RESEARCH BOOKLET REBEKAH HOLLINS
When considering the graphics associated with music, it is easy to recognise that each genre has a specific style that we relate to. The graphics often reflect the sounds of the music and allows the viewer to easily understand the content and style of that particular album or song. Take these images for example, many of them are very vibrant and colourful which creates a sense of excitement, those which aren’t have very simple and modern looking logos which would suggest that the music will be modern and primarily for a younger audience.
Album Covers
It is possible to consider this on an international scale; most music is made with the intentions to go global and to reach a worldwide audience. For this reason it is important that the art associated with that music is reflective of the style. This allows the audience to understand it without necessarily being able to read the text. For example, these album covers are some that I discovered from Detroit Underground, a Japanese record label that focuses very much on techy sounding music that makes use of strange noises. This becomes evident in the artworks associated with the albums, as they are very technical images, there are very few colours involved with the exception of the centre image. This creates a very bold appearance and suggests that the music is very powerful and unique.
Japanese Album Covers
On the Detroit Underground website I discovered an artist called Dmas3 who designed a lot of the artworks for the album covers. I visited his website and as you can see from the images above, they very much reflect the nature of the album covers however they are much more colourful. The brave and apparent vectorised style of the work creates a very unique result that is very recognisable. One particular element of this style that stands out to me is the fact that many of the compositions are constructed by a series of very simple geometric shapes. Each shape works in conjunction with another and creates a very harmonious result as if put together like a piece of machinery. The bright colours used appear to be applied in block colour which adds a very bold look to the design and draws attention to it, when paired with a more neutral background this creates an element of depth.
Dmas3
Here is an example of an album cover created for the Annie Hall CD; it shows the construction of text and the links to the style of both the cover and the logo. This all works together in harmony to create the atmosphere of the CD which then presumably will reflect the