Noopur Choksi Sem 3 Graphic Design 2011
Copyright to NID
Graphic Design Semester 3 Documentation
3
3
Illustration
Science and Liberal Arts
Typography
Color
Photography
Illustration 5 weeks
Couse Faculty: Tarun Deep Girdher
1. 1.
Head Study
2.
Object Study -Contour
For our very first assignment as a warm up exercise we had to draw the portrait of our batchmate using only pencil (no erasers allowed). The objective was to understand the volume and the various planes of a human face and draw these taking help in the manner light falls on various planes. Learning: While studying the head, I learned to analyze the structuring of the face, the shape , the volume, the distance between the eyes, nose, lips and ears , the distinctive jawline and hairline and the weight of the head on the body.Although I wasn’t able to manage an exact portrait of Noosheen’s face, it helped me understand the basics of how I can eventually go towards achieving the same with similar practice.
Our second assignment was to Study, observe and draw a given object (steam iron)as large as possible, without using an eraser. The objective here was to understand the contours of the object and how they create an illusion of volume. Learning: The Iron is a complex object to draw ! It is composed of a lot of planes of different shapes which give the Iron its volume. I realised that drawing an object involves a wholesome approach of understand the object and not just a representation of what meets the eye. And how a 2 dimensional LINE drawing , when done correctly ,give volume to the object without the requirement of any gradation/ shading or color. I also understood the visual appeal of strong confident lines and how they contribute in drawing a solid stationary object.
Warm Up exercise- Noosheen’s Portrait
Line Drawing of an iron fron different angles
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3.
Object Study- Negative Space In our third assignment,a larger object ( a wooden chair) was used as the object of study. Instead of drawing the form, based on the observation of the structure, the negative spaces as observed were drawn with different viewpoints.The objective was to perceive the form in the context of negative space around it. Learning: My understanding of structure and symmetry was enforced with this assignment. I also learnt how mass plays a crucial role in understanding positive and negative spaces. It opened up a new way of drawing and promoted a deeper understanding of the planes that comprise any object. It also helped in a clearer perception of the FORM.
4.
Still Life A composition comprising various objects was set up on a table.Select a particular point of view and draw (black and white or colour) the composition, as you see it.To observe and understand the arrangement of objects in space and represent them in terms of light and shade, color, texture and material. Learning: This assignment was all about understanding shapes , proportions, texture, color, surfaces, play of light on the object and understanding their arrangement in space and representing the composition using suitable media. I realized that the quality of an object is enhanced when used in a certain media. I also understood how light and shade play a major role in adding volume, and how different surfaces, like Opaque, Transcluscent, Transparent react to light in different ways. Textures add a characteristic to the object and How there are various ways of representing different surfaces and textures through different techniques.
Same chair from different angles by Blocking Negative space (Pencil, Brush and Ink)
Still Life- (right)Brush and Ink, (Top) Watercolor and oil pastel, (Bottom) Black ink and Watercolor.
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5.
Self potrait- Master Painter Each student was given a printout of a representative work of great master painter from different art movements. We had to study the style, technique, medium and colour pallete of the master painter’s work. Based on this understanding, create a self portrait. The idea was to introspect oneself, find out more about oneself, and explore in terms of medium technique, tools, ideas in such a way so as to imitate the artist’s style and capture one’s persona. In Tarun’s words “if Andy warhol would do a portrait of me, how would it be?” Pop Art is an art form that reflected a return to material realities of peoples’ everyday life. It actually means the return to popular culture, thus the name “pop.” This is what Richard hamilton has to say about Pop art, “Popular (designed for a mass audience); transient (short-term solution); expendable (easily forgotten); low cost; mass produced; young (aimed at youth); witty; sexy; gimmicky; glamorous; and last but not least, Big Business.” I plotted a few basic key characteristics of pop art -recognizable imagery, drawn from popular media -Usually very bright colors -Flat imagery influenced by comic book/ photographs. -sharp paintwork
Andy Warhol
A bit about Andy Warhol: Andy Warhol was not only an artist, he was also a commercial illustrator, a graphic designer and a businessman. He understood the allure of celebrities and captured packaging products and popular people in his later works. Andy Warhol summarized the Pop movement and the role of media in this famous quote “In the future everybody will be famous for fifteen minutes.” He developed the technique of projecting photographic images to a silk screen, a process that enabled him to produce repetitive patterns within the same piece relatively quickly, called silk screen printing. Typical works are of famous people, everyday objects (soup cans, dollar bills) and macabre scenes of car wrecks and electric chairs. The picture that I was given was the most famous of Andy warhol’s works -’Marilyns’, portrait of Marilyn Monroe. ‘The irony of the ‘Marilyns’ is that it’s an icon of an icon created by an icon.’ As most people say,Warhol’s “Marilyn” is no different from a soup can on a grocery shelf. She is no longer a human being but a consumer product, one created by Hollywood to satisfy the demands of the marketplace. This illusion is emphasized by Warhol’s depersonalizing colors and the silkscreen medium, which, because it is so reproducible, blurs the line between art and commodity. I realized that there were many aspects of my personality which I wanted to show, I could do it with a seven framed layout , and as these characteristics contributed to my overall personality, it would show the “different shades of the same individual”. I got an idea, of picking out words that represented ‘me’ and using colors to convey the meaning of the words.I enlisted six words, namely, dreamy, passionate, happy , determined,musical, and moody! , as my majorly evident personality traits.
