FMP. Reflecive Journal MARIANNE HERNANDEZ
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PROJECT PROPOSAL PROJECT TITLE: “New Stories, New Perspectives” CONTENT: I want to create a series of posters and tickets for the 2020 London East Asian Film Festival (LEAFF), which will have the potential to influence the broader visual identity of the organisation. Despite the range of ways that western society enjoys Asian culture, through food, fashion, or music, Asian films have yet to break through to mainstream culture. In line with the organisation’s aims to ‘champion the growing collaboration and diversity in East Asian filmmaking’, I am hoping to highlight how Asian films can appeal to a global audience by offering a wealth of new stories, talent, and creativity. “Once you overcome the 1-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films” (Bong Joon Ho 2020) The recent achievements of Bong Joon Ho’s Korean film ‘Parasite’, have put a spotlight on Asian cinema in current discussions around the film industry, providing a leverage for LEAFF’s success in 2020. The festival’s current, sleek, visual identity, can feel quite serious, and doesn’t really say much about the festival itself, and so by introducing more exciting designs to LEAFF’s branding, I hope to draw in a broader range of people to the festival, that may initially feel intimidated at the thought of watching Asian films. Possible alternatives include making surreal scenes out of the posters, which would help to convey the idea of Asia being a fascinating new world to explore, which is ultimately what LEAFF aims for people to do through watching their films. In creatively exploring the concept of language barriers, I also aim to reveal how watching films from cultures other than one’s own, can not only open people up to new perspectives, but also bring people from different cultures together.
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CONTEXT AND AUDIENCE: The intended uses of the final outcome would be: 1) To advertise LEAFF 2020 in the run up to the event. 2) To encourage people to watch Asian films, especially those who are unfamiliar with them. Asian cinema includes a spectrum of genres that can appeal to a wide range of audiences. To successfully promote LEAFF, I would like the outcome of my project to reach as many people as possible, of all ages and backgrounds. This would involve creating material in a digital format, to be distributed online (content for Instagram,YouTube etc.), that could also be printed into physical formats, to be displayed in public spaces (billboards, posters around the London Underground). RESEARCH: LEAFF – Interviews, archives, online resources. How Asia is perceived in the West – Interviews, archives, watching films, online resources, literature. London as a melting pot of cultures – Literature, online resources, interviews, personal experience, Chinese New Year’s events. Promotional/Branding Design – Books, online resources, exhibitions. RESEARCH: LEAFF 1) I will be contacting a number of people who have worked at the festival to interview them about how their experience at the festival, to get a better understanding of how to brand the event in my designs. How Asia is perceived in the West 1) I will be interviewing fans of Asian cinema to develop a thorough understanding of what makes Asian films stand out from other types of films. By learning about what draws fans to Asian cinema, I could highlight these elements in my designs to encourage other people to enjoy Asian films.
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2) I will be surveying both Asian and non-Asian people in England to gather their experiences of how Asian cultures have been perceived in the West, to inspire the points I want to make changing people’s perspectives of Asia, and Asian film. London as a melting pot of cultures I will be going to Asian cultural nights, such as Asian dinners and Chinese New Year’s events in England to see how Asian and English cultures currently interact, to inspire how I can visually encourage harmony and mutual understanding between the cultures in the LEAFF branding. Promotional/Branding Design In thoroughly researching existing branding material, for film festivals aswell as all other types of events, I can ensure that my designs for LEAFF are very contemporary and work as professional standard promotional material, in that they communicate all the information needed aswell as having a consistent visual style. LEARNING OUTCOMES: By improving my digital, and graphic design, skills as an illustrator, I hope to produce an outcome that is of a highly professional standard. I want to open up future career opportunities for myself in visual marketing, and would like for my work to provide future clients a strong display of my creative capabilities, and demonstrate applicable skills for commercial design. In conducting primary research about people’s perceptions of Asia, I also hope to learn exactly why people have an aversion to reading subtitles, and if there are any misconceptions I can actively tackle in my final designs. By reaching out to the people at LEAFF, I also hope to build my connections in the industry, and gain experience in working professionally for real briefs.
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I also want to become more ambitious with the execution of my final outcome. I will be looking at the project as a whole promotional campaign to involve other forms of collateral, in order to create an impressive and professional body of work that can be applied in multiple ways for LEAFF. PROPOSED TIMETABLE: Weeks 1 – 3: Initial research: Looking into the current status of Asian cinema in the West, creating visual responses to these findings to form a basis of the narratives I could develop for the project. Weeks 4 – 6: Research and Idea Development: Going to Asian cultural dinners and Chinese New Year’s events to inspire how I can show people interacting with Asian culture in fun ways. Developing potential designs from the visual responses I create. Weeks 7 – 8: Research and Experimentation: Initial ideas and sketching from the narrative I have developed. Researching different style and colour forms to experiment with to find the best way to brand LEAFF, while incorporating the ‘new perspectives’ concept. Weeks 9 - 11: Branding Research and Final Idea Development: Finding ways to broaden the project with other collateral, tickets, banners, etc. Refining my final concept and developing my initial thumbnails into final poster ideas, and ticket ideas.
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VISUAL REFERENCES:
Visual branding and collateral for Korean Film Festival by Il-Ho.
LEAFF 2016 Poster in the Underground
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Possible Collateral: Festival Tickets
Poster Inspiration
Film Festival Branding
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W E E K
C O M M E N C I N G
0 6 / 0 1 / 2 0
W E E K LY S T U D Y P L A N
8 2
MONDAY
Finish off Spitfire hand in portfolio
TUESDAY
Finish off Spitfire hand in portfolio
WEDNESDAY
EXTERNAL BRIEFS DEADLINE
THUR SDAY
-Research FMP subject ideas
FRIDAY
- Research editorial illustration -Research branding illustration
SATURDAY
- Research London East Asia Film Festival
SUNDAY
- Visual responses for LEAFF ideas.
W E E K
C O M M E N C I N G
1 3 / 0 1 / 2 0
W E E K LY S T U D Y P L A N MONDAY
FMP BRIEFING IDEAS GENERATION WORKSHOP
TUESDAY
-Make visual experiments or responses for LEAFF
-Continue development
WEDNESDAY WO R K S H I F T 1 5 :0 0 - 2 3 :0 0
THUR SDAY
-Write up project proposal structure
FRIDAY
-Write project proposal
SATURDAY
- Finish project proposal
- Reflective Journal
SUNDAY
• [PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE]
Begin some work for YCN Live briefs
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WEEK COMMENCING 06/01/20
06
• 01• 20
Initial FMP Ideas.
When first considering possible subjects for my final major project, I was drawn to 3 main things that I had grown an interest in over the years. The subjects I had mind were mostly related to Asia in some way, as I have always had a strong appreciation for my Filipino culture, and the broader Asian community. I would love to contribute to these things through my work.
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EDIT ORIAL I LL USTRATION
Although I had not yet specified the theme or narrative of the article I would want to illustrate, I knew that I was always very drawn to editorial illustration. I particularly love the way that editorial illustrators are able to creatively solve problems by translating complex concepts or stories into visual metaphors. They demonstrate a true creative flair and make narratives all the more enticing, aswell as providing a way to read between the lines by communicating their own, thorough, understanding of an article. I would definitely be interested in taking editorial illustrator commissions, or possibly working for publications such as the Guardian, or the New Yorker, to illustrate for articles or think pieces. By doing an editorial project for my FMP, I would be creating a very suitable body of work for this career. This line of illustration can span from any genre and style, therefore if I chose to make editorial illustrations, I would have to narrow down what narrative I want to work with. I could choose an existing article I have found, or possibly write my own article/ think piece.
FMP
FM 10 4
M F P.
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2020 L ON D ON EAST AS IA F I LM F ESTIVAL
After watching Bong Joon Ho’s film ‘Parasite’, and witnessing its critical acclaim make history as the first Korean film to win a Golden Globe, and to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, I was compelled to make something around Asian Cinema. I thought that the 2020 London East Asia Film Festival (LEAFF) would be a perfect organisation to centre a project around, with the visual promotion of such an event having great potential for becoming an ambitious and innovative body of work. There are a number of illustrative pieces that could be involved in the promotion of a film festival that would allow me to create a well thought out, and cohesive, visual identity. These include: posters, leaflets, digital content, tickets etc. I also think that the potential to create professionally produced collateral, for commercial use, would be a really useful display of practical skills for my portfolio. This way I would better demonstrate my graphic design, and print abilities for future clients, as I want to open up opportunities for me to work in a graphic design company in the future. I would love to liven up their promotion by using a narrative to influence my designs, and taking on more exciting visuals than their current simplistic branding. I am very drawn to Bong Joon Ho’s quote about overcoming subtitles, at this years Golden Globes, as a possible narrative. This would give my project more intent and meaning as I could communicate my own personal perspective on language barriers.
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FMP FMP
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P ROMO TI NG A F I LI P I NO COM PANY
I feel as though there is definitely a ‘gap in the market’ for Filipino products and businesses to thrive in the UK. With the rising popularity and of Asian cuisine, and Asian food trends, Filipino cuisine is not as recognised as Chinese, Korean, or Japanese food in the west. I could create promotional material, or create a documentarian body of illustrations around a Filipino company, which would provide me a variety of visual and conceptual research to sustain the 16-week project. The coffee company Kalsada, and the Filipino-fusion restaurant Bintang are possible subjects for this type of project that I have looked at. They both have a personal touch, and an origin story that I could research to influence my work. It would also be good for me to reach out to the company I choose, to research their own experiences, and the essential elements of their branding that they would want included in any promotional material I make. This subject would allow me to create collateral that would be useful for my portfolio. However, I am slightly reluctant towards this idea as I have done something very similar for my documentary unit in second year, where I conducted a reportage project on the Thai restaurant Giggling Squid. I think I would feel much more motivated throughout the project if I were doing something newer to me, such as the other 2 11 routes. 5
FMP Briefing
WEEK COMMENCING 13/01/20
Choosing my subject: LEAFF 2020
After our official Final Major Project briefing, and analysing my researching into possible subject areas, I concluded that the LEAFF 2020 project was the one I was the most interested in, and could be the most ambitious with. It is also a fairly unique brief, as the Asian film festival market is quite niche, and I would love to open the festival up to a wider audience. This ‘gap in the market’, and my own personal thoughts on language barriers, wanting to encourage people to enjoy Asian cinema by overcoming their contempt for subtitles, made me very excited to delve into the subject. The next steps for me would be to create some initial visual responses to the subject, and anything from it that inspires me, such as the quotes from Bong Joon Ho.
