Portfolio for Research, Development & Positioning.

UNIT EGRD6001

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BY KATRINA SCOTT

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B r i e f 1: R e s e a r c h Who Am I and What Do I Do? This was the proposed question to take into consideration in this research project.

It gave me an opportunity to look back at my previous work and experiences, in order to consolidate and reflect on my studies so far. Thus understanding my strengths, interests, and the professional industry I envisage working in.

After reflecting on my interests, hobbies, journey to here, previous University work, work-experience, skills, strengths, successes and weaknesses, it allowed me to make a realistic appraisal of my position within the subject of Graphic Design.

I considered the relationship between form and content to create the piece for my presentation. ‘Katbook’ was created to present my findings, resembling the current way society communicates over social networks sites. The name evolved from Facebook, along with the style of the design and layout. However instead of being a web-based piece, I made a publication version using InDesign. This was not only for presentation reasons and to create a physical copy, but to reflect my interest in the publishing Industry, which I discovered through the process of doing this brief.

The images displayed on this left hand page show the notes and ideas recorded in my sketchbook in response to this brief.

Shown above is the front cover and the brand identity I created for Brief 1.

The link for the digital version is: http://katrina.gdnm. org/2012/10/03/year-3-1st-brief/

This displays page’s 1 and 2 in the publication. It shows an insight into who I am, regarding my interests, hobbies and my journey of how I got to University.

In the publication, page’s 3 and 4 conveys my reflective analysis on my University work and myself.

This describes my particular subjects of interest and my reflection from working in the Reprographics Industry.

Page’s 5 and 6 in the publication illustrates my skills, strengths and successes. It takes into consideration my development from studying at A-levels to University and the success of undertaking work experience.

This shows page’s 7 and 8 in the publication, which demonstrates my weaknesses and failures I have learnt from. It also concludes my aspirations for the future that I have reached from doing this process of reflection.

The images on this page are of the physical version of the ‘katbook’ created for the completion of Brief 1.

Eva l u ati o n Brief 1: Research WHO AM I & WHAT DO I DO? For the completion of this brief I made a physical version, as well as an online publication, which showed all the research and reflection I had reached from exploring myself in depth.

The presentation of this piece was displayed digitally, while I verbally communicated my findings. There was also one copy of the book for everyone to look at in a physical form. Addressed below is my evaluation of how I answered the three categories that had to be considered in regards to this brief.

DIRECTION: FUNCTION My presentation highlighted a direction of interest in regards to an Industry I envisaged working in and a topic I wanted to explore further. My reflection on my work experiences was a big influence upon reaching these conclusions, as after working as a freelancer, at Haymarket, I knew I wanted to go into the publishing Industry. Also from reviewing previous work that was of interest to me, I established I was captivated by my Contextual Studies topic Digital Cultures from last year. From reviewing my explorations that I had done in relation to this topic in my Independent Practice work, I wanted to investigate elements further for this semester.

weaknesses and how my past work, combined with new experiences, have influenced what I wanted to pursue this year.

FEEDBACK I RECEIVED FROM THE TUTORS AND THE AUDIENCE: > It was interesting that my personal experience from working at Haymarket, highlighted the extreme use of airbrushing used in magazines. I could now look at before and after shots. > To consider the concept of the real or the unreal and reality or real life. > Before the presentation I thought of airbrushing as just being a current development in our digitalized world, but I learnt it goes back beyond that. Jack Cardiff, a British cinematographer, director and photographer used airbrushing in his work in the form of lighting. He had said in Hollywood how hard it was to get the lighting correct for the ‘older ladies’, as to be able to get them to look smooth faced, the angle of lighting is then not right for the rest of the scene. Now we use advanced technological skills to do that, but it was interesting to find out that it was still implemented years ago, just using different techniques.

ORIGINALITY: FORM My presentation was made in the style of facebook, which I then personalised to be titled ‘katbook’, as it was a reflection of me. I created it in the style of facebook to highlight that social networks are now predominantly used as a form of communication in society today. It was also to reflect the topic that I was interested in exploring, which is looking at our digitalized society.

EFFECTIVENESS: INTENT I feel the presentation conveyed the message I intended, showing where I came from, my strengths,

> To think about what I want to do for my Final Major Project.

WHAT I WANTED TO DO AFTER THE PRESENTATION Quoted from my blog: ‘I will explore the theories and people suggested to help gain focus and inspiration to my topic. I also want to think about and experiment with processes I have skills in, such as stop motion, photography, magazine layout, to help decide a route for my FMP.’

Left shows a print screen from The magCulture blog (http:// magculture.com/blog/). It has continuous updates aimed at people that are interested in editorial design, from magazines, newspapers, print or digital form.

The blog is written by a reliable source, Jeremy Leslie, who has worked 25 years in magazine design. He takes on suggestions and submissions from many others around the industry and the world.

From looking at this blog, the Nova cover struck me after my previous brief 1 presentation talking about airbrushing. The cover reiterates how a designer circles imperfections on images to get airbrushed. It is also a site that is full of inspirations and suggestion and a blog I will continue to look at.

B r i e f 2 : S u bj e c t a n d C o n t e x t After discovering from the first brief my interest in pursuing the publishing industry and looking at our digitalized society, this acted as a starting point to develop on to brief 2. The aim was to research and investigate the area of visual communication practice and to establish a likely direction to where I am heading. Therefore in order to fully explore the area of the publishing and magazine industry, which was of interest to me, I used a variety of research methodologies.

This was in the form of exploring through books, the Internet, visiting libraries, exhibitions, museums, lectures, personal experiences and communication with people in the Industry.

I found Chip Kidd’s talk on TED talks and it was an interesting insight into the publishing industry.

He has been designing books for 25 years.

“Much is to be gained by eBooks: ease, convenience, portability.

But something is definitely lost: tradition, a sensual experience, the comfort of thingy-ness — a little bit of humanity”, is a quote from the talk, which led me to research into eBooks versus the printed copy in todays society.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=cC0KxNeLp1E.

Above shows the helpful email response from Carl Price, who works at Haymarket Publishers.

He listed skills and qualities that they look for in us as students when recruiting.

Shown right is the notes I made from Luke’s talk on value systems.

The advertising used to increase magazines, made me think of Luke’s talk on Thursday. I thought it was interesting to hear about the evolution of the shoe. From being an item you would purchase for long-term use, then once advertising provoked desire, it left us with the culture of buying because of fashion, not necessity.

P r e s e n tati o n o f fi n di n g s I aspired to present my findings for the presentation in an interesting way and use this brief as another creative opportunity. Therefore I made a concertina book to form a journey to reflect my research process. It was also an experimentation in order to make another style of book publication, one that I have never made before. I handmade the book and produced a digital version for the purpose of my presentation. The design is based on the style of a train map, to replicate the process of research. Each finding and new discovery sent me down different routes, but it all seemed to link up, reminiscent of a train map.

Below shows all my explorations and research, which was expressed in the publication design I made.

These two images show the front and back cover design for my final book publication.

The link for the digital version is: http://katrina.gdnm. org/2012/10/16/journey-ofresearch/

These three photographs show the front, back and inside of the final publication.

Eva l u ati o n Brief 2: Subject and Context JOURNEY OF RESEARCH I started by investigating the Magazine Industry.

When researching, I went down different avenues and it led me to look into how publications today have become more digitalized. We live in a society that reads via iPads and kindles, which raised questions surrounding the printed copy.

To answer this brief I investigated through the use of various methodologies, including literature, the Internet, visiting exhibitions, museums, libraries, lectures, personal work experience and interview.

This allowed me to gain knowledge of the history of magazines, the relevant future changes to the industry and how to get into the industry today.

All of which were addressed and shown in my final publication book.

