Visual Thinking Jodie Morris
Contents Book & Developmentation
Workshops
Task 1: Typography as a semiotic resource Task 2: Postcard Task 3: Letters in the Landscape Task 4: Poster Hand Lettering Letterpress Book Binding Altered book
Lectures
Propaganda & Transmedia Notions of taste & Post-modernism
Exhibition Berlin
Book Work Developmentation
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Task
1
Typography can be used as a powerful vehicle to transmit ideas and notions of culture, gender, history, materiality and value. The function of typography is to communicate a message so that it effectively conveys and reinforces meaning. In the early 20th Century Beatrice Warde in The Crystal Goblet ascertained that typography should render itself invisible and be subservient to the content. In the 21st Century digital intervention has allowed greater access to typographic technologies and no longer is typography judged on its ability to remain within these constrained parameters. Typography as a semiotic resource in its own right is capable of transmitting meaning. Working in groups of two choose an initial letter from the following set and based on the terminology and glossaries contained within the brief create a word that is related to the unit - you can produce it in caps or lowercase. After careful planning and research you are required to design and make a three dimensional initial character that communicates the meaning of the word. The model can be made of found objects but must finally be wall-mounted.
c t n i i v t e s i D
The Brief:
s r e
t
Cha r ac
Typography as a Semiotic Resource.
Unders Unibrow tand Unbuckle
Up
Un icycle zip
Un
Urinate
Up s id e d ow n
Uncl ip
Up pe
Us e d
rc as e
Ur
w dom Un e d Ki n g Un i t Underwater
i n U
U
s r i a
t s p U ad ved o l Un icorn Un
nlreow U Unsc
Un d er ar m
Untune
Unve il
Un Un cook w r ed itt en
r de ire Udnderw ap r U
k c a J n o ban
ted Unwan
lele k Uke Unhoo
Un pl Un ai tan t gle
Un iv e r s a l
s:
Upstairs Used
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Working in a group of 2, me and my partner were given the letter U, which had to stand 150mm high. We began our research by mind mapping a variety of words beginning with U, and chose the ones we felt we could work with and develop on a broader scale. After making a few scetches relating to the words, we decided on ‘Used’ and ‘Upstairs’. We chose the word ‘used’ as we felt there was so much that could link in with it, and one of these examples we came up with and looked into was used cans. We chose these as they represent the word used in a different way, giving off a nice effect the way they are crumpled and squashed. Looking into typography in a greater depth, we came across the book, ‘Typography Sketchbooks’ by
Steven Heller and Lita Talarico, i found this interesting as a lot of the typography displayed in there were hand crafted similar to how we created our ‘U’, For example the work of Bob Aufuldish or Pedro Inoue. Both these designers use objects part of our everyday life and part of the environment, which they create letters and type out of. These do not necessarily have a certain typeface they have stuck to, similar to our own work. However after creating our ‘U’ out of cans we decided the outcome didnt quite have the effect we wanted it to. Taking inspiration from the book ‘Typography Sketchbooks’ we then looked at other works from designers like George Bates, to influence us when looking into our second word ‘Upstairs’.
Jerome Corgier
When thinking about the word upstairs, we and most other people automatically associate it with walking up a staircase. When coming across the designer George Bates, we looked at the way he created the alphabet using lines and swirls making each letter look layered. This later led us to come across the work of Jerome Corgier. Whilst both there work based on letters are quite similar, Corgier’s 3D work outshined the typography we had seen. He created different letters
using different shaped outlines and layers which looked very much like steps. This immediately influenced our work as the layers and steps combined together straight away gave off a staircase image and effect. His piece created of the letter ‘Y’ was our favourite, as the layers built up and swirled around the letter making it look like a set of stairs. We felt this was the right direction to go with our work as it shows clearly what the word that were trying to portray is, simply looking at the image.
After researching into the work of Jerome Corgier, our next step was to take all that weve found and been influenced by and create a design that works best for our word. We decided our best option was to create a layered peice, having one side thin with the layers gradually building up around the U to give the ‘walking up the stairway’ effect. Beginning this, we created a draft piece out of card to get an idea of what it will look like and suitable materials that the shape and word will work best with.
