Year 2 Research Document by Jonny Bate

Research Document Jonathan Bate

Conversation Brief Jonathan Bate

The Beginnings The Brief

The latest brief that I received was based on outlining the idea of a conversation. You may ask how I am going to tackle this and I will do so by researching into the depths and ideas of a conversation, which will help me approach and dissect the attack in an abstract and literal fashion. I also have to dig deeper and ask myself what a conversation actually is and how it can be represented, because to truly nail down and drain a strong idea, I am going to have to be familiar with what I am dealing with. Knowledge and research is power, so I have to ensure that both of those are thoroughly completed to get the most out of the brief. I will look to lead with a few descriptions on what a conversation actually means and how it translates as this will assist me greatly as I kick things off initially. After I have generated some research and initial ideas, it is then time to try and broadcast that visually, which could result in something very literal and very understandable. It could also result in something very abstract and that would indicate that the piece needed a little more thought from the curator and also the audience. My target audience will be based around people my own age and those slightly older, as there is potential to be pretty witty and explorative. I believe that my age range is more likely to understand the work within this theme and designing something for a younger audience probably wouldn’t give me as much creative freedom, a license to wander.

Technique, flair and style will all be under the microscope as they are as important as the message I am trying to communicate within the artefacts that I create in relation to the brief. It is always wise to look further afield than just regular graphic practice, as there are sometimes restrictions you implement on yourself if you decide to be as narrow minded as that. That’s not to say graphical work won’t impact anything I do, but there’s a balance you need to find as It’s about being creative and explorative, which obviously you need to go in with an open mind to unlock the most doors. Sometimes this can have a dramatic influence on the final outcome and sometimes it allows you to take different opinions into account, but you want to be accessing as much content as possible as this gives you the best chance of succeeding with the ideas you generate. This is definitely a stimulating and exciting brief to be given, as there are many approaches and directions you could take this, I know for certain I won’t be taking the idea of a conversation literally and it should be interesting to see what awaits me on the other side. The final outcomes aren’t really specified, apart from the fact that it must be constructed by the research and clearly relates to the documented concepts that have developed throughout the process. There’s no particular requirement, just that present a clear and concise body of work, I work hard and come out with a portfolio worthy piece of work.

The Beginnings Initial Thoughts

The initial idea stage always ends up with some weird and wonderful ideas, it’s not about being productive, it’s about being creative at this stage, I usually find that when I’m not thinking literally and sometimes logically, then I write something on the page, wonder why and come back to it later to build the foundations of that particular idea. This usually results in a pretty solid base where I can explore techniques, artist and use whatever research I have at this stage to help inform my practice and overall direction.

After this early dissection of a conversation you can start to build a foundation on some of the very early phrases, terms and ideas that exist. It’s also worth noting at this stage that I have no regard to what this may look like, it may help to sketch a representation of the idea, but I’m not going to disregard something because I can’t think of how to visually represent it, the more challenging the idea, the stronger it is usually, because if you can crack it, you are onto a winner. I will break down of some early themes to come out of the mind map below.

What is a conversation? I mentioned in the brief that I would need to try and discover or translate what a conversation actually was before I could start trying to figure out how to represent it. Imagine trying to draw a picture of somebody you have never seen before, it’s not going to turn out correctly no matter how many times you try, so informing myself was vital. I have a couple of phrases which I think work quite well in stimulating the brief. “A conversation is information received by another transmitter” This transmitter could be yourself, another person, your friends dog, anything that could in some shape or form understand the capacity of your actions. What is the information? Is it audio based, digitally based, how do we visually respond to this “conversation”? So we start to think about the format, the audience and how we can affect the environment with a simple full stop (.), maybe something like white noise or an entire paragraph of another dialect.

Colour codes, including elements such as emotion, heat sensors and representation. Journeys, including elements such as travel and the methods of recording journeys. Signs and symbolism, including elements of actions overpowering words. Structure and rules, including elements of architecture, through the form of jigsaws, books, posters and potentially infographics.

Concepts

Initial Thoughts Looking further into the concept of colour and code we can start to distinguish some variables. Numbers and colours are going to be key to how the representation takes place, they are very adaptive, interchangeable and reactive at the same time. Heat/temperature is something that is ever changing, the colour is effected by the environment, just as a conversation is, colour is information in an emotional sense, so you can start to make links are validate certain claims within the foundations of this idea. Journeys are also existent within a conversation, from an environmental sense and also from a physical sense, there is a beginning and end of every conversation, which could be something that you could really look into in many different formats. Methods of travel could also come into the picture, as sometimes you encounter certain aspects of conversation (information) on different modes of transport, in different countries ect.. You also have the very fantasy based ideas of portals and teleportation, which could consist of some very abstract imagery, the task would be to make it look like it was representing conversations in some shape or form.

Concepts

Initial Thoughts The famous phrase “actions speak louder than words” could definitely help shape some early experimental ideas regarding a conversation. It could consist of imagery with no typography/ words, maybe a very literal idea where you are presented with a blank piece of paper, hinting at the idea of having nothing to say. You also have recognisable symbols and signals that instantly tell your mind something, like hazard symbols and the stop sign. The image would need to be very well considered to be able to pull something like that off, as lots of people try to do something along these lines and end up falling a little bit short, having to explain their design, when in theory you want the design to talk for you. To me structure is an important concept to include, as structure is what forms conversation and also the environment where the actual conversation takes place. You have constructs such as jigsaws and buildings/photographs which could form nice experimental ideas for the brief, in particular the jigsaw idea as you could have something where people had to structure their own conversations using language provided, think along the lines of scrabble and boggle. You are in theory becoming the “architect of the conversation”, this is probably a strap-line/ pivotal line I will be looking into further, as it contains a lot of visual information. You could also create a set of cards, which could relate to a style of conversation, or maybe different languages if we are looking at a more educational route.

Research

Adrian Newell Adrian Newell is a designer that I was introduced to at the start of the year, who works within the constraints of marketing and branding. The pieces of work that I singled out as inspiration, stem from the “Scoreline” theme. The idea behind the scoreline pieces are recording the goals scored by footballers and their teams. The route to goal is the path documented within the piece and it started to get me thinking about travelling and journeys, which is perfect for the conversation brief in the way that I will approach this task. The ideas that I have had based on Newell’s work are based within my own journey, or traveling experiences that have occurred recently. This could be as simple as going to university, or going to town to look around the shops, it’s quite a logical and literal idea within the idea of a conversation, the abstract dimension will come from the presentation and compositions of this idea. The beauty with this idea is that I can potentially allow you to become part of the conversation by adding little elements into the design that converse with the audience. At this stage I couldn’t tell you what that was, but looking at Newell’s work has allowed me to think in a different style, which will have a very positive impact within the main body of work for my own conversation.

Adrian Newell - Scoreline Series

Research Charis Tsevis

Charis Tsevis is a Greek designer who communicates and creates his visual information using photographs, textures and other notions of imprinting. These objects or subjects are then bound or merged into a form of mosaics and complex digital images. I initially discovered Tsevis’ work through behance and flickr platforms, later moving on to navigate through his own website, which hosts and outlines some very striking and appealing reference criteria. I find his visual content stimulating and interesting as it indicates this perspective of a fourth dimension, which is brilliant as it gives me a couple of thoughts regarding my own brief, a conversation, which itself is a very broad topic. If I approach the task with a mind-set similar to Tsevis’ then it opens up numerous options to unlock the passage to a more abstract and complex idea, which is the direction I want to be heading. The idea of reconstruction and rearrangement gives me something to ponder as this could be something challenging, yet exciting in terms of melding it into creative format. The techniques that I would have to look into would be are themed around fragmentation, disorientation and abstraction, alongside a more literal response dependant on the figure or subject.

The concepts and methods of production on display through Tsevis’ is what has lead me to research and extract information regarding his work, which should really help drive my own practice and orchestrate a starting point from where I can expand. This idea of reconstruction will likely play a huge role in the initial concepts and ideas as it’s a really open minded topic when regarding a conversation. Emphasising the reforming process through visual language will be difficult and this is why Tsevis’ work is inspiring, as it gives me a place to start, to challenge. Tsevis also pays great attention to the structure, form and composition within his designs and this is something which I believe is important to document, as the whole idea of reconstruction revolves around these elements, approaching this work from the perspective of an architect is what indicates and informs these concepts and hopefully you can start to see where I have sourced this information from, as it’s quite an abstract outlook on what some people will regard as pretty straightforward visual information.

Charis Tsevis - Burn energy drink Series

Research

Daniel Eatock Daniel Eatock is an English designer who communicates and creates his visual information using concept driven methods, resulting in some very experimental, challenging and dangerous methods. I don’t mean dangerous in a negative sense, but more in terms of a risk, of abstraction, some people are going to misinterpret his work, which demonstrates the conceptual level he embodies throughout his work. I was directed towards Eatock’s work in one of my lectures as I find his work to be very unique in terms of how it communicates with the audience, which is what intrigued me to dig a little bit deeper. I feel that this sentence from his website really indicates the type of character Eatock is “I seek alignments, paradoxes, chance circumstance, loops, impossibilities and wit encountered in everyday life.” So my claims that he is a challenging and dangerous designer can be verified by this quote alone, if we then start to consider some of his work, we can come to the conclusion that there aren’t too many people that share Eatock’s philosophy and approach to design, which makes analysing and considering his work that much more important.

Eatock’s work also contains that extra essence of humour, which I think is quite easy to disregard as a designer, as it can sometimes be that we have to be working in a super serious environment, working on the next contract, for the next business. Sometimes you need something fresh and different to inspire yourself and others, which is how I feel when I see some of Eatock’s work, it’s almost like he’s deliberately mocking that notion of a very serious climate, which is sometimes how the best ideas are forged, by being a little bit of a wild-card. That’s not to say that we should all try to be the next Eatock, far from that, but adding that fresh element into your work is worth its own weight in gold. Eatock also proves that no matter how crazy the idea, if you can explain it and justify it, there is no reason that it can’t work, as long as it for fills the demands of the client/brief. I think it should be encouraged to be challenging and abstract, seeing things in a different way is very important and that is why I am looking into designers such as Eatock, to try and integrate some of their philosophies and ideals into my own practice. Daniel Eatock - Pen Print & Hammer and Nail Series

Research

Peter Grundy Peter Grundy is an English designer who communicates his ideas through a very pictorial and info-graphical nature. You are almost guaranteed to find vector based imagery when browsing Grundy’s work, as that is what he is renowned for doing and looks to be his medium of choice I initially came across Grundy’s work last year and decided to revisit his work in search of inspiration for early ideas regarding the conversation brief. Being somewhat familiar to his work I decided that he would be one designer I should look at, as he has quite a unique way of describing information. Information is what I deciphered a conversation to be, which meant how I arranged this information would be important, hence why I had another look at Grundy’s work. A concept we can generate through Grundy’s work revolves around this idea of a journey, or adventure. An essence of exploration seems concurrent within this fresh idea, how I perceive exploration is the main question, as there are many opportunities based off this word. Conversations and exploration happen to complement each other, but also detract dependant on how you view and approach it, which is something that I will have to get my head around.