The presentation was shown digitally and I verbally told my journey I had experienced from researching over the two weeks. I also had a hand-made copy, supportive of the digital version, to reflect my findings that through evolution in technology there is a rise in the use of digital eBook’s that could pose a threat to the physical books existence.

FEEDBACK I RECEIVED FROM THE TUTORS AND THE AUDIENCE: The feedback I received highlighted I had used my time and space to create an in-depth research and investigative piece of work, which I felt I was more informed from doing this process. Ally thought my story of seeing books on Amazon selling for 1p “was in itself lovely”. The tutors discussed how with new technology it is easier to make a physical printed book now and therefore easier to make my own publication of professional standard. It was interesting to hear from Mike how Kindle’s have changed from big wedged shaped devices, where people thought it would never catch on, but after development, as seen today, it is a world wide product. It is now considering the illustrative side, which was not really considered before and if I was making a digital publication I would have to thoroughly research this from all angles.

The feedback concluded with “It is now about more researching, making and doing”. This is what led me to carry on my research to help gain inspiration for ideas I wanted to try out and explore.

B r i e f 3 : Ac ti o n R e s e a r c h P r a x i s After my research and analysis from brief one and brief two it provided me with an in depth knowledge of my skills, interests and aspirations to prepare me for the final brief for semester one. In order to identify and produce a proposal for my Final Major Project, I commenced an active research approach. I visited talks, exhibitions, lectures, watched documentaries and read literature in books, in the media and on the Internet. From exploring through proactive research I generated lots of ideas. I experimented with different techniques, processes and tested out ideas conceptually and pragmatically. This section of the portfolio reflects my journey to the formation of my FMP proposal.

Displayed are the inside pages of the publication I made using the notes from the talk.

The link for the digital version is: http://katrina.gdnm. org/2012/10/26/notes-thoughtsfrom-the-book-as-artefact-talk/

T h e ta l k ‘ B o o k A s A rt e fac t ’ I produced a publication of my notes I made from visiting the talk ‘Book as Artefact’ held at the Free Word Centre in London. It was a great talk that led on from my research I done regarding eBooks and the future for the physical book. There was a brilliant panel, hosted by Sam Winston, of illustrious researchers, academics and practitioners, which made personal responses to a series of provocative, questions, images and statements related to the changing face of the book in recent times. It was a great pleasure to meet Sam Winston and speak with him after the talk, as I have used his work as inspiration for briefs in year one and two.

On reflection from the talk and reviewing the notes I had made when making the publication, I felt it is a topic that will never draw to a conclusion, because only the future will tell. The talk covered a lot of angles with the positives and negatives for the book and the eBook. I feel there is a place for both. The physical book, as it can not run out of battery, can not break if you drop it and you can not beat the feel and textures of it and some books become a sentimental object.

With the digital book, it can be useful for representing data, it can go on a kindle or iPad that can store thousands of books in one item and is moving with the times of advanced technology. It does not mean the digital will replace the physical book, like photography did not replace paintings and television did not replace the radio, they can live together.

The notes I had made from this talk were seen to be interesting and helpful to others, as from uploading this publication on issuu.com it recorded that 254 people had look at it and it also had positive commentary from my fellow student Nicole, shown below.

W o r k s h o p by Pat F r a n c i s I found the workshop by Pat to be really helpful. It focused me to just get started when I had a lot going on in my brain.

The workshop provoked me to get down my ideas in a way of a brainstorm and then I could progress from there. This blue sheet, shown at the bottom of the page, suggests a great way to start off the writing process. Another tip I picked up was to warm up the brain by doing a quick exercise to get me thinking before I start writing. Also, to consider there is always different ways and viewpoints to look at my work. It can be helpful to take my own idea and think of it in different styles. Like the book, ’99 Ways to Tell a Story’.

After going to the workshop by Pat Francis I wrote down my initial ideas and thoughts to help me start this brief. I could then pick out certain avenues I was interested in to explore further.

M ik e ’ s Ta l k : REAL / UNREAL The lecture held by Mike was an provoking talk. My notes, picture the points I felt were interesting an process that was reiterated was to task or problem, then DRAW, WR until you have a solution. This is a pr not only with work I produce at U working in the Industry. It made m write down lists and notes. I alway my bed that I constantly go to, so I thinking before I forget it.

The Dementia Campaign case stud to me, as I lost my Grandad who s The Buddi band and the help dogs M idea’s, which if they had been avai ago would have been a monumen family. I showed my Nan and Mum t livingwellwithdementia.com, and th Dementia is being helped and publi awareness when my Grandad was many options to deal with it.

It made me think how design can be With campaigns, like the one from t it is a better way to work if the subj me and to be designing with meanin industry I feel if my job does not nec I would like to do design work like t

UNREAL n inspiring and thought ed right, are a record of nd inspiring. For me the o THINK, to define the RITE and then repeat this rocess that I will be using University, but also when me think of how I like to ys have a ‘post-it’ pad by I can get down what I’m

dy was a personal subject suffered with Dementia.

Mike mentioned are vital ailable to us three years ntal help to him and my the website, http://www. hey were also so pleased icised, as there was little s first diagnosed and not

e used in a significant way. the Design Council, I feel ject means something to ng. When working in the cessary work in that way, that in my personal time.

V i s ua l R e s e a rc h Three areas of interest to me from my previous research and shown in my initial thoughts were, an airbrushed society, life with physical and digital books and the virtual world looking at the real and the unreal. A process I find helpful is research and imagery, which then inspires me with ideas and provokes areas of interest. I visually researched into the three areas of interest and collated my findings into visual brainstorms to help spark some ideas.

After visual research into topics I was interested in, society ‘airbrushed’, virtual world and the physical and digital book, I then analysed why, who, how and what the subject matter would be for each one. Shown right is my mind map of these considerations.

Above shows my Initial Ideas after my meeting with Mike.

Below is the image I had created to reflect airbrushing. It provoked the question, is it more shocking to see a male figure in the same way?

The imagery, shown at the top, I made in response to watching the Pride of Britain awards and shown below that is a still taken from it. It was an inspirational programme.

I created the image below using Gavin Henson, as he has been highlighted in magazines for wearing fake tan and using beauty products. It is to reflect the new generation of men that use just as much products as women.

I digitall reflect ‘ to refle and do i to creat themse figure is ‘geek sh

Johnny Depp was made a ‘pinup’ as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean. He shows how men can wear makeup and women still find him just as attractive.

ly put this piece together to ‘The New Man’. It is meant ect what some men use in society today, in order te an idealistic version of elves. The screen printed s based on the new trend of heek’.

The original screen print is shown at the top and below shows the version with text. This was in response to the question, is it vain to take care in your appearance?

P r ac ti c a l e x p e r im e n tati o n After presenting these initial thoughts in a meeting with Mike it made me consider what to do next and ideas to try out.

I had done a lot of research and now needed to practically experiment with work. Mike pointed out that the two main things in design are TEXT and IMAGERY. This is something I took into consideration when producing more work.

An interesting perspective on the airbrushing topic was raised, to investigate how men now can be just as influenced as women, yet there is less discussion on them.

I created this typographic piece, shown below, to establish a thought-provoking question.

On reflection of this talk and from being asked by Mike about my own opinion on the subject and thinking how I portray myself, normally with the hair done and made-up, it made me think why? Initially I thought it was because I never did as a teenager and it was only at 17 that I started dying my hair and wearing makeup. Then when I really thought about it, I feel it is down to confidence. I was really shy at secondary school. Going to sixth form, combined with getting a job and getting ‘made-up’, allowed me gain confidence. I believe it is like a comfort mechanism. Therefore it could be the same with men. It makes them feel better, so they have more confidence. Or should ‘men be men’?

After this meeting I stated on the blog I wanted ‘to explore processes of combing photography with illustration and typography. Along side experimenting with techniques such as, screen-print and hand drawn elements.’