I could also look into how I would promote his film Parasite as an experiment that could inspire how I approach the LEAFF brief as a whole. I should also prepare questions that I could ask people who have worked at, or attended, the festival previously, to gain primary research into the festival’s effect on people, and the atmosphere I would want to promote. I also want to reach out to the festival director or co-ordinator directly, and so I should bear in mind how I want to ‘pitch’ my idea to them as a possible collaboration, or even commission.
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“
once you overcome the one inch barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.
“
- BONG JOON HO 2020 -
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IDEA G E N E R A TION WOR K SHOP
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While I was very new to the visiting lecturer, Jane Hankin’s method of working, I think it was very useful for me to step out of my comfort zone and test out less conventional forms of drawing. By exploring the 3 main concepts of ‘creativity’, ‘curiosity’ and ‘constraints’, I was able to broaden my thinking in terms of how I develop my ideas, and approach my outcome altogether. The ‘constraints’ aspect of the workshop, in which we had to draw with a number of rules (such as not being able to use pen or pencil, only using one colour, not using computers), was definitely an important learning experience for me. By forcing myself to think of other ways to draw, or to draw in ways I didn’t really like, I was encouraged to step out of my comfort zone. This reminded me of how I need to explore mediums I am less confident with if I want to make sure I am not limiting myself to digital art or line drawing. This way I can challenge myself, and develop ideas I may have never thought of otherwise, which will allow me to make something even more unique and creative, visually or conceptually.
Writing my first project proposal draft
I found writing the first draft for my project proposal very helpful for me to refine my ideas, and draw out the real aims and audience of my proposed LEAFF project. Through the ‘context’ element of the proposal, I was able to identify the ‘gap in the market’ that my project will intend to tackle, that being the notion of highlighting how subtitles can introduce people to whole new worlds, thus opening them up to other cultures. Another important aspect that the Project Proposal guidelines made me consider was how I should plan my research. In this section I identified my main areas of research:
LEAFF Asian Cinema Language Barriers Promotional Design
I think these open up opportunities for me to gather diverse and interesting visual and conceptual research. Along with these I will also need to consider the technical skills I will need to research and practice as I develop my ideas. A particularly helpful example I will be referencing when it comes to the practical design aspect of making my final outcome is Il-Ho’s Korean Film Festival visual identity and collateral designs. Along with the attractive visuals IlHo creates, I have definitely been inspired in terms of the physical forms my outcome could take in order to promote the festival. These include film festival brochures, merchandise, leaflets, posters and tickets etc. While there are numerous different ways I could print my final outcomes, I need to make sure I consider the making time, and that i do not sacrifice the quality of my designs in order to make as many things as possible. I will want to prioritise making high quality, ambitious and exciting pieces, which will mean taking longer to develop my ideas.
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WEEK COMMENCING
20•01•20
W E E K LY S T U D Y P L A N MONDAY
TUESDAY
- Continue LEAFF visual responses
- FMP PROJECT PROPOSAL HAND IN - CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP WO R K S H I F T 1 7 :0 0 - 2 3 :0 0
WEDNESDAY
THUR SDAY
WO R K S H I F T 1 7 :0 0 - 2 3 :0 0
-Work on some visual responses from creative writing work WO R K S H I F T 1 7 :0 0 - 2 3 :0 0
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FRIDAY
- Reflective Journal
SATURDAY
[PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE] - Portfolio desigining: Tiger Maduro logo work
SUNDAY
[PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE] - Portfolio desigining: Tiger Maduro logo work
To inspire my initial visual responses, I used Bong Joon Ho’s quote from the Golden Globes 2020.
IDEA G E N E R A TION
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I think we only use one language: the cinema. - BONG JOON HO 2020 -
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V I S UAL RES PON S E 1
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Using LEAFF’s fish logo in my responses
To emphasize the granduer of Bong Joon Ho’s accomplishments with his film Parasite, I wanted to turn the frame in which he says the quote into something surreal and more impressive. Along with combining the quote text itself with my drawing of Bong Joon Ho and his translator, I was also inspired by the current LEAFF visual identity. Taking from LEAFF’s simplistic red, white and black colour scheme, and their fish logo, I managed to make compositions I was very pleased with. I definitely see potential in using these specific elements to inspire the visuals and narrative concept of my project: the red/black colour palette, LEAFF’s fish logo, and film reels,
VISUAL RESPONSE 2
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Creative Writing W O R K S H O P
I really enjoyed this workshop as I got to practice another side of my creativity through writing. As I have previously loved to write stories, and poems, it was very helpful to see how these skills could be transferred into my project. Firstly, the warm up task for the workshop was extremely helpful for me to get back into the swing of writing, and finding my writing style. By being given only a few minutes and 5 lines to describe a variety of concepts, I began to realise that short poetry could be another way to express my ideas for my FMP. Describing concepts from ‘grief’ to ‘peeling an orange’ in only 5 lines, encouraged me to think of ways that I could poetically translate the concept of overcoming subtitles, which initially seems quite hard to express visually.
‘Subtitles On’
The short story excercise was definitely the most useful excercise as the story I wrote was actually a very interesting approach to tackling the stigma around subtitles.
• The fish could retell a poem or Asian folklore through the subtitles, implying that subtitles help us to learn about other cultures.
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My story involved a man who begins to understand a koi fish (in reference to LEAFF’s fish logo), through subtitles that appear in the water. I think this concept has a lot of potential as an animation, however I would have to consider how I could tailor the story to promote LEAFF specifically. Possible continuing include:
approaches to the story could
• The fish leading the man under the water, a whole new world to him, similar to how LEAFF introduces the West to a whole new world of Asian film. • This underwater world could have references to some Asian films.
WEEK COMMENCING
27•01•20
W E E K LY S T U D Y P L A N MONDAY
FMP PROJECT PROPOSAL TUTORIAL 12:00 IRO WO R K S H I F T 1 7 :0 0 - 2 3 :0 0
TUESDAY
-Visual responses to LEAFF website - Research into Parasite and possible visual interpretations.
WEDNESDAY
WO R K S H I F T 1 7 :0 0 - 2 3 :0 0
THUR SDAY
- Send out questions to previous LEAFF volunteers about the festival and Asian cinema.
FRIDAY
[PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE] - Research possible companies and practitioners to contact. -Start career plan structure.
SATURDAY
- Asian cinema research visual responses
SUNDAY
WO R K S H I F T 1 1 ;0 0 - 1 9 :0 0
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w T O P I C :
PROJECT PROPOSAL
D A T E :
2 7 / 0 1 / 2 0
T U T O R : G E M M A R E S C H E D U L E D U N I T : F M P
R O O M : B 1 2 5
Tutorial For my written proposal, Iro’s notes have taught me to be more specific with certain aspects, including outlining what exactly my final outcome will be, and also making a much more precise timetable. However, approaching my tutorial, my main area of concern was research, as I was unsure of how to research into themes of cultural diversity, and also unsure of what other forms of primary research I could conduct, Through speaking with Gemma, I found that other areas of primary research could include looking at specific areas in the UK or London that have pockets of Asian communities, or cultural items. For example I could look at marketplaces in London that have pockets of Asian stores, or find certain streets in London that have Asian stalls etc. However, an important point I took from was that I don’t need 22 16 as much primary research I
thought I needed, but rather, relevant secondary research is just as important. By looking at other existing film festival posters and promotional material, I can get a better idea of how to encompass a festival’s identity through visuals, and also encompass the theme of ‘film’, which in itself can be fairly broad, as there are films of all genres.Another important next step for me will be to get in contact with the LEAFF directly in order to find out what they actually want for the promotion of 2020 LEAFF. This way I could treat the project more like a proffessional brief, and take from how I worked with Spitfire. This would include asking: what themes, or keywords would they use for the promotional campaign, is there a particular style they would like to approach, and I would also like to ask what films they may show at the festival, to test how my designs could be applied to these films specifically.
VIS UA L • INS PIR ATI O N
A R T I S T : L E O N A R D O S A N T A M A R I A T I T L E : ‘ F A M O U S L A S T W O R D S ’
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V I S U A L R E S P O N S E T O
T H E
M O V I E P A R A S I T E
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THE
ONE
INCH
SUBTITLES B
A
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CONCEPT: TRANSFORMING SUBTITLES IN FILM INTO SOMETHING MORE EXCITING AND DYNAMIC
Along with this, the selection of quote is also vital, as the sentence itself draws in intrigue as there’s not really a clear link between the text and the peach and razor. I think the mystery behind this comparison works very well. This could even be part of a promotional series involving quotes that entice people to find out more about the film.
R
I
E
R
Here I wanted to test out a composition that could possibly be used as a way to promote an individual film in the festival, by using the film Parasite as a subject. In exploring the concept of overcoming language barriers, particularly in the form of subtitles, I think that approaching subtitles in a different way, through placing them into a 2D plane, and incorporating the text into the design as a whole is very interesting. This actually makes the subtitles seem more interesting, especially after testing the design as a motion graphic in which, rather than the subtitles appearing as normal, they appear gradually, as if ink spilling onto the screen. This change of perspective, and subversion of expectations in terms of subtitles is definitely something I should look at further as these tests were very effective. [THE QUOTE REFERS TO THE HOUSEKEEPER IN PARASITE, WHO’S ONLY
WEAKNESS IS HER
ALLERGY TO PEACHES, EVEN PEACH FUZZ SHAVED OFF WITH A RAZOR.]
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WEEK COMMENCING
03•02•20
W E E K LY S T U D Y P L A N MONDAY
[PROFFESSIONAL PRACTICE] CAREER PLAN TUTORIAL
TUESDAY
- Visual responses to research into multicultural hotpot. - Test some more Parasite quote responses.