I am familiar using this style of work, obviously I won’t have exactly the same outcomes as Grundy, but I can see how all of this could be constructed, which is usually half the battle. It’s also an area I’m particularly interested in, so I am more likely to try and generate content using a technique such as this, but at the same time it also makes me want to challenge myself to do something different and more experimental. Overall I think it’s important to have a variety of research, to keep your options open and to generate this holistic view, where we are appreciating the choices you have, this gives me the best chance of for-filling the brief and my ambitions to do well in this project.

Peter Grundy - Company law cover

Research Carl Kleiner

Carl Kleiner is a Swedish designer who communicates his ideas through the means of photography and imagery. I decided to look into Kleiner’s work as I believed that there could be a concept underneath the visual information that was presented in-front of me. I’m not the biggest advocate of photography, but it certainly has it’s uses and understanding why a photograph exists is something that you should always try to decipher. This could lead to a thought I wouldn’t have instinctively thought about, due to me not considering it from a photographers perspective, hence why it is important to be as broad as possible when searching for inspiration. The variety of colours stored within the designs prompted me to consider the potential ideas of fragmentation and how emotion could also effect that process. Objectivity and form where also obvious ideas extracted from Kleiner’s work, it could be interesting to see how that could reflect a type of conversation.

The thing I like about the visuals and an approach such as this, is that I can integrate some of the thoughts into other practices, as they are very compatible, which is perfect when you are looking for directions to take the ideas and concepts. You could have a shape of some description that rotated, reflecting a persons decisions through a conversation. It could be a small animation outlining the different methods of conversation, which includes the elements of fragmentation and exploration. You will notice that those concepts have been introduced within another piece of work, which shows you once you start to compare visuals, theory and ideas, you can start to create patterns and links from where the ideas can blossom.

Carl Kleiner - Golden ratio and friends

Research

Shepard Fairey Shepard Fairey is an American contemporary street artist who works with quite political ideals, alongside environmental measures. Fairey is big on using the print making process to create his messages and imagery. Fairey’s work is also very bold and recognisable, which you could say was inspired by the propaganda of earlier times, such as WW2 and the cold war. It’s also quite comparable to a photograph the way that the subjects are portrayed within the posters. There is also an element of power projected by the expressions and colour choices, which give the designs an extra dimension and a more atmospheric outlook on the story behind the creation. You may start to question why exactly I have decided to look at Fairey’s work, as I am not looking to provide a documentary regarding a war or conflict, but if you look past that there is another meaning to this work which I have extracted. This involves a sense of purpose, or unity which is another message conveyed by these designs, it gets you to think about the subject and cast an opinion. So using this ideology we can start to merge this approach with some of the concepts I have been looking into recently. You could have this as part of the fragmentation idea, as each person is part of the puzzle, everyone has a role in the “game” and that could translate into some kind of exercise.

Interaction is probably the key phrase in all of this debating, if I could find an outcome or piece of experimental work that really linked in with this it would be fantastic, currently I am thinking about apps and jigsaws, if there is something in one of those ideas only time and development will tell, but it’s a nice thought having a couple of different avenues to take this conversation down. To the right you can see one of these early ideas in motion, in the form of an app, the main theme behind it is the reconstruction process and how we can manipulate existing language into a new form. This promotes a sense of creativity and freedom and it could also be seen as a way of educating if you were to go down a more formal route. I think the quote “we are the architects” symbolises the idea nicely as we are the creators of conversation after all. Hopefully you can see how Fairey’s work has inspired my own, there are similar links and themes throughout, if this idea will expand I don’t know, but it presents a nice opportunity if I decide to explore this idea in any greater detail.

Shepard Fairey - Obama Hope

Research

Peter Crawley Peter Crawley was another designer that caught my eye during my research phase, his work was different as it contained a much more textured approach, something that I haven’t really seen much of and I was curious to see how I could expose a conversation to texture. With the thinking that a texture is made up of layers, you could then apply multiple layers to a conversation, which is in theory, what a conversation is, but what would that look like? That is the question that I will investigate. I have tried to facilitate a range of different styles and themes within the research, to justify, inspire and invigorate the initial process, as a conversation itself is quite a vague and dull topic, it’s up to me to try and create a new perspective, using different methodology to realise this perspective. The work that Crawley has produced is very delicate and very refined, which is something that a conversation could be, the conversation could be a range of images to refer to a conversation, which indicates themes and objects involved within the spoken conversation, but also allow you to take part with your own interpretation of the designs in-front of you. I’m not going to commit to saying I am about to go and weave my own conversation using a needle and thread, because honestly, that probably isn’t going to happen, because that wouldn’t be playing to my strengths, but in terms of concept and of potential ways to visualise this idea, there is plenty of opportunities to explore and navigate throughout the project.

Peter Crawley - Fibonacci & BT Tower Series

Development The Journey

The concept of the journey was an interesting theme to try and visualise, as it could be perceived in many different ways, I was hoping to use some of the research founded previously with the works of Newell and Crawley, to help inspire and capture elements of a conversation through the initial visual stage of the development process. A conversation can be seen as a type of game to some people and this vision of the journey could be compared to that opinion as the environment I am trying to create reflects that of a game, or a mission.

The style of paths and structure was also something that I had to think about and being somewhat of a generation of an image from the future, I decided to use a range of line-work, that would hopefully indicate that futuristic dimension within this journey, among the composition there is also a trial, which is the path that I took to reach the destination, which is also signposted throughout the design. The overall direction of the poster is something that I can get behind and push further and hopefully you can see some of the similarities and influences throughout the research stage and the early developments documented across the project.

I wanted to use the textures showcased within the work of Peter Crawley to reflect some of the layers within the journeys that I had endured, so through a digital rendition of the landscape surrounding the journeys I felt like I had a place to start navigating and exploring further. The main idea was to make it look similar to a loading screen, where you could see some information of the journey I had been part of and then it would give you a picture and experience of the journey to perhaps make yourself based on my conversation or summary of this adventure. Initial vision of the journey concept

Development The Journey

Loading Journey...

The journey was beginning to evolve as a design as I began to make changes to the compositions, which was starting to further enhance the appearance of the designs and of the reflection of the futuristic approach that I had envisioned. The colours where something that really needed addressing as initially I thought about the virtual dimension and how a lot of that work was black, but it became apparent that the ochre/ golden supplementary colour was visibly too much and it set the balance off within the composition. How I was going to fix this issue became the priority within this part of the development stage and I think at this stage it will be important to not fixate on the black acting as the colour that needs to exist within the design, as that leaves me with a very fixed outcome. I need to use this part of the process to explore and experiment with the different colours available, it happens that I need the colours to communicate with each other effectively and efficiently, which is quite an interesting element.

Target Location

Cinema

Destination

Target Location

Destination

Train Station

Huddersfield Cinema

23 Minutes

Huddersfield Train Station

10 Minutes

1.2 Miles

0.5 Miles

Mission - Movietime

Mission - Homecoming Starting Location

University

Starting Location

Saw Mill

Development The Journey

Experimentation was also vital in this futuristic design, as it would allow me to create slightly different perspectives behind the imagery itself. The main struggle I had was figuring out where the space should be utilised within the composition, as I usually work with a decent amount of white/negative space. After a couple of revisions it became apparent that vertical type wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t going to work and that the text and map of the route where going to be most effective towards the bottom half of the poster. This also allowed the focus to go onto the imagery, in this case the building in question was the cinema. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important not to overcomplicate the process, but I also felt that there was a little bit extra I could add to the designs, which is where the day by day tickets came from, to try and tie the work together in a set, this may be expanded upon, I will have to continue to experiment. Colour is another vital aspect of the designs and it also something that I will continue to tinker with in order to showcase this idea to the best of my ability.

Development The Calendar

The calendar idea is another idea steaming from the traveling and adventures that I embark on within the day, but opposed to drawing the path of a journey, I have decided to try and map out a day in the essence of time. Think of this as a form of info-graphic, where events that happen in the day become translated into a shape, in this case a collection of circles. Each circle has been measured against the amount of time spent doing the activity, the formula used it simple and provides a clear structure to work towards. The calculation used to create the shapes was based on the aspect of time lasting 24 hours, each hour would be represented by 1cm, so if an activity lasted 3 hours, the dimension of the shape would be 3x3cm. This formula allows me to play around with the structures of time is a very abstract manor and there are many ways to try and compose this information, the image selected was to document the variety of colours and scales of shapes used within a composition. A design would be created for each day of the week, resulting in a series of 7 designs, documenting the events and activities undertaken over the week. I was thinking about adding a key of some description as you could then relate to each shape, to maybe compare and critique my week, but I decided to initially stay away from that idea as I wanted it to be an abstract reflection of a conversation, which could hopefully lead to some very interesting results.

The colours used within the designs seemed quite logical, as you obviously want a different colour to reflect each moment you document within this approach, which meant I could either be very subtle, or very obvious. The route of subtlety required a slight transition of colour between shape, which you can see I have used in the example piece and the route of the obvious would require a wide range of colour, which I feel would be too much within one design, there would be too many colours clashing and I do generally work better with a more limited colour palette, so playing to my strengths seemed like the logical path to take. Organisation of the shape also needed to be considered, would they be put into a fixed grid of some description, or would they be free and roam the page, such as the example piece indicates. This was something I was going to discover as I played around with the designs and created more options to work with, at this stage I was thinking about the possibility of integrating the designs into a clock like image, where each dot would be in position of the 12 numbers of a clock, 1-12, but we will have to see how that idea materialises through the development stage. Initial vision of the calendar concept

Development The Calendar

Day 1

Saturday

Matchday to rule

On display are a couple of the refined designs, using a much more structured approach compared to the last design you saw. The larger shape in the centre of the circular composition acts as the fulcrum of the day and of the design, it has similarities with a planets orbit and also that of a clock hand. In terms of what it actually represents in the piece it indicates the amount of time I spent sleeping, so in essence it is also important in the day to day aspect, alongside itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role in the design process. That level of thinking went into the development of these designs and I think that I may be onto something if I continue down this path, there are 7 of these designs, all with slight variations, as you will see at a later stage, but one thing that I am undecided on is the use of type. Do I need type within the design? Does it need to have an explanation to describe itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s purpose? These are questions that I am currently asking myself and hopefully I will arrive at the most beneficial conclusion. My thinking is, that if I was to incorporate a key to signify or indicate what these shapes represent then it would become too much within the composition and it wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the same effect within the work itself, something I need to consider moving forward with this current batch of compositions.

Development

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Matchday Blues

The Endless Stream

Planet Football

The Day of the Office

PC Master Race

Chinese Sensation

Film Festival

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

The Endless Stream

Planet football

The Day of the Office

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Pc Master Race

Chinese sensation

Film Festival

The Calendar

Here are some extra designs based upon the ideology described in previous pages, I think overall that the compositions reflect the nature of the journey in the correct way, as itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s abstract but also interesting to try and make out exactly what it going on with the shapes and colours.

Matchday to rule

Final Outcome The Calendar

Day 1-7 Calendar Theme

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

Matchday to rule

The Endless Stream

Planet football

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

The Day of the Office

Pc Master Race

Chinese sensation

Film Festival

Final Outcome The Calendar

Rebrand

Jonathan Bate

The Beginnings The Brief

Gamer’s Tavern is a small independent gaming lounge based in the town centre of Huddersfield. It houses and hosts a range of different gaming apparatus, for video game enthusiasts they have consoles in the form of the Xbox 360 and the ps3 and also with the new heavyweights in the form of the Xbox one and the ps4. For the card and gamers they have a range of tournaments and tables for Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, magic and D&D. The tavern, has only been open for around 2 months, so it’s a fresh new store with the intent of bringing gamers out of their rooms and into a social environment, so they can enjoy their adventures with fellow enthusiasts. This also reflects on the identity of the store, as it doesn’t really have a framework, or anything symbolic to focus on, which gives us creative freedom, but also challenges us to find a particular theme to focus on. So in an essence we are trying to refine what the tavern stands for, as it tries to cater to too many people at the moment, whereas me and the group feel as if a more specific direction would really help the place grow and generate bigger numbers.

