenced my work throughout my projects. I love the bright colours and illustrative details that I hope make my work look bold and individual. Within these images I have experimented with gel lighting techniques and Photoshop techniques. I had fun playing with new ways I could take photographs that I have never done before.
PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIES EXPERIMENTAL
These images are inspired by Brno Del Zou, a photosculpture photographer that plays around with the compositions of peoples faces. I really like the distortion of natural forms so loved experimenting with his style. Throughout this process I have folded in work from other influencial artists and have finally arrived at pieces that are unique to me, that I hope provoke, interest and amusement the viewer.
PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIES EXPERIMENTAL
Within these additional photographical studies I have taken inspiration from photographer Daniel Mountford. Daniel uses nature and architecture to embellish his portraits and I wanted to take this idea and explore it further using elements that were of interest to me. I created a series of photos that combined portraits of friends with other elements to convey a particular message. These images could be used in editorial contexts perhaps. Two of these pieces I have presented to the right. I also explored combining messages within photos using different methods including introducting sewing strings of wool connecting peoples thoughts and playing with how we view our bodies.
ART, CRAFT & DESIGN STUDIES INFLUENCED BY: MARION BOLOGNASI
As my third A level I have studied Art, Craft and Design. I have been interested in fine art since studying it at GCSE level and wanted to explore this field further. I have studied and developed graphical styles by numerous artists but have chosen to present within this portfolio a few examples of my eye studies, influenced by Marion Bolognasi. I have used inks and watercolour to try to achieve the same intensity of colour that Marion does and experimented with ink blowing to create movement and emotion within in these pieces.
ART, CRAFT & DESIGN STUDIES INFLUENCED BY: FRANĂ&#x2021;OISE NIELLY
Francoise Nielly was my influence for these digitally drawn portraits. Initially i tried to emulate Francoise using acryllics and oil paints but found it hard to get a satisfactory result in a limited time frame. I found this technique difficult however but was determined to arive at a positive result so I decided to try to digitally render these portraits from photographs. Using digital brushes and a digital palette I was able to paint not onto canvas but onto my computer screen. I learnt some useful photoshop techniques in the process and was happy with my alternative approach and result.
The artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work
I learnt a great deal by experimenting with digital painting methods as opposed to a more traditional painting approach
ART, CRAFT & DESIGN GRAPHICAL FACES STUDIES INFLUENCED BY: ANDY WAHOL JULIAN OPIE
In this project I wanted to investigate what constitutes a face in a graphics manner. Here I have presented a number of pieces from my sketchbook whilst studying specific artists such as Andy Warhol and Julian Opie. i wanted to discover how each artist looked a a human face - how many elements or lines they used to represent a face and how colour can be used to change our perception of faces. Here I have shown examples from my sketchbook where I explored not only the artists techniques but what makes up each artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s version of a face. I explored line, colour and composition as well as their simplistic styles.
The artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work
ART, CRAFT & DESIGN GRAPHICAL FACES STUDIES INFLUENCED BY: ROY LICHTENSTEIN GLEN KEEN (DISNEY)
Following on from the previous page I wanted to explore graphically styled faces further. I explored the art of Roy Lichtenstein. Roy had a very recognisable style that became strongly associated with pop art. Lichtenstein uses bold colours, strong linework and intense imagery to characterise a face and is very graphical in style. To conclude this project I studied another very recognisable facial stye - that of disney, or more specifically of Glen Keane. Glen uses fewer lines than Roy and experiments more with proportions and exagerated features to create his version of a face. Both of these styles were difficult to mirror but I enjoyed unpicking their approaches and to come up with my own techniques versions.
The artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work
ART, CRAFT & DESIGN FINAL PIECE PREPARATION
My final piece aims to pull together all four artists in my study into one picture. I have used an Identity Parade as the vehicle to convay all four artists styles on my own group of friends. I am currently still in the process of complete this final piece of work.