WEDNESDAY
- Research into LEAFF movies -Research into styles that could apply to Melting Pot visuals
THUR SDAY
WO R K S H I F T 1 5 :0 0 - 2 3 :0 0
FRIDAY
[PROFFESSIONAL PRACTICE] - Continue writing career plan
SATURDAY
WO R K S H I F T 1 5 :0 0 - 2 3 :0 0
SUNDAY
WO R K S H I F T 0 8 :0 0 - 1 3 :0 0
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V I S U A L R E S P O N S E
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C U L T U R A L D I V E R S I T Y R E S E A R C H
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P
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P O S S I B L E R O U T E T O P R E S E N T M Y R E S E A R C H
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‘melting pot of cultures...’ After drawing from the ‘Multicultural Hotpot’ I went to at Chinese New Year, I felt that a strong area of research for me would be the intertwining of British and Asian cultures in the UK. With LEAFF’s director stating on their website that the world needs:
“
a medium to bridge cultural understanding
“
I think that by looking at ways in which British and Asian cultures come together naturally in the UK, as a multicultural society, I could develop my own ideas and visuals for presenting LEAFF as a way to bridge these cultures. By incorporatng some of the things I find in my research into my developements for LEAFF, such as common objects/items we use in the UK that stem from Asia, my designs would be much more insightful, and well thought-out.
DESIGN SERIES IDEA To turn my research into a presentable project in itself, I could create a series of ‘melting’ designs, similar to my melting fork cover. I think this design in particular was very successfull in creatively conveying the concept, as it clearly shows the two cultures coming together simply through chopsticks and a fork. This made me realise that sometimes the most effective designs are the simplest, in a more graphic dedsign mindset. For my illustrations, therefore, I could convey the idea of cultures coming together through very specfific cultural items. This could include Asian foods merging with British foods, or items such as board game pieces from the different countries merging together. In creating a sereis of these ‘melting’ compostions, I could develop it into a fully refined piece of work or publication, that could continue the branding I will create for the final LEAFF project.
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WEEK COMMENCING
10•02•20
W E E K LY S T U D Y P L A N MONDAY
LONDON STUDY TRIP: Scriberia & British Museum
TUESDAY
- Visual responses to study trip and methods used in traditional Asian artwork.
WEDNESDAY
- Research into possible making methods/ physical outcomes of LEAFF pieces. - Send out and collect primary research from Asian culture questionnaire.
THUR SDAY
- Research into how aspects of Asian culture are found in different parts of the UK (eg. Chinatowns)
FRIDAY
WO R K S H I F T: 1 7 :0 0 - 2 3 :0 0
SATURDAY
ILLUSTRATING FOR LONDON FASHION WEEK 1:30-6:30
SUNDAY
[PERSONAL PROJECT] - Finish fashion illustrations for Fashions Finest
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STUDY
TRIP
10
• 02• 20
LONDON
SCRIBERIA BRITISH LIBRARY
SCRIBERIA: Talks with Scriberia director and staff, learning about what the company does and what they look for in their illustrators. Corporate illustration and live drawing at conferences.
BRITISH LIBRARY: EXHIBITIONS: Buddhism Marvellous and Mischievous POP UP STALL: Confucius Institute for Business London
ART SHOPS: Foyles bookshop 107 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0DT Gosh! Comics 1 Berwick Street, W1F 0DR
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BUDDHISM
BRITISH LIBRARY EXHIBITION
INSPIRATIONS CULTURAL EMBLEMS: As I had currently been struggling with what visual signifiers to Asian culture I could use in my LEAFF posters, this exhibition made me realise that i could test out ways to refer to traditional Asian mythology in my designs.However, I need to bear in mind that I shouldn’t too heavily reference these icons, to avoid the LEAFF posters misrepresenting the event as a traditional recemony or 32 cultural festival.
FORMAT & STYLE: The different physical formats every traditional piece of art and literature also inspired some ways in which I could make my LEAFF promotional material more exciting, such as having publications or posters opening up in a concertina style such as the image above. I was mostly inspired to test long mural style posters, that could work like billboards, or a poster that stretched a long wall along walkways/streets.
• 02 10
CHINESE NEW YEAR STALL DESIGN INSPIRATION
LION DANCERS: I was immediately struck by the vibrant and playful style of the lion dancer costumes that were being showcased at the Chinese New Year stall. This inspired me to use the designs in some form during my idea development for the LEAFF branding, again while bearing in mind that i dont want my posters to be mistaken for a Chinese New Year festival poster.
The people at the stall themsleves were extremely welcoming, and constantly inviting me to try the things they were displaying. This attitude something i would definitely like to convey in my posters, as the idea of LEAFF is ultimately to share Asian stories and culture with as many new people as possible. Overall, the concept should bring a fun and lively atmosphere.
CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE F O R BUSINESS LONDON
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G R A P H I C N OV E L I N S P I R AT I O N
“Skip” 34
M O L LY
• MENDOZA
10
• 02• 20
FOYLES BOOKSHOP
COLOURS & NARRATIVE: I was mostly drawn to Skip for the style and colours that Mendoza uses, as I could definitely see the blue and muted red tones fitting into my LEAFF designs and branding. The use of abstract shapes is also something I could be inspired by to develop the LEAFF branding, as this could help to build the lively atmosphere I want for the project.
The fish themes within the narrative also reminded me heavily of my original story ‘Subtitles On’ that i wrote in the Creative writing workshop. the storyboard format of the graphic novels in the bookshop has definitely inspired me to take a look back at how i could incorporate some sort of narrative within the visuals of my project, especially as ‘Subtitles On’ connected the idea of fish and language so well. This could perhaps be through a series of posters that are connected 35 through this narrative.
To help inspire my LEAFF development and concept, and ensure that the visuals I create are well informed, I conducted research across the different areas I felt were relevant to the festival’s aims. To do so I conducted 2 questionnaires,
1. AIMED AT ASIAN PEOPLE To learn about specific elements of a variety of Asian countries, that people of that country like the most, or would like to share the most. The results from this research will mostly influence the visuals I could test within my LEAFF poster development.
2. AIMED AT NON-ASIAN PEOPLE To see how Asian cultures are percieved by non-Asian people. The results from this questionnaire were the most important to me, as I will mostly want to play with the concept ‘bridging cultural understanding’ 36as it is part of LEAFF’s official aims.
Rese MAIN FINDIN
a TOP 3: CHINA, JAPAN, KOREA When asking non Asian people what Asian countries they were most interested in, there was a clear top 3 of China, Japan and Korea. I could take this into consideration in my designs, by targetting signifiers from these countries to appeal to audiences who are more familiar with these cultures, and less familiar with their film scenes. At the same time, I want to open up people to the less known Asian countries, or atleast convey the diversity within Asia. This is because LEAFF aims to “draw people in with the familiar, and offer them the opportunity to see something new” I will definitely need to experiment with how I could either convey strong signifiers of Asia, or convey cultural diversity, or ideally both.
earch. GS
b TOO DIFFERENT, TOO STRANGE I found that for most people I interviewed, the main reasons that people may be put off by watching Asian films/TV, is due to the unfamiliarity with those cultures. People have the perception that the films, stories and cultures seem ‘different’ or have been stereotyped as ‘strange’. I would like to dispel these perceptions through my illustrations for LEAFF. Similar to tackling the language barrier, I could do so by portraying something as inviting, or intriguing, focusing on the curiosity that should come with the unfamiliar, rather than fear.
c EVERYBODY LOVES ASIAN FOOD For both Asians and non-Asians, food was the thing that people loved the most about Asia. I definitely shouldn’t let this topic
go unspoken, and so my Into The Melting Pot series would be perfect for depicting Asian foods. Despite its popularity, it would not be best for food to take the focus in my main LEAFF project, as it could risk the festival looking like a food festival.
d READING SUBTITLES My research reaffirmed my previous work around breaking down the language/subtitles barrier, as most people admitted that being too lazy to read subtitles is one of the main reasons people don’t watch Asian films. This would therefore still be a very valid and important thing to think about throughout my designs.
e
PRODUCTION VALUE AND STYLE Another reason that people mentioned for being put off by Asian films, came from a past perception of earlier Asian media being lower in production value, and seeing Asian media as being quite odd or outlandish. Because of this I hope for my branding for LEAFF to look as MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY AS POSSIBLE, to convey that Asian films are just 37 as stylish as Hollywood.
MAIN FINDINGS QUESTION: WHY DO YOU THINK SOME PEOPLE MAY BE PUT OFF FROM WATCHING ASIAN FILMS OR TV?
personally had a problem with “ Itheir facial expression. They are sometimes just not there. “ f “ - A R ESPON SE FROM I N S TAGRA M -
“FACIAL EXPRESSION”
An unexpected finding from my research was that someone actually thought that Asian actors lacked facial expression. I think there is a lot to unpack within these perceptions, but also found that this was a common attitude within the industry. I definitely have strong opinions about this topic, and the general reasonings behind the lack of Asian representation in mainstream media.
Because of this I could interpret some of my own arguments into the visuals of my LEAFF designs, expressing how Asian actors are 38 26 definitely expressive and talented.
Asians are a challenge to cast because most casting directors feel as though they’re not very expressive.
“
- A H OL LY WOOD DIR ECT OR Q U OTE D BY NA NCY WA NG YUEN -
If not within my LEAFF visuals, i could use these ideas to fuel parts of my supporting pieces, such as incorporating it into the Into The Melting Pot series.
WEEK COMMENCING
17•02•20
W E E K LY S T U D Y P L A N MONDAY
FINAL MAJOR PROJECT SIGN UP TUTORIAL GEMMA 1:30
TUESDAY
FMP GROUP DISCUSSIONS & COFFEE WO R K S H I F T: 1 7 :0 0 - 2 3 :0 0
WEDNESDAY
- Thumbnails for LEAFF concepts and different themes. - Research into artist inspirations.
THUR SDAY
- Sort out vimeo account and email message to send to LEAFF director.