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Learning: It is said that a portrait not only talks about the subjects personality but also reflects the artist's inner personality, this holds true in the fact that although I used the style of a famous artist, I ended up creating my interpretation of the same and the final artworks spoke about me in terms of the feel and the Andy Warhol's pop art in terms if technique. I was a great way of learning about an array of artists , as most of the times we just read or see their work, but this time we experienced their thought process behind it.It was also a major learning in terms of the technique, application of knowledge of color and medium, and a lesson on how correct usage of technology can make work more quicker. Also doing a self portrait gave us a chance to dwell deeper into ourselves . Most amazingly, It felt like I was transported into the sixties in popism culture, into Andy warhol's world for a few days during the course of this assignment. But more importantly, I learned to appreciate and respect different styles of art and various artists.
Andy Warhol’s Marilyns- Reference
Explorations in Paper cut-out and Poster color.
Final Artwork (Medium- Poster paints, Size-1/4th imperial)
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6.
Media Exploration- Still Life Three different sets of still life compositions were created in the studio. Make a line drawing of the chosen still life from an appropriate point of view, on quarter imperial size. Now using this as the master composition, illustrate these exploring different media - both conventional (water colour, poster colour, acrylic, oil pastels/dry pastels, colour pencils, ink & pen/ brush) as well as experimental (paper collage, mix media, bleach, resist, monoprint, fabric etc). Learning: Experimenting is one of the best ways to learn about different mediums their visual effect. Also certain surfaces and their textures are enhanced by using certain media. Exploring with media opens up the scope for imagination to a great extent. I found that I had become much more experimental in my subsequent assignments and did not hesitate to try out all possible mediums that could work for the same. It also helped me relate the medium to the context it could be used in ( like ink and brush for editorial, comic book illustration for a minimalistic graphic effect). Also every medium has its own scope and limitations, while you can use the same medium in various ways, the effect produced could be desirable or undesirable according to the subject. The possibilities of the methods of working with different mediums are limitless and the I understood that my exploration doesn’t end with this assignment.
1. Watercolor on Cartridge
3. Dry pastel on Cartridge
2. Mix Media on Brown paper
4. Waterproof Ink on Cartridge
5. Colored markers
6. Spray painting with Photoink.
My personal favourite- Style inspired by ERIC CARLE (Illustrator) Collage with Textures
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7.
Poem Illustration Each student was given a short poem (Hindi or english). We had to understand the content, conceptualise, visualise and create a single page illustration to complement the text. Analysis of the poem: The poem, ‘The Tiger’ talks about the author questioning the theory of creation, here the creation of a wild beast like the tiger. The author asks whether it was God or the Devil that created such a terrible, awe-inspiring beast? And if it was not the Devil, what kind of Protestant God would create a creature with such a dreadful and unholy maliciousness?The Tyger was indeed the result of some divine entity’s intelligent design. The dichotomy of God’s love and punishment, a duality between the images of a loving father figure and malicious patriarchic tyrant, is the essence of this poem.God created the Lamb, but he also created, and is so directly responsible for the misery of that same lamb, the Tyger that would prey upon it. It talks about the co-existence of good and evil, Duality in its simplest form, where good will not have its worth if evil did not exist.The poem on a secondary level, also talks about the beauty and terror of the natural world.
Explorations at different stages.
Close up of the final Artwork.
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My final idea, was from an exploration where I' d shown the zoomed in view of a Tiger's open jaw, and near the area of the tonsil was a tiny little silhouette of the lamb. The illustration worked on multiple levels of interpretation, one -the scale of the massive jaw of the tiger giving the beastly, ferocious feel to the tiny silhouette of the lamb; the poems essence of co-existence of good and evil; the metaphorical imagery of the lamb inside the tiger's mouth ( predator and the prey) , with huge glistening canines ;mystery surrounding the creator as he/she is not shown in form but only in color( white and blue). Learning: Illustrating a poem involves in depth understanding of it. It is also important to keep in mind that you are not illustrating how you would like the poem to look like but also people’s perception of the poem and most importantly ,the correct essence of what the poem demands in terms of idea, treatment, size, usage id medium and so on. Also the reader should be able to relate the text with the visual. This has been one very interesting assignment and I enjoyed myself thoroughly throughout the entire process of understanding , ideating, exploring , visualizing as well as executing. I learned how factors like scale and proportion play a major role in the final result. Also it is important to take into account factors like what age group the poem is meant for, if it is a children’s poem on a Tiger this illustration would not work. Also the application of color and materials used greatly influences the final result.
Final Poem Illustration. (Acrylic on Orange Handmade Paper) Original Size: 28.5 * 37.5 inches
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8.
Editorial Illustration. A small news clipping (editorial) was selected and given to us. In this crash assignment, we had to visualise the statements/ point of view expressed in the editorial and create a black and white illustration to be published in the newspaper. The article talked about the ignorance of the Law and the inability of the judicial system in convicting influential people like ministers responsible for a lot of mishaps that happen in the name of communal violence. It spoke about how justice and reparation has been missing in action for the offenders of law of the 1984 riots,1983 Assam-Muslim riots. But a recent turn of events where the former Gujarat minister Maya Kodnani and Bajrang dal leader Babu Bajrangi were convicted and charged guilty for the Gujarat riots ts (2002).It praised the judicial system in achieving an issue that had been painfully unaddressed in the past, and how Justice should prevail. I came up with the idea of using chess pieces , the pawns would depict the people who were victims of the communal riots , and the powerful chess pieces like the king, queen, ministers will depict the influential people. Since powerful people think of themselves as ‘Above the law’ , I placed the powerful pieces above and the pawns fallen below and lying in blood, to show violence. Out of the three culprits ( three chess pieces which I used to denote the unpunished offenders) , only one of the chess pieces was shown behind bars, and the others were still hiding in dark, unaccounted for their deeds. Learning: On how to channelize your thought process in the right direction and work with a time constraint. I also learned a lesson in the fact that execution is as important as Ideation in communicating the message.Also it made us realize how a good visual makes a strong, effective medium for communicating the right message.