The group has been to try out the store to generate a feel and appreciation for the atmosphere during game time. The store has a reasonable amount of people playing in there, as the first image documents, they were involved in the card games, which could indicate where the current audiences allegiance lies. The other element that I found strange is that the “refreshments” contained very basic elements such as crisps and bottled fizzy drinks. I feel like they have missed out on the energy drink market, as that is a very popular consumer product for the audiences they attract, which is something that we will be considering during the extent of the project. Overall we have a very exciting and challenging project, which I and the rest of the group will enjoy working on during the time we have been allocated to work on it.

The Beginnings Initial Analysis

Gaming within the UK has always been something of a taboo subject, for some reason the English have never really warmed to the idea of gaming, it has always been something that your parents were reluctant to let you do when you were younger, they would much prefer you to be outside, socialising with the other kids around your age. Over the years gaming has started to breach our island until it couldn’t be ignored, this is down to the exposure that gaming has had via the internet and through social media. This exposure has also enabled games to arrive on casual devices such as tablets and mobile phones, which have become so pivotal in modern society. This infiltration is what has really allowed gaming into the country and it’s why there is now such a huge market and demand for the new releases. You can see that as technology has evolved, so has our views and accessibility to gaming and it’s now much more common to see teenagers and their parents enjoying some form of game, be casual or hard-core. Comparing this to the oversea cultures, such as Asia and America where it is a lot more socially accepted to play games. This is due to the scale of their countries as it makes it a lot more appealing to set up base on those continents. It’s with no great surprise that the most successful gaming companies are either Japanese or American due to this aspect and geographic. The difference in gaming cultures are really emphasised by my next example, as professional gaming is now a real career.

I guarantee you it’s going to be much harder to convince your parents you are going to be a professional gamer in England, than it going to be in Japan or America. Gaming is really evolving in Germany and the Scandinavian countries as these locations, alongside America are currently where most of the live events and action is happening. You are also much more likely to see a hard-core gamer in one of these countries, than a casual gamer, where in the UK it’s the other way around, they treat their games a lot more seriously than we do and I think that’s the best way to summarise the gaming cultures.

The Beginnings Initial Analysis

Card and Board games are slowly becoming a thing of the past, mainly down to the ever-developing game engines and physics that the consoles are pumping out. Another reason is down to space, a small game case is a lot easier to store than thousands of cards that you may have collected to play your game of “Pokemon” or “Magic the Gathering”, you could argue that time is also another constraint, you need time to set up the game and the rules are usually quite complex, or they don’t have that pick-up-and-play aspect. This is the one huge advantage video games have over card and board games, as you can pick up a controller and be on your way, it’s a lot less hassle and a lot easier to find other people who play online than it is in person. Video games are really where the money is now, you will all be familiar with titles such as “Call of Duty”, “Halo” and “Fifa”, as the marketing potential these games have are ridiculous, with a more recent game “Minecraft” really starting to compete with these powerhouses. Obviously there are millions of games out there, which all attract different audiences, all play in different ways and are all made for different systems. Video games are just a lot more efficient, thanks to technology and in-turn makes it a lot easier to communicate to the wide range of audiences these days, compared to card and board games and that is really where the difference is.

You do have occasions where the two types of game merge and successfully, like “Pokemon”, but you will find the market is a lot bigger in the video games and TV series, opposed to the trading card game. I could go into a lot more detail on these subjects, but I think it’s more beneficial to approach the explanations briefly to start with and after the research starts transitioning into development we can see how in-depth we need to look.

The Beginnings

Hardcore Moodboard After looking through images for gaming lounges I came to the conclusion that there were two different types of lounges. You have the hardcore section, where the place is tailored with high end machines and consisted of vibrant lighting, mostly blue, green and brown/orange. This would be a place that the real computer gamers would go to and when I say “real computer gamers” I mean people who are going to be in there for most of the day, I guess a more accurate description would be “dedicated”. Over the last few years, E-sports has hit a real popularity spike, drastically changing how gaming is perceived, you can actually become a “professional gamer” and earn quite a lot of money if you are playing for one of the bigger teams. This in turn has enhanced the hardcore market as people see themselves as the next star player, meaning the hardcore venues are really starting to come into play. Many professional teams are now acquiring gaming houses to house a team of players, the gaming rooms, or booths usually look something like the images to the right of this text. If the gaming lounge we are looking at re-branding will be as hardcore as this, I’m not so sure, due to space restrictions and the market, but I think it’s important to take some of the elements from the hardcore market and to incorporate this knowledge where I can into the design work that is created throughout this project. I think it’s also important to note that it’s essential to provide some form of refreshments, as it’s very easy to be absorbed by the games and to not drink or eat much, so including a solution will be another priority high on the agenda.

The Beginnings Relaxed Moodboard

This is the other type of gaming lounge, as it represents the relaxed environment that I may want to advertise for the more casual audiences. This also gives you the opportunity to target a slightly wider audience, as you could have people who weren’t gamers who have maybe come into the shop for a quick snack, or to sit down for a little while. I think it’s worth mentioning that the colours are consistent with the hardcore designs, as they favour the sleek blacks, creams and blues and that is something I will take forward with me when designing the aspects of the store. It’s also important to note how everything is very minimal and doesn’t contain lots of posters and stuck on pieces of paper that the tavern does. You could argue that there needs to be an element of history, of difference, because if the shop feels like every other store, then you are probably missing the mark, as gaming has a wealth of resource waiting to be used. I also think due to the spacial restrictions that we are faced with, something that utilises the space may be better, as the relaxed images tend to reflect. I must also consider the potential content that would go inside of the store, as this is obviously going to eat the space, as we are going to need gaming tables, shelves and a fridge or two if I am looking to imply some of the ideas that I have initially thought about. There also needs to be natural light coming through the store, as most of these images document, otherwise it makes you feel more enclosed, or maybe out of touch with the outside realm. It also makes the place feel a lot more casual and refreshing, opposed to a basement or a dungeon like a place with black walls and no light would feel like.

Research Loading Bar

This gaming lounge based in London seems to be one of the most modern settings for the audience we are looking at. The layout is spacious and contemporary, whereas the other places I have researched have been pretty dense and leave little room to breathe. This is a culture that the Asian countries have, but I don’t think that it works in this country due to the differences with the perceptions of gaming, mentioned earlier on in this document. London is probably the best location for a gaming area as that’s where most of the headquarters will be based in this country, meaning the audiences are more likely to delve into the realms of gaming. It’s also a much bigger place, meaning that they have the opportunity to create something like the loading bar, documented by the images on this page.

The colours are also something which will help welcome customers and make people feel at home, there are a variety of approaches to this, with most of the relaxed settings going for this clean and crisp approach, such as the warm browns and the creams in particular. This also deflects some of the stereotypes such as gamers always smell and that they are generally less hygienic than somebody who doesn’t play games. These are some of the key elements that I will have to consider when it comes to redesigning and re-branding the gamer’s tavern in Huddersfield.

It’s also quite important to create the right type of atmosphere, which I think the drinks menu in particular achieves. The elements of wit and quirkiness are very important to get across in a gaming sense, as I think most gamers and the audience you are likely to find in a setting like this are the type of people who are going to appreciate and recognise the levels of detail, such as this menu.

Loading Bar - Menu & Interior

Research

Keith Thompson While I was looking for inspiration regarding the theme of steampunk, I stumbled into a “top steampunk designers” post on the internet, one of the artists published on the site was no other than Keith Thompson. Having little knowledge of designers and creators that work within this theme of steampunk I decided to explore further into Thompson’s work and was surprised by some of the work that he had produced. I say surprised in a good way, because his work was so abstract, imaginative and different from what I have seen previously, the theme itself seems to merge well with very edgy and experimental designs, which can also help you come across as slightly crazy, in an imaginative way. The colours also help promote this “experimental” atmosphere, as you mainly see work of a monochromatic nature, with hints of dark, dulled and diluted blues, reds, browns and whites. I was thinking how I could incorporate or link Thompson’s work into the re-branding task and maybe that could come in the form of character designs from the mainstream games that I have started to generate an understanding for, but I could also go in a completely different direction and keep it very unique, which would cater to the indie audience, but also resonate with the crowds who don’t quite know what it is, but would appreciate the designs.

Another element to Thompson’s work which I want to touch upon is it’s presentation, the layouts are really nice and simple, there’s no fancy or intricate compositions, which I think steampunk can be associated with. If I can create images to the level of Thompson, I highly doubt it, but it has certainly inspired my work going forward and it’s gave me some important information regarding how I approach the next stage of the process.

Keith Thompson - Phyto Assault Ship & Modular Robotics

Research Daniel Dociu

Another artist that caught my eye was Daniel Dociu, who reflects a much more futuristic and idealistic approach to steampunk, you could also argue that Dociu’s work contains a much more fantasy based theme. I think it’s important to try and really define the definition of steampunk before I can go about creating it and seeing it in different forms will certainly help me get to that stage. Dociu’s work was obviously created within a digital format, which is something that I have always been appreciative of, as I have always had a soft spot for concept art and there are some fantastic artists out there. I also feel a sense of drama and heroism resonating throughout Dociu’s work, that is attributed to the composition and angles that you see displayed and also through lighting in the environmental designs. If that is what my vision of a steampunk realm looks like I don’t know, but it certainly looks like a very exciting place to be involved in, which is how I want the re-branded gaming lounge to feel. Time is another concept which I think shines through the work, which I believe to be a very important theme within steampunk as a whole, with all the cogs and pipelines that are typically seen mainly within the artefacts and assets of the fine art and architectural approaches. How I portray concepts such as time will be the most important factors within the designs and hopefully with enough knowledge, investigation and content displayed within the theme of steampunk will give me some of those answers.

Daniel Dociu - Creature from 2005-07 Archive

Research

Sherlock Holmes I decided to look into Sherlock Holmes as I wanted to have a perspective of steampunk that wasn’t totally game related, obviously it’s leaning towards the element of gaming, but as it’s a movie and book, I thought there might be subtle differences that I could maybe analyse and transition into a part of the design process. I believe it’s important to generate a variety of options and I think looking into non-game related topics is probably just as important, if not more important than designs within the gaming context, as I was always going to be bias towards the gaming content, meaning I may miss something important provided only in another context, or relationship with steampunk. Clothing style is an important aspect within steampunk, as it tends to be very leather and corset based, very formal and obviously that element of the Victorian gives the look extra depth and an originality, which sets it apart from other fashions and trends. How I look to include some of this information remains a mystery at this stage, but I do feel it’s important to appreciate other elements of steampunk that I might not think about straight away as it’s a gaming orientated brief.