FRIDAY
WO R K S H I F T: 1 5 :0 0 - 2 3 :0 0 - Send out email to LEAFF director. - Create moree thumbnails for LEAFF concepts/ideas. WO R K S H I F T: 1 5 :0 0 - 2 3 :0 0
SATURDAY
[PERSONAL PROJECT] - Finish fashion illustrations for Fashions Finest WO R K S H I F T: 0 7 :0 0 - 1 5 :0 0
SUNDAY
[PERSONAL PROJECT] -Email final fashion illustrations to Fashions Finest.
39 27
I think that busy compositions such as these would be a great wat to convey the idea of ‘richness’ and ‘diversity’ that LEAFF wants to promote about Asia. The message I want to convey about ‘collaboration’ and overcoming boundaries could be shown within the people of this busy landscape,
40
I
A
T
S
I
P
O
I
N
FILM SET
LANDSCAPE
R
N
BUSY
PROPS “ RICH DIVERSITY ” “ BUBBLING WITH CREATIVITY ” Similarly to the left, busy compositions such as the one above also made me realise that the FILM SET could be an area that I look into for design inspiration. I could use the props and visuals of things within a film set, or even just the layout style, to help get across the film theme of the festival.
41
T O P I C :
D A T E : T U T O R :
FMP PROGRESS
U N I T : F M P
1 7 / 0 2 / 2 0 G E M M A R O O M : B 1 2 5
Tutorial As I am still in the research and inspiration stages of my LEAFF project, the tutorial mostly focused on my research project, and how my preliminary sketches could be developed into influencing my main project. INTO THE MELTING POT: It’s important that at this stage I make the most of my current visual responses. For example with the series of ‘melting pot’ drawings I plan to make, I should try to be as experimental with the concept as possible - such as exploring different ways to convey the concept, differnent perspectives/ angles I can draw from. This could include looking at the idea of a physical ‘melting pot’ itself, or looking at the eating of certain foods from interesting angles. Another main point from the tutorial was that I need to remember to think about the physical applications of my 42 research project.
This was also a recommendation from my last unit, in that I should think more about the PURPOSE and AUDIENCE of the things I make. This meant that I should think about where my Into The Melting Pot series could be displayed or used for in the real world. POSSIBLE APPLICATIONS F O R T H E S E R I E S: • Asian Food Festival • Multicultural Festival (looking at numerous parts of Asian culture coming together) • Museum workshops (i.e Chinese New Years events where cultures are shared) Ultimately, to make the research project more suited to support my LEAFF designs, I need to make sure that the series does not focus too heavily on food, remembering to include other aspects, such as games, art, and language.
INITIAL SKETCHES INTO THE MELTING POT SERIES
INITIAL SKETCHES INTO THE MELTING POT SERIES
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While most other ‘culture nights’ or ‘Asian festivals’ I have researched seem to only visually focus on Asian culture in themselves, I think it gives my own project a slight edge, and projects some of my own unique take on the sharing of culture.
44
• I think the simplicity of these designs works really well, making it especially practical for a series of multiple drawings. • To make sure that the series doesn’t look TOO REPETITIVE, I could also make sure that I explore objects with different and dynamic shapes
• I really like the idea of using SPEECH BUBBLES as one of the visual subjects, this gives me room to include the different Asian languages and text, which is very important to my project, considering my work on subtitles. I could also test these designs without the speech bubbles and look more closely at Asian typefaces.
TO DEVELOP FROM HERE:
• It’s important that I consider
the COLOUR of the pieces. • MEDIUM: The simplicity of the designs could work very well as RISO print, with 2 colour layers as the base and the outline in a darker colour. • I think bright colours would really bring these drawings to life, especially considering the slight repetitive style.
‘HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR’ SPEECH BUBBLES
45
T O P I C :
GROUP FMP FEEDBACK
D A T E :
1 8 / 0 2 / 2 0
S T E P H / Z O E / N I A M H / E R I N / L O U I S
U N I T : F M P
R O O M : B 1 2 5
Review This group review was very helpful for me in that it helped me to prepare how I would present my idea to the LEAFF organisers themselves. The group responded very well to my presentation and were impressed with the amount and quality of work I had created so far throughout my research. However I was very aware, in making the end of my presentation, that my ideas towards the actual LEAFF project, rather than just my research, were yet to really be developed. Therefore, the main thing that the group agreed to, was that my next steps really are to refine my overarching concept and themes for the final project. While my research projects are ultimately the strongest thing in 46my project right now,
it is important that I dont lose sight of how they can influence my actual final piece. Even if the research may not completely influence the LEAFF concept, it will be worth seeing how the visuals i develop can influence the style I use in the end. Group feedback also concluded that my next steps would include building up some more valuable research of branding projects, and looking at what other physical pieces of promotion may come with a festival’s branding. People responded very well to the idea of making tickets for the festival, as these are often looked over in terms of design when it comes to film festivals, or events in general
While I have been very focused on my own personal research into how Asian cultures are percieved in the Western world, i felt it was necessary to look more closely at LEAFF themselves again. This way I can make sure my project is as fitting to my proposed brief as possible, and that the concept of my project is highly focused for the intended client.
C
REMINDING
N O T C P E
MYSELF
OF
LEAFF’S
AIMS
47
CONCEPT
Festival Aims Here I picked out the most relevant quotes from LEAFF’s website, which I felt could influence and drive my project concept the most. After exploring these as much as I can I may be able to narrow down the concept I feel is strongest.
aims to champion the “ LEAFF growing collaboration in East Asian filmmaking.
“
“ appreciating the rich diversity of a region bubbling with
creativity.
Collaboration
“
This could mean looking at people working together in the ‘busy landscapes’ mentioned previously. Or visual metaphors could be used to show symbols working together.
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Diversity I could communicate diversity in a variety of ways, whether it’s through showing different elements of multiple Asian cultures, or being more symbolic, and representing diversity through visual style. This could include making my designs very colourful, or use a lot of different abstract shapes.
“
Our world needs, more than ever before a medium to bridge
cultural understanding. There is no better way than through film.
“
The idea of conveying a ‘bridge to cultural uderstanding’ is something that I have been testing previously but in more literal terms of a ‘bridge’, I would def initely want to explore more conceptual ways of tackling this
We want to draw them in “with the familiar, and offer oportunities to
see something new.
“ 49
CONCEPT
I particularly like this phrase from LEAFF, as I think it could spark some interesting imagery, in which i could play with making ‘familiar’ things look abstracted or turn into something else, like an illusion.
WEEK COMMENCING
24•02•20
W E E K LY S T U D Y P L A N MONDAY
TAKE OFF: CAREERS DAY EVENT
TUESDAY
INTRO TO PAPER TALK: GF Smith Paper Consultant SIGN UP TUTORIAL WITH IRO
WEDNESDAY
- More research into possible LEAFF poster ideas WO R K S H I F T: 1 7 :0 0 - 2 3 :0 0
THUR SDAY
- Create more Into The Melting Pot thumbnails and responses to London trip.
FRIDAY
WO R K S H I F T: 1 5 :0 0 - 2 3 :0 0
SATURDAY
[PROFFESSIONAL PRACTICE] - Start looking into website making, Wix versus Squarespace
SUNDAY
- Test out different Into the Melting Pot thumbnails and how it could fit into LEAFF project. WO R K S H I F T: 0 8 :0 0 - 1 5 :0 0
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T O P I C :
F PUP FMP GM RO P RE OD GB RA EC SK S FE
D A T E :
2 1 85 // 00 22 // 22 00
S T E P H / Z T U T O R : I O RE O/ N I A M H / E R I N / L O U I S
U N I T : F M P
R O O M : B 1 2 5
Tutorial Review When explaining the quotes I had taken from LEAFF’s website, and pitched them as my possible project directions, Iro mentioned that I may not necessarily have to only pick a single theme. Because the project itself will consist of multiple finished posters/ pieces, I could instead develop a MAIN THEME and SUPPORTING THEMES. With Iro’s guidance, I felt that the ‘bridge to cultural understanding’ was the strongest theme so far, and could therefore be my main theme, meanwhile, the concepts of Asia’s cultural richness were also highly important. Upon looking over last year’s poster, we also realised that the idea of spreading ‘laughter’ was a focal point, giving some added insight into the PLAYFUL + FUN atmosphere of the festival, that I should reflect in my work.
One of my biggest concerns coming up to the tutorial was that I felt it may be difficult to incorporate the idea of ‘overcominhg subtitles’ without having text overpowering illustration in my designs. However Iro assured me that i could still incorporate this concept, perhaps as a secondary theme, within the info. For example: The title or name of the festival could be a in 3D forms that people are interacting with in the landscapes I have looked at in my reseach. In terms of the physical outcomes I will be making, it is important that I develop the main overarching designs of the posters I am planning to make, and then any secondary material conforms to that style.
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T O P I C :
D A T E :
FMP PROGRESS TUTORIAL
T U T O R :
2 5 / 0 2 / 2 0 I R O
U N I T : F M P
R O O M : B 1 2 5
P M F NEXT STEPS:
In a more organised format, make thumbnails for each of the concepts I am looking at. The main thumbnails to make for now will tackle:
1. Bridging cultural understanding
2.
Overcoming barriers 1
4 L-156
L-15641
3. Combining the 2 concepts
15641
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15641
F F A E L
P
LEAF
F
FF LEA 1
L-1564 1
41
15641
15641
LEAFF
15641
156
A E L
1
41
156
FF
F
L-1564
I could then translate this series into the ticket designs for the festival, so that each ticket had a different actors face on it.
LEAF
L-15641
15641
Inspired by my research into people’s attitudes towards Asian actors and feeling as though ‘they’re not very expressive’, I had the idea to create a series in which I draw multiple different expressive Asian actors faces.
1564
• 02• 20
One of the greatest ideas from the tutorial, came from trying to incorporate my research findings into the supporting material of my main LEAFF project.
25
TICKET IDEA :
41
I love this idea because it incorporates a message that is very important to me in a very clever way. In line with LEAFF’s aims, I want to emphasize the talent in Asia, and by showing an array of different actors on each ticket, I’d be showcasing their acting abilities before people even get to the festival.