Explorations of Ideas.
Final Illustration,(Right) Illustration placed with the news clipping. Size : 6*9 cm
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9.
Picture Book Illustration For our last Assignment of the course we were given different short stories in english and hindi . We were toVisualise and compose our illustrations using pencil sketches and indicating the placement of text showing the structure of the narrative. We also had to simultaneously explore the style of illustration and the treatment/techniques. The story that I got is called ‘ Tootee Matkee’ . The Moral of the story is along the lines of how everything and everyone is important and useful in their own ways, and you should appreciate things just the way they are. Each of us have our own unique flaws. But it’s the flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. We’ve just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them. It tells a tale of a cracked pot which looks dow upon itself until it realises that because of the water dripping down from the crack, it is reponsible for watering the flowers and hence is the lifeline of thflowers. The story overall is a very feel-good story, and it evokes beautiful looking imageries in one’s mind. I chose a 7 * 8 inches landscape format for my story book. I came up with this idea of using water as the connecting element in all the frames as the story talks about a dripping pot, and it would also add an element of interest , as water would change form in each frame. Also since I was connecting each spread with a common element-water, I decided to make a Pamphlet style booklet, and work in Accordian folds. . Also the visuals that I created for each spread were simple so that children could relate to what they were seeing and what they read.
Exploration for styles to illustrate the flowerbed.
Exploration fot the Illustration Style
Explorations for the Technique, medium and style- 1. Outlining with Fevicol, 2. Outlining with Oil pastel and giving a wash over it, 3. Outling with Wax (Crayon), painting with Inks, 4. Paper cut-outs of colored washes
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Learning: This assignment has been a great learning experience in terms of application of all our knowledge on composition, drawing, medium, style, Layout, technique, imagination, visualization and execution. A story is a medium of communication in itself, and adding visuals to complement the text just reinforces its power to communicate all the more. Creative visualization is necessary as it hepls transport the reader into the world where the story comes alive. The treatment that you give to your Illustration can change the meaning of the story altogether. I also learned that even if a story sounds plain, it can be perked up with great supportive Illustration that draw the onlooker’s attention. With good narrative ability, a visualizer can be a great storyteller. Here in my story, the idea is simple and all the lines have an almost direct imagery attached to it, so the scope for visualisation lies in creating something new and unique. Also factors like the size play an important role in the layout. I also realised that planning is a key factor in this process, as everything from the layout to the pagination helps to guide you through the entire process. Also making a story book Illustration, as much as it is fun, it is time taking , and requires patience. Although the rewarding bit is when your story shapes up the way you’ve visualised it.
Front and Back cover, (Right) pagination of Spread 4,5 and 7, Size: 6*8 inches
This is how the spreads will be connected to each other with an accordian fold, to form a pamphlet.
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Spread 1 and 2 of the final Booklet. Hindi Typeface used : Kruti Dev 100, Type Size : 22 pt
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9.
Illustration with Siddarth Tripathi The first exercise that we did with Siddarth Tripathi was exploring textures like glass, wood, plastic, brick, cement in a sphere using different mediums like watercolor, Oil pastel, Ink, pencil, Poster paints, charcoal or mix media but only in Black and White. We further experimented with the same textures, again in only Black and white, using different types of paper. It hepled in strengthening my understanding of how to represent textures that you generally describe through senses of touch or sight. Also I applied this understanding in the media exploration to imitate the texture on the surface of the object. Further on, He gave us demonstration on Inking Techniques,using Black ink. It was interesting to see how he used a single brush in so many ways to create different line thickness, textures, and strokes. We also tried a few drawing of Random subjects in Black ink , and I applied my understanding of the media to the still life explorations. He also demonstrated a still life sudy using Photo inks, dry pastels and markers, showing us ways to use the same medium to achieve a different effect.
Explorations using Black Ink
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9.
Personal Explorations
It was pouring heavily outside, and I was in the studio, and the weather compelled me to paint , so I picked up the Photo Inks, and made these rainy day illustrations.
I learned that Illustration is the larger domain which includes visualization,imagination,image making and visual representation. It is a medium of expression of ideas which are visualized and eventually executed. Technically and practically put, it is the business of creating meaningful images. It is more so, the (conscious)process of creating imagery.It is a medium of expression of ideas which are visualised and eventually executed. This whole process of analyzing, understanding, visualising, image making, visual representation makes communicating an idea or a message interesting and fascinating. I experimented a lot in this course without any hesitation or inhibition and the freedom that this course gave me made it a great learning experience. Also we interacted a lot with each other, sharing ideas, suggestions, feedbacks which triggered the ideating and brainstorming process. Our researches on artists, poets,Illustrators has added to my knowledge tremendously, and opened up a new dimension to look into. Also Illustrating a poem and a story was like a peekaboo into how things work in the industry, only with manageable deadlines for us though! This course was also a realization of what we could do, and about how much more there’s still to explore. I understood Illustration as a process, more than anything else, with Conceptualisation, Visualisation and Execution forming its primary sub-parts. Not only have I gained immensely from this course, but I have also thoroughly enjoyed myself while doing so.
