Kate Caswell Research Sketchbook (Part 1) Typography & Graphics E18TG
Week 1
For the first weeks brief, we were told to create a graphic T-shirt design, which had to be completed within 2 hours and that we should then be ready to feed back to the class. We had to choose one of the following words to be used in the design; Dazed, Hunger or Garage. However the twist on this being that we were not allowed to use a typeface but instead use originally generated typography. This could be created using scanned objects or photographs. Photoshop can be used to manipulate and edit the photographs. The design was to be printed on A3 after the 2-hour slot. We were given the website http:// www.trulydeeply.com.au/madly/2009/12/07/25-killer-custom-typefaces-a-brand-design-asset/ to use as inspiration. This is where I began my work to wards this brief; I wanted to have a plan to run with instead of going blind. I have displayed here some of the typefaces which I liked from the website. I chose the first image of the pegged skin, as I like the comfortableness of the whole image; it’s not really an easy thing to look at. This tends to be the kind of work I am drawn to. I also really like the fact the viewer has to look closer to work out where on the body the skin is from, it isn’t all just using the same section of skin but has variation to it. The second image uses hair to create the letters, with this I like the texture used and I feel it adds something to the images. Despite the fact there isn’t really variation within each letter in terms of the material used, each letter has a different density to it. I chose the third image, as it shares that same uncomfortable quality as the first one, but I like the added variation to it. It has a sense of confusion about what body part is used but also adds a problem solving quality to work out the letter that is being created. I picked the final image, as it is different from the other three because it has a clear structure. Similarly it doesn’t use any organic material from the body; instead it uses a chair, which is then manipulated to look like the specific letters. This is an interesting idea, as each letter uses a different characteristic of the chair.
After taking a moment to process the brief, I originally planned on using food to create the title ‘Hunger’. Trying to make a play on the meaning of hunger, however whilst on my way to go to get the food, I found some really interesting objects and shapes on my journey. I came to the decision that food would possibly be the easier option and that using these found objects would take more vision and creativity. I therefore decided to go with the found objects. I began by looking around outside the High Mill building, as I noticed the majority of my classmates chose to work within
the building. This is where I noticed the knocked down fencing, which then became my ‘N’. I didn’t work within a chronological order, as I felt that this would be a more appropriate way to work. I simply wrote the letters I needed down and crossed them off as I found them. For my ‘N’ I photoshopped the background out and drew more attention to the actually shape itself, whilst keeping in the wire of the fence. I then looked around the scrap metal objects that were laid around the industrial estate outside the university. I found a metal shelving devise, which I thought would
work perfectly for a ‘H’. With this I used a similar editing technique to the ‘N’ by removing the background, however I wanted to keep some of the objects that were sat on the shelves as I thought it would add a perception of what the object is. Whilst I was at this spot I saw a piece of metal with a section cut of it, this creating the perfect curve for my ‘U’. I also chose it, as I really like the metal tones, where sections have rusted and also the layered metal beneath the sheet. For the editing of this letter, I chose to remove less of the background than the two I did before. I did
this because I firstly wanted to keep the square structure of the metal sheet. I also felt the ‘U’ shape was made very clear and that it was unnecessary to remove the sections, instead it adds variation of white space in comparison to the two letters either side. The next letter I found was the ‘R’, which is made of an old bench that was dumped with the scrap metal. I really like the fact its quite a bright colour, which I feel makes a nice change from the other objects used. I also like the idea that the ‘R’ can be seen quite clearly but
it is also visible what the object is. For the editing I removed the background and back section of the bench, whilst leaving in sections of the bench which is need for the letter. For the ‘E’ I used a hose, which I found in the exact shape I needed. In this sense it was quite an easy letter to create and possibly the easiest of all the letters. For my editing, I removed sections of the background but not too much, as I wanted to keep areas of the busy background texture. I also thought this was of the clearest letter which just happened to
have one of the most interesting backgrounds. The most difficult letter was the letter ‘G’, for this I used the bridge which crosses the river outside the university. Unlike the other ones, this letter took a bit more vision. I chose the bridge as it has an interesting structure to it. For my editing, I cropped majority of the background before rotating the bridge to make it a ‘G’ shape. I think this is the letter I am most worried about but I like the slight abstract style to it.