L
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1 L
L-156
4 L-156
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15641
F
1
L-156
P
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OVERCOMING SUBTITLES
• BREAKING
B
Initial Thumbnails
Editorial Style To tackle the ‘overcoming subtitles’ concept I took the metaphore of breaking down literal barriers, through walls or glass, and combined the f ilm reel with the objects used to break them. I think the incorporation of f ilm reel is very subtle but would be an effective way to show FILM BREAKING DOWN LANGUAGE BARRIERS.
54
OVERCOMI
BARRIERS
Conceptual style As LEAFF’s main indicator is their koi f ish logo, it’s def initely important for me to try to incorporate this into my thumbnails. I think the idea of f ish passing through barriers/ walls could be another way to get the idea of ‘breaking laguage
ING SUBTITLES
barriers’ or ‘overcoming subtitles’. in a more subtle way.
KOI FISH ISLAND
Inspired by the busy landscapes I looked at previously, I thought that I could project this style onto the back of a koi f ish to create a koi f ish island. While the concept may be interesting, and effective as an image in itself, I feel as though this may not work so well in poster format, as the small details may not translate well. It may also be diff icult to incorporate the title, without the poster looking very basic, only focusing on one thing (the f ish island), as appose to creating a whole scene within the poster. 55
• BREAKING
BARRIERS
WEEK COMMENCING
02•03•20
W E E K LY S T U D Y P L A N MONDAY
-Prepare work for progress tutorial tomorrow -Present concepts neatly on Powerpoint
TUESDAY
FMP PROGRESS REVIEW: IRO
WEDNESDAY
- Artist research for LEAFF - Branding research
THUR SDAY
- Try looking at LEAFF concepts from a new abgle, to help thumbnail develeopment. -Research how popular Asian brands are percieved
FRIDAY
- More idea generation and thumbnails for LEAFF
SATURDAY
WO R K S H I F T: 0 8 :0 0 - 1 5 :0 0
WO R K S H I F T: 0 8 :0 0 - 1 5 :0 0
SUNDAY - Research and idea generation.
56
T O P I C :
D A T E : T U T O R :
FMP PROGRESS
U N I T : F M P
0 3 / 0 3 / 2 0 I R O
R O O M : B 1 2 5
Tutorial MAIN POINTS: After creating my initial thumbnails, the next steps will be to re-evaluate what themes/ concepts will be the best for the final posters. This will involve assessing the themes: -
LEAFF’s Fish symbol breaking barriers overcoming subtitles cultural richness.
Currently, I feel that ‘breaking barriers’ will be the easiest for me to convey with simple visuals. And, simple visuals will be important for me to try to develop, as I find the simplest, and more graphic design focused compositions I have looked at in my research, are usually the most effective, and stylish to me. Therefore I want to work in a similar way. It will be important for me to find a balance between a graphic design style, while creating interesting illustrative elements for the posters.
THUMBNAIL CRITIQUE
•
The fish island and buildings may be too busy for a poster. Perhaps think of other ways to include the fish and busy landscape.
•
The ladder and wall designs may TOO POLITICAL. Try to look at other ways to convey the ‘barrier’ rather than brick walls and ladders maybe. Or perhaps dont have people pysically ‘breaking’ them, but more so, ‘overcoming’ them, stepping over them etc.
•
The fish floating around the designs may look TOO RANDOM. Instead, the fish symbol should be more connected to, or interacting with the things going on in the poster, or the people within it. NEXT STEPS: Keep creating more thumbnails and experiments to refine my 57 concept/ideas.
INSPIRATION: JEE-OOK CHOI
58
• INSPIRATION: JEE-
ARTIST: JEE OOK CHOI
LOOKING AT THE PROJECT FROM A NEW ANGLE.
“SEE SOMETHING NEW” = New Perspectives
While bearing in mind the feedback from Iro’s tutorial, my struggle to create stylish visuals that conveyed my concepts, led me to look at the concepts from another angle. One of the most effective, and aesthetically appealing festival poster designs that I had seen came from Jee-Ook Choi for the Bucheon International film festival. In learning that Choi’s idea was to p l ay w i t h p e r s p e c t i v e s to create the ‘fantastic’ and whimsical identity of the festival, I realised that this idea f i t v e r y w e l l w i t h L E A F F also.
“
we want to draw them in with the familiar, and offer opportununities to see something new.
“
From the research and experiments I have been conducted previously, i found that a major thing I wanted to get across in my work, is how watching AS I A N F I L M S CA N OPEN PEOPLE UP TO NEW P E R S P E C T I V E S, which is exactly what LEAFF are implying in their statement. Rather than trying to focus so heavily on the idea of ‘overcoming subtitles’, or ‘breaking barriers’, I may be able to create much simpler and effective poster designs, by taking aspects of these ideas and spreading the visuals across t h e p a g e i n d i f fe r e n t a n g l e s a n d perspectives. Similar to Choi, I could create different sections within my designs, all capturing landscapes/ scenes from different perspectives. For example, when showing people overcoming language barriers, through climbing over walls etc, some walls could be upside down, or sideways. Thinking about my designs in this way may help to make the posters less ‘obvious’ and more interesting 59 to look at.
INSPIRATION: IL-HO
INSPIRATION: JEE-OOK CHOI 60
POSTER SERIES
Choi and Il-Ho’s f ilm festival identity design provided me with som and criteria I want to achieve in my own poster series:
Korean Film Festival Identity and collateral by Il-Ho
• • • •
05 03 20 03 20 05
S INSPIRATION
me important points
•
Each poster can tackle a different theme, as long as the style is CONSISTENT Rather than trying to condense all my concepts into one design for each poster, the ideas can be spread out for each. This may create a more dynamic and exciting project overall
•
BRIGHT COLOURS Although LEAFF’s original colour scheme is minimal, I could bring the festival to life by reworking their red theme into a brighter colour scheme
•
SIMPLISTIC/ GRAPHIC FOCUSED Rather than being too heavily illustrative, I find these posters more effective because of their simplicity, which creates a 61 stronger personality.
WEEK COMMENCING
09•03•20
W E E K LY S T U D Y P L A N MONDAY
- Branding research -Refine Into The Melting Pot drawings digitally
TUESDAY
-Continue refining the Into The Melting Pot drawings digitally
WEDNESDAY
- Test out the Into the Melting Pot drawings as branding concepts, in practice for LEAFF branding.
THUR SDAY
[PERSONAL PROJECT] - Make designs for Peggy Gou competition
- Research into graphic styles for LEAFF posters
FRIDAY
62
[PROFFESSIONAL PRACTICE] - Prepare draft portfolio for tutorial monday
SATURDAY
- Test graphic shapes and elements with current refined drawings. - Test colour schemes and styles that could be used for LEAFF.
SUNDAY
[PROFFESSIONAL PRACTICE] - Finish draft portfolio for tutorial monday
Into The Melting Pot . D E V E L OP ME NT
R EF IN IN G M Y I NI TI AL S K E T C H E S D I G I T A L L Y
63
G R A P H I C
LION DANCERS EYE INSPIRED
S H A P E S I need to make sure my final LEAFF project and my Into The Melting Pot series are visually consistent, and so when developing my ITMP sketches I wanted to test possible graphic elements that could run throughout the projects.
64
TESTING SHAPES WITHIN THE SERIES ‘WONA’ BY IVAN VOZNYAK Voznyak’s branding design for the cosmetic store Wona to the right, inspired me to use repeating shapes within my designs as a way to create a consistent style.
Kevin Lucbert
I think the effect Voznyak creates is
really simple but very appealing,
and the style works especially well with bright colours. In my own style, inspired by the pattern on the eyes of lion dancer costumes, the swirled effect reflects the colours of the drawing itself. I think there is a r eal hypnotic effect to this technique when it runs throughout the design, but also love the simplicity of having the single shape at the centre. Although my tests look very interesting, I would definitely need to consider whether this style would suit the LEAFF poster style I have yet to fully develop.
BRANDING INSPIRATION Because of this, I plan to test other types of shapes and repeating patterns when creating my LEAFF thumbnails, as I love the hypnotic style, and movement, the technique creates in my Into The Melting Pot drawings. When placing the shapes within the 2 refined drawings I have currently, I can see that the technique also allows me to use different colours within different posters, while still having a consistent reference
between them.
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14•03•20
MOST EF F ECTIVE
T H U M B N A I L I D EA S TRAPEZE CONCEPT I really like the simplicity behind my trapeze idea, as it allows me to convey 2 people coming together from 2 different persepctives, as
Inspired by Luchbert’s designs,I think this idea shows fish being a gateway into seeing things differently. And since fish represent LEAFF in my project, i think this idea works very well, and is very simplistic. I definitely want to develop this further, perhaps with colour tests, or seeing if I can 66 elaborate on these visuals.
• 03• 20
NEW PERSPECTIVES
14
they appear upside down to eachother. It is a very simple way to get the exact message I want across, about film both opening people up to new perspectives, aswell as bringing cultures from opposite parts of the world together.
MOST EF F ECTIVE
14•03•20
T H U M B N A I L I D EA S OVERCOMING BARRIERS In looking for other, less political, ways to convey overcoming barriers, I found this design to get the concept across quite well. By overcoming the gap between the two surfaces, this design implies my message about film allowing people to cross cultural boundaries, as if the figure is travelling from one land to the next, just as film travels from Asia to the West.
It could be interesting to include the idea of ‘watching’ something, as I’ve done here, to nod to the ‘film’ theme. However, this may overcomplicate the concepts.
I think the man holding the fish symbol as a flag, almost like an Olympic torch also helps to incorporate LEAFF’s fish logo in a much more sensical way.
I think the incorporation og mahjong tiles is also something i can develop, to tie in my Into the Melting Pot series.