I think it’s important to mention the atmosphere generated by the posters I have included on this page as they provoke a sense of mystery, of suspicion and uncertainty, which maybe speaks more about Sherlock than it does about steampunk, but the colours, lighting, type and subtleties such as the backdrop/background are all very much incorporated into most steampunk related content. You also start thinking about the element of time, which again is very important from a steampunk perspective and it will be important that throughout my own designs I consider what I have discovered from the analysis conducted within the research phase.

Poster design for the 2011 movie ‘Game of Shadows’

Research

Steampunk Definition The next part of the project requires me and my group to start exploring possible themes and concepts for the gaming lounge that we are re-branding. This is my first idea for the redesign and it comes in the form of steampunk. I thought it would be useful to first outline what steampunk is, because I imagine people will of heard of it, but may not necessarily know what it is. Steampunk is “a genre of science fiction that typically features steam-powered machinery rather than advanced technology.” This should indicate the type of visualisations that could go into the lounge, it could be very old fashioned, with links to the Victorian times, or could be slightly more futuristic. A big point to make at this stage is that games and their art styles are heavily influenced by this steampunk dimension. The biggest games to use this approach are “Fallout” and “Bioshock”, with many deviations through the indie channels. This typically means that the audience we are mainly attracting to this gaming lounge are going to appreciate the aesthetics that steampunk illuminates and it could also intrigue every day people as they walk by the store, as it’s certainly something you don’t see everyday, this could evolve into a very important USP of the store.

Research

Steampunk Imagery Steampunk typography is something that really defines the essence and characteristics of steampunk, the compositions, colour and the block based style really generate this “old fashioned” vibe. It’s something that we do not see much of in the high streets, it’s more likely to be in a wild west thriller on the TV, it contains a much more unique and individual aspect, which I think will fit the store perfectly, as it wants to remain unique and stand out as something unaffected by time, this would be particularly interesting if we were to look into the more traditional trading card and board games. The poster designs that I have located so far have all been fairly similar in their structure, as they tend to favour this centralised, compressed approach, accompanied by a more intricate/ oriental design weaving within some of the space between lines of text. Contemporary Reference A more contemporary method of poster design that reminds me of this old fashioned layout is the tour/line-up posters that you see at music festivals. They usually adopt this technique of having the head-liners stand out using the composition and size of text to indicate the relevance and importance of the band. This enables the reader to instinctively and quickly digest the content and feedback, this is an element that I will have to consider if steampunk becomes the dominant idea.

Range of poster designs exploring steampunk themes

Research

Existing Games The most popular games that reflect the steampunk theme are Bioshock, Fallout and Dishonoured, seen to the right of this paragraph. These are the games that I could maybe pull out of images or themes from when looking into wall coverage, symbols and general content within the store. I thought it was important to display the most relevant games to the mass, as most people will have heard of Fallout and Bioshock in some capacity. They are also both very well written games, which gives the gaming audience a very positive approach to the sight of either of these titles. I think that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also important to mention the indie market within the steampunk theme, as there is quite a following towards that end of the market, but obviously the masses will not have heard of any of the games regarding that category. If I was to use elements from those games it would have to be very subtle, which is in my opinion a nice way to involve those who prefer the niche market, but also those who prefer the main stream games.

Hopefully across the three games you can see similarities and start to visualise how some of the design work may be influenced by these games and also how the designs themselves take shape. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also important to mention the atmosphere as we are seeing a lot of muted colours, mostly shadow greys, browns, reds and very pastel like greens/ turquoise. I must also inform you that am not looking to design a game from this research, but to use the aesthetics located throughout the games to inform my design process throughout the project, because if I can create a strong visual identity and style from the beginning, it will make all the approach work a lot more appealing and more related to the style itself.

Development

Gamers Tavern

Initial Ideas

Gamers Tavern

The next step is to figure out exactly what I am going to be creating in terms of artwork, so I can crack on with it and start to visualise and portray the themes within the designs of a logo, coaster, piece of wall art ect...

Gamers Tavern

Initial Logo Designs In the initial logo designs it was fed back to me that it looked similar to the steam logo, which can be seen as a good thing as it stimulates the idea of gaming, which is obviously what I am trying to represent, but it also becomes a negative due to it being a little too similar to the steam logo, as they may see it as some attempt to copy them, which was totally unintentional if people find it looks similar. Initial steampunk architecture The idea behind the steampunk architecture was to represent how Huddersfield used to be an industrial town, as that has a strong link with the steampunk theme, it also gives the Gamerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tavern a sense of location and independence, which is what it really needs, it canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look like every other gaming lounge, otherwise nobody would go into the shop. The first sketches were based off buildings I had located within Huddersfield, which were traced and are now awaiting the next step, which will include textural work and also vector based work, as I believe I may be able to incorporate elements of the buildings into designs such as the logo.

Gamers Tavern

Development

Steampunk Buildings As steampunk is a very industrially driven theme I decided that I was going to try and reflect that by initially gathering images from the location of the Gamerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tavern. From here the plan was experiment by tracing the images to try and reflect the very textured and traditional approach that others have successfully implemented. I was also going to create some nice and clean vector based shapes referring to elements within the images you see to the right. I know vectors may not sound like the correct approach for something as intensive as the steampunk theme and little suggests that it will actually work, but I believe that a simplified steampunk driven set of images could create some really nice corporate graphics for the tavern, which is what I am out to accomplish with this brief. I also appreciate the fact that I am going to have to figure out a way to include texture within the designs that I come up with, as it is something that helps steampunk stand out as a concept and theme and this can also be translated into the gaming mindset, people want to feel comfortable in the tavern, so catering for them with suitable imagery will be important, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also worth stating that keeping a cleaner approach will also include other audiences, opposed to a very grunge based design, where it could make people who couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t relate to gaming very anxious.

Development

Steampunk Buildings You can start to see some of the initial vectors that have been developed based off the images located on the previous page. The main problem I had creating these designs where the fact that the images were never in the correct perspective to create flat buildings, meaning I have had to improvise, which is probably a good thing as it makes the designs a lot more unique. Where these buildings will go from here I’m not too sure, I could try and implement some textures into the designs to see if they will come across in a more steampunk themed manner, because currently I am aware that they aren’t really screaming out to you about their theme. This may also be the result of being too angular, or too minimal, maybe I need to create some assets related to steampunk, such as cogs, clocks, gadgets from a mechanic and temporal perspective. The colours were selected to try and create links to steampunk, with the browns and rustic reds, but from a slightly different direction, so we have ochre and a very pastel like grey, which also contains a slight brown hue. This was initially a test and I will experiment further to try and find the solution, may that be down the traditional steampunk palette, or from my own inspired palette.

The designs underneath the buildings are created from elements within the images that you can’t see within the current designs of the buildings. It’s mainly angles and items sourced within the context of the photographs, if they accomplish something on their own, I couldn’t say at this stage but I thought it was nice to extract some extra details which you wouldn’t otherwise notice or see within the rest of the work, the next stage is to generate more content, experiment with what I have and continue to enjoying the game related brief.

Development Character Design

I was thinking about other ways to incorporate the steampunk theme into the tavern and what better way than to use some iconic gaming characters from the gaming scene. I was obviously aware of the copyright material I was looking into, so the idea was to potentially borrow some ideas from the designs of the current characters to influence my own designs which would turn out to a much heavier steampunk version of these icons. We don’t have too many drawings to look at and I’m aware of that, but I wanted something quickly so I could see what I could work with further into the project, obviously the characters I did draw consist of Master-chief, Big Daddy (Bioshock) the Call of Duty ghost icon and the Fallout helmet. I’m aware that Halo doesn’t associate with steampunk too much, but all the images I looked at had one thing in common, a mask, now a mask is a method of concealment and mystery, there was a possibility that this could help inspire the next wave of designs. The next stage was to figure out what I was going to do with this information, I was thinking along the lines of minimal icons which could incorporate this helmet and the steampunk theme, which could then potentially translate into potential logo’s, coasters, wall posters/designs I don’t know, I just thought there might be something worth exploring along this path, hence why I sketched this quick drawings in the first place.

Development Character Design

Here is the next stage of the character based designs, hopefully you can see how I have gone about creating this vector in Illustrator, I initially had a play around with a couple of simple shapes, as seen with the first image. I decided that I was accidentally starting to create iron-man which isn’t a bad thing, but it wasn’t really what I was after, I needed something a little more atmospheric and apocalyptic. So by incorporating pipes and modifying the helmet to have a slightly more angular approach I think I was starting to accomplish what I was looking for. The helmet was created in 2 half’s at this stage as it made sense to keep it symmetric, otherwise if it was out of proportion I would have run into problems further down the line. This also gives me the opportunity to use the most minimal design possible, which could be something that proves its use at a later stage. I started to make some refinements to the main shape of the helmet and also added a second sector to give it a little more detail, which was something that I was intrigued to test, as I was curious to see how it translated into the vectored style.

The bottom two images contain the finishing stages (currently) hopefully you can start to see why keeping two half prove beneficial for the main designs, because it now meant I could start adding little elements and subtle changes to both sides without having to operate with one shape, the colours obviously need some work, but I while I was designing the vector I wanted to make the divisions and shapes as clear as possible, which I think reflects throughout the designs currently documented. The next stage will be to add some texture, as I think there is potential behind that journey, it may require me to simplify the shapes, as having various experiences with the clipping tool, I have found it quite difficult to apply the textures to detailed designs. It’s certainly something to consider and a challenge I am looking forward to completing.

Development Textural Work

So I downloaded some textures to test out how they would effect the vector based images I was working on, I was hoping to be able to make the combination work and as I started with the first attempt I felt as if some very experimental designs were going to come out of this. I started off with the cogs, as they were the smallest and least complicated shapes, which meant I should have been able to implement the clipping mask to them, which resulted in some nice simple designs. I was aware that working with more complicated shapes was either going to take up a lot of file space, or not going to work, which is why you may notice the silhouette nature of the buildings, opposed to the 2 coloured approach to define extra details. The textures were rasterized, to try and keep the file sizes down, but once they were applied to the object I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see the benefit of rasterizing both the texture and object as it resulted in a low quality image. I also applied the texture to the vector mask that I have been working on previously, again I had to take out some of the more detailed aspects of the design as it just wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work with the textures that I was trying to work with. I think there still might be too much detail in the design, so that will be something to look into as I move on from these experiments. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m happy that I attempted to use texture in the work and I think it has produced some successful results, but I must mention once again that this effect will only work for minimal and simplistic designs, which may work in my favour.

Development Logo Design

You can see how the logos are starting to shape for the Gamers Tavern, I have initially decided to try and use elements from both gaming and steampunk to inform the current designs, which include tops hats, gears, buttons and steam pipes. The logo needs to be simple and effective as it will exist both digitally and physically, which means that it will most likely need to fit into a rectangular or circular format, as this allows the design to be incorporated within other designs and content related to the company. Out of the current designs I think that the hat/door logo is strong alongside the quarter cog and pipe combination, which exists above the previously mentioned design. I think that they could both exist across multiple formats but I need to really work on perfecting the type, as this will be as important as the image itself. Te other designs have potential, but I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think they quite relate to the theme of the tavern, which is obviously the aspect of gaming. I think the tavern is starting to gain a sense of identity, but obviously this is only the beginning and there is much more refinement and development to be done before I can be happy with how the work is starting to come together.