Shown on this page are my initial practical experiments, using imagery, text, screen printing and digital manipulation using Photoshop.

I n iti a l m e r gi n g e x p e r im e n tati o n I merged an image of James Cordon with David Beckham to contrast an unconventional icon with a stereo typical one.

James is mainly well loved because of his great personality and humour, whereas David is more admired for his looks.

It raised the question, what does a person find attractive?

I feel personality is the most important thing, there is no point just being able to look at someone and have nothing else. It was interesting merging the two images together. The original image was Beckham modelling for Armani and then James Cordon had recreated a funny version that I merged together using Photoshop. It resulted in a rather strange figure. I tried both angles out, so one has a face slightly more of Beckham and the other of Cordon.

These two images provoked commentary on my blog, demonstrating how the unusual imagery, created by merging, makes an eye-catching image.

Agi n g e x p e r im e n tati o n After experimenting with merging David Beckham and James Cordon together, I thought about reflecting the ageing process. Last year I recreated iconic images of Marilyn Monroe. I chose Marilyn because she died before she grew old, so I was inspired to show what she would look like if she had of lived to an elderly age. This is shown at the top of the page.

I wanted to develop on this idea with the use of an iconic man. I chose Elvis Presley, as like Marilyn Monroe, he is forever remembered as iconic beauty and both died young (Marilyn aged 36 and Elvis aged 42).

The process of this shows how the use of airbrushing can not only make people look younger and in some cases create a ‘perfect’ version, but can create the opposite, projecting a future aged form of themselves. On one level it can destroy the mental image societies has built of these icons.

Even though Elvis Presley towards his later years became overweight, these images of him are rarely represented and the young, handsome icon is the one that is retained.

Furthermore demonstrating the culture we live in likes to portray the best image of ones self. In another respect, the manipulation of an iconic image can give society a chance to see them in a way they have never seen them before.

USING THE UNREAL TO REFLECT WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN THE REAL.

I n v e s tig ati n g S e l f im ag e After manipulating images it made me think how people can manipulate there own image, whether that is physically by wearing makeup and wearing fashionable clothes or mentally manipulating an image of themselves, which in extreme cases can cause anorexia.

From looking at male influences, I wanted to represent in a piece of work, how photos and imagery projected in the media can create an idealistic male.

I experimented will illustration, starting off by drawing a self portrait. Instead of doing a straight replica of myself I drew one half as me with make up on and the other half looking natural. I realised from testing out my drawing abilities that it is not my strongest skill.

After reading an article on Jeremy Gillitzer, who was a model and developed an eating disorder, which resulted sadly in him passing away only at the age of 38, it made me consider the consequences of negative self-image. Female body issues and disorders are vastly published, yet little is seen about men. It made me think, why is this the case?

There can be negative consequences of becoming influenced by imagery of a ‘perfect male’, it can distort a person’s perspective of their body image.

This can result in mental and physical disorders. When playing around on Photoshop distorting a face, I created interesting, abstract images, shown right.

Photographs taken from the Wellcome Collection exhibitions.

W o r k i n s pi r e d by t h e e x h ibiti o n The first exhibition I saw in the Wellcome Collection was the Georgie Meadows: stitched drawings. I thought it was a worth while exhibition to see, not only because it highlighted a meaningful message regarding the elderly, but also to see her process of illustrating by stitching into fabric. It was clear when reading the supportive explanation of what each piece was representing; that the image, material used and the style, have all been considered to reflect the message. When looking at the different ways they had been displayed; on a wall, laid in a cabinet, in a jar and standing up, highlighted to me the way work is displayed also helps convey a message and can give different perspectives. For instance the display of three pieces standing up, in a double sided see-through case, allowed us as a viewer to see both the front illustrative side and the back working stitched side. The back of the piece was just as interesting and allowed me to see the process of how she made the front image.

I looked around the other exhibitions, with the bonus that it was free to go in, and I considered the layout of the different exhibition pieces. I enjoy visiting different places and realised it can give me a great insight into how work can be contextualised and presented, which will help in the consideration for my FMP exhibition.

After visiting the exhibition, the stitched drawings that represented the elderly, made me think of that generation.

I reflected on how attitudes have changed in society today in many aspects. In relation to my experimentation I looked through my family’s sentimental photographs, letters and collections left by my grandparents. I decided to experiment with imagery from my grandads items, inspired by the idea I had seen from the display of Georgie’s work, where I could see two perspectives (front and back). The pieces are shown on the right and over the next double page spread.

On reflection I think showing two perspective was interesting, but I needed to loosen up my style. For example ripping into the images more freely.

After posting the photographs of my nans hands on my blog, Daniel Jarvis recommended an interesting man to look at, which inspired me for my next experimentation using photography.

E x p e r im e n t s wit h p h oto g r a p h y I photographed my nans hands using my digital Canon EOS 400D camera. I experimented with different processes. I made the photograph look older like my grandad’s original images, looked at a macro perspective, compared black and white versus colour imagery and added text. The text was to give meaning to the image. Instead of using an obvious image, I wanted to try to make the text create the content. I feel this worked best when the text was in its simplest form, such as beauty, and placed on the original high contrasted photograph. The word beauty is not a word that initially would be put together with the image of my nans hand, but this is why it works. It stimulates thoughts and makes the viewer think twice when looking at the image.

I asked if I could have some Haymarket proofs for examples, but as they are live magazines I would not be able to reveal them.

Above show similar examples of proofs I would receive that I found on google images.

Pictured is my note book from working at Haymarket.

R e to u c h i n g A n n otati o n s From working in reprographics From personal experience of working in the reprographics department at Haymarket I know the process behind annotating and retouching magazines. I would print out and take up the proofs of the pages I had been working on. The designer, which was working on that particular magazine, would then annotate corrections onto the proofs I had given them. This was by circling and underlining parts of the images and text they wanted changing.

They would annotate what they wanted amending in accordance with what they had circled or underlined.

The alterations could be just simply colour balancing corrections and to brighten up an image, to then having a lot of annotations, for example wanting to add shadows, correct or even skin tone, removing parts of the image and merging images.

I spoke to Carl Price, who is the assistant manager at Haymarket and who I still remain in contact with, he said that ‘the annotations made on the proofs are a form of communication between the Graphic Design team and the Pre-Press Reprographics team. It allows us to get the magazine to the finest finish, that both the designer and the client, if involved, wants to achieve.’ It shows that the circling and underlining on these proofs are a language in itself and is a process to make sure the image and text are looking and reading perfectly.

I looked back at my notebook I had used at Haymarket, which I ended up filling with lots of information to help me remember processes, skills and techniques. It was interesting to review what techniques they had showed me, ranging from how to do basic to high-end reprographics.

I started recording the information while I was on work experience, so I could remember what they had told me for when I had to do it on my own.

This came in handy to refresh my memory when I went back two months later to work there through summer. I added even more hints and tips when I went back. The amount of notes I had made on the Adobe software, gave me an indication of how much these software programmes are used in the magazine industry and the vast capabilities it can do. This is why they are used all the time.

I wanted to recreate the process of annotation on images by using photographs of myself, one showing me when I was younger at high school and one more recently, both showing me more stripped back. I used the circling technique the designers used at Haymarket and used stitching to draw on the images.

I then photographed the back of image showing just the stitching, like at Georgie Meadows exhibition. It demonstrates how the back of a piece of work can just be as interesting. These are shown right.

A l ly s Ta l k : B e yo n d t h e s u r fac e The talk by Ally was a great opportunity to hear about her work outside of teaching us, and her process of how she got to where she is today. It was interesting to find out how when she first went to St Martins, like myself, her family had never done anything similar and it was a new environment to be in. It showed me how from Ally’s life experiences, such as working in different places and going back into education, led her to different opportunities. It made me think how you can end up in places you never thought of before. I think her job opportunity to San Francisco looked amazing, which is a great life experience, learning curve and a chance to be inspired by a new culture, so I feel working abroad could be something to look at, further down the line.