Once I had edited each letter separately, all that was left was to put them together. When doing this I wanted some overlap between the letters, for them to seem to flow a bit more. Which will be an obvious problem as they are different sizes and colours but I feel that by doing this it will have more of a flow. I did this through positioning and layering of the letters, this is part of the reason that in some of the letters I left more background. After doing this, I decided to go back over the brief and remember that the design for a T-shirt. I then went online and found a T-shirt template, so I could Photoshop the design onto the template. Therefore giving a clear idea of where the design would sit and how it would look. I am overall happy with my design; I like how each letter has come out individually. I feel like I have done what I intended, the letters are clear whilst the ‘G’ takes a minute to work out what the object is. I like how the layering has worked out and feel like it has overall been effective. I am not as happy with the way the design looks on the T-shirt template, I feel like it looks a bit odd and out of place. I’m not sure if this is just because it is 2-D and it looks a bit flat or whether it would need some more work to make it work on a garment. I am not as happy with the way the design looks on the T-shirt template, I feel like it looks a bit odd and out of place. I’m not sure if this is just because it is 2-D and it looks a bit flat or whether it would need some more work to make it work on a garment.
Week 2
This week’s brief was to make an A3 poster that could be used to advertise the Degree show. The text that was to go on the poster was given to us in the brief and we were told we must use all the text. We got told that it was our choice if we wanted to use the logo, which has been sent to use. That we may only use one image, as a background, but this can be self-generated or something from an existing 4th year student. We were told to be creative with front choice and colour, that it must be eye catching and attract someone from a distance. My initial reaction to the brief is that I should look more into posters, which other universities and galleries have used. That I would like to incorporate someone’s work but I am aware that this may not be possible as it is still early on in people’s final productions. I want to take advantage of the fact I live with a 4th year student, to try and find the exact style of work I am looking for or even look at what the 4th year fashion technology students are doing. I also know a few 4th year textiles students, however this may be more difficult to use in my poster work. I began by looking at last year’s poster, to try and firstly grasp an understanding of what the Heriot-watt posters have looked like before and use this as a stepping block to work off. The structure of the poster is very geometric and graphic in the design of it. I do like the graphic element but I think I would also like to incorporate some more photography-based work. I then moved to looking at posters on pinterest, this four caught my eye the most. They all combine a graphic element within the photographs and use cutting of the image to create an eye-catching designs. Similarly each of the using typography in different ways but through this they all create an attention grabbing aspect.
I decided that I would start by looking at current 4th year fashion work, many of which are still on their illustration stages of the making process. I used my flatmate’s (Rebecca McNeill) work for the graphic aspect of my work. Here I have shown the different stages of my poster process. I began by cutting out the image and then inserting the Heriot-Watt logo. I then added a border, in which I inserted some of the text. Before adding the rest to the bottom of the page, bellow the border. I chose a very simple font, Century Gothic, to ensure the text is easy to read.
In the background of my poster I am going to use one of the textile design students pieces. I’ve done this as I feel it’s a good way to show the combination of the different disciplines’ work. My poster also then shows bits from most disciplines (except marketing); as it shows a graphic element of communications, fabric of the textiles and garment design of fashion and fashion technology. I first started looking at black and white weaves from a selection of students, each showing a different patter and style. I decided to start with the black and white work, as
I felt this would let me see how the cut out element of my poster would work and I could then decide if I needed to use a colour fabric instead. I was really happy with how the cut out sections worked and the pattern keeps a very neutral feel to the poster. I particularly like how the pattern of the middle design has worked out in the cut out section, it looks almost like a dress design for that pattern. However the logo doesn’t really work on the design and it is barely visible, it instead becomes a bit of a mess and blends into one. I also feel like the lack of
colour could stop the poster standing out as a much, which would of course defeat the object of the poster. I next looked at experimenting with the type of colour that I would use. I experimented with; a printed green material, a woven red shaggy material and a woven then dyed striped design. I am actually happy with all of the designs, I feel like they all do different things but they also all work in their own way. My least favourite being the green but that is just because I don’t feel like it looks quite right for this project.
I decided to use the red fabric for this poster design, this is because I thought the texture on it was really interesting and showed the tactile element of the university course. Also through this texture, it is clear that the photo behind isn’t just a design or drawing, it instead creates a direct link to the courses. I am overall happy with the whole outcome of the poster, I feel like it uses graphics quite well and it is very clear what the poster is about. I believe it is eye-catching and shows a balance of the course taught at the university. I have been selective with the colours I have used, as the only colour on my poster is that of the textiles work. Even that is only really two colours, and is therefore not overly busy. I am happy with my choice of font, as it is clear and easy to read which is a vital aspect of the poster. I also used a size difference to split the important information and finer details such as contact details, but also ensured that all the writing is readable. After presenting my work in class, the feedback was that I should maybe lose the logo in the centre of my poster. Working from this, I decided to remove the logo and see how it looks. I have included both in my final page as I am not sure which I prefer. If I was to do my poster again, the one thing I would do differently is experiment with the figure illustration and make sure I get a clear choice, after considering different figures and angles. This being said, I am still happy with my choice of illustration. The only thing that might have been nice to do differently would be to be able to photograph and use final garment, however this is an unavoidable problem due to course dates and the time of year it is. I didn’t feel it was appropriate to use other years work or old work.