S.L.A
(Communication Studies, Semiotics)
2 weeks
Couse Faculty: Debashish Chakraborty,Jean D’souza
1.
Plato’s cave Concept Our first assignment required us to work in groups and find examples to the Plato's Allegory of the Cave inorder to understand it better. In Plato’s ‘Cave Concept’ he is describing a scenario in which what people take to be real would in fact be an illusion. Plato 's divided line : 'Every concept has to first exist at the absolute abstract state'.
2.
Bacons Morphology of signs In this assignment, we looked for such signs around us, which signified something of either the past, present or the future, causality and probability. According to Aurelius Augustine, there are two kinds of signs: natural- cause-effect relationship (Cloudrain),Conventional signs (used by living beings for mutual exchanges of the feeling of their minds)Signs is a whole that is used to signify something. Roger Bacon said ‘It is not about the creation but the reception of the sign and how semiotics is a science of suggestion’. When we see something we tend to make a causal connection , like if there is a bee, there will be a bee-hive nearby. The object here determines the sign.
3.
Set Design Analysis In this group assignment we were to identify sequences from the film - The Artist and V fro Vendetta, and through clips and screenshots , explain how the set contributed to enhance the emotions in the scene.
For our group assignment on Plato's 'Cave Concept' we took up the story of how Initially, people believed the earth to be a flat plane / disk and how Scientific advancements proved to mankind that the earth is not flat.
Signifying present: Summer, Signifying probability: crow building a nest, Signifying future: Potter creating a pot.
Scene From V from Vendetta,where V is representing the voice of the sufferers of the catastrophe. Scene from The Artist.The elements around George, starting with the wine glass, the brush, and the comb when put down upon the table make a sound, while George is taken aback by his muteness.
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4.
Potrayal Betrayal We studied Gender and its Representation in media and how the media creates stereotypes and sells stereotypes through advertisements. For the assignment we had to collect and compile a presentation of advertisement which showed the adverse portrayal of gender in advertisements. In the first ad that I chose, Why is it that only the woman tied down so helplessly , while the man (who is also tied down) , made to look grounded and in-control? This again metaphorically pointed to a gender bias , and an attempt at portraying women as submissive and as passive objects meant for sexual services. The tagline which clearly depicts the suppression of the female sex , merely used as an Object for pleasure, and compared to a footwear, to be dominated over and kept under control. Example of a Racist ad:Notice how the white girl is portrayed as happily smiling and angelic, while the black girl plays a demon with her hair lookin like horns.
5.
Poem Analysis
For this assignment, each of us had to Pick up a poem from a list and analyze the poem and try to fing images that relate to the essence of the poem. I chose the poem , ‘ Ozymandias’ by P. B Shelley. The poem talks about the: -Transience of power ,Longevity of art,Pride and Destruction. In the poem, “Ozymandias” the statue is a symbol of Ozymandias’s ambition, pride, and absolute power, and thus the poem also implies that kingdoms and political regimes will eventually crumble, leaving no trace of their existence except, perhaps, a work of art that records the time period, but does not hold its original value.
Examples of Racist and Sexist advertisements.
The statue of Liberty here is bound by the forces of Nature, This futuristic image relates to the poem in the way that this monument, which instills a sense of pride in americans , is sunken in the depths of the sea, and is facing destruction and deprival of its own liberty.
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6.
Write Up Based on the quotes that we came across during the presentations we were asked to pick up one, and elaborate on it. The quotes dealt with semiotics, mythology and social structures like gender. We also read the famous play, ‘ Naga Mandala’ by Girish Karnad and did a semiotic study of the play reflected upon the social systems observed in the play. The course was also interspersed with films related to the issues of Gender, race , caste , Myths and the Society which hepled us relate the theories that we studied to the film. Especially the movie that we saw on Sexism and Racism, titled, ‘ For colored girls’ had a deep impact on me , and I was moved seeing the state of the characters potrayed in the movie. The quote that I picked up for my final write up again talked about gender and the position of women in the society. My quote read as follows, ’ Gender is not something that one is, it is something that one does’.
“It is I whom the Myth has come to seek” -Roland Barthes Nagamandala Play by Girish Karnad
’ Gender is not something that one is, it is something that one does’. “More often than not we confuse the word 'sex ' with 'gender' , but the terms ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ mean different things to feminist theorists, and unlike how most of us think that sex and gender are the same, feminists disagreed saying that the term 'sex' was based on 'biological differences' while the term 'gender' was dependent on 'social and cultural factors'. “ “So what defines you as a man or a woman isn't the fact that you are born with morphologically different genitals or hormones, but a set of rules of dos and donts, a code of conduct, which is categorized by the society and culture that surrounds us , which we are immersed neck deep in, and are pulled into it by our own parents and family who have been former victims of the same need to "do what needs to be done" . Constantly pressurized by such conditioning ,deviations are seen as rebellious. Somehow, it brings an image of two moulds created by the society, one in the shape of the 'woman ' and one a 'man', and humans being a lump of clay , and the society which puts the lump of clay into the specific mould to come out as a woman or a man.. imagine it .. interesting isn't it? “ 2 Paragraphs quoted from my write up on ‘ Gender is not something that one is, it is something that one does’.