Gamers Tavern Gamers Tavern

Gamers Tavern

Development Logo Design

I decided that I was going to refine and experiment with the logo with the hat and door combination, as I felt there was more to be discovered within the piece. I think the logo itself needs to be able to stand up as an image, or symbol and as typography, if it falls at either hurdle then it probably isn’t going to be a very good logo. Using my reasoning above I started to consider the most important letter of the Gamers Tavern, which I decided would most likely be the G, as the tavern aspect is represented by the door in the image that sits on-top or nearby the typography. I wanted it to be quite subtle as I believe throwing on game controllers is too obvious, whereas adding dice will indicate a notion of gambling, this is my thought process for discounting some of the more obvious choices of imagery. This also translates into the vision I have for the tavern, it should also be a place where people can quickly drop in on there way past and purchase a hot drink, such as a coffee, alongside a sanctuary for gamers to play there games and socialise with like minded individuals and groups. This is where I think the type of logo I am looking at is more suitable as it looks like a posh place to stop, mainly down to the steampunk theme that pulsates throughout the project.

I think the font has to be serif and by serif I don’t mean lots of intricate and fancy flicks, just something a little quirky and unique, as this is what the tavern itself would represent. The positioning of the hat is also something that is currently in the refinement process, as I don’t want it floating in oceans of space, but I also don’t want it to look forced, which may be the perceptions if it sits directly on the letters, all things to consider and you can maybe pick out the one that best represents my theories from the current designs.

Gamers Tavern

Development Card Design

At these shops its common to have some form of points scheme collected on a card, which means whenever you purchase a product from said store you generate a tally of points which can go towards a discount on your next purchase, some offer exclusive content to its members, where others have a stamp system which allows you to get a free purchase after so many stamps. I guess what I am trying to say is that the tavern should definitely include some form of membership cards, to give people a reason to sign up and participate in the events and activities that these cards usually promote. It also keeps a steady set of customers and if it’s successful maybe some of the existing customers friends and families will start to get involved, it’s all word of mouth and hopefully these card designs will interest the target audience. Another way could be to include an evolution system, where after a certain amount of points your card evolves and you get a new card. The initial designs include the logo designs currently developed, alongside a cool and warmer colour palette, the cooler palette would be suitable if the colours inside the store where greys, blacks and darker blues, whereas the warmer palette would compliment a richer atmosphere, where browns, reds and musty yellows run the show. I think this decision depends on how heavily I want to theme the store, if it’s a light twist on steampunk then the cooler palette may be the better choice, whereas a heavily stylized space will probably require the warmer palette.

In terms of the design itself I believe that a minimal approach is better than overcomplicating the design, the question really is how much do I want to give away on the card, how heavily do I need to “punkify” it? The cards that I own don’t really incorporate too much into the designs, maybe a bit of texture or a sentence or motto of the store. These are probably the elements I need to explore further, but the template is there to work with, which is a good start.

Gamers Tavern

Rewards Card

Gi Voucher

Rewards Card

Gi Voucher

Rewards Card

Gi Voucher

Rewards Card

Gi Voucher

Development

Gamers Tavern

Menu Design

The “super effective” loading screen delights

The design is simple, easy to navigate, although I appreciate the actual text on this page may be hard to actually read. I envision this menu mounted on a wall, as the table space in the tavern is dedicated to board games, it could rest on the counter, or maybe have an indication in the form of a poster on the outside advertising its products. I have also thought about snacks but I honestly don’t see that many options, people are probably going to go and buy something for lunch before they come to the gaming lounge and if they want a snack you can’t really compete with the value that a discount store such as Poundland offers.

The colour schemes share the same principle as the membership card designs, where the heavily stylised approach uses the warm colour palette and the lightly themed approach results in the cool colour palette. The method is simple and I think there could be a cross over, or a balance that I can achieve where it creates the right mix of atmosphere and aesthetics, because this is not a pub, but it also isn’t just a gaming lounge, it should expand to offer hot drinks and wifi to entice a bigger audience.

e “super effective” loading screen delights

Adrenaline Shots

Monster - Unleash the inner beast to conquer your foes

Relentless - The vital spirit for that vital game

The menu was another important feature that I think the tavern needed, as it was very unclear as to what the current shop sold. I decided to focus on the drinking area as I think energy drinks in particular are locked in as a gamers drink, whereas I think coffee also has it’s place in the shop, as this also increases the chance of extra customers coming in for a coffee to go. I mean this place isn’t big, its been open for 2 months, so any extra people it can get through the door is going to be a massive boost.

Gamers Tavern

Relentless - e vital spirit for that vital game

Red Bull - Take off to another dimension

Rockstar - Drink like a rockstar, win like a rockstar

Incendiary Grenades

Espresso - Charge into battle with this volcanic surge

Espresso - Charge into ba le with this volcanic surge

Cappuccino - Cap off your victory with a smooth and milky brew

Americano - The extra shot for the extra kill

Americano - e extra shot for the extra kill

Caffe Latte - Rise the temperature with another steaming strike

Caffe La e - Rise the temperature with another steaming strike

Mocha - Confuse your enemies with this chocolate illusion

Gamers Tavern The “super effective” loading screen delights

Gamers Tavern

e “super effective” loading screen delights

Adrenaline Shots

Monster - Unleash the inner beast to conquer your foes

Relentless - The vital spirit for that vital game

Relentless - e vital spirit for that vital game

Red Bull - Take off to another dimension

Rockstar - Drink like a rockstar, win like a rockstar

Incendiary Grenades

Espresso - Charge into battle with this volcanic surge

Espresso - Charge into ba le with this volcanic surge

Cappuccino - Cap off your victory with a smooth and milky brew

Americano - The extra shot for the extra kill

Americano - e extra shot for the extra kill

Caffe Latte - Rise the temperature with another steaming strike

Caffe La e - Rise the temperature with another steaming strike

Mocha - Confuse your enemies with this chocolate illusion

Development Poster Design

I decided that it may be important to have a series of posters to represent what the tavern was all about, these are the 4 elements that you can expect to see within the tavern, with emphasis on the video games and coffee section as that is where most of the intake will come from. The designs themselves were meant to be simple, minimal and straight to the point, so with each design I tried to add a sentence or phrase which is supposed to try and make the tavern stand out for being a little bit quirky and light humoured, as it needs to be a little bit different in some aspects and I think with this approach you have the best chance of people coming in through the door. I wanted to incorporate a small sense of steampunk, which is why you can see the cogs operating within the main images in the poster, I had to be careful to not put too much steampunk infused imagery on the designs, otherwise there is going to be a conflict in what I want to display on the poster. This minimal incorporating slight hints at regarding the theme works the best in my opinion, because once you start adding too much style and image, you have to go the whole way, which I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think would match the aesthetics I was looking to reflect.

The colours are also consistent to the other designs I have been working on recently, it may not be the exact colours I end up using, but I think this colour palette may compliment the store better than the cooler scheme I was working with earlier. I think the earthly brown I am currently using could be lighter, working towards a bleached colour, whereas the maroon could also become a richer colour, as I have to keep in mind the colours will change when printed.

Gamers Tavern

Brings to you coffee

Brings to you board games

To keep you ticking like clockwork

Entertainment to die for

Gamers Tavern

Brings to you video games

Brings to you card games

To embark on thrilling quests

To see who the ace really is

Development

Gamers Tavern

Social Design

Gamers Tavern Gamers Tavern

Social media is an important aspect of the Gamers Tavern, I will be looking to create some form of artwork which will represent the Tavern from a web-wide perspective. As the company is just starting up it will be important to get the social media link with the community as this will increase numbers through the door. The content will most likely consist of Facebook banners, Twitter banners and sleek designs that may in some way help inform the atmosphere and vibe of the tavern. The designs that I have come up with are very simple, they get the point across and they are something that I think could be translated into a website structure. This would be important if the company was to grow into a more established name, as the visual content is very similar throughout the brand. The cool colour palette works best and it’s the palette that I have decided to go for overall as I think it fits in with the rest of the modern café’s and lounges that I researched at the beginning of the project.

I was on the fence whether to go all in and completely stand out, meaning a very heavily stylized lounge, or to play it a little safer, in an attempt to give the brand a better chance to grow, as I think in this area a niche theme like steampunk would have either caught everyone’s attention and people would investigate further, or they would be scared to go in, not knowing what to expect, so I think at the end of the day I have made the right decision. Which means instead of using steampunk to completely dominate the style, it has subtle links and the themes of steampunk are something that I have tried to incorporate into the designs.

Gamers Tavern

Gamers Tavern Gamers Tavern You Tube

Gamers Tavern Gamers Tavern

Development Interior Elements

This is the type of interior design that I can picture the lounge using, it’s quirky, interesting and unique all elements important to the re-branded tavern. I think you also want to add that element of comfort, which some of the interior influenced by the steampunk theme seemed to lack. The chairs in particular are going to be instrumental in ensuring the customers are happy and comfortable to game on in the tavern, which will hopefully translate into them sticking around to play games and enjoy themselves. I have also tried to find a couple of designs that incorporate gaming references into the design, such as the alien themed table and the chess set. There was also something that I wanted to put into the selection of images, which was the iron throne, from the Game of Thrones series, but I had a look at the price and accessibility on the product and it just wasn’t realistic at all. The reason I had thought about that was because in these gaming contests you have a winner and there prize could involve sitting on the iron throne of victory, which I think would be something that could catch on as the store grows.

I have to also take into account the space available in the tavern, it’s quite a restricted space, which means we can’t include some of the more flamboyant, large scale pieces, but that also doesn’t mean we can’t include a centrepiece of some description, as a novelty item in a place in the tavern could be very important as it would potentially generate more interest from the people passing by, or over the internet if a website was to be established, I think with the restraints that I have, these are some of the more realistic and interesting pieces of interior that the tavern could include.

Development Interior Elements

I have also taken the colour scheme of the tavern into consideration during this project, I had a good look around at what the modern lounges and café’s were doing in terms of colour schemes and aesthetics. I know the tavern is heavily focused on gaming, but I think in a setting similar to the images to the right, the tavern would thrive, the customers would feel relaxed and happy with the area they were using and it would apply a high professional standard to the brand. The colours themselves were quite straightforward, if you have red my analysis you will recognise the same colours are mentioned most of the time, with the browns, dark reds (maroon), they greys and a slightly creamier colour developed from the browns. The colour palette of my designs are similar to the images I have included, this was deliberate as you want a sleek finish, there would be just enough contrast to recognise the content, I wanted everything to compliment each other as I believe that is how the modern day store should look. It also deviates away from the stereotype that gamers may be unhygienic, unclean and all the bad press that comes with being a gamer. With this clean and crisp approach you greatly increase your chance of encountering customers who may have been intimidated by a more heavily focused theme towards gaming.

This approach could also lead to identity issues, which I appreciate, as you may ask “why should a hardcore gamer go there to play” and my answer would be that most hardcore gamers rely on their own machines and devices to play on and are not interested in the more casual and social aspect that the tavern would be introducing, I believe this theory has more chance of succeeding than failing.