Week 3 During this week’s class, we were given the opportunity to go through InDesign. This was to act as a refresher for those who had used the software before and for those who hadn’t to learn the basic skills which are needed to successfully use it. For me this was just to run through the skills I already knew and also to allow me to experiment with this to look at layouts which I can create.
I decided that in Light of Week 3’s lecture that I would note down the simple functions of opening and laying out a simple indesign document. I began this by noting the simple opening of a document and how I would insert both and image and text. I then inserted text, which is too long for the text box, to refresh the Red Cross tool, which is used to move the end of the text to another textbox. Although I use all these tools on a daily basis, I wanted to jot them down as a reminder and as they are the basic skills needed for indesign, it is always good to have them handy.
I’ve then used these skills to experiment with some simpler layouts, which use 1 or 2 images on them. I have decided to this as I feel it will act as a guide when I come to do magazine layout work further on in the brief. I also feel it is important to start very simple, hence choosing to start with just a couple of images and I will then be able to build this up to more.
Week 4
This week’s brief is a Live Brief, an A3 poster for a University Fashion Conference being held Heriot Watt and the University of Leeds. Similarly to the other poster brief, the text has been given to us, which all of it must be used. The title of the Conference/ Poster is, ‘The Enterprise of Culture: International Structures and Connections in the Fashion industry. Harnessing Uncertainty: Social, cultural and economic capital in fashion’.
wider audience would need more research. I wanted to start by having a lot more graphic design within my work, I knew that I wanted to work into the photograph I have taken. Extending from the body and creating shapes further than the body. By doing this I hope to add a graphic element and another texture to the photograph and this will then allow me to have further creative control of the design.
Through doing this I hope to experiment more with The Poster has to attract a global audience of fashion graphic design work and develop my Photoshop skills creatives, this differs greatly from the first poster, as a to allow me to challenge and push my work further.
My inspiration for the graphic elements of my design idea comes from the album artwork of Disclosure. I took inspiration from this as it is part of contempary popular culture, something which I feel is important as it is a reflection of the culture around us. I think it is important to look at popular culture and to an extent embrace it, by no means should it stop there. We should always be ready to challenge it and push it to the very limit but it is always something which should be celebrated in its own right. I chose disclosure’s work as I really like the fact that the graphic elements work with the photographs to
emphasis parts of the image. They add to the image rather than overpowering it. The music also brings together a lot of different artists to create collaborations, something which I think works well with the conference idea. It is the concept of people coming together, a discussion element and also a celebrate of different people’s styles. This idea of bringing people together is something which I really want to capture within my work and a concept which I want to develop so it doesn’t just become the obvious but perhaps looks a bit different. In this idea it becomes eye-catching and ultimately serves its purpose.
I decided that I wanted my poster to show both male and female, I want it to be more universal than if I just used one person. I also wanted there to be relationship between the two and this is when I decided to merge the two together. I tried to line the features up fairly evenly so it didn’t look too out of place. I also decided to reduce the opacity on the top layer (female) to allow some of the bottom layer to be visible. This was to then create a collage effect and stop it looking too forced and out of place. I have also made the top layer smaller to create an almost handmade look, instead of looking overly computer generated. I then Decided I would use a split effect on both the faces, I decided to start with the base layer and use the originally planned Disclosure style outline of the facial features. I used a white thin
line as I felt the white would stand out the most in an otherwise fairly dark photograph (background and garments). I didn’t want the line to be too thick and to over power the photograph but instead work with it and just enhance features such as the eye. I next decided I wanted to work on the other half of the face and I want to draw more dynamic shapes, moving away from just outlining the face but instead almost deforming the face. I took inspiration from the images a couple of pages back. I really liked how graphic the designs were but also how they changed the perception that the audience has of the facial features. I decided to use the women’s face to change so drastically, as it is still a massive deal how different women and men are treated especially within a professional environment. As we hear most days in the
news, women are still paid significantly less per annual. In a sense this image shows how men are celebrated but women are changed or cover, however it is the same lines and in this it is still claiming to be the same. Whilst it is a lot subtler than it was in history. It is still a very real thing which effects thousands of women.
I added a frame into the image as I felt that it added a central focal point. I wanted this frame to draw the eye in. I also wanted to have the frame sit both over the image and behind it, to give the impression that the frame is within the image and not just stuck on top. By doing this adding depth to the whole image.
I decided to change the colours of the poster to monotone, I did this as I felt it added a more dramatic tone to it. Which I think adds to the message which it is saying. I also feel that it helps make the drawn elements stand out a lot more, making it a lot more visible at a slight glance. I felt that by purposely using monochrome colour scheme it made it stand out, especially amongst my peers and also show how you don’t need bright colours to make something eye-catching.