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Posters of movies that we saw during the course.
The idea of the course was basically to study Semiotics and its role in the Society and try to identify and understand its characteristics and the role of Signs and symbols in the society. In the first week we started with the basic understanding of the term Semiotics (Study and Interpretation of signs and symbols) and Semiology as a science that deals with meaning, value system, facts as tokens for something else. We studied as to hoe thought the passage of time , various philosophers have interpreted Semitoics in their own way, building upon the previous understanding and contributed to what we study under the domain of 'Semiotics'.We looked into the History of semiotics starting with Plato,Socrates,Aristotle, Augustine,Pierce Abelard,Bacon, Charles Sanders pierce and Saussure. We further Studied Karl marx, talked about economy, division of labour, Gender and also studied a bit of Freud. It was the first time that I got a chance to read about these theories. I took time in absorbing all that was said and sorting the inputs through discussions and the assignments. Also the movies that we saw raised very interesting questons about how the society deals with these issues. We dug out the underlying meanings within these concepts and tried to extract and relate them to the current scenario. Although SLA has been a bit challenging for me in terms of thorough imbibing of the concepts, it is something that I would like to reflect upon further.
Typography 3 weeks
Couse Faculty: Tarun Deep Girdher
1.
Typo Potrait There couldn’t have been a better start for Typography than the this assignment and the very first assignment got us all excited about what was to come over the next three weeks. The idea of using type to reflect one aspect of our personality was challenging and interesting and we learned about our peers opinions of us and got a chance to dwell deeper into our own self. I first ended up doing something intuitive after a series of explorations that didn’t seem to work out. Eventually after feedback sessions i realized that this exercise required us to narrow down on one concept and progress on the same. After that exploring was one amazing journey, we were also told to not be restricted to paper and explore freely. I learned that the moment you start thinking without restrictions of one media, ideas flow in. I realized how type, color and form along with the negative space of the paper interact to generate different meanings.
2.
Type Classification- Terminologies The second assignment was a group research assignment and was like our first step into the world of Typography , as we learned as to what exactly is Typography , and then about the basic terminologies and the Fundamentals of Typography, our interest deepened. By the end of this assignment all of us started using the ‘Language and vocab of typography’. I started paying attention to the existence of Type around me. Also ,making a chart for the presentation based on our research, constructing everything using hands, helped us sensitise our eye to the important details , composition and the characteristics of the typefaces. It helped increase our understanding of Typography through group discussions and sharing of information.
Typo Potratit, Word: ADAPTABLE
Exploration made by dropping water and Inks on paper
Close up of the Chart
Type Classification- terminologies Group members: Noopur, Pupul, Stuthi, Vivek
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3.
Meaning Making A, B , C Here in we picked quotes and tried to play around with the meaning and what the quote will communicate when you arrange it and format it in a certain fashion. How you could generate different meanings from the same text by working out the heirarchy, point sizes,line weights and layout was a very interesting process altogether, and we experimented with all sorts of meaning making , from philosophical to humorous and irony aswell. A lot of learning of how people percieve Type, readability, legibilty, the attention seeking ability of a display happened throughout this assignment. We also saw how serif and sans serif typefaces interacted with each other in the next part of the assignment. It helped in strengthening our understanding of how visual language works and how the layout plays an important role in the same.
4.
Digital Refinement Apart from helping us increase our fluency in using softwares, we realized the importance of hand made sheets. I understood how hand done sheets increase our sensitivity towards execution and precision because we make errors ,which contribute towards learning ,which does not happen in digital work.
Meaning Making A
M.M B- Retaining Emphasis, Changed Layout
Perfection
is
achieved, not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is
nothing left to take away.
Antoine De Saint ExupĂŠry
M.M C- Same Layout, Changed Emphasis
Digital Correction
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5.
Type Study For our next assignment, all of us got a Typeface to research upon. It became a journey of digging deeper into the typeface starting from the History of its invention, designers, anatomy of letters, characteristics and features, versions, comparison with other typefaces , classifications , facts , application, its uniqueness and so on. We also spared no opportunity to look for examples of the usage of the typeface anywhere and everywhere. We revered the designers and were amazed by the process of type creation. All of us shared our knowledge through an informal presentation.
5.
6.
Publication We had to create a BOOKLET based on our research of the typeface. . My typeface was -Avant garde Gothic and I decided that the style of my booklet had to be Avant Garde. I looked for inspiration in Avant garde art, Photographs, and style which helped. All our knowledge of composition, layout, heirarchy, meaning making , fundamentals of typography was applied in this assignment altogether.I also understood the importance of maintaining the visual language and how certain elements contribute in creating uniformity.It was also interesting as we started to question and reason our intuitive decisions in terms of layout and colors. Technical , important knowledge of Indentation, type sizes, paragraph spacing, leading used, columns and margins was very helpful throughout.The entire process was a series of experimentation and learning through errors and feedbacks. Also looking at everyones work which reflected their individuality, and how everyone tackled it was a learning in itself. All the efforts paid off when we held our printed booklets in our hands .
Digital spreads from my publication design on the Typeface-Avant garde.