Development Poster Designs

Typography - Sirba Pantone P 27 -1 C

Pantone P 47 -8 C

Gamers Tavern

Brings to you coffee

Brings to you board games

Brings to you video games

Brings to you card games

Gamers Tavern

Brings to you card games

Brings to you video games

Brings to you coffee

Brings to you board games

To keep you ticking like clockwork

Entertainment to die for

To embark on thrilling quests

To see who the ace really is

To embark on thrilling quests

To keep you ticking like clockwork

Entertainment to die for

Gamers Tavern

Brings to you coffee

Brings to you board games

Brings to you video games

Brings to you card games

Gamers Tavern

Brings to you card games

Brings to you video games

Brings to you coffee

Brings to you board games

To embark on thrilling quests

To see who the ace really is

To embark on thrilling quests

To keep you ticking like clockwork

Entertainment to die for

Pantone P 169 -2 C

Pantone P 171 -16 C

To keep you ticking like clockwork

Entertainment to die for

Development Range of Designs

Gamers Tavern

Rewards Card

Level 1

Gamers Tavern You Tube

Level 3

Gamers Tavern

Rewards Card

Level 2

Level 4

Gamers Tavern

e “super effective” loading screen delights

Adrenaline Shots Monster - Unleash the inner beast to conquer your foes

Gamers Tavern Brings to you coffee

Gamers Tavern

Entertainment to die for

To embark on thrilling quests

To see who the ace really is

Brings to you board games

Brings to you video games

Brings to you card games

Relentless - e vital spirit for that vital game Red Bull - Take off to another dimension Rockstar - Drink like a rockstar, win like a rockstar

Incendiary Grenades

To keep you ticking like clockwork

Espresso - Charge into ba le with this volcanic surge Cappuccino - Cap off your victory with a smooth and milky brew Americano - e extra shot for the extra kill

Gamers Tavern

Brings to you card games

Brings to you video games

Brings to you coffee

Brings to you board games

To see who the ace really is

To embark on thrilling quests

Caffe La e - Rise the temperature with another steaming strike Mocha - Confuse your enemies with this chocolate illusion

To keep you ticking like clockwork

Entertainment to die for

Final Outcome Brand Guidelines

Gamers Tavern Huddersfield

Final Outcome Amendments

e “super effective” loading screen delights

Adrenaline Shots Monster - Unleash the inner beast to conquer your foes Relentless - e vital spirit for that vital game Red Bull - Take off to another dimension Rockstar - Drink like a rockstar, win like a rockstar

Incendiary Grenades Espresso - Charge into ba le with this volcanic surge Cappuccino - Cap off your victory with a smooth and milky brew Americano - e extra shot for the extra kill Caffe La e - Rise the temperature with another steaming strike Mocha - Confuse your enemies with this chocolate illusion

Final Outcome Amendments

Level 1 Rewards Card

Level 2 Rewards Card

Level 3 Rewards Card

Level 4 Rewards Card

A set of 4 reward cards to level up and collect.

Final Outcome Amendments

Gamers Tavern

Brings to you

To keep you ticking like clockwork

To see who the ace really is

Entertainment to die for

Huddersfield

To embark on thrilling quests

Huddersfield

Final Outcome Existing Designs

YCN Brief

Jonathan Bate

The Beginnings The Brief

The brief that I have decided to select from the range of live briefs was the Syfy proposal, seeing as I am engaged with that genre myself, I saw it as an opportunity to create something visually stimulating and a chance to challenge my perception of what sci-fi looked like. The brief clearly details they are open to fresh, innovative ideas and this can be my opportunity to create something unique based on what they say through their requirements section of the proposal. Having highlighted important criteria regarding the brief I have discovered that the main things to consider are the following: - The target audience is 16 - 25 years. - Represent the ‘passion and the beating heart of sci-fi’ - Consider how to attract fans to buy into the sci-fi brand - Communication should be immersive and serve as part of a richer story - Serve as the ‘hub’ of conversation for all events happening in the sci-fi community - Establishing the idea of “imagine greater” which is important for the future - The work must position Syfy at the centre of the sci-fi genre

The Beginnings What is Sci-fi?

As the brief requires me to explore and refine my definition of the scientific fiction I thought it would be a good place to start documenting my perception of the genre, so I can start to make links and observations that will inform the initial starting point of the project. Science Fiction is a futuristic genre, containing many immersive angles, dimensions and unique approaches, you have the spacial features such as spaceships, environments containing particular planets and solar systems and you also have the species that exist via this knowledge. This results in a variety of very abstract, complex and intriguing background information. This then goes on to inform story lines, represented in the form of games, movies, novels and programmes. The beauty of sci-fi is that there is no “right or wrong” way of representing this information, as it’s a very open playing field where the imagination is allowed to run wild, which will certainly be an aspect I will look to utilise when it comes to designing work for this particular project. Another useful feature is that everyone has been exposed to something sci-fi related at some stage in their life, mediated through one of many iterations relating to the genre and it’s up to me to figure out exactly how I want to appeal to the current fanbase, as that is what the brief entails.

The Beginnings

Company Moodboard

The Beginnings

Target Audience Moodboard

The Beginnings Aesthetic Moodboard

Concepts

Initial Thoughts After searching for inspiration to create a range of moodboards, I decided to document a collection of very early fragments, or reflections of an idea, which may help drive the early idea generation stage, where anything counts. The first idea I was thinking about came from a reference of Atlantis, how it was once a great kingdom and the heart of the continent, if you believe the stories. I think this could be perceived in a way, which is similar to the way Syfy want to present themselves, as the ‘heart of sci-fi’. Most of you will most likely know the rest of the story leading to Atlantis sinking to the bottom of the ocean, which means we will have to cut out the negative parts and see what we can do with the conceptual and visual language of Atlantis in it’s prime, questions such as “how did it become so successful” and “why was it such a mainstay at the time” will certainly lead to some interesting explorations which may infuse some early development. Another piece of inspiration came from an image of a 3D keyboard, created by Sang Un Jeon, titled “Virtual City”. This might sounds completely irrelevant, but the way that Syfy wants to be the ‘hub’ of all things sci-fi initiated this mindset, thinking about social media and fixed space. This work explores the identity of science fiction and architecture, it has a certain level of complexity to it, which may be something to investigate further.

You also have things like the centre of the earth being made out of something sci-fi related, directing us to the idea that we are all (in some capacity) the “beating heart” of sci-fi, that it is part of us. This could become very abstract and very interesting if you approached it in finer detail. A piece of typography, or language could also be devised, as part of a message that reflected the fact that you had to use Syfy’s method of communication to speak to other sci-fi fans, this could lead to some interesting experiments and reflects strongly on the briefs specifications.

Research

Carlos Stevens I wanted to find some potential inspiration early with this project, which lead me to look into the work of Carlos Stevens. I initially found his work through the defiance designs and continued to explore his work, to find he had also had a part to play in the avengers artwork, which I found extremely interesting indeed. The digital designs provide a strong, yet subtle aesthetic, which brings the imagination of the characters and the environment to life, these images would have also been part of an animation during the credits of the film, this also gives me something else to consider. The colours are also something that I find very pleasing as they are blended to perfection, the texture is also really smooth and it makes the environments very easy to look at. To expand on that point a little bit further, I find that sometimes this type of work can have too much going on regarding the textures and colours, as they are sometimes too much, but Stevensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; has found the appropriate consistency to generate these inspirational designs. How I translate some of the methods discussed here will be important for the health of my own designs, as they need to reflect the scientific genre, without being completely over the top, which I am aware is going to take some time and experimentation to accomplish successfully, but seeing work such as Stevensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; gives me a lot of motivation and when blended with slightly other ideas, could result in something worthwhile.

Carlos Stevens - Avengers credits

Research

Sang Un Jeon I first discovered Sang Un Jeon’s work a few years back and this project has reminded me of this particular piece of work called “Virtual City”. The virtual city is a representation of the ‘World Wide Web’ using some of the biggest names that exist within that environment. The buildings are scaled based on internet traffic and the reason for the keyboard is to connect the real with the virtual, how we interact with both domains at the same time, which I find is a very relevant topic in relation to the brief. It is the concept behind this design that I really appreciate and I think it’s definitely something that has given me some inspiration in terms of idea generation and how I approach the idea of communicating with Syfy’s fanbase. It makes you think of the unknown, perhaps realms that don’t exist, just thinking about what this virtual city represents gives you quite a lot to think about. This could also be seen to communicate with the ‘heartbeat of sci-fi’ as the keyboard itself could be the heart, you should get the message and hopefully I have justified the inclusion of Jeon’s work to this project. The cleanliness is also something that I want to touch upon as it reminded me of the style that Syfy uses in their latest work, if you refer to their website, or the brand moodboard you can start to create links between the two as they are very similar. I will continue to consider directions that I can approach this brief from, as I am starting to discover a lot of flexibility and variety which should help the initial process of coming up with reflections of my ideas.

Sang Un Jeon - Virtual City

Research Pablo Alfieri

Scouting for some more scientific related work, I came across the “Geometry Serie” designed by Pablo Alfieri. I was instantly blow back by the lighting and textures that he had managed to include into the designs, the use of colour is dynamic and explosive, while the textures indicate a deeper relation to the visualisation of space. The geometric shapes included within the designs are quite simple when you strip back the additional layers which include all the fancy additions. This observation indicates that it may be possible to conjure something similar if I can experiment using the correct methods, which is what I will look to do, as I think there is a strong correlation between geometry and organs, which initiates the concept of a heart in a similar style to Alfieri’s work. One big advantage with this brief is that it allows you to be very explorative in terms of defining what sci-fi is, they are open to innovative and fresh ideas, if Alfieri’s work would currently represent a ‘fresh’ iteration remains to be seen, but it certainly opens up potential avenues to start the orchestration of the sci-fi image. A positive aspect from this design would be to say that you instantly think of a spacial region, once you see the environment of the design, which is a big part in the sci-fi world, this will be something I will have to strongly consider throughout the project.

One last comment would be that I have always reflected and admired this type of design work, but I have never really been able to develop any strong visual language to reflect the style, which usually puts me off experimenting in any great detail, but I think for this brief I have to forget about previous endeavours and just go for it, the sky is the limit and if something materialises, then I will have something to start working from.

Pablo Alfieri - Geometry serie 3

Research

Josef MĂźller-Brockmann Having looked at Brockmannâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work last year, I decided that he would be a designer who could influence some of the features and designs within this project. Looking at why he influences the sci-fi style is something that I have had to ask myself and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s due to the geometric layers and compositions that Brockmann employs within his designs. It gives me the feeling of spacial awareness, of mystery and of intrigue all properties that I believe tie in really well with the science fiction genre. This style also allows me to play around with both texture and vector, which is something that I think will be important further down the line as I try to refine exactly how I want to represent the culture of sci-fi, this could be from a new perspective, using a fresh new approach, or using something that most sci-fi fans will be more familiar and comfortable with. The dynamics within the designs are also important, as it generates an idea of scale and importance, which is something that the channel Syfy will need to impose within my design, it gives me quite a lot to think about and at the same time it helps me consider my next step. The modernists also used very muted colours, which could be a tactic that I decide to deploy and this could be seen as something new, but at the same time it could be a very big risk as space and related themes do heavily rely on the colours, sometimes dull, sometimes quite vibrant to distinguish themselves. The balance and consistency is what I am looking for and it will be very interesting to see how it develops.

Josef Muller Brockmann - Beethoven

Research

Typographic Exposure A question I have been asking myself is how typography is important to the sci-fi universe? If it would be beneficial to try and design my own font to help identify the audience and help emphasise the themes and relationships that sci-fi represents. I certainly feel that there is a place to try and formulate a design based on a theme of sci-fi, this could be very geometric and bold, which most sci-fi type seems to be, or I could do something a little more experimental, which is obviously going to test the boundaries of sci-fi, which may not necessarily be a negative aspect. If I did decide to create a range of typography it would certainly help inform me and give me a stronger sense on how typography is arranged and sends a visual message which will impact everything that it accompanies. It also bulks out and refines some of the early ideas that I may have regarding the brief, as finding different approaches to apply the concepts will definitely solidify and reinforce the project and the way that I approach the tasks set by the specifications.