When creating our mock up we used stickpads which enabled us to have an idea about the height of each of the layers, although these worked for this mock up, we felt a thicker material without the gaps between each layer would work best. Because of this, we decided to create our U out of plywood thats 4mm thick. This gave the U the height as each layer built up upon each other. To get this particular outcome with a professional finish we used the lazer cutting process.
LC
azer uttin As we wanted our U to have a professional finish, we used a Lazer cutter to do so. In order for our U to be layered we had to draw and measure out each individual layer and piece on illustrator so each of the pieces could then be stuck together. To do this we used a 4mm thick A2 piece of plywood, we decided on this thickness so each layer had a good height to it to gradually build up to the highest piece. The proces that encouraged us to complete our letter in this way was from a workshop I attended called Altered Book. I
ng played around and cut out a book in a similar format to the U, whilst doing this process I felt the texture and colour of the book went nicely with the shape and steps on the U, this therefore helped up gain ideas into how we could change our U and the materials we could use to create it. Becuase of this, we chose the Plywood. Due to the Plywood being so thick not all of the pieces had been cut straight through the wood, we therefore used a scapel to go around the edges to ensure they come away from the wood without tearing or get damaged. Once all
the pieces were out we used wood glue to hold each piece together tightly. As you can see from the top right image the outcome of our final piece compared to our mock up piece looks much better. I feel the wood gives the U a similar effect a staircase would and although the the burning from the lazer cutter gave the pieces a black edge, I feel this adds to the effect and almost gives each of the steps a shadow. I am very pleased with the outcome of this as you are able to tell what the word is just from looking at the U and the way its created.
Final Images Once completing our final U using the lazer cutter, we took professional shots of it ready for our next task, to create a postcard. Overall, I am very pleased with the start to this project, and feel the ideas right through to this finished piece has become a learning curve for me. If it hadn’t been for the research into other designers and typographers, I feel we wouldn’t have progressed as far from the ‘Used’ cans. I therefore wouldn’t change anything about the outcome, except next time make sure each individual piece is accurate and the same size so it gives a straight edge finish.
2 Task
P Postcard The Brief Produce an A6 postcard with the image on one side and a brief description of word on the other. Resources: InDesign, Photoshop, Layout and pre-print specification.
ostcard To start our postcard off, we looked into the architecture of a staircase and architectural quotes, something we could relate the concept and outcome of our piece to. We decided to look into architecture, as stairways come in all shapes and forms, and the way our U curves around and up represents this well. In order to make a link between typography and architectural structures we came up with a quote of our own that relates to our word ‘Upstairs’.
This explains to people what it is were trying to portray within our work. After deciding what we wanted to say, we choose three of our best images and played around with them to see which image the words work best with. For our final piece we chose this. This works really well as its simple, the writings small which puts more emphasis on the image of the U and the shadows on each step make it clear to see its a 3D model.
Typography is like architectural structures, due to the instinct of knowing what to do. The automatic movement when walking upstairs is similar to the flow of letterforms. Creating a layered piece emphasises the movement of the word ‘upstairs’.
3 s a T
The Brief:
This unit begins with a visit to Poole where you will identify, collect and photograph, examples of vernacular letterforms in the town. Your images could be literal interpretations of details of road signs, hand painted signs, neon signs, fragments of words, individual characters, manhole covers, gravestones or shopfront signs. Documenting these typographic havens is crucial to rebuff the constant threat from planners and councils that choose to subvert local history and ignore the rich traditions of vernacular heritage. Alternatively, you could choose to record a slightly more challenging abstract collection of ‘hidden signs’ drawn from architectural forms, found objects, and unintentional typographic structures.You will be working
teams of two and planning which letterforms you each photograph in order to create a lexicon of vernacular letterforms. Remember, you will need a full alphabet. It is important that you keep accurate notes for each of the pictures: ie Photographer, Location, Date, Description before returning to AUB and uploading your pictures to hard drive. You will then go through a process of picture editing and retouching in readiness to prepare layouts for the book they will be published in. Technical specifications:Trimmed size: 300 x 300 mm Four Colour. Pix to be saved as 300 dpi CMYK Tiffs. Binding: French Fold. You print it, then book bind it. Resources:InDesign, Photoshop, Grids, Layout and pre-print specification.