When Ally was talking about research, it reiterated to me the importance of good research. For research to go beyond the surface, to allow results to take me beyond what I know and being active about the process. You can use research to help get inspiration, sale ideas to clients, and to gain feedback. It was interesting to see the exhibition piece that was interactive and it had designed a feedback area within their exhibition space.

As Ally stated ‘Good Research = Good Design’.

F u rt h e r E x p e r im e n tati o n I tried merging the masculine with the feminine. This was to reflect how the stereotypical female traits, like putting on makeup, have become a blurred line between what is masculine and what is feminine. By working in layers on Photoshop it also allowed me to experiment with printing the different layers onto acetate.

C o n s id e r ati o n o f l a n g u ag e I feel the topic of airbrushing is most important to young adults and teenagers, as I think that is an age when you are most impressionable to conform and ‘fit in’. I looked at how society today has created a new language that is typically used on social network sites and via texts. Similar to morse code, it is a coding of abbreviations that are used for communication. Therefore this should be considered if designing for that targeted market.

The image shown right was a piece I made previously to reflect ghosts.

L u k e ’ s P r e s e n tati o n : E n t e r G h o s t Enter ghost by Luke was a different approach compared to the two lectures by Mike and Ally. All were insightful lectures and helpful. It was also nice to get a diverse content over the three talks. Luke spoke about a subject that he was personally interested in, concerning ghosts. He showed the use of different techniques; such as photography and film, to record, replicate and recreate the idea of ghosts.

Having a keen interest personally in photography it was interesting to see the different ways and era’s ghosts were used, and how it differs from today. There is the literal sense, such as capturing an image of a ghost and then the idea of photo-manipulation in photography, that can remove people from an image making them a ghost.

As well as the talk giving me an in depth perception into a topic I had never thought about in such a way, it made me think how an interest in something, gives you passion, and that passion makes you want to create (seen in Luke’s own work exploring the subject). It makes me think of when I am really interested in something, it automatically sparks thoughts and ideas.

B o o k B i n di n g Wo r k s h o p

By Mette Ambeck It was not only a really helpful workshop; teaching me a new skill to make a hard covered hand-made book without the need of too much specialized equipment, I also saw inspirational hand-made books made by Mette herself, and as well as that I had the feeling of great satisfaction that I made a professional looking hand-made book. Mette made a helpful booklet for us to keep with the process of how to do it, which was used when I practiced the method out again.

The way she taught us by physically doing the process herself, stage by stage, and then letting us do a bit at a time was an easy and helpful method, as it can get a complicated process.

I used this workshop to learn the skill of making a hand-made book, as I am making a publication for my FMP and have the decision whether to make it by hand or creating a PDF and getting it professionally printed.

For this experiment I deliberately chose paper that was different textures, as that is what I think is the

biggest advantage of a hand-made book. I loved how it turned out, with the different coloured and textured pages, along with my hand-made embossed cover.

It was a process that I am glad I tried out, as the consideration of time and planning is needed with a hand-made book. The workshop was 10-30 till about 5, (this also included demonstrations, so it could be done quicker a second time round) but shows the length of time it can take. That was for a 20 paged book, so the consideration of the amount of pages would have to be thought about in relation to how long it would take. There is also the layout to consider, as a 20 page book was made out of 5 sections of 4 pages sewn together, therefore the pages will be in a different order once they are put together, so this has to be planned out first.

It was a useful workshop that has given me a lot to think about to come to my final decision of whether to make a hand-made version.

I n s pi r ati o n : s m a l l P u b l i s h e r s fa i r I went to the Small Publishers Fair for the opportunity to see a range of publishers work and to gain inspiration. I envisaged making a book publication for my FMP and the content to be aimed at adolescent teenagers, which can be an age that you are impressionable and easily influenced. I felt I needed to decide on a style of book publication. I brought the three books shown photographed, which led me to think of some ideas to try out.

On the right hand side of this double page spread shows my sketches of my initial ideas. These are based on my initial concept to highlight the use and effects of airbrushing.

P RAC T I C I N G M Y D AR K ROO M S K I LLS I came across my Independent Practice shoot I created last year, where I had explored an ‘airbrushed society’. I had made Louise and Lucy heavily made-up and wearing bold clothing to represent the freedom we have in today’s society to wear and look how we want. However with pressure from idealistic images, a lot of society gets enticed to conform and look a certain way. As I still had the negatives, I used my cousin’s darkroom, to re-print a few copies manually, shown over this double page spread.

E x p e r im e n tati o n wit h p h oto g r a p h y Testing out my ideas using manual and digital photography After Daniel Jarvis commented on my previous photography, of my nan’s hands, he recommended looking at Andrzej Dragan. After seeing Andrzej’s personal photographs and his client work on his website, I thought his images were striking. This inspired me for my male photo-shoot to use a black and white, high contrasted style.

The aim of the photo-shoot was to experiment with manual and digital photography, carrying on with the topic of the ‘new man’ and the new preconceptions surrounding male stereotypes.

Initially I used the gym setting (shown on the right), but on reflection I thought it would be better to take the photographs in a neutral setting with a plain background.

A selection of the photographs I had taken in a neutral setting are shown over the next two double page spreads. These were selected out of the 200 photographs I had taken of the two male model volunteers using my Canon EOS 400D digital camera.

I chose my dad to reflect the older generation and 22 year old Jack to reflect the younger generation.

M e r gi n g t h e m a s c u l i n e wit h t h e f e mi n i n e wit h t h e u s e o f c o l o u r Using a few of the photographs from the photo-shoot I used the merging technique, I had experimented with before, to add a hint of colour in order to contrast with the black and white images. I intended for the hint of colour to draw the eye to the important parts of the photograph. These were the suggestive elements in the image that indicate a feminine trait that is within a man.

E x p e r im e n ti n g F u rt h e r wit h T e x t, Stitc h i n g & T e x t u r e Using imagery and text I experimented with techniques I have tried previously with my new photographs. I used the stitching process in both the written and imagery format. I also investigated the effect of layering textures, by scanning in material to merge with the original photograph. These explorations are shown on the right and the following double page spread. I feel the stitching technique is effective and a unique, interesting style.

N e g ativ e B o o k I d e a : M a n u a l SLR From the negatives produced after using a manual SLR camera for the photo-shoot, alongside my digital camera, I wanted to experiment with using the negative as the image.

A negative is the raw form of an image and it holds the original copy. This means it is the image before editing and airbrushing, which makes me think of what an image is like before the editing process.

Shown right is a display of all 36 pages from the book, Negative Truth.

The two images shown left show pages from inside the printed version of the book.

The two images below show the pages, which once printed, were too dark.

The two images above show the front and inside pages of the printed version of the Negative Truth book.

E x p e r im e n tati o n wit h N e g ativ e s Negative Truth The idea of using negatives was an experiment in order to design a new book and an exploration into a new technique, to scan in negatives to use as a final image. Using InDesign I created a 36 paged publication, which I printed out and glue-bound, to see how the negatives work in a book format. Being negatives, they are sometimes unclear and are a small image, so I needed to test out the picture quality.

On the screen some looked clearer than the print out version. This happened when the image was too dark. Therefore what I have learnt is to check the brightness once the negative has been scanned in and before printing a final copy I would need to print out a test version to check the quality of each image.

As well as a printed copy I made a digital version from uploading the Pdf to Issuu.com. This was to have it on my blog ready for my final presentation and also to see how many views are recorded, to get an insight into how popular it was. Based on the fact I get a limited amount of people looking at my site, I was impressed that I received 264 impressions in 21 days, when I checked on the 11th December. This infers that the book of negatives was eye-catching and of interest to the public.