Tutorial

Retro/Futuristic Poster I decided that it was time to start looking at how I was going to go about implementing some of these early ideas, I found myself browsing the internet when I came across a tutorial that I thought would help me start off the initial phase. The tutorial involved using Photoshop, which I felt would be hugely beneficial to the creation of spacial objects as the tools and facilities within the programme seem to indicate the manipulation of the topic I was looking at. It started off relatively simple, using a slightly textured background, a circular selection of a rusty texture and a shadow to add extra depth to the planet. The next stage outlined the outer glow effect and also incorporated a lens flare to the composition, which I feel really added another dimension to the design. After that a galaxy effect was added to the background, which helped set the scene and a neighbouring moon was added to apply variation. A few level adjustment layers were added to increase the contrast of the existing imagery, the last steps include text and a border, using the overlay blending option to create a slight retro dynamic. There were obviously some hurdles to overcome during the process, such as finding out where certain functions lived, figuring out how to link layer masks, but overall I think that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been a very helpful process which has gave me some potential opportunities moving forward, as the techniques discovered can be applied to various designs, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just up to me to experiment and explore the realms of sci-fi. I also feel as if the inspiration already located will also help aid this phase as there are similarities between certain topics and themes, which makes this Syfy brief so exciting.

Steps 1 through 6

Tutorial

Dark Lunar Poster After the first tutorial I was still searching for more ideas and influences and that I when I ran into the next tutorial, which looked into creating a “dark lunar poster”. There was an instant connection to this tutorial, as I felt it emphasised the geometric attribute of science fiction that I was looking to represent through visual language. The tutorial started off with a textured background and an initial image of the moon, which then led to opening up Illustrator to create a geometric background texture, consisting of triangles to act as a backdrop for this sci-fi themed poster. I was starting to really like how this was beginning to shape and moved on to add a wire-frame, taking advantage of the 3D tool in Illustrator. A background was also generated using a supplied stock image and slight adjustments were made to the main image. After that the levels were once again adjusted, which gave us a much richer tone, this also brought out the best in the main object, which had now also received a outer rim using a created brushstroke and a circular outline within Illustrator. The final steps consisted of my downloading a font “Ostrich Sans” and a set of brushes, which helped add that extra depth to the background, through a slight colour overlay containing a variety of blue and also along edges of the moon. I found this tutorial easier to follow than the previous one and I think it reflects on the outcome, as I really do like the style I have discovered. I now need to work on creating some of my own textures and patterns/geometric overlays that I can apply into various experiments as I certainly think that there will be a place for an approach of this nature.

Steps 1 through 6

Development Initial Sketches

Inspired by some of the contextual references I decided to start sketching out a few wild and abstract ideas, relating to themes such as “imagine greater”, “beating heart of sci-fi” and “hub of sci-fi”. The initial sketches were starting to consider the elements that I was going to represent within this exploration, the heart was an obvious choice and the satellite was to reflect the broadcasting and transmitting potential that could then allow my concept to ‘broadcast the heartbeat of sci-fi’. This is a phrase that I really like and believe could really influence the direction that I take with the next stage of sketches and ideas that I may produce. The second page starts to merge and explore a range of themes, looking at the merging of a satellite and a heart, a form of armour to protect us from other genres and a slightly more expressive heart, that actually looks like a head. I really think that the imagery here will lead me to discover the potential in this theme as a combination of planets, hearts and satellites could result in images that indirectly reflect all the attributes the brief documents and what I have envisioned for the Syfy brand. Utilising the new techniques I have discovered on Photoshop, I believe I could really enhance the current design, using geometric shapes, textures and digital application to really add the next level of application to this current idea.

I will definitely continue to sketch as it’s enlightened me and opened up my perception of a “heart” which is very important in this circumstance. The beauty of these drawings is they don’t have to look exactly like a heart, but need to indicate it in some-way, achieving the correct balance will be the next stage and I imagine it will take quite a while to facilitate the correct approach.

Development

Developed Sketches Here are a range of developed sketches, looking to incorporate the elements of the heart, planets and satellite into one main, abstract image. Where these designs will be taken now remains to be unseen, they are not strong enough visually to exist on their own and I find them quite difficult to incorporate into a composition due to the nature of the drawings. It has certainly helped me think a little bit differently about the way I represent the elements mentioned earlier. I don’t really draw that often so it was nice to break out of my shell somewhat, but as I mentioned before, I can’t see a particular place for these images to exist, I can probably use some of the shapes contained within the drawings to create some interesting pieces using the vector style that I have become quite familiar with over the last year or so. Maybe there will also be an opportunity to use the outlines as masks for texture based documents, we will have to see how the development stage goes. You can see I have tried to play around with some of the initial shapes using Photoshop, incorporating some of the geometric shapes created within the tutorials, but it doesn’t really look like it’s going to work within Photoshop, as I can’t visualise how it could develop and become an outcome. I will go into Illustrator and see if I have anymore success using that programme, I have a funny feeling that I may be able to get more out of these drawings using that method.

Development Poster Designs

Taking inspiration from the tutorials I decided to try and use some of my own textures to generate the focal point of the posters. You will notice that I have decided to try and use the geometric shapes within the compositions as I really think they add an extra level of depth to the designs, the next stage will be to get the visibility just right, as I am aware that they are a little too faded currently. The idea with the poster designs, is to try and generate this immersive, futuristic environment, which ask you to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;imagine greaterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. If these designs currently do that, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not too sure but for the purpose of generating some initial content to work on I think it gives me a few indications on where to travel from here. I also need to decide if I want one main image, accompanied by a piece of text, such as the designs here, or if I want to go with something a lot more dynamic and complex, containing multiple images. This is something that I will start to consider and explore, as I think there is definitely potential to conjure something very interesting from my initial approach work. The designs also need to try and attract new fans to the sci-fi genre, which could also have an effect on how I choose to document and reflect themes embodied within the genre. They are going to be left wanting to see more, the aspect of adventure and discovery are vital to sci-fi and I have got to try and apply that knowledge and focus to my own designs, which is certainly going to be challenging, but I believe that I will be able to incorporate the elements required by the end of the process.

Development Vector Designs

I decided to look into designing some vector based work for the initial sketches that I had created. I felt as if it was a good way to reflect the geometrical aspect of the sci-fi genre, which I decided was going to be one of the main focuses from here on out, if it wasn’t already the primary concern. I wanted to also incorporate an abstract nature into the design process, I haven’t quite figured out how that is going to take shape, but I have a couple of techniques within Illustrator that I can play around with to see if I can conjure the desired effect, at this stage it’s all about experimentation and trying to design something that can communicate with the briefs specification. The initial shapes were produced to represent the elements of the heart/heartbeat, the notion of a broadcast and also the idea of space and what lies beyond. There are definitely some indications of those elements within this work, but there is also a long way to go until I arrive at anything substantial, as this is just the beginning of this stage of the work. The colours are also something that will change as the work progresses, at the moment I’m just trying to use colours that are easy to work with, while I build and construct the shapes and composition, which I think these particular shades of ochre demonstrate throughout this stage.

Development Vector Designs

Again continuing with the blend theme we have some more unique designs, you can also start to see when multiple objects come into the equation, that the tool doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a reliable outcome. This is both interesting to me as it allows for unique designs and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also very challenging as I will need to try and figure out how to get the most out of this tool and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s functions. This page of imagery shares more of a connection with the solid shapes, opposed to the constructed designs on the previous page, which gives me an option. I can either go with designs that are going to look at something like this, with more of a structured quality, or go with the more futuristic line-work, which I think will better reflect my ideas and looks a little bit better. But you never really know with this type of work when you are experimenting with new tools and techniques until you try out everything that it offers. I do quite like the first design, as it reminds me of a power core, which can relate to the idea of the heartbeat and can also be something identified from the future, so that has definitely given me something else to think about, as I need to try and communicate all these themes through a series of simplistic, yet abstract designs, which is always what I aim to achieve.

Development Vector Designs

The next stage was to try and amplify the abstraction of the images, they way that is displayed on this page contained use of the “blend” function within Illustrator, which I feel gives me the type of approach I was looking for when I had this idea of geometry and the future in mind. This technique gives me the ability to work with some very explorative imagery, which is a very good trait for this particular phase of the process, as I want to try and create as many suggestive and interesting things as possible. I want the designs to attract attention, to resonate with the sci-fi audience and designs along this line may uphold that desire. You can see the atmosphere change as the style changes throughout this change in figure, opposed to having solid colour, we now have shapes made out of lines and this line-work can indicate and suggest themes of a futuristic and constructive nature. This also sits nicely with the phrase “imagine greater” that the sci-fi brand emphasises throughout the brief and it’s clear to me that this is the direction that I must take to achieve the goals of the project and of my concepts. The current designs are also the first experiments of this new found technique, so as I learn how to use the tool more effectively it should also reflect upon the future design work, which is certainly getting more exciting as it progresses. The colours are also a lot more effective in this style, which is also important, I will also have to experiment with that further down the line with some potential neon effects around the corner.

Development

Developed Designs Compositions started to form using the line-work designs previewed on the design pages previously. I decided to try and keep the compositions themselves quite simple as the images contained all the elements of complexity and abstraction that I was going to require for the designs. They also reminded me of retro games like space invaders and pacman while creating the compositions, they have a gaming quality to them, which I think can be seen as a success, due to the fact sci-fi is usually associated with films and gaming material. There will definitely need to be process of refinement, but considering what I have at a earlier stage and what I have now, I can safely say that I am really happy with what is starting to come out of the project. Looking at this work from a negative perspective you could argue that Its may look a little amateurish aesthetically, as I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really seen any other designs of this fashion. Through a combination of the early drawings that were created and the research conducted earlier on in the process I have been able to visualise something unique. The positive element to take out of this style is that they were asking for something different and fresh, I believe in my themes and ideas and this is the beginning of the outcomes related to those conductors, I have tried to challenge the perception of sci-fi and I believe that was the best way to approach this project, if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what they are looking for remains to be seen, but I am happy with the progress as I mentioned earlier.

Development

Developed Designs Here lies a selection of extra designs that were used as experimentations for the technical process that I had discovered at the time, the variety of shape and colour that you could produce using this technique was mind-blowing, which you may agree looking through some of the creations to come out of the process. There where plenty of extra designs used as I was getting used to the correct numerical values that had to go into the brush strokes based on the size and scale of the shape, but I wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t include every single image, as that wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be necessary in my opinion, the main thing is that you can see the progressions and experimentation throughout the project, which I think is peaking around this current time.