Lan ds c
i n s r t e h t t e e L
A lexicon of urban typography
c
: e p a
To start this project off our class payed a visit to Poole, where we worked in a group of 4 to collect images of different structures, objects, shops, architecture, and signs that show or create letterforms. We went around the town and took many photos of various things we felt made up or looked like a specific letter. Gradually we built up a variety of images which would eventually make up every letter in the alphabet. As we had the choice to take our photos from literal interpretations of signs or words or collect a more challenging or abstract collection, we decided to go down the abstract route. We chose this as we felt it was more interesting and enabled us to look and think deeper into the different things we was looking at. Although we chose to do it this
way some letters were much easier to pin point and make out than others. This meant some of our letters were more simple and less exciting as they were taken from signs that we see everyday. I found this part of the project quite exciting as it was a real eye opener to the different ways of forming letters. I found myself seeing things like parts of buildings or even the top of a cone, that I wouldn’t normally think twice about forming a letter. Becuase of this i still find myself seeing abstract letters different places i go today. On the next page are some of our favourite letters we took, once deciding on the ones we wanted to use in our book, we edited each image changing the contrast, exposure and dpi. This was to give them more professional and photographic effect.
To create our book we used a form of book binding, which I was taught to do during a workshop i attended. This involved printing and gluing the pages together and making a front and back cover.
4 Task
P Poster Each person to produce one portrait A2 poster to promote the book (it must contain at least 300 words of text) Resources: InDesign, Photoshop, Layout and pre-print specification
oster We were asked to produce a poster promotiing our Letters in the landscape booklet. Rather than using an image of our final made up book, I decided to use one of my favourite images. I used the image of the B created from a lock as it clearly represents a letter within the landscape summing up exactly what the book is about. Although I feel the outcome is very simple, I particularly like the way the main focus lies within the image and the title which then draws your attention to read the text.
Letters in the Landscape Letters in the landscape is a handmade book based on vernacular letterforms, which looks into urban typography. The book consists of a collection of every letter in the alphabet that has been taken from a variety of different perspectives and landscapes around Poole. Some of these images are more literal interpretations of details like road signs, gravestones or signs used on a shop front, whereas some have been taken from a much more challenging and abstract view, such as signs drawn from architectural forms, found objects and unintentional typographic structures. This book mainly focuses on letters in an abstract form, consisting of different objects forming a letter or even looking similar to a letter. Not only does this book give you a different interpretation into how different letterforms can be formed in an unusual way, without using a certain typeface, but it also enables you to see formations within the environment and landscapes that you would not normally come across or notice in everyday life. This is what makes the book so special and unique, giving you an insight into the peculiar shapes, objects and architecture around Poole.
Workshops
HL
and
Hand Lettering was an Illustration workshop I took part in. During this workshop we focused on typography by creating letters and words in various tasks. We started off by being given a certain word, for example‘Wanderer’, we were then given instructions to then copy this word, including its style of typeface, outline and design, only with a slight twist, to not look at the page as we drew it. We completed many other tasks similar to this like, drawing with the opposite hand you write with, draw a word without creating an outline, don’t take your pen off the page, copy your partners word, create a word only using dots etc. I found this quite interesting as it really made you think about what
you were trying to do, and just how hard it is when your asked to do something your not normally used to, especially in those that I wasn’t allowed to look at the page or had to use my left hand. One of the pieces I created was from the word please, we were asked to cut this word out of paper from how it looked like on screen. Becuase this was one of my favourite, I then chose to use it in my final task. For this we were given a word, which we then had to represent within our chosen word. I was given the word travel, which I then had to represent in my word please. After using the outline of the word please I began to sketch little images into each letter, for example a palm tree and waves which both relate traveling.
ette
Cut out from card.