This is the link to the digital publication shown on my blog: http://katrina.gdnm.org/2012/11/20/photoshoot-manual-slr/

P h o t o g r a p h s ti l l s t o c r e at e m o vi n g im a g e

I had a series of images that I had taken on sports mode using my digital camera, that when I flicked through quickly it showed movement. This gave me the opportunity to test out a flip book idea. Instead of printing out all the pages I tested out how the photographs would show a moving image by making a stop motion film, exploring how a flip book can use movement to tell a story.

This is the link to the final moving image produced, shown on my blog: http://katrina.gdnm.org/2012/11/20/flip-book-stills-used-to-make-moving-image/

Sto p m oti o n e x p e r im e n tati o n The images on the right show four stills from the stop motion film. This was created using 36 stills from my digital camera, which were exported at 9fps. This created a 4 second film.

Therefore it demonstrates the large amount of images needed to make a stop motion film, if only 4 seconds worth of film is created by using 36 stills at a relatively low frames per second.

R e f l e c ti o n After my blog presentation As I had documented my Action Research on my blog, I thought it was the best way to present my findings and my explorations for my final presentation.

The presentations were a great opportunity to see other people’s work and experimentation, as well as gaining feedback for myself. It was nice to see an interesting and diverse range of work in the group. I felt it was a good time for me to present my work to get feedback, as I needed to step back from what I had created, think and reflect on what I had done, and what to do next. From what Luke said, this semester is the opportunity to make a proposal to act as a blueprint for when we go into semester 2 (after having a gap to finish our dissertations), so it will remind us to pick up from where we left off.

Therefore I had three weeks left to make a clear and informed decision as to what my FMP will be; knowing how, who and why. With this in mind I experimented more in the time I had left.

My feedback was positive from the presentation to the amount of interesting stuff I had explored and my active process of going to places, but it was now time to decide what I wanted to pursue further. As I had shown a lot of activity, I felt it maybe hard to narrow down what I wanted to take further for my FMP, but was my target over the following three weeks.

I was happy to hear they thought my photography was strong. I used my knowledge of lighting and setting up a ‘make-shift’ photo studio from my A-level photography skills.

Further exploration: Luke mentioned looking at Cindy Sherman. When I had a look into her work, the meaning behind her photography is similar to what I wanted to covey. Her work is described on the website in tribute to her (http://www. cindysherman.com) ‘Sherman uses herself as a vehicle for commentary on a variety of issues of the modern world: the role of the woman, the role of the artist and many more. It is through these ambiguous and

eclectic photographs that Sherman has developed a distinct signature style. Through a number of different series of works, Sherman has raised challenging and important questions about the role and representation of women in society, the media and the nature of the creation of art.’

I looked into her work further, as it was interesting that she specifically raised female issues and I have looked at raising awareness of male current issues in society.

From speaking to Rebecca after my presentation, she said it had reminded her of a friend that told her about CALM and that suicide is the biggest killer for young men in the UK. CALM (campaign against living miserably) is a campaign and charity that is targeted at young men to offer support with a help line, magazine and online community.

Statistics from looking at their website (http://www. thecalmzone.net/what-is-calm/) stated that: ‘Men are three times more at risk of suicide than young women – in 2010 75% of suicides were men. But while smoking and knife crime make the headlines, suicide is the biggest killer. Most men who take their own lives aren’t in contact with any other agency, and don’t identify with much out there. When asked, what they indicated they wanted was practical, anonymous, confidential help from professionals. Which is why CALM was formed.’

When I found out men were 3 times more at risk of suicide than women I was shocked. I initially thought that women are far more emotional so they would be more vulnerable, but after thinking about it, some men don’t like to talk about feelings and they tend to bottle up their emotion, therefore this could be why. From what they stated about what makes the headlines in the media, it reiterated my thoughts, that issues surrounding men are not publicised, unless it is stereotypical issues.

My email to Calm and Niamh Brophy’s positive response.

The screen grab from my google search for retouched Images.

R e s e a rc h U s i n g Goog le S e a rc h f o r R e to u c h e d I m ag e s I searched in google ‘retouched images before and after’, to investigate how many of the image results were showing retouched imagery of men. As the screen grab reflects above, 99% of the images were of women. It showed only one male on the bottom line and when looking through all the pages women’s imagery dominated the results from this search. It highlights my concerns that men are not being considered and published in the same way as women. Male photographs go through the exact same process as female images and are airbrushed in the same way, but never shown or scrutinized. This can result in men not being aware that idealistic imagery is also being created for them and it is not just women.

The screen grab of the results for the google search for ‘airbrushed campaigns targeted at women’.

Two examples of case studies on the use of airbrushing in society.

R e s e a rc h u s i n g g o og l e s e a rc h to s e e f e m a l e a n d m a l e r e p r e s e n tati o n After my findings using google, for retouched images, showing virtually only female imagery, I wanted to see what results I could find for gender targeted campaigns. The shocking outcome was that even though I specifically typed men, only women campaigns came up. After researching further there has been no big campaigns targeted at men.

Reiterating again how men are not considered in the same way as women, even though men can be just as affected by airbrushed, unobtainable imagery. With statistics presented

by CALM, it demonstrates how vulnerable men are, and argued can be more affected, with men being three times more at risk of suicide and 75% of suicides are men.

When further exploring the web links where the images had originated from, it led me to lots of different case studies on the use of airbrushing in society. A controversial case was the Dove Real Beauty campaign. Dove wanted to promote a new generation of beauty stereotypes. They created thought-provoking ads, confidence-building programs and messages that embrace all definitions of beauty. However The New Yorker ran a profile of the touch-up master, Pascal Dangin, who suggested those “real life” Dove bodies were in fact digitally manipulated in post production. This article contradicts what the campaign was all about. It demonstrates how much airbrushing is thought to be needed in advertising and is ironic that is used in an anti-airbrushing campaign. It illustrates how in todays society it is tough to know what is natural and ‘real’ anymore.

The screen grab shows the results for the google search ‘airbrushed campaigns targeted at men’.

T h e B o dy B e au tif u l SEASON The BBC3 Series It was a series of programmes on BBC3 from the 19th – 28th November, exploring whether changing your body makes you feel happy. In the first episode ‘I Want to Change My Body’, it highlighted that body dissatisfaction in the UK is high, particularly among young people. What I found was reiterated was their view of this ‘unobtainable image the media has created.’ From the episode on ‘Inside the Body Beautiful’ it showed them doing an interactive study to find out how important personality is and the research showed that it does count. The male used in the study had his score for attractiveness increase by 20%, from the initial reaction that was just based on looks, to after showing his nice personality.

Demonstrating personality counts, but it stated how our generation does not find satisfaction in that and are more than ever having plastic surgery in the pursuit to resemble the idealistic imagery.

In the episode, ‘I hate my body: Skinny Boys and Muscle Men’, it shows four men in their attempt to achieve their dream physique. It stated ‘80% of British men hate the way they look’. It also showed Scott (a body builder trying to tone his physic down) say after seeing Matt with his girlfriend and daughter (who wanted to change from being skinny) ‘He envies my muscles in my life but if I could find someone to be like this with I’d swap my past in a heart beat.’

Demonstrating that looks are not everything and there are more important things in life.

In the ‘Free Speech’ episode it then debated about issues society faces today. It had a debate about the

media’s role in the issue surrounding this idealistic image. Some believed it was ‘dangerous there isn’t enough diversity in the media.’ There was a small study on images that were in advertisement in the area. Out of 174 images only 2 were plus sized models and 90% were tall, slim and white. This suggests how specific imagery is repeatedly used.

It then went on to debate, should the media be regulated?