67
WEEK COMMENCING
16•03•20
W E E K LY S T U D Y P L A N MONDAY
PORTFOLIO AND PRESENTATION TUTORIAL 12:00 GEMMA
TUESDAY
[PROFFESSIONAL PRACTICE] - Work on feedback from portfolio tutorial (edits, research etc)
WEDNESDAY
[PERSONAL PROJECT] - Make Manah Farm chocolate packaging mockups. MOVE TO ONLINE LEARNING
THUR SDAY
- LEAFF ideas + branding research
FRIDAY
- Make more thumbnails for LEAFF posters,
SATURDAY
MOVING HOME
SUNDAY
68
B R A N D I N G I N S P I R AT I O N By looking at the branding for existing festivals, I got a better sense of what was popular and trending currently in the graphic dedsign world. While I ultimately want my project to reflect LEAFF’s aims and beliefs, in order to liven up their branding, I want to make the designs as contemporary as possible, as some elements of their current branding seem slightly dated. Rather than the direct use of their fish logo in their current tickets, and posters, i feel that by taking a more contemporary, colour focused approach such as these branding examples, LEAFF’s branding would seem a lot more exciting for new audiences.
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RIGA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. GRAPHIC DESIGN I N S P I R AT I O N : Simplified Posters While all of my posters designs are currently very illustrative, and attempting to capture a whole scene, it could also be worth considering more simplistic approaches to my concecpts.
This is defintely something I want to reflect within my series, as grabbing public attention is extremely important within a promotional campaign.
While it’s most important for me to convey my concept of ‘new perspectives’ in a clear and exciting way, within the series of posters could also be SOME MORE SIMPLISTIC, GRAPHICS CENTRED POSTERS.
Once I have a more definitive style when developing the posters for my main ‘new perspectives’ concept, I could try to simplify the shapes and colours into posters of this style.
This way i could have some VARIETY within the series that could help the LEAFF branding look more interesting and less repetitive.
These types of posters would work really well in big formats, such as billboards, or tub displays.
By looking at current film festival brading, there is a CLEAR TREND WITH POSTERS MOSTLY CONSISTING OF COLOUR AND SHAPE, such as the Riga International Film Festival branding. These styles of posters work really well as they provide clear layouts for the film festival’s colour scheme, and they look very EYECATCHING and BOLD when displayed out in public.
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WEEK COMMENCING
23•03•20
W E E K LY S T U D Y P L A N
72
MONDAY
Make presentation of work to send to Gemma for tutorial.
TUESDAY
FMP TUTORIAL ON TEAMS: GEMMA 10:30
WEDNESDAY
Gather more inspiration for showing ‘new’ or ‘multiple perspectives’
THUR SDAY
Arrange and organise best thumbnail ideas.
FRIDAY
Evaluate best thumbnails to develop digitally.
SATURDAY
Evaluate best thumbnails to develop digitally.
SUNDAY
Research styles and colour schemes for the festival.
INSPIRATION: VIDAL’S ‘VIEWPOINTS’ SERIES
In bridging cultural understanding through film, I think LEAFF can definitely be described as bringing multiple perspectives together in one place, which is why I think Vidal’s viewpoints series is perfect design inspiration for me as she captures, exactly this by drawing multiple people together from different perspectives. I could take from her work by exploring designs with multiple people at different centres of 73 gravity.
JIALUN DENG: Style & Colour Inspo 74
In finding this piece of Deng’s, I immediately thought the colour scheme fit what I wanted to make for LEAFF, in that the slight spsce theme and floating objects, made for a very mysterious yet captivating atmosphere. I would like to incorporate similar themes, and visual styles into my designs to test out how I could develop my visual branding for LEAFF. Particularly the style of the flags, could definitely be used to put a twist on the LEAFF fish logo, by turnign it into something flat, therefore something UNEXPECTED and out of the norm, to add to the idea of something being familiar, but at the same time presented in a new way.
NEXT STEPS: After evaluating the best of my current thumbnails, I will be developing them digitally to get a better sense of what visual style I want to apply to my project. 75
WEEK COMMENCING
30•03•20
W E E K LY S T U D Y P L A N MONDAY
RefineMahjong thumbnail digitally
TUESDAY
RefineMahjong thumbnail digitally
WEDNESDAY
THUR SDAY
Refine Perspectives scene thumbnail digitally
FRIDAY
Refine Perspectives scene thumbnail digitally
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
76
REFLECTIVE JOURNAL UPDATE
TESTING INITIAL IDEAS IN FULL COLOUR COLOUR COLOUR In order to see if some concepts were worth d e v e l o p i n g f u r t h e r, a n d t o s e e w h a t c h a n g e s a n d i m p rove m e n t s I may need to make, I decided to test some initial thumbnails i n f u l l c o l o u r. T h i s g ave m e a b e t t e r p e r s p e c t i ve o f w h a t e l e m e n t s we re n ’t g o i n g t o wo r k s o we l l i f t r a n s la t e d i n t o a f i n a l p o s t e r. T h e c o l ou r s I u s e d we re i n s p i re d by a p i e c e byJ I A L U N 77 D E N G, w h i c h s e e m e d ve r y f i t t i n g t o t h e L E A F F i d e n t i t y fo r m e.
When creating these designs digitally, I found that something wasn’t quite working with the style and colour, although I thought that the flat fish would add some mystery to the pieces, they seemed quite strange instead. While I’d still like to work with this style of fish, I think something needs to ultimately be changed about the texture and colour scheme. For my final ideas, I need to improve on the style I have used on previous idea developments. These tests were not very impactful, and didn’t quite get the atmosphere I wanted.
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C O L O U R S C H E M E T E S T RED FISH
I think the best way to get the graphic style that I want will be to keep the fishes FLAT, otherwise the posters could look too realistic. The flat fishes also help to add some mystery to the posters which is exactly part of the atmosphere I want the posters to embody The shapes of fish will have to be reworked, I could perhaps look at KOINOBORI again.
O V E RA L L S T Y L E
They seem almost more like illustrations alone, rather than posters. I think the style needs a more graphic, and simplistic touch, so that the illustrations look more intended for a poster, rather than an illustration with test placed on top. Perhaps
less detail shading.
and
COLOUR SCHEME
The colour scheme will need to be revised. While I think the blue, red and purple work well, and look quite calming, the precise colours/colour scheme will need to be reworked to create something that stands out more,
PEOPLE
The people with only line and colour, no shading, have potential to create the illustrative yet graphic style I want for my final posters. The people who are in more depth, perhaps add to the posters looking more like illustrations only, rather than posters.
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WEEK COMMENCING
06•04•20
W E E K LY S T U D Y P L A N
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MONDAY
Re-evaluate visual style, start to gather other references to inspire visual style
TUESDAY
Gather new style references.
WEDNESDAY
Test out ‘new perspectives’ concept through the ‘draw in with the familiar and showing something new’ aspect.
THUR SDAY
Sketch out more koinobori designs
FRIDAY
PROFFESSIONAL PRACTICE WORK
SATURDAY
REFLECTIVE JOURNAL
SUNDAY
PROFFESSIONAL PRACTICE WORK
WEEK COMMENCING
13•04•20
W E E K LY S T U D Y P L A N MONDAY
Gather cinema references for Into the Melting Pot, and Asian actors with expressive facial expressions
TUESDAY
Illustrate expressive Asian faces references into a design
WEDNESDAY
Explore expressive Asian faces grid as something for LEAFF to use, such as social media material
THUR SDAY
Turn expressive Asian faces grid into an animation.
FRIDAY
PROFFESSIONAL PRACTICE WORK Apply for DeepMind
SATURDAY
Gather Escher andf Vidal inspiration.
SUNDAY
Develop some Escher style sketches.
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EXPRESSIVE ASIANS RESPONSE In response to my research into people’s mindsets about believing Asians weren’t expressive enough, I felt that the best way to combat this perception would be to show the exact opposite. Inspired by the graphic shapes and simplistic forms used to create branding for festivals such as RIGA international film festival, the grid format I used is very effective for this concept, as the actors faces being lined up neatly like this makes the M E S SAG E V E R Y C L E A R . This also allows for the colours to come out strong, and catch the eye very easily.
PRACTICALITY FOR LEAFF: I think that there is a lot of potential for this style and these illustrations to be applied to LEAFF, along with the original idea to be used on LEAFF’s tickets, the A N I M AT I O N , I have made could also be used for S O C I A L M E D I A PU R PO S E S. I think that by promoting this positive social message, the festival would get M O R E T RAC T I O N A N D AWA R E N E S S, as the public often have a stronger support for brands and companies that show awareness for social issues, and LEAFF would be one of the best platforms for this message in particular. Once i finalise the colour scheme and style of my official LEAFF posters, I can go back to edit these designs to fit the rest of the visuals.
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WEEK COMMENCING
20•04•20
W E E K LY S T U D Y P L A N
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MONDAY
EVALUATING TIME LIMITS: What projects do i have time to make (Into the Melting Pot?)
TUESDAY
FINISH OFF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE WORK
WEDNESDAY
PROFFESSIONAL PRACTICE DEADLINE
THUR SDAY
Develop the Escher style thumbnails
FRIDAY
Continue developing Escher style ideas
SATURDAY
Reserach more branding inspiration and supporting collateral tehcniques.
SUNDAY
REFLECTIVE JOURNAL
M.C. ESCHER: Perspective Illusions Inspiration
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M.C. ESCHER INSPI
One of the things I like the most about Escher’s WAYS, similar to what I want to convey about ho through the lives of people who live on oppos
Inspired by Escher’s use of dramatic perspec a s i m i la r s e n s e o f i l lu s i o n and have the pot
With one of the issues from my past tests be created a fairly muted design overall, i think While I previously discussed with Iro that th the f i s h a re a c t u a l l y re a l l y e f fe c t i ve i n c re landscape, similar to how Escher uses birds
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The fish can actually be U T I L I S E D T O C R E AT E A N D ‘ B U B B L I N G ’ AT M O S P H E R E , that I want
RED ‘ILLUSION’ IDEAS
s illusions is that they literally FORCE YOU TO LOOK AT THINGS IN DIFFERENT ow watching foreign films, makes you see things from different perspectives, site sides of the world to yourself.
tive and perspective illusions, the ideas I sketched out managed to c a p t u re tential to make for MORE UNIQUE DESIGNS.
ing that the painted texture and detail somehow didn’t fit with the test and k that adopting a flatter, more grpahic style might be a lot more effective. he fish should have more interaction with the people in the scene, i think e a t i n g a s u r re a l a n d i n t e re s t i n g s c e n e when they are dotted around the and people to create his illusions.