The text which has been inserted was given within the brief, however I tried to split it up a bit so that it wouldn’t be just one big chunk. I used a simple Century Gothic font choice, as I felt it was most important that the writing was easy to read. For this reason, I prioritised what would be need to be seen first and made these sections larger, therefore ensuring they could be seen from further away.
I am overall happy with the outcome of my final poster design, I feel that it has captured all I had wanted it to in terms of aesthetic. I think that one thing to improve on may be how well my message is coming across, it could be seen to be a bit lost within the poster. However, my peer feedback in class was overall positive, with them saying that it was eye-catching and easy to understand roughly what it was about. It is able to be read (main body of text) from a fair distance. I am happy with my decision to use monotone colour scheme, I think it helped tie the whole thing together and makes it seem a lot more professional. I also feel that I will be able to effectively link this in with the work I will do for next weeks brief. Again keeping to a professional work ethic.
Week 5
Extending on from the last brief, this week’s brief is an invitation to the event. I was given a set amount of text, all of which had to be included and could not be edited in any way. I also had to make sure it matched the poster which I created for the last brief. I decided that I wanted to look at it more as a webpage layout design, or at least this is where I wanted to begin my research. I also wanted to carry on the geometric element of my poster. However, after looking at the amount of text I was given I was unsure whether this would limit my design choices. I instead decided to extend the document, to create a scroll down invitation, this then accommodating for the amount of text, without it becoming too overly packed. I chose to look at these designs to look at as they’re all very clean and crisp, whilst the left image shows a variety of
Organised by Heriot-Watt University and the University of Leeds
designs which have an overlapping of imagery, similar to that of my poster. By extending this, I hope to create a consistency and create an ‘image’ which is associated with the event. I decided on using a white background for my design, because after looking at the examples shown I thought that a light background would help balance the design and give the impression of space within the design. I also feel that it adds more emphasis to the darker sections of the design and therefore draws the eye in, making it more interesting.
The Enterprise of Culture: International Structures and connections in the Fashion Industry Harnessing Uncertainty: Social, cultural and economic in capital fashion James Watt Conference Centre, Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh Thursday 10 March 2016 9.30am to 6.00pm You are invited to a conference this spring, organised by Heriot-Watt University and the University of Leeds on behalf of The Enterprise of Culture: International Structures and Connections in the Fashion Industry. Harnessing uncertainty: social, cultural and economic capital in fashion will take you on a journey through contemporary fashion. As the world continues to become more and more uncertain with questions relating to Sovereign identity, technological advances and climate change, the fashion industry must react. The fashion industry grapples with reinterpreting traditional ideas relating to national, cultural and gender identities and the impact it has on the planet at an environmental and human level- in addition to how vast technological shifts alter the way we expect to engage with fashion and the way fashion engages with us. In an ever-changing world and fluxing context we see fashion as a cultural phenomenon, attending to new challenges and reconciling its responsibility over trends such as fast fashion. Harnessing uncertainty: social, cultural and economic capital in fashion will give a novel perspective on the current state of fashion. It will conider the potential ways in which fashion addresses these big issues rather than being pat of their cause. The conference will provide a platform for speakers and delegates to question assumptions about the contemporary fashion industry and to scrutinise the place of fashion amidst some of the dominant global issues of today. Open to anyone with an interest in the business history of fashion, this event will bring together academics, fashion industry practitioners, professionals, students, archivists, museum curators and wider public audiences. It is free to attend but registration is required as places are limited. Please book your place here. The conference begins with registration and refreshments from 9.30am, with the sessions starting at 10.00am. Lunch will be provided. The event ends with a drinks reception from 5.00 to 6.00pm.
For more information please visit: www.enterpriseofculture.leeds.ac.uk
I started by working out from the original poster image, this is because I wanted to ensure I kept close to the design and made it flow. I then began to look at the shapes which had been created through the layered image, many of which a squares. This is then something which I wanted to extent further. I did so by creating more box like designs, but unlike many emailed formats I wanted to make it more geometric and less linear. For this I extended the draw boxes which were on the poster design, my aim with this was to draw the whole document together as I was aware it would be long and may start to look divided. I then add the text in a grey box, the colour being a swatch I took from the faces. However, I felt the overall image then lacked texture and felt too two dimensional. I avoided this by adding a section of texture taken from the t-shirt of the male model. I kept the font the same as the poster to ensure consistency. I feel that I have succeeded at my aim to create an email invite which links to my poster. I feel that it looks clean and professional. I think that my choice to continue the colour scheme across both poster and emailed document has allowed for a professional feel. If I was to do the project again I would like to create an interactive emailed design, however in this instance I was advised against it as the client had asked for specific measurement of design. This being said I am happy with the work which I have achieved, especially this being my first live brief.