Coverpage and a Spread from my printed Booklet on Avant garde. Size: 8*8 inches
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Typography , the literal meaning being, Typos-form ; graphy: writing, is an omnipresent medium of visual communication. Typography helps us understand the power of written words.Along with color and form, it is one of the three important parts of communication design and the knowledge of type is crucial to any graphic designer. The course on Typography opened up a new dimension of thinking, as we understood basic typographic elements and applied them to create emphasis and hierarchy. As the typographical vocabulary seeped in, our interest deepened. Application of fundamentals of composition and form helped strengthen understanding. Study of the terminologies through comparison between various Typefaces was a good learning process. The knowledge of the different Typefaces that we gained during the course has helped tremendously in the subsequent documentations that we’ve made and had also made us more sensitive towards the usage of type. Typography is a powerful medium and its usage relies on a clear understanding and a creative need to experiment, and it continues to fascinate me.
Color 2 weeks
Couse Faculty: Anil Sinha
1.
Survey on Form and Color Our Course on Color was an entirely new and different approach to the subject. We took up a theme -‘Ice cream’ for a start and did research on what form and color do people generally associate Ice creams with. We studied through survey as to how different people react to color and form in different ways although a general degree of similarity is observed,based on association .. Results also showed how various factors like gender, age, geographical boundaries influence the decisions. We also did a group research on a particular brand of Ice-cream (ours being Amul ) and made a powerpoint presentation for the same.
2.
Thermocol Models of the Form We created Thermocol Models of forms associated with Icecream. Making a prototype helps in the understanding of the 3-dimensional geometry of the form. None of the edges of the forms were sharp so as to give a soft Ice-cream like feel to it.
3.
Sketches of the Form After understanding the forms through the thermocol models , we were told to sketch and play around with the form, we could slice it, open it, explode it and treat it like any material we wanted it to be. It was here that we broke away from the theme of ‘Ice-creams’ and started analyzing the form and exploring its full potential. This involved a lot of visualizing as the treatment was to be given to a three dimensional form.
What colour would you associate with ICE-CREAM?
A
B
A 1
B 2
C
D
C 3
D4
E
F
G
H
E 5
F 6
G 7
H8
Forms that I worked with.
We did a survey on the colors that would generally remind people of Ice - Cream. (Round Swatches were used, as a circle is a complete form and it makes your eye move around the same form.) Preferred Colors- B2 , C3 , A1
Form and Color Explorations in Thermocol, pencil sketching and Watercolor.
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4.
Color Explorations Each of us had to finally work with one or two forms out of our sketching explorations. This is when we digitized our forms on Illustrator. Digitizing the form helped us gain grip on using the software. I then made color explorations for both the forms. It was interesting to see how the form changed meaning with change in color. The idea that I used for the Pyramidal form was to treat the upper half as transcluscent . The color scheme that I followed was based on the After image effect (An afterimage or ghost image or is an optical illusion that refers to an image of complementary color continuing to appear in one’s vision after the exposure to the original image has ceased.). Here I also understood how our memory plays a role in creating associations when a familiar looking form is percieved. We then assigned constraints to our forms and applied the color scheme accordingly, this involved appliction of our basics in color, like cool and warm color, primary, secondary, tertiary colors and color theory. I also tried working with color inspiration from a photograph.
5.
Theme based Explorations In the next step each of us picked up a theme and experimented with color variations based on the theme. I worked with creating a feel of ‘dramatic Horror’ with color in the first form and ‘Food items’ for the second. To liven up the theme I decided to add a border to give a touch of Drama. I also tried using multiple forms to create oddity and drama. The reason why I picked the theme ‘Food’ for the second form was because its shape resembled food items in various orientations.
Greasy
Smooth
Warm
Cool
Color Exploration based on the After-Image effect(Top row).
Inspiration- TURNWOOD TOYS ,Inspiration - MINTY FRESH (Bottom Row).
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Theme: DRAMATIC HORROR The colors here are very sharp and drastic and thus catch the attention of the eye instantly adding drama, the black and the purple generate fear and mystery and the quirkiness of the form generates horror
Theme: DRAMATIC HORROR Directly inspired from the colors in the scene from the movie - The Phantom of the Opera which is an intense dramatic, mysterious, gothic Musical.Deep Starkly eye piercing usage of colors to achieve the effect.
All the color schemes are inspired from existing food items- 1 BREAD LOAF WITH JAM, 2 JAPANESE SUSHI FOOD, 3 MARSHMELLOWS.
Concept- Mask The brightly colored but transparent pyramid depicts the outer personality which seems colorful, transclucency has been used to show its transient nature, which surfaces when the mask is peeled off, and the true nature,which is only Black and White, is revealed.
Contraint - FLOWER Monochromatic color scheme is used to achieve the imagery of flower petals which is supported by the form.
Concept- Mask The brightly colored but transparent pyramid depicts the outer personality which seems colorful, transclucency has been used to show its transient nature, which surfaces when the mask is peeled off, and the true nature,which is only Black and White, is revealed.
Theme: DRAMA
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6.
Explorations with the form.
COLOR & FORM
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Throughout the course we studied the relationship between Form and color and their Interaction. Color helps differentiate between form and background, and helps us percieve the form. To change the meaning or the message that the form communicates you can either change the Color, Form or the Context. We also brushed up on the basics of Color theory which we eventually implemented throughtout the course. Color also adds dimension and meaning to the form and helps in communication with the form. And variation in color can change the context of the form entirely.This learning was strenghthened by continuous trial and error and Feedback throughout the course. We also did a reserch assignment on a particular color(Yellow) and compiled the information in a presentation. ďżź Parallely we also dealt with variations in the same form and how a form single form can be percieved in a variety of ways. It was interesting to see how the same form in a particular color meant differently for each individual and the challenge that was posed here was to create something that was objective and could communicate strongly andcorrectly, what it is intended to, objectively. We also learned about how Color itself is capable of communicating on its own and how colours have different connotaitions and feelings associated with them enabling them to create a certain kind of feel/ effect. This learning was used majorly while we worked with Themes and constraints. Also as most of it was done digitally, apart from it helping us in increasing our fluency with softwares , it helped us concentrate on Color and form which was the purpose rather than struggling with skill and its application on paper. Overall we looked at Color in a fresh new light like never before which had helped in increasing ur sensitivity towards the perception and usage of color and its interaction with its surroundings.