E T H E I L L S U S I O N S W I T H T H E I R S H A D OWS , and A L S O A D D T O T H E ‘ B U87 SY ’ to convey as this is how Asia was described in my primary research.
SI FO
INI
NE
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Tes
IMPLISTIC GRID ORM POSTER I think this grid style poster would be a great way to add some variety to my final poster series. I think it’s important to consider variety and the DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS OF EACH POSTER, as ideally, in real campaigns, POSTERS ARE DESIGNED DIFFERENTLY DEPENDING ON WHERE THEY WILL BE USED. Therefore, as I know that I am intending for my posters to advertise the festival in public spaces, and outdoors, not just posted online, I think a simplistic and bold design like this would WORK REALLY WELL LARGESCALE. As I know that LEAFF also use posters that only use the ‘LEAFF’ letters rather than the full title of the festival, I think that this style of poster would also have a lot of potential for other uses for the festival, such as promoting other screenings that LEAFF hold throughout the year.
ITIAL IDEA
XT STEPS:
oose and refine the best final ideas
st out colour schemes and styles on the best ideas.
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REEVAL UATING
THE FINAL PROJECT:
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TIME RESTRAINTS AND INTO THE MELTING POT Unfortunately, because my first final ideas tests were not as successful as I expected, and because i have been struggling a lot with creating ideas, I have decided that i d o n o t h ave t i m e t o d eve l o p t h e I n t o t h e M e l t i n g Po t s e r i e s i n t o a f u l l p ro j e c t that supports my final piece. Instead my main focus will have to be the LEAFF posters and promotional material as i am running out of time, and i want to make sure that the final pieces are the best that they can be, without worrying about forming another project. If i have time I could possibly incorporate some of the melting pot ideas into supporting visuals for the main festival.
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WEEK COMMENCING
27•04•20
W E E K LY S T U D Y P L A N MONDAY
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TUESDAY
Develop main poster series to final designs
WEDNESDAY
Decide on the full final pieces: what exactly will I make for the final series - posters, tickets, anything else?
THUR SDAY
Gather some ticket inspiration and branding references.
FRIDAY
U p d a t e Pro j e c t p ro p o s a l
SATURDAY
R E F I N E F I N A L D E S I G N S: C O L O U R T E S T I N G fo r b a s e o f Po s t e r 1
SUNDAY
R E F I N E F I N A L D E S I G N S: C O L O U R T E S T I N G
FINAL THUMBNAIL DESIGNS TO DEVELOP
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TESTING POSTER 1: By testing the only one of the poster designs first, I can evaluate whether to carry on with whatever style I have applied. If the first style does not work out, like my previous tests, I will have to keep trying different colours, or possibly even try out different approaches/ thumbnails to my ‘new perspectives’ concept.
In creating the base of the poster, I think I did well to use existing references that related to my past colour schemes. By having these references alongside I was able to easily alternate between tones and shades of the blue, purple, and red colour scheme i had began with, while quickly experimenting and judging other tones that fit. Simply by looking at the base I have made for this poster design, I can already tell that the flat colour and outlined forms are a lot stonger than my more ‘painting’ like initial tests. In testing out text on the base of colour, it is also clear that the text fits in better with this style aswell, so the next steps will be to make the people match this style also.
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PREVIO US C O LO UR SC H EM E: Asian Acto rs G rid
M AIN PO IN TS: AD O BE ILLUSTRATO R TESTS
• I want RED to be the focus colour. I think it also works best as an accent, rather than having big chunks of red in one spot. • A slightly faded black tone would help to make the poster less harsh, and more stylish. • I think a bright pink and green would be too overpowering alongside the red in a poster, so muted versions of the 2 worked better.
FINAL COLOUR SCHEME
• The final colour scheme is a great balance between red and the other colours, with the muted black and green making good base/background colours.
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F P
I p c s p
I w f e f
I i t t o c v a
B t c p f t
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FINAL POSTER 1:
I am really pleased with how this first poster has turned out, and my test for colour and style I think has been very successful, as the overall look of the poster looks really good.
I think the colour forms and shapes, work very well with the people and fish scattered around the scene, especially with all the people coming from different perspectives.
I also think the way the 2020 is incorporated adds some flair to the piece aswell, and i would like to further develop the typography of each poster individually, as it could be interesting to make slight variations in the title for each poster, as long as the font is the same.
Because of how well this first poster test turned out, i definitely want to carry on using this style for the other posters, making sure I use the same fonts, colours and linework to keep the visual identity consistent.
USING PHOTOSHOP AND ILLUSTRATOR: By using Adobe Illustrator to create the shapes and brick patterns in the scene, I was able to create really smooth and clear shapes that work really well to create a style that is both graphic and illustrative. By using Photoshop I was also able to make sure that i used the EXACT SAME COLOURS throughout, reducing the variations in tone which I think made the past colour tests less successful. Because of the success of this technique, I definitely want to use Adobe Illustrator to create my shape bases, and then photoshop to illustrate the rest for the other posters.
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O B IN
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OVERCOMING ARRIERS A SUBTLE WAY
I think the brick texture works very well and will be especially useful to get across the ‘overcoming barriers’ aspect of the project. I think because of the style and colours of this poster, and just having the bricks distort in unexpected ways, and having the brick walls falling apart, gets the concept across in a way that does not look ‘too political’. Because of this, i think the brick pattern and falling bricks can be used throughout the other designs too.
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WEEK COMMENCING
04•05•20
W E E K LY S T U D Y P L A N
100
MONDAY
MAKING MAIN POSTER SERIES POSTER 2
TUESDAY
MAKING MAIN POSTER SERIES POSTER 2
WEDNESDAY
MAKING MAIN POSTER SERIES POSTER 3 (Simple Grid)
THUR SDAY
MAKING MAIN POSTER SERIES POSTER 3 (Simple Grid)
FRIDAY
MAKING MAIN POSTER SERIES POSTER 4
SATURDAY
MAKING MAIN POSTER SERIES POSTER 4
SUNDAY
MAKING MAIN POSTER SERIES POSTER 4
MAKING FINAL POSTER SERIES: MAKING FINAL POSTER SERIES: 101
FINAL POSTER 2
The multicoloured 2020 really brings out the playfulness I wanted to get across for the festival. I think the centred text is the most successful as it balances out the diagonal lines and creates a really harmonious composition.
I really liked the CENTRED TEXT as this comes across a lot stronger than the offcentre logo and text I had used in the first poster, the additional incorporation of colour also helps to liven up the poster futher. By creating the base of colour first again, this has definitely hepled me make sure that every aspect gets placed in effective ways, so that no colour is too focused in one area, instead, the colours are all very 102equally spread which creates a very attractive piece.
In finalising this design, I am really pleased with the outcome and think it has much more impact than Poster 1. Therefore I think this poster would work best as the MAIN FESTIVAL POSTER, as the text is able to stand out the most on the black background, but the composition itself is also really well balanced. While the colours are distributed very differently, I think the style remains very consistent between this poster and poster 1.
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TYPOGRAPHY TESTING
To make the text stand out more, I thickened the font on illustrator. This definitely makes the text suite the design more.
3D FONT TESTING
“2020” PLACEMENT TESTING
FINAL “2020” PLACEMENT
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FINAL POSTER 3
I’m really pleased with how the final design looks, it’s very harmonious and is much bolder than the other posters, which is exactly what I wanted for this poster as it is intended to be the MAIN OUTDOOR/PUBLIC SPACE poster, as its 105 bold design reflects the simplicity and impact that other film festival branding has, such as Riga. Overall I think this would be very eye-catching for the public.
F P
I t I e t t s i a ‘B i p m
B p w t f
I w t b t
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FINAL POSTER 4
am extremely pleased with how this poster has turned out, I think ’ve learnt from the previous elements that worked well with the other posters and applied them further in this poster to make something even more stylish and mpactful. I think this poster above all of them reflects the BUSY and BUBBLING’ nature of Asia as there s a lot going on all around the poster, but it isn’t too busy that it’s messy to look at.
Because of how successful this poster turned out to be I think this will definitely be one of the posters that will be the focal point of the festival.
think both this poster and the 4 walls poster, has the potential to be turned into a landscape poster for billboard application, such as on the tube or outdoors in the streets.
NEXT STEPS: - EVALUATE POSTERS AS A SERIES - SEE WHAT IMPROVEMENTS CAN BE MADE - DECIDE ON WHAT OTHER COLLATERAL TO MAKE.
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POSTER SERIES Overall I am extremely pleased with how these posters turned out, and I think the visual style between the posters are very clear and consistent. I actually like how the contrasting compositions between them, make the series more interesting. It helps to convey the idea of ‘richness’, and ‘creativity’ because each one brings something different. In looking at all the posters together I think i have also achieved what i wanted in terms of colour scheme, in that I think that the RED STILL STANDS OUT AS THE FOCAL COLOUR, 108
despite the other blu white, and pinks in th colour scheme and s now start to apply th material for the fest tickets.
While the poster ser effective as it is, I st other concepts I look the ‘new perspective ‘bridging cultural un ‘overcoming barriers significance to overl
S EVALUATION
ue, green tone he design. With this style down, I can his style to other ival, primarily their
ries looks very ill think that the ked at before es’, such as nderstanding’ and s’, have too much look.
While the concept is tackled in very subtle ways throughout these posters, I think my final project could be a lot more ambitious if i create other visuals to support the main series. These supporting visuals could tackle my other concepts in much more durect ways to project the festival aims further.