Development

Developed Designs More development coming from the line-work, it’s slowly turning me crazy looking at all these lines, but it’s for a good cause as I find these elements of geometry very unique, you can probably make out the outlines of the shapes that have been merged into a futuristic representation. You have to use your imagination a little bit to decipher what is going on, but that’s the whole idea behind the designs and the brief, is this what the universe looks like from trillions of miles away? Who knows, but asking the questions and thinking about things differently are the main motives behind this current work. The colours also help conduct this mechanical, almost mind boggling environment, it catches your attention and people stop to see what is actually going on within the perimeters of the shape. I will also have to see if there can be any elements of a pulse incorporated into the designs, maybe as a little textured background, or elements that sit outside of the main image, as I think it could be quite beneficial to find a way to get that idea into the compositions, but I’m not going to force anything into these minimal compositions, as I feel they work quite nicely how they are and after a bit of fine tuning, they should be on their way to the 22nd century. The Syfy logo is also an element that needs to exist somewhere on the page as part of the promotion, or association with the imagery, after all that is what I’m designing for. The early indicators suggest a small logo towards the right side based off what I have tried, but you can always try harder, so I will see how it looks after some more tampering, but overall I am starting to see some results after a slow week or so trying to figure out how I wanted the visuals to play out.

Development Bleep Clothing

After thinking about other potential avenues to take the current designs, I decided to venture into the realm of merchandise as I believe there is a huge market which is exploitable through a design such as the ones I am providing. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive and one of the members recommended looking into a various range of current t-shirt designs and sites that may indicate the type of designs that are current and selling. Bleep clothing was a place of interest as some of the designs were similar to the approach I had taken with this scientific and line/linear based style, which gave me some hope that my style would still be worth incorporating into a t-shirt design, as itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quite a particular style, with the right campaign or kick-starter you could probably generate enough attention that people would start to familiarise themselves with the designs, which could then give it the potential to really become something in the sci-fi area of merchandising, because as I mentioned earlier, not many channels are selling forms of merchandise in any capacity.

Development T-shirt Designs

The T-shirt designs are again something that can be easily manipulated, I also strongly believe that there is huge potential behind using the designs to spearhead a clothing line and also a general move into the direction of creating merchandise for the fans to really get behind the channel and also behind the science fiction genre itself. The colours are consistent from the poster designs and which colours you decide prioritise depend on if you want to keep to the current contemporary colours, or want to offer something a little bit different, which these designs give you the ability to do. You also have the option to use this as a chance to design some new t-shirts for any upcoming events, and the good thing with t-shirts is that you can add to the back as well as the front, so if you want to have the syfy logo on the front and an icon on the back you can do that and vice versa, it gives you the opportunity to play around with how you want the t-shirts to look, customisation is key, which is what these designs give you.

Development Poster Designs

The poster designs reflect the powerful concepts that have driven the project forward, I believe that they also communicate the main philosophies of sci-fi and achieve what the project details. The designs themselves are eye catching, which is what you need in a design aimed to attract attention and communicate to both the existing fan and also the new fan of the genre. The colour decisions were quite straight forward as they reflect the current Syfy identity, purple and a very slight off white, you could also use white. This emphasises a neutral spacial domain, which I find a very interesting place to find myself designing for. The shapes also reflect the geometric qualities within the Syfy typographic installations and within the constraints of galactic space. The element of science is something that you could also sense within the design, alongside this futuristic intention, which comes for the technique and style used to portray this geometric and iconic shape. As mentioned earlier in the evaluation of the brief, these designs also have the capacity to evolve, so when you want to edit them, you are not just editing the shape, you are editing every property that created the object, which I think really adds to the qualities of the designs and gives you the ability to really manipulate the way these objects come across, in theory all you have to do is imagine greater, as Syfy documents.

Development Poster Designs

Just like the previous designs, the strength of image comes through, which is emphasised through the current colours of Syfy and the abstract shapes that could redefine the perception of Syfy itself. I think it is easier to get behind the identity of this approach, as you are more familiar with the colours in play and aesthetically, the off white and purple colours are more likely to compliment future designs, in comparison to the orange of off black colours in the previous designs.

Development 3D Work

It was recommended that I looked into the 3d aspect of this design process as the initial designs within illustrator were expansive enough to warrant a trial. I wasn’t sure how it was going to look when I tried to incorporate the style of line work into the software, but it was a challenge I was going to accept, as I was interested to see if anything could be further exploited within the process. The software I used was Cinema4D, which is something that I have come across on a couple of occasions throughout the workshops in the course, so I had some knowledge on how to operate the programme. I wanted to see what the engine was capable of so I took some of the basic shapes and imported (merged) them into the software, using extrusions on the paths to create the effects documented within the images. The designs themselves are very abstract and suspect to manipulation, which is great, as it allows me to change the look of the shapes and the composition very quickly. The themes documented could be related to radio waves and transmission, which are the topics that I am trying to work with, within these 3d objects, hopefully there is also a link to the “immersive environment” which is an important aspect of the brief as a whole, alongside the heartbeat, which could be referenced through this imagery. There could also be potential for this to animate in some capacity, I would have to figure that one out, but it’s something that I will most likely try and if I can’t find any meaningful outcomes I will screen-shot some visions of what could happen which could appear in an add break for example.

Development Advert Design

The advert is also something that the designs could easily find themselves working in, the spacial and geometric qualities are going to allow you to really play around with the objects, you could create something completely insane and have a lot complexity within the animation, or you could keep it relatively simple, which is what I would envision. I wouldn’t want to overdo it, as the image is a strong enough reflection on the genre that you don’t need to force anything down it’s throat and think about it too much. Through the adverts you are also going to be indirectly advertising the t-shirts which could become very popular with the social evolution through the internet, you just have to ensure that the identity of each object is clear, which I don’t see being much of a problem. This could also be used as some form of teaser if you were looking to release new content, using the some intro and outro can also be a good way of helping people associate with your brand and this is just one of many opportunities to do something on social media using a simple yet effective method.

Final Outcome Poster Design

Final Outcome T-shirt Design

The Level Collective Jonathan Bate

The Beginnings The Brief

The Level Collective is an independent ethical clothing label who take great care in the production of their products and the image that the brand creates. The Level Collective identified 3 key themes, which has built the foundation they are currently building upon, the key themes are design, adventure and change. The themes also inspire the originality that the Collective provides, using soft ethically-made Bamboo and Organic cotton garments, alongside water-based eco inks, to reinforce their ethics. The brief identifies a list of key things to consider when thinking about the design process and the design focus of the clothing, which include... - A sense of adventure - An audience of 18-30 years old - A unisex (neutral) nature - To resonate a positive/uplifting experience - A maximum of 3 colours - Screen-printable designs, as that is the process - Originality - Experiencing the ocean, mountain and the forest

Research O’Neill

O’Neill’ are one of the of the biggest retailers when it comes to outdoor clothing. They originated from swimwear and have transferred to a larger market, you can see the influences clearly throughout their brand. Those elements contain positivity, adventure, exploration and their colour methods are usually quite minimal. All properties that I think The Level Collective are interested in developing through their own brand. The images collected were deliberately selected to reflect the similarities and features between the two brands, as I believe it is important to try and understand how both companies can be tied together. The results documented could be achievable through The Level Collectives design, it’s just about hitting the correct notes, which I believe with some experimentation and exploration, would be possible. There is also an aspect of multi-purpose through the designs, as you could wear their apparel on the beach, or in town and this duality is the most important aspect to cater towards and decipher.

Research

Existing Designs

Main T-shirt Colours

Concepts

pir

An early idea that I have had regarding this brief was the idea of a spirit, so for example the spirit exists within the forest, within the mountain and within the ocean, this explores and pinpoints the idea of adventure and comes across as quite a positive theme. This would also give you the opportunity to design 3 different sub genres of clothing, as you could have a section for each of the 3 spirits with little logo’s to represent each core theme. This would familiarise the audience with the brand and it would also be easy for the audience to navigate between themes through the store-front. The “Primal” spirit is what needs to be reflected through the designs.

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ing the sum

mit The level collective

The level collective

Spirit of the mountain

ta it o f the moun

Spiritual Connection

Spirit of the forest natural awakening Spirit of the ocean

ROar

The level collective Spirit of the Forest

This would also be something original, which is hugely important in this circumstance, as that is the best way to generate a fanbase if you are an up and coming company and it will also stand out from the crowd, as the clothing industry is a very competitive market. The way you word it will also introduce intrigue, as “The forest spirit” can be interpreted completely differently to “The spirit of the forest”.

Spirit of the forest natural awakening

Spirit of the... colour palette

Concepts

Spirit of the Forest

Spirit of the forest N a t u r a l Awa k e n i n g

The level collective Spirit of the Forest

Here is a selection of refined identities for the spirit of the forest, the designs are of quite a simple nature, incorporating the elements of the wild, incorporating both refined text and imagery to produce a simple t-shirt that could be built around in terms of theme and design. I was always going to go for quite a minimal style of design as I believe that they look effective and can be worn on more occasions than something that includes a more specific style. Obviously I am going to be bias and say I would wear one and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s due to it being something that isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t complex enough deter many people from buying a design in this style. The colours currently in use are inspired by the earthly tones within the forest, opposed to the green I decided to go with the brown and beige as I feel they will compliment the current t-shirts on the website and it suited the designs that I currently had. I feel like you would probably want a darker green if you where to go with green, but I have to ask how many people do you see walking around with green t-shirts, because I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think I have encountered many people wearing them and I feel like it would be a harder colour to incorporate into my strict schemes.

Spirit of the ocean Adventures of the sea

Spirit of the mountain Reaching the summit

Spirit of the Forest Natural Awakening

Spirit of the Forest colour palette

Concepts

Spirit of the Ocean

Spirit of the ocean Adventures of the sea

Spirit of the mountain The last theme was based around the idea of an ocean spirit and I also wanted to look into the style of a very structured animal, represented through both shape and colour through various design mechanisms. The reasoning for using animals as the main inspiration for the sea is because of the fact they inhabit a large portion of the planet and they also share the ideals of adventure and travel and as you can imagine they do an awful lot of it daily, which reflected by the phrase devised for the theme, “adventures of the sea” .

Reaching the summit

Spirit of the forest N a t u r a l Awa k e n i n g

I feel that if you wanted something different to what you currently had, then something along this time-line would be sufficient as it’s something that I haven’t really come across much in both the physical and virtual dimensions. You also have the opportunity to scale the animals down, which the first design demonstrates and it could be that you want to be very simple with the design of the t-shirt, or you want something a little more eye-catching, which is what this design can become. Obviously some of the colour needs refining on all three themes, but I am happy with the progress made and I believe that there is something significant to work with moving forward.

Spirit of the ocean colour palette

Concepts

Spirit of the Mountain Here is a selection of designs from the spirit of the mountain range and much like the previous designs, they incorporate aspects of the highlands via both text and image. I think that this set of imagery is currently stronger than the forest category as the colours are easier to associate with the mountain and I generally work better with the greys and blues, which I think can be transcribed through the designs. The style is consistent and will remain consistent throughout as I feel it is the most effective way to communicate the themes of the 3 main categories we have been asked to focus on.

Spirit of the mountain Reaching the summit

Spirit of the forest N a t u r a l Awa k e n i n g

Spirit of the ocean Adventures of the sea

A tag-line, a relation to the brand through the main theme of mountains was also considered and for this I decided to use the phrase “reaching the summit” as I believe it signifies reaching your goal, pushing yourself to the limit and that sense of achievement and adventure was apparent throughout the brief and hopefully apparent throughout the designs on show. It also gives you an opportunity to really work into the idea of the tag-line, or the name “spirit of the mountain” as they could potentially reflect or represent more than just a t-shirt.

Spirit of the mountain colour palette