Photography 3 weeks
Couse Faculty: Hitendra Vala
1.
Photography Basics: One of the best ways to end the semester, this course brought along with it a lot of excitement , also because photography is something which is all around ,and yet so new to beginners like me. Photography, as it is literally translates into " writing/drawing with light" is the art of recording and capturing images with the help of light, and since the camera is the tool for doing so, it was very important that we understand the tool well enough to control the kind of images we want to capture. Every camera functions on a basic level with two main elements : Aperture(measured in F-stops)(which controls the amount of light that enters the lens) and Shutterspeed( which controls the exposure in terms of how long the shutter will be open for). Both of these determine whether the photograph is under or over exposed or corrrectly exposed. Smaller the F-stop value, larger the Aperture opening, so more light enters the lens; similarly, longer the shutter speed, more the exposure hence more the light. We also learned about the standardization of sensitivity in cameras through ISO(International Standard Organization) or ASA ((recent) American Standard association) and the components of a camera which include flash, lens, lens cap, viewfinder, roll, battery, ASA, Controls, Knob, Timer,Filter,light meter. We also studied a bit about the different camers formats (large, medium and small) and the various types of lenses namely, zoom lens, Shift lens ,wide angle lens, fish eye lens, Tele Photo lens depending on the focal length. All lenses below 50 mm focal legit are wide angle and all below 12 mm are fish eye. Tele lenses range from 50 mm to 300 mm , while lenses above 1000 focal length(narrow cone of vision) are called Super-Tele lens. Bigger the focal length , smaller the angle of view.
Pictures taken with a Nikon Fm2 Subject: Dreams
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2.
Subject: Dreams The Camera that we used for our first two weeks of the course was a Nikon 3100 Fm 2, Single lens reflex camera(SLR). The first assignment gave was to choose a common subject and capture images from around Ahemdabad pertaining to the subject. All of us narrowed down on the subject "Dreams". This was the first time that we were using a manual film roll camera and we took some time to adjust to setting the aperture and shutter speed to get a perfect '0'on the calibrator, and capture a correctly exposed picture. We also noted down the Location, Time of the day, F-stop and shutter speed of each picture for analysis.We also learned how to load and unload the film. Since our topic was quite abstract we had a bit of a tough time looking for subjects which would relate to the topic directly.
3.
Tourism Poster Photography gave us a chance to explore parts of Ahemdabad which we otherwise never did. We would roam for hours looking for subjects and we saw a lot of beautiful heritage sights during the course. We also went to Champaner which is a beautiful place 45 km from Baroda, for a day trip to click pictures to use in a poster designed for promoting Tourism in Champaner.
Pictures taken with a Nikon Fm2 Subject: Dreams Two of my personal favourites, The First One is taken the Jhulta Minara , and The second one is taken at the Sunday Market
The Pictures that we shot In Champaner ,were used to Maske this Poster on Photoshop. Size: 18* 22 inches
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Studio Shoot -Portrait, Concept shoot We also had a brilliant time doing Studio Shoots where we paired up and played the role of the art director as well as a photographer to each other. It was a very professional experience , working with props, models, coming up with concepts, arranging the lights, and getting the desired outcome out of the photographer.It also gave us a lot of scope to visualize and think creatively. It served as great learning experience as the freedom we got helped us explore without hesitation. We played around with compositions , lighting to create the desired effect. We also shot portraits of our partners reflecting their personality, trying to bring out their natural side. It was also a major experience in terms of learning how to get the best out of people. For my portrait shoot my subject was Noosheen. Noosheen is a hard core food lover , and she gets delighted at the thought of food, its almost like therapy to her. I decided to capture her obsession and love for food in her potratit concentrating more on her expressions. For my Concept shoot, I had an idea of capturing the ‘Changing faces of a hero’, how a person puts on a new mask everyday,hiding his inner emotions. I shot this in three frames wihtout showing the face of the actual person anywhere. I shot this in Monochrome so as to give full attention o the concept.
Digital Photography Noosheen’s Portrait
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5.
Master Photographer We also did a small research assignment on a master photographer , mine being 'Yousuf Karsh' which was extremely motivational as we analyzed their style and work and their mastery in skill. “Yousuf Karsh, (Armenian December 23, 1908 – July 13, 2002) was an Armenian-Canadian photographer,and one of the most famous and accomplished portrait photographers of all time. He photographed many of the great and celebrated personalities of his generation. Throughout most of his career he used the 8×10 bellows Calumet (1997.0319) camera, made circa 1940 in Chicago. Journalist George Perry wrote in the British paper The Sunday Times that “when the famous start thinking of immortality, they call for Karsh of Ottawa.” Karsh was a master of studio lights. One of Karsh’s distinctive practices was lighting the subject’s hands separately. Karsh had a gift for capturing the essence of his subject in the instant of his portrait. The most beautiful thing about Karsh’s potraits is that you can almost feel the presence of the photographed person with you. He does not capture a person but captures the personality of the subject and that is what breathes life into his potraits. Also his perfect use of lighting over the face and hands , two of the most expressive parts of the body, adds extra character to the photograph.”