There are ‘unobtainable imagery of skinny figures on catwalks, to unobtainable curvy figures, because unless your naturally like that, its unachievable seen in music videos.’ However it is our responsibility for are own reactions. ‘It is about education and awareness, not about regulating and restricting’.

They stated on average we would see 5000 Photoshoped images a week. It was argued that the airbrushing might just be used to get the colour balance to reflect a more real representation. It is not always extreme airbrushing used. However it is evident that we live in a society surrounded by Photoshoped imagery.

I thought it was a brilliant series highlighting current issues faced in society today. It reiterates that there is a need to talk about, and raise awareness of, the subject of self-image and airbrushing, which can have an extreme impact on people in society. I have sent an email to BBC3 through their website contact page and I am awaiting to hear a response.

F u rt h e r e x p e r im e n tati o n After thinking more about the CALM campaign, what is pertinent was the way a lot of men don not like to talk about or express their feelings. The campaign offers confidential and anonymous support in their attempt to build a place for men to feel comfortable to contact.

I created these pieces, shown above, to promote the idea of revealing yourself, to talk about even the most personal worries and problems. This is to highlight not to suffer in silence. The first image resembles the peeling action, reflecting the unravelling of a person, which can conceal many layers that may not be visible on the surface. The second image is reflecting hidden feelings. What seems to be an average stereotypical masculine man portrayed on the outside, really he is hiding his underneath emotion of wanting to wear makeup. My aim was to create thought-provoking imagery, which I felt these do.

I also wanted to create a piece that demonstrates what Photoshop can do, but in a way that is slightly subtle and creates an interesting image. I used the Adobe Photoshop icon; in the way a brand would leave a stamp (a logo) on their adverts. Inferring imagery should be branded with the Photoshop icon on everything it has been used on. It would be interesting to see then how much imagery would have the ‘Photoshop logo’ on it. I predict almost everything. The image shown right is my final outcome.

F u rt h e r d e v e lo pm e n t wit h m e rgi n g I experimented with the process of merging to reflect the diverse thoughts humankind has. I took the perspective of what is being portrayed on the outside, is not what is felt on the inside. The photographs are displaying the stress and worry that these feelings can cause, alongside projecting what they are concerned about. I feel it is a way of exposing the thoughts that are in a person’s head (the physically unreal) and putting them beside their actual self (real life).

Rippi n g : F u rt h e r e x p e r im e n tati o n I explored making montages out of a selection of the images I had previously created. It was a reflection of the personalities I was trying to convey in the photographs. They were both men hiding their true feelings.

I also experimented with the method of tearing up the photographs and then replacing them to make a new image.

I think it created a new dimension to the images and can juxtapose issues of both a young and older man.

Addi n g T e x t To I m ag e ry I experimented further with adding text to my photographs.

I explored this before by stitching words and imagery over the photos, so I wanted to take this further by trying different types of coloured text to contrast with the black and white images. I aimed to make the text create more meaning to the image and in some cases juxtapose the two together.

Idealistic imagery used in the 1950s-60s is shown right. This piece is my interpretation of the imagery and information from http://history-and-film.tripod.com/ roles.html.

Right shows imagery of the Daily Mails coverage at the time, along side campaign imagery. The Daily Mail reflected the established view, and called them ‘militant suffragettes’ with an ‘impossible scheme’. However four years and one Great War later, women were granted the vote.

R e s e a r c h : E x p l o r ati o n o f W o m e n a n d G e n de r Ro le s I then wanted to investigate into the transition in regards to female gender roles through the years, considering how gender preconceptions have changed and what is the meaning of gender roles in society today.

My research surrounding the area of gender roles, specifically considering women, allowed me to gain further knowledge of the changes through history and gave me inspiration for new ideas to explore.

Historic Gender Roles: In television and magazines women’s roles were depicted into the common stereotypes, targeted towards women and built up the understood roles of women and obligations to their families as mother and wife. It created pressures from all sides to conform. Therefore in previous generations women posed no threats to their husbands idealized masculine and feminine understanding. This understanding that helped society return to normalcy after World War II. As women at home were being reassured that their roles were tight, and necessary, their daughters were also being taught the ways of family life. Encouraged to continue on the tradition of the homemaker, stay at home mother, and perfect wife. Educational films displayed the usefulness in a full education in Home Economics, and why these skills were imperative for young girls. Education previously was used merely as a waiting period while husbands prepared for careers that would win bread for the awaiting family.

Pressures to conform and perpetuate normality started from a very young age.

Equality for women: A historic, pivotal change for women was fighting the right of equality to men and although Women’s suffrage in the United Kingdom began in 1832, it was only after the first world war that in 1918 the Representation of the People Act 1918 was passed, enfranchising women over the age of 30 who met minimum property qualifications. The Representation of the People Act 1928 extended the voting franchise to all women over the age of 21.

Shown right are two images of 1950s adverts and two modern adverts for the washing detergent Tide. Evidently the cultural feeling of the time period is reflected in the style of the adverts.

Ac c e pta n c e o f h o m o s e x u a l it y For me the thought of homosexuality being a criminal offence is inexplicable. This led may people to lead a secret life, as if they were caught they would face horrific consequences.

There was a Sexual Offences Act 1967 that legalised homosexual acts in private between two men, both of whom had to have attained the age of 21. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 overhauled the way sexual offences are dealt with by the police and courts, replacing provisions in the Sexual Offences Act 1956 as well as the 1967 Act. The offences of gross indecency have been deleted from statutory law, and sexual activity between more than two men or women is no longer a crime in the United Kingdom.

Further development arose in 2005, same-sex couples are allowed to enter into civil partnerships, a separate union which provides the legal consequences of marriage. It was just announced (7th December 2012) on the BBC website that the Coalition government was going to extend the right to have a same-sex marriage conducted in a place of worship provided the religious body approved. Therefore have legalised both civil and religious same-sex marriage.

Alongside the law changing, societies views on homosexuality have changed enormously, which is evident in the media and shown in society.

T h e r e a r e s ti l l s t e r e ot y p e s Of course gender stereotypes are still seen today, but the evolution from the 18th century to the 21st century has changed dramatically. At the pinnacle of gender stereotypes is colour. Blue for a boy and pink for a girl. It is an in built, intrinsic behaviour. To represent this I found professional imagery of my brother Mark and myself when we were younger, which confirmed this idea, I was dressed in a pink and purple flowery dress and Mark was in traditional blue.

L o o ki n g at S o a p & G l o ry From purchasing some of soap and glory’s products, what has always captured my attention is the packaging. The use of playful, ‘tongue and cheek’ language and the 1950s poster style makes a unique outer packaging, which allows it to stand out from the multiple beauty brands. When visiting their website it was interesting to see their creative approach to the company and also their video links that were showing the process of transformation without featuring airbrushing, which was refreshing. Soap and glory demonstrate how to make the old, new. This creates a unique modern design.

Imagery from: http://www.soapandglory.com.

E x plo r i n g a Co ntrov e r s i a l s e r i e s The BBC describes Till Death Us Do Part as giving ‘Britain a comedic way to understand the changes hitting it in the 1960s and 1970s.’ From watching clips on YouTube it is very different to what is allowed to be broadcast today on television. It shows a bigoted man who can not stand women getting above themselves, but I feel it was trying to show everything wrong with the nation at that time in one man and it should not be taken in an offensive way. I think some people if they watched it out of context would find it offensive, especially as society today is more sensitive to the language and topics that they discuss.

The BBC quoted from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/ tilldeathusdopart/ The clip found on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=BNSbMNl9K7Q

The BBC news article, shown above, was a shocking report of a man, John Crawford, who only found he had a criminal record for being homosexual when he applied for voluntary work.

C a mpa ig n I found a campaign in support specifically for women, in the same way I did for men (CALM).

ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN: The campaign Womenkind (http://www.womankind.org. uk) is in support of equality for women.

Their Vision: Womankind Worldwide has a vision of a world where women are equal, secure, respected and proud.

They work to: 1) End violence against women.

2) Increase women’s participation and voice in society and politics.

3) Secure women’s human rights through influencing policy, raising funds and changing attitudes.

4) Strengthen Womankind to ensure maximum impact.

I think taking the time to look and appreciate campaigns in our society allows me to see a broader picture. It reflects the good work being made by individuals for a change, as media coverage always publicises the negative news.

YCN Ta l k a n d C o mp e titi o n I am really glad I went to the YCN talk, as it made me aware of all the opportunities available via YCN. It ranges from competition briefs, contacts in the industry, job openings and educational tasks they run in-house. As well as setting up the YCN Student Awards, I learnt they have a YCN Studio, which is where they work on their own projects and briefs. Through this they have a YCN talent agency, which they represent and manage illustrators, animators and photographers. Also even if you don not win a competition, if they like your work or feel you will be suitable for a project, they will contact you.

I have looked at the 21 briefs, all of which look great, I am especially interested in Plan UK, Yahoo and UK Greetings. I am thinking of entering the competition, so I will look into it in more detail and start designing over the Christmas break.

The brief for Plan UK is linked to the research I have done on gender roles. The charity works with the world’s poorest children, so they can move themselves from a life of poverty to a future of equal opportunity. The brief is to deliver a creative resource that will inspire and motivate our target audience to support Plan’s ‘Because I am a Girl’ campaign.

Website information about Plan: http://www.plan-uk.org

T r a n s iti o n Of G e n d e r R o l e s I used my manual camera to achieve black and white photographs and to reflect historic times before the use of digital photography seen today. These photographs were to experiment a way of portraying the transition in Gender Roles through imagery.

I wanted to demonstrate the change in attitudes throughout history. Today it is considered the norm that a woman can be the one who works and provides the main source of income.

There are ‘house-husbands’ as well as ‘house-wives’, which up until the 1970s, when changes were seen, it would have been frowned upon. On the left shows the change through comparative imagery, which reflects the change in gender roles in society.

The two images, shown below, were merged in the darkroom, exposing two different negatives on top of each other. I like the effect both merged images have given. These pieces reflected the opinion I had found from researching, that a primary factor in the development of a female’s behaviour, is the way in which they are brought up. It can determine their values and principles. Therefore I was inferring that the daughter, even though being born in a different generation, is mirroring the behaviours of her mum.

L a d e tt e to l a dy A question I feel that should be considered, has the feminist approach created these extreme attributes seen in women today? Is this due to women wanting equality with men that have created the ‘ladette’ culture. The term ladette is described in the urban dictionary as, ‘a young woman who behaves in a confident and noisy way, who drinks alcohol and may enjoy sport or other activities that are traditionally enjoyed by men.’

It seems to be that certain females have picked up the wrong attributes that are associated with a stereotypical man, in regards to the heavy drinking and fighting. A contrast to the ‘lady like’ qualities that traditionally women were expected to obtain.

The premise of the ‘Ladette to Lady’ series follows a group of ladettes, who are given an old fashioned five week course in learning how to behave like a traditional ‘lady’. They are sent to Eggleston Hall, a finishing school for women. Whilst in Eggleston Hall they are required to wear a special uniform and are taught various tasks in deportment, elocution, needlework, flower arranging, etiquette and cookery.

However if they can not live up to the standards of ladylike behaviour, they will be expelled. It is ironic that females fought for their independence, equal rights and almost get rid of the stereotypical qualities of a lady, yet today the women are being taught in this program the traditional old fashioned values, which perhaps have been lost slightly in the transition.

A Current Issue The binge drinking culture seen today has made front page headlines, seen on the news and there are even documentaries highlighting this issue. What society perhaps finds most shocking is that it is females as well that are behaving in this inappropriate way. In most cases it is the females that are photographed passed out on the street and captured in indecent positions. I feel this is due to how vulnerable this leaves them and the contrasted image of a women that would of been seen in my nan’s generation.

As a result of the increase in drinking to the excess the government have recently proposed to raise the price of alcohol to help combat our societies new culture of binge drinking. However is this fair to the rest of society? This discriminates against the average person who does not have this attitude towards drink and they will be the ones affected with the rise in prices, just because someone else can not control their alcohol intake. Realistically it has to be questioned whether this can solve the problem. My personal opinion is that the people that it is targeted to stop will not be deterred by a price rise.

B i n g e D r i n ki n g c u lt u r e An integral part of the binge drinking culture is clubbing. It is a typical activity for us students and most young people.

However it can be taken to extremes and have perilous consequences. It is a current subject highlighted in the news, stressing the dangers and the strategies that are being undertaking to combat it.

Using a series of different photographic techniques I have illustrated my response to highlighting this issue. Firstly I captured imagery in a club at the end of a night. The lights create a blurred effect, reflecting a feeling of drunkenness. I then took a photograph I had taken when having ‘pre-drinks’, which shows a group of people playing drinking games before a night out. I tinted the mass display of drinks on the table in red to highlight the amount of alcohol that was being consumed; yet at the time this is not always thought about.

Finally I created a small montage of photographs I have taken from nights out. These are the types of photographs where on reflection, drinking to that extent is not seen to be a good idea and visibly highlight the negative effects of drinking.

I feel these photographs highlight the binge drinking phenomenon seen by a lot of the younger generation today. I was pleased to see Ville had commented on this exploration, reiterating how it is a big issue in society presently.

E x p e r im e n ti n g wit h T e x t: U s i n g F e m a l e I m ag e ry This was my last experimentation for this semester and I wanted to reflect the research I had found surrounding women’s roles through the use of photography.

I considered the style and setup that I had used for my previous photo-shoot of two male volunteers. I managed to get three representatives for three different generations of women: my friend, my mum and my nan. I experimented with both white backgrounds and a natural setting, using both manual and digital photography, so I have negatives if I need them in the future.

I have displayed six example photographs, with text applied to the imagery to create more meaning. On reflection I feel the white background is again stronger, as it allows the text and image to stand out more.

F M P P ro p o s a l Research, Development & Positioning Brief one and two was the starting point in realising who I am, what I want to do, and my interests. I established that I inspired to work in the publishing industry, such as magazines. I identified my strengths, weaknesses and passions, which I then tested out in Brief 3.

I have approached this action research brief with an active attitude, to explore the area that originated from the context of digital cultures. This approach is illustrated in the experimental work shown previously in this portfolio. This presented my tests I had applied to a range of techniques and processes, such as illustration, digital and manual photography, collage, adding text to imagery, photo-manipulation, merging images and book binding. Alongside this I visited all of the lectures held by the tutors, I visited the British library, British museum, exhibitions, such as Georgie Meadows: stitched drawings in the Wellcome Collection, I attended the ‘Book As Artefact Talk’, workshops, such as Mette Ambeck on book binding and the writing workshop by Pat Francis, I went to the small publishers book fair and researched using literature sources found in books, the media and the Internet. This wide range of resources used as a research and experimental technique meant I have explored in great depth to help propose an idea for my final major project. It has allowed me to fully discover the area surrounding gender representation in society today and I have found new avenues I had never thought of before.

From my experimentation I realised I am not a strong illustrator, so I feel the best tool for me to use is photography to create my imagery, as that is the skill I have studied at A-level and had the most effective results from. There was a vast amount of different techniques I could do with my photographs after taking the imagery including, sewing, merging, adding hints of colour, ripping, flip book movement and negatives as imagery, so I feel there is a lot of material to work with. I believe all of these techniques in some way can be implemented in the creation of the final FMP. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: I have proposed two ideas that could be used in the process of helping me to create my FMP. Both are linking, but one is more specific and one is more generalized. Both I intend to be a thought provoking publication. Ever since seeing Mike’s work on the dementia campaign, it made me think about designing for a reason. I feel designing with meaning, is most powerful.