Copying partners piece using dots
Not looking at the page.
Timed Drawing.
ering
I scanned the word please which i created from cutting out a piece of paper and used it as a template for my final word that I drew around and filled in.
Letterpress Digital Letterpress is another form of Letterpressing, only its on a computer based program. On this you are able to create all types of prints simply by arranging the blocks and continously printing over to get a double print 3D effect or printing a few times to create different words. I played around with different slogans like ‘Caught red handed’ and ‘Bite the Bullet’ to get used to the program and practise on different things I could do.
After playing around and getting used to the program, I then took a couple of words from my first project looking into the letter U. I found a couple of images on the program that I felt could link in with the words U-Turn and Ukelele. I therefore had a go with these by printing the image over the word for Ukelele, or for U-Turn over printing the image 5 times changing the direction. I found this workshop useful and something I can use in future work.
B
ook inding
I completed a workshop in perfect binding, which we learnt how to bind a paper book. I found this useful as it helped me when I came to bind my ‘letters in the landscape’ book. It was a fairly simple process and involved a lot of time so the pva glue could properly set and hold the book together firmly. To do this I used a strip of mesh, which I then continued to layer the glue over it so its secure and doesn’t let the pages tear away easily. To give the book a finishing effect I simply used a piece of textured orange card to cover the front and back, which i then cut a square from the front to let the title ‘Letters in the Landscape’ show through.
Altered Books I took part in this Altered book workshop by fine art. We were asked to cut up, write on, glue together pages and change the book however we wanted. As I was in the middle of my first project/ task based on the letter U, I decided to relate my altered book to the U by transforming it in a similar way to how I created the U. This meant having the steps going around and down starting with one side higher than the other. I really enjoyed this workshop as it helped me see other ways I could produce a piece of typography coming away from the computer and hand drawing.
Lectures
Propaganda Notes: Spread of ideas, information or rumour for the purpose of helping or injuring an institutoin a cause or person. Support or damage David Welch and Chomsky Propagate - Spread, grow and reproduce. Black, white and grey propaganda Variety of propaganda techniques to influence opinions and to avoid the truth. Barbara Kruger Used on selective stories Delusion - False idea, alternative views, not aired or broadcast False flag - False flag terrorism. For example Sandy Hook.
Propaganda is the term used for information to damage the cause of the government or movement. It’s the spreadiing of ideas, information or rumour to help or damage and institution, cause or person. There are different techniques used to generate propaganda such as assertation, bandwagon, card stacking, stereotyping or transfer. These techniques often rely on censorship or maniuplation by either excluding significant information or distorting it. This way people are persuaded to want or believe in false things which influence them into getting these or doing something. I found this lecture very useful as it helped me out a lot with my essay. It also made me see more ways of how the government use ways of influencing people through design.
Transmedia Notes: Monomedia - The book, spoken word, the image Interpretation/Adaption Remaking one media product into another i.e book to film. - Alan Moore comic book writer
Unique contribution of each medium. Each medium has it’s own affordances, potential, communicative ability - Audience differentiation and accessability - Ryan (2003) says in relation to radio - distinct ability to communicate through dialogue.
Multimedia - Combination of medias working together - tell story through moving image and sound i.e internet pages with images, sound and video
Stories develop across and between texts - Universe becomes expansive
Its about being open ended, interactive and adaptable
Slenderman first internet myth
Book convergence of culture Henry Jenkins Fagerjord argues that Jenkins model divergence is submitted within convergence - Comments that technological divergence is common An example - The Matrix - Film trilogy - Animations - Computer games - Comics
Non-commercial transmedia
Sandbox computer game - Open ended, unique experience - Creative communities The Gutenberg Parenthesis - Pre-parenthetical - Post-Parenthetical
This looked at how designs have changed from the past to the present and saw how different designs had been replicated only in different styles and forms. We also looked at how designs have progresed over the years from books to films making them more well known.
Ooh, Aah, Mmm Notions of Taste, Aesthetic Judgement and Consumer Culture. Notions of taste, our aesthetic judgement and consumer culture are all part of how we build a relationship with something, whether its some you’ve had sinse you were a child or something that you really want. This is all based on how we percieve certain objects and give them value.
