Jessica Bartram
Music: Process
1
Research, sketches
2
Phase I
5
Phase II
7
Final Logos
9
Poster Application
INTRODUCTION
If saying a word over and over can render its sound meaningless, imagine staring at the same five letters for almost five weeks. What were once letterforms become abstract shapes, a conglomeration of lines, curves and negative space, ideal fields in which to sow the seeds of experimentation and a thorough investigation of the basic principles of graphic design. Starting with the word MUSIC in Futura bold and finishing with a series of three posters that marry careful composition, typography, and photography, this project has allowed me to take an exceptionally detailed look at the intricacies of letterforms and then deconstruct their shapes. By applying simple patterns based on line, dot, and plane to interrupt the word’s boundaries and slicing the letterforms up in different ways, I gained both a better understanding of the underlying type and the many potential directions offered by a thorough investigation of simple design principles.
RESEARCH
Above: detail of visual representation of musical instruments
Before sitting down to begin phase one of this project, I spent time researching potential conceptual and visual directions. I found myself most fascinated by modern music and its accompanying experimental notation. I found a wealth of imagery relating to this topic - strangely formed musical notes, staff lines that curled into twisting shapes and weird sqiggles and lines far removed from traditional music notation. Attending live concerts also inspired me to work out my own drawn system for expressing the sounds made by each instrument in an orchestra. My initial sketches and readings informed the rest of this project both visually and conceptually, shaping the patterns and themes that run through the next three phases.
1
PHASE I
Experimental Notation
The first phase involved getting to know our word most intimately via the hypnotic process of repetition. Using digitally drawn versions of my initial research sketches, I began to build patterns that were then applied to 100 unique iterations of MUSIC. As the exercise progressed, I noticed the patterns becoming more interesting, whether due to the layering a single shape or via the melding of two individual patterns. The results were surpising, as I had never had a chance to work so extensively with simple pattern. Having a hundred chances to try new graphic directions led to increased experimentation, which in turn birthed a number of visual breakthroughs that proved to be ripe for further tweaking in phase II.
2
Inspired by Brian Eno’s notation for his piece Music for Airports
A development of the xylophone sound-image, now referencing the celestial sounds sometimes made by orchestras.
Original pattern based on a graphic represeantation of sound waves, now layered to create an intricate effect.
3
Evolution of Experimental Notation through various iterations, depicting the way in which layering a simple pattern creates lush imagery.
4
PHASE II
With a hundred iterations under my belt, the next phase of the project, which required melding patterns and mixing letterforms, was exciting. I was able to see how the unique shapes would come together to create new compositions. In some I layered existing patterns to create sprawling, organic conglomerations that appear to grow out from the almost-hidden original type. In others I rely on geometric shapes and line to form fragmented but still simple structures that resemble skylines or computer motherboards. The final three logos (pg. 7-8) each make use of a basic design element to create compositions in which the word music is readable, but surrounded by visually interesting graphics.
5
Selected rough logos from Phase II
6
Logo I: Shape/Plane
7
Logo II: Line
Logo III: Dot
8
POSTERS
The most difficult part of the poster design process was properly respecting the intricacies of the three final music logos while simultaneously working a photographic image in and around each one. My first round allowed the photographs of the cello to come to the forefront far too much, and my second, more simple round did not properly integrate the text with the images. During the third stab at the layouts, I went back to Photoshop and rethought the outlines of each photo fragment, allowing some parts of the cello to break out of the pixel-cloud shape I’d applied overtop to trim the image. Once the basic photo shapes were rejigged, I spent time gradually working the text into the image, trying to find the balance between integration and dissolution.
9
Examples from the first and second rounds of rough poster work.
10
Poster #1: Line 11
Poster #2: Shape 12
Poster #3: Dot 13