Winston Churchill (Photograph By Yousuf Karsh)
Concept Shoot- Changing Faces (Masks) Three frame story.
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Photographs taken on the Day Trip to Champaner
This course helped us understand the fundamentals of Photography. We learned to question as to what film will we be needing ( B/W or color), How will we be composing elements in the frame, using foreground, background; Isolating the main subject with the help of Contrast/lighting,Framing,sharpness/blur; Showing colors as tones; making the most of subject details - emphasizing/ suppressing .We also gained in depth knowledge of the components of a digital camera through presentations and Demonstrations. I understood that a good photo should have all these components - a good composition -a message or a story to tell -proper lighting -sharpness -color balance -appropriate Time/ moment capture -Depth of field Photography gave us a chance to explore parts of Ahemdabad which we otherwise never did. We would roam for hours looking for subjects and we saw a lot of beautiful heritage sights during the course. After this course I am more inspired than ever to continue to use photography; as it proves to be a very strong tool for visual communication, and is a very intriguing subject of study. I have added to my observational skills during this course and the journey has helped strengthen my interest in photography all the more.
Reflecting on the Semester: Looking at the big picture,my first semester in GRAPHIC DESIGN has proved to be a very fruitful and enjoyable experience. I have never felt so sure and happy about my decision to take up graphic design as much as I have throughout this semester. A lot of first timers have made this semester all the more exciting and interesting. The joy of printing our own first booklet, illustrating a story, getting a grip on softwares which seemed alien in the start, beginning to understand and analyze Typefaces, an entirely new way of seeing color, learning to analyze films in a new light, and most importantly being looked at as budding graphic designers has been immense! Not only were all courses nicely structured, they were also extremely open ended, so as to give us the freedom to explore and experiment. Starting from Illustration, where we did everything from basic line drawing to exploring mediums to illustrating stories , editorials and poems, to S.L.A where we gained information on the subject of semiotics and learned how to analyze it in the current context, to Typography, which was an entirely new domain for us, where we learned everything from basic terminologies to areas like printing and publication, to color which in which we studied the interrelationship between color and form and color and contextual understanding of color, to Photography where we explored technical aspect of Photography, and got a chance to bring our own ideas to life in a professional studio shoot, the way the understanding of each course blended and applied to one another gave us an idea of what graphic design was composed of. The learning automatically enhanced our presentation and aesthetic skill. My perception towards print media and other forms of media changed as I started noticing and analyzing the graphics in them. The entire semester I have tried to absorb the language of visual communication and although it has been a bit challenging at times , I have never lost interest in trying. All of this has left us with a widened perspective of knowledge and a yearning to explore more go in-depth into the field of visual communication with graphic design.
Bibliography: Websites and Links that I have referred to in the Semester: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
www.google.com www.wikipedia.com www.pinterest.com www.stumbleupon.com http://inspirationhut.net http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/a__e__housman/ poems/ http://www.toxel.com/inspiration http://10steps.sg/articles/design-articles http://www.thephotoargus.com/inspiration/40-outstanding-examples-of-conceptual-photography http://www.karsh.org//the_man/home http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/publisher-help http://www.warholfoundation.org http://www.webexhibits.org/colorart/marilyns.html http://madamepickwickartblog.com/2011/12/warholanother-green-world http://www.art.com/products http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/11/09/books/ http://www.snap2objects.com/2009/05/70-designers-thatshaped-the-world
List Of Books That I referred to during the Semester: • • • • • • • • • • •
Drawn To Life by Walt Stanchfield Best Of Laxman Vol 2 The Packaging and Design templates sourcebook by Luke Herriot Creative Jolt by Robil Landa Designing with Type by james Craig Made to Stick I Love Avant Garde by Twopoints.net Popism and The Warhol Sixties The Philosophies of Andy Warhol Color- Building great designs with color The Art of Harvey Kurtz
• • • • • • • • •
Shenzen By Guy Delisle Coraline By Neil Gaiman Three Shadows By Cyril Pedrosa The art of Humorous Illustration By Nick Meglin Improving your Color Photography Food Photography People in Focus Graphic Design as a Second language By Bob gill Bob Gill Illustration
Acknowledgement: I would Like to thank all the following people without whom this semester would not have been so memorable: First and Foremost , all the Faculty members of all the courses that we have had, for their guidance and efforts in making the semester an enlightening experience: Tarun D.G Debashish C. Jean D’ Souza Shilpa Das Anil Sinha Siddharth Tripathi Hitendra Vala Rupesh Vyas My Batchmates for being extremely cooperative and supportive, and for making the journey enjoyable. My Seniors for sharing thier work and experiences with us and for their help. Gret, Betsy and Soledad( From the Royal College of Arts) for the refreshing time I had in the Illustration(Potraiture workshop) conducted by them. The Printers for bringing my document to life. The KMC for being our Research companion, and for having an amazing collection of books on any topic you’ll ever need. The IT Centre and The Xerox room for all the printing, xeroxing and scanning assistance. Students Store for the provision of material. Mahendra Bhai and Valji Bhai for helping s with the software and photographic equipment. My Parents and brothers for supporting and motivating me to give my best. And My roommate for bearing with me during my late night work routines. Thank you.
.....Enter Sem 4