Notes: Relatoinship with objects and how we respond and give value to things. Our aesthetic judgements - Relate to consumer culture Alluring advertising to seduce and persuade. - Edward Bernays USA Taste - Derives from old french term, to touch or feel. Cultural consumption - Different tastes in different countries. Mass production - Proliferation of standardised goods Judge design - Subjectively and objectively -influence of media and exhibitions - Education - Fashion and styles - Lifestyle preference
How we judge and assess design - Function - Form - Ergonomics - Materials - Technology - Colour Kitsch - Cheap, poor quality - Copy/fake - Personal - Non functional
Post-Modernism Postmodernism is a movement in the arts that is used to describe a reaction to modernism and is based upon theories and attitudes. It is a reaction to the certainty of efforts to explain reality. It includes interpretations of culture, architecture, history and art.
Notes: Deconstructiveism Today - Many different styles Intertextuality: The relationship that texts have with other texts One a conscious or subconscious level. Charles Jenkins Baudrillard - Influence of electronic mass media shaping our lives. Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer Parody - Imitation of someone elses work Pastiche - Work of art, that mixes art and style.
Celebrate Kitsch - Blur the boundary between high and low. Architecture - Celebration of spectacle, Random historicism Irratonal space Architecture - Celebration of spectacle, Random historicism Irratonal space Positive Choice Rich and healthy Interesting and amusing Negative Unhealthy
Exhibition
For The Love Of Grpahics was an exhibition us first year Graphic Design students put on. Each person in the class were able to display a piece of work that we felt was a good design. This could range from other designers work or objects someone may have collected throughout their life, right up to pieces of our own work. I decided to display notes from around the world, ranging from Hong Kong, Australia , Indonesia and Africa. I chose to display these as I was intruigued and fascinated by just how many different types of notes there were and loved how each design on the note had its own distinctive feature and different patterns which made them so interesting to look at.
“
Notes hold beautiful designs that we look past everyday without a thought or second look. Here we have displayed notes from around the world, including Australia, Hong Kong and Africa. Some are in circulation while some are outdated, but we found it interesting how each country leaves their distinctive mark, as well as the difference in shape, scale and colour.�
Berlin International Trip
Berlin Wall The Berlin wall was created as a barrier to seperate East Berlin from West Berlin. The Berlin wall was one of my fabourite places I visited during my time in Berlin. I found myself so intrigued in all the different drawings and all the bright colours that make up the illustrations. I particularly loved the ones that had meaning behind them, and showed what the wall represented, for example the painting of the people squeezed between the two walls.
Typography The typography museum was full of all sorts of different lettering and type, some were lit up, some used from old materials and some just plain plastic. I found this very interesting and useful as it was full of so many different letters and words that looked so unique yet so effortless.
Museum
Reichstag The Reichstag is one of the most famous landmarks in Berlin, seat of the German Parliment. You are able to go into the Reichstag and walk up and around the dome at the top, where you are able to see all over Berlin.
Art around Berlin Charlie
Jewish Memorial The Jewish Holocaust memorial ground consists of around 2,700 grey stone slabs that have no markings, they are formed in a wave-like way ranging in shape and size, some being knee height with others towering far over visitors. It was created as a tribute to all the Jews that died before and during the war, and was designed in this way to create a feeling of disorienaion.
Ground
Checkpoint
Charlie
Checkpoint Charlie also known as the Berlin was the crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold war.
Conclusion Overall, I feel I have met the objectives of this project. I looked into different key texts to give me a better understanding and help me out in the projects and tasks given, as well as give me different ideas into layouts of typography in order to complete this workbook. When completing my Letters in the Landscape book it gave me practise in Indesign and a better understanding of it, so when it came to complete this book I had a good idea of how to layout images and texts using the grid system. Throughout this term I feel I have progressed in my work as I have looked into new ways of creating something for a design, such us our letter U. It has opened my mind a lot more for the future and made me more confident with taking risks in my work.