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WEEK COMMENCING
11•05•20
W E E K LY S T U D Y P L A N
110
MONDAY
MAKING SECONDARY POSTER SERIES
TUESDAY
MAKING SECONDARY POSTER SERIES
WEDNESDAY
MAKING SECONDARY POSTER SERIES - DESIGN THE FESTIVAL TICKETS
THUR SDAY
DESIGN TICKETS and the ticket backs, with the Asian actors on the back,
FRIDAY
MAKE MOCK-UPS FOR LEAFF DESIGNS AND EXHIBITION DISPLAYS
SATURDAY
MAKE FULL PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN PRESENTATION FOR ISSUU
SUNDAY
F I N I S H O F F P R E S E N TAT I O N A N D A N Y A D D I T I O N A L T H I N G S T O U P L OA D T O I N V I S I O N
SUPPORTING POSTER SERIES
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SUPPORTING POSTER SKETCHES
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DOMINO EFFECT as a visual response t o B o n g Jo o n H o ’s quote. once you overcome the one inch barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films. Building on my past design idea, where the mahjong tiles fall across a waterfall and allow the people to run on top and ‘cross cultural boundaries’, I realised that the domino effect in itself can work as a metaphore for Bong Joon Ho’s quote. In that, the dominoes standing up, can represent barriers/walls in themselves, and then once one falls, the rest follow. Which reflects the concept of Bong Joon Ho’s quote, where overcoming one small barrier (subtitles, i.e one domino), leads to ‘many more’ being overcome. Therefore, this domino effect poster is definitely something I want to include in the overall poster series.
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“LONDON EAST ASIA FILM FESTIVAL” written in Korean, Chines
SUPPORTING POSTER SE
In creating these posters, I love the overall look of them, especi aking it clear that these posters are part of their own thing. Mea the series is still within the same promotional campaign. I espec TEXT lines the edges of the poster, as I have wanted to reference more direct way, as I have avoided doing so in the visuals thems
I also think the graphic approach to representing the ‘cultural bo as it still leaves some mystery to the festival, approaching thing 114people coming together.
e, and Japanese along the edges of the posters.
ERIES
ally how the simplicity compliments the main poster series, anwhile the consistent colour scheme lets the public know that cially like how LONDON EAST ASIA FILM FESTIVAL IN ASIAN e the Aisan countries that part part of the festival in a slightly elves.
oundaries’ through separation of colour is also very effective, gs conceptually, rather than overtly showing British and Asian
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FINAL TICKET DESIGNS I really like how, by putting these on the backs of the tickets, it allows LEAFF to promote existing Asian films, aswell as dispelling myths and stereotypes about Asian actors not having much facial expression. Overall this message was important to me during the project so I’m glad to have incorporated it into the tickets. At first I thought that the realistic line drawings might not suite the visual style I had been developing for the posters, but in turning the illustrations into the same colour scheme, they actually fit very well. I think these tickets would definitely stand out from other festival branding, as no other festival or event I know of has this style of ticket. My peer responses to these tickets were also great, as most people could tell that the front side of the tickets referenced the bricks in the other posters, and they enjoyed seeing the Asian actors linked into them. 117
EXHIBITION PRESENTATION METHOD IDEALLY I WOU LD LI KE T O PR E S E NT AT T H E F R ONT OF T H E JA M E S H OCKN EY GA LLE R Y , W I T H MY BI L L BOA R D L I NI NG T H E F I R S T L E F T WA LL, SEPA RAT E C OLU MN S AT T H E CE NT R E F OR M Y M A I N POS T E R SERIES, WH I LE MY SE C ON DA R Y POS T E R S L I NE T H E R E S T OF T H E WAL L NEX T TO THE BI LLBOA R D. THE AD D ITION A L C OLLAT E RA L , I NCL U DI NG T H E BA NNE R F OR T H E FES TIVAL V E N U E , A N D T H E LA M PPOS T BA NNE R S, COU L D T H E N BE DISPLAYED ON BA N N E R STA N D S NE X T T O T H E JA M E S H OCKNE Y GA L L EY ENTRAN CE D OOR . I WAN T EACH V I SUA L T O H AV E AS M U CH I M PACT AS POS S I BL E , BECAUS E T H E R E ’S A LOT OF DE TA I L I N T H E M A I N POS T E R S E R I E S, AND THE S UPPOR T I N G POST E R SE R I E S I S A L S O J U S T AS E F F E CT I V E T O BE EXHIBITED AS A R T PI E C E S. T H E R E F OR E I WOU L D L I KE F OR E ACH OF THE S ECTO R S OF T H E PR OJ E CT T O BE S L I GH T LY S PACE D OU T BU T S TIL L IN THE SAM E PA R T OF T H E GA L L E R Y. THIS WAY, E AC H P I E C E CA N BE A P PR E CI AT E D WI T H OU T BE I NG C ROWD ED, BU T T H E OV E RA LL V I S UA L I DE NT I T Y CA N E AS I LY BE S E EN L IN KIN G EAC H P I E C E T OG E T H E R .
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FE STIVAL VE N U E BA N N E R A N D L A M POS T BA NNE R S T O S TAN D N EX T T O T H E GA LLE R Y E NT RA NCE DOOR
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S EPERATE COL U MN S F OR T H E MA I N POS T E R S ERIES IN THE C E N T R E OF T H E H OCK NE Y GAL L ERY, OR A LT E R N AT I V E LY, T H E Y COU L D BE DISPLAYED BY H A N G I N G T H E M F R OM T H E CEIL IN G AT EYE LE V E L. T H I S D RAWS P E OP L E I N AS S OON AS T H E Y LOO K I N T O T H E DOOR .
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BI LL BOA R D POS T E R AS S OON AS YOU S T EP I N T O T H E GA L L E R Y.
SU PPOR T I N G POS T E R S NE X T T O T H E BI LLBOA R D, BY BE I NG P L ACE D I N F RA M E S, T H E Y LO OK LI K E OF F I CI A L A DV E R T I S E M E NT S.
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T I CKE T D ISPL AY
Rath er than just h av in g t h e t i ck ets o n a t a ble for p e ople t o lo o k at, I’d l ike t o e xhibit t he m i n a way the m m a ke s t h e m lo o k mo re l ike a n A R T P I E C E I N THEM SELVE S. By tu rnin g th e m in t o a wa ll d isplay, whe re a ll t h e diffe re nt t ypes o f ticke t s, a nd t ic ke t back s are sh own , I t hin k t h ey c an be f u lly a p p re c ia t e d for t h e individu a l p ie c e s a swe ll a s a new art pie c e in t h e disp lay 122 i t sel f.
T h e a lt e r na t i n g layou t , r a t h e r than h av i n g t h e m i n s t r a i g h t line s is A L S O A R E F E R E NCE T O T H E BRICK PAT T E R NS T H AT I U S E IN THE POSTERS. I t h i n k t h i s u lt i m a t el y re al ly h e lp s t o t i e t h e p ro j ec t t o g e the r, es p ec i a ll y a s I a m s i m u l t a ne ou s ly p ro m o t i n g A s i a n t a l en t a n d f ilms w i t h i n t h i s d i s p lay, making the
project more that just exciting visuals, but an important social statement.
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REFLECTIVE S U M M A RY U Pbeginning D ATofE P IRO Jconf EC Twith At the thisD project was very ident choice of topic, and so my start to the project and initial P RO P O S A L visual responses went very well as I was motivated by
enjoying my research. I think the visual responses I created to the ‘melting pot of cultures’ concept are actually some of the best illustrations I have made to date, as the mix of graphic and illustrative style are exactly what I have personally wanted to develop. The melting compositions were also a really simple and aesthetically pleasing way to tackle the concept. However, because of how much I struggled to come up with ideas for my main LEAFF visuals, it was unfortunate that I eventually did not have time to carry out my Into The Melting Pot zine idea. If I were to improve the project, I would def initely have carried on developing this research project fully. My main struggle when coming up with ideas, was trying to balance all my concepts, with the overall visual style of my designs. I often found myself trying to tackle the ‘overcoming barriers’ theme, ‘bridging cultural understanding’ theme, and ‘new perspectives’ theme all at once, which was very diff icult and took up a lot of my time. However, once I had stuck with my M.C. Escher inspired ideas, and only focusing on the ‘new stories, new perspectives’, concept, I was able to be a lot more creative and eff icient with the design and making process. In f inishing the project as a whole, I am extremely happy with the f inal pieces and how I have tied everything together as a full promotional campaign, especially considering how much I struggled with ideas. I feel as though the f inal main poster series are extremely effective, and are everything I intended for them to be, in that they are bold, reflect the ‘busy’ and ‘bubbling’ atmosphere of Asia, while incorporating the f ish symbol, and red accent of the original branding.
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In seeing the posters applied in mock-ups, bus stops, I am conf ident that the designs would work as successful pieces of promotional material, as they could easily stand out wherever they are put, both through the bold colours and unique design. I am also very proud of how I have explored a new technique of illustration through my M.C Escher inspired illusions, I think the perspective illusions I have managed to incorporate into these posters add an extra layer of thoughtfulness, and make the posters clever aswell as visually stimulating. By continuously showing the illusion details of the posters to my peers, I was able to make sure that people could actually tell that I was intending to create illusions, and they didn’t get lost in the rest of the v isuals. The supporting material, including the supporting posters, and ticket designs are also something I am very proud of, as they make the project a lot more ambitious, and make the promotional campaign feel a lot more professional and fully developed, rather than if I had only chosen to make a poster series. The designs in themselves also turned out a lot better than I had expected, as I managed to tie in elements from earlier on in my project, while maintaining the visual impact of the main posters. For example, I found that the dominoes were an especially clever way to conceptualise Bong Joon Ho’s quote, creating a poster that brought the project full circle, as the quote was my very f irst inspiration. I am also very proud of how I have managed to incorporate my drawings of expressive Asian faces to emphasize the social message within the project even furt her. Overall I think the f inal project really reflects everything I had researched and so I fe el that I have channelled my ‘voice’ within the f inal project we ll. This has def initely been my most professional standard project I have made and so I am extremely proud and excited to send the project to LEAFF and present my f inal idea to them. I think all the visuals and pieces I have made will be very strong pieces for my portfolio, and I am very conf ident in showing them to potential employers in the future. The combination of illustrative, and graphic design skills that I have applied throughout the project will also be extremely helpful for me in the future, and progressing my career after graduation.
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