Over these next three pages I have created a detailed description and reasoning for the ideas I am proposing, to help create my Final Major Project.

BELOW IS THE PLAN OF THE FIRST IDEA: This is aimed to raise awareness and help highlight the current issues from living in a now ‘airbrushed’ society. It is not about changing the use of it; it is about making sure everyone, especially teenagers, are aware of what Photoshop can do and not to look at the imagery as real. To see what you want to see, not what your told to see.

HOW? It is a box containing four publications, which is aimed to be a confidential resource that men can read for awareness and support regarding the affects of the idealistic imagery being projected in society today.

I visualize three of the publications being produced professionally and the packaging and one of the publications would be hand-made.

WHO? It is specifically targeted at young, adolescent men to convey the message to talk, in order to prevent disastrous consequences and raise awareness of areas of support.

WHY? The idea derived from further looking into the Campaign Against Living Miserably. It stated how men are three times more at risk of suicide than women and 75% of suicides are men. It provides a confidential, anonymous place to contact, as some men find it hard to talk about their feelings, problems and worries. It stated on the ‘The Body Beautiful’ program, ‘80% of men aren’t happy with their appearance’, yet it is always women that campaigns and awareness is targeted at, never men. This was reiterated in my finding from the google searches I undertook. Even though information and statistics suggest how males are just as vulnerable as females, there is no awareness aimed at them, which is why I believe a publication is needed.

BELOW IS THE PLAN OF THE SECOND IDEA: It is aimed to be an educational and thought provoking publication showing gender roles in society and our preconceptions of them. It will explore the past and the present clichĂŠs of men and women, including raising awareness of current issues in society and highlight campaigns that are established to help them.

HOW?

WHY?

I created two different designs in response to this idea. One was in the format of a multi-readable book (shown above, on the left hand side of the plan) that if read one way will explore the gender transition for females and if read the other will illustrate this for men. I foresee this publication to be created in Indesign and then professionally printed. The other format was two concertina books, packaged in a box layout to make a complete set (shown above, on the right side). Both books show the evolution of gender roles in society through imagery and text, one specifically on women and the other on men.

From my experience of making a concertina book from brief two, it will have to be created by hand as it is not a conventional book.

After looking at men and how gender preconceptions of them have changed; evolving with the legalization of homosexuality and men being allowed to show a more feminine side, with some men being just as conscientious of their looks as women. It is now accepted that men, if they want to, can wear makeup and have as much beauty products as women. What I became interested in, from looking into this subject area, is the explorations into gender roles in society and our preconceptions of them now contrasted with past generations. I had looked specifically at men, in terms of our airbrushed culture and men today are still not considered with awareness campaigns. This could be due to the fact that society believes these issues should not affect men, but actually they are just as vulnerable.

WHO? It is aimed at young adolescents, to educate them about the society they live in and the historic background of how we have evolved to present day.

It is a photography-based publication, which is an appealing way to represent facts and information for that age group.

Considering these thoughts this idea is intended to be a simple educational publication that is an easy read, while gaining knowledge, information and raising questions about society today. It will show historic and current topics that are fundamental to our society, including the current issues seen in the media, such as our airbrushed culture, binge drinking and equal opportunities.

LOGISTICS:

BELOW IS THE CONSIDERED TIME REQUIREMENTS:

I made a record of how long the different processes had taken me to complete after I had finished them, so I could collate this information to highlight the time required for different techniques. I created a table showing these results, shown right.

The table shows the consideration for how long a hand-made book can take, which I found out from taking part in Mette’s workshop. If I was to have it professionally printed, from past experience, I still need to leave around two weeks to make sure it is printed and delivered to me in enough time. I have also researched companies that can print it: Blurb Fast Print Print resources Imex print services Love online print

PROCESS

Photo-shoot

Manual Film Developing and Printing Photoshop Alterations, such as applying hints of colour, adding text and airbrushing the image.

Merging In the Darkroom Using Photoshop

INFORMATION

TIME

Conditions: Has to be during the day when using the makeshift photo studio at home.

2-3 hours

Per Film

Up to 4 hours

Per image

On average 30 minutes

Per image to be developed Per image to be created

On average 15 minutes On average 10 minutes

Per image

On average 20 minutes

After creating and printing out the image.

5 minutes

The whole film

1 hour

Based on making a 20 paged hard cover handmade book

On average 5 hours

Research, design and the creation of the PDF:

Over 12 days

Professionally printed at staples:

5 minutes

Research, design and the creation of PDF:

Over 10 days

Hand made, so this includes printing and the making of the concertina book:

1 day

Photo shoot, design and the creation of PDF:

Over 7 days

Hand made, so includes printing and glue-binding together:

1 day

Using 36 stills 9fps to create a 4 second animation.

Photo-shoot was 2 hours combined with making it, the process took 2 and a half hours.

Spiderwize The book Printing Company

Stitching

Printwize Pen Press Publishing Print on Demand Worldwide

Collage / ripping

Manuals2go Booksurge I have created an initial projection of a time line, estimating where I should be at specific points next semester for my FMP. This was based on how long my tested publications had taken me and is displayed at the bottom of this page.

REFLECTIVE SUMMARY OF SEMESTER 1: I feel I have produced an in-depth body of work reflecting my journey to realising an intention for my Final Major Project, with the consideration of aims, objectives and logistics. I believe I have gained knowledge of the contemporary professional context surrounding the publishing industry, which I envisage working in. Relating to this area of interest, I tested out and made publications, where I established it was what I wanted to produce for my FMP. I have tested out a range of skills, processes and techniques, which have allowed me to determine time allowances needed for them and an idea for the content of my publication. I finally want to acknowledge my appreciation for the help provided by my third year tutors, which have inspired me to create ideas and progress forward with this semester.

Scanning in the Negatives from film

Book Binding

Making Publications Learnt from Brief 1 (Based on a 10 paged publication)

Learnt from Brief 2 (Based on a hand made concertina book)

Learnt from the negative book (Based on a 36 paged publication)

Stop Frame animation

BELOW IS THE PROJECTED TIME LINE FOR SEMESTER 2:

B ib l i o g r a p h y

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Baldwin, Rosecrans. (2008). The Digital Ramble, The Natural Look. http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/12/the-digital-ramble-the-natural-look/ (Accessed 9 November, 2012) Barnes, Ruth and Eicher, Joanne. (1992). Dress and gender: making and meaning in cultural context. London: Berg Publishers.

BBC website. (2012). Till Death Us Do Part. http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/tilldeathusdopart/ (Accessed 5.12.12) CALM. (2012). Campaign against living miserably. http://www.thecalmzone.net (Accessed 22.11.12) Goslett, Dorothy. (1991). The Professional Practice Of Design. London: Batsford.

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EXHIBITIONS, MUSEUMS, WORKSHOPS AND TALKS: Beyond The Surface: research, creativity and the brief: Talk by Ally Waller. (Visited on 5.11.12) Bookbinding Workshop by Mette Ambeck. (Visited on 14.11.12) ‘Book As Artefact’ Talk. (Visited on 25.10.12) British Museum. (Visited on 12.10.12) British Library. (Visited on 12.10.12) REAL / UNREAL: Talk by Mike Nicholson. (Visited on 29.10.12) Small publisher book fair. (Visited on 17.11.12) Value Systems: Talk by Luke Pendrell. (Visited on 11.10.12) Wellcome Collection exhibition: Georgie Meadows stitched drawings. (Visited on 9.11.12) Writing workshop led by Pat Francis. (24.10.12)

‘Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.

Design is knowing which ones to keep.’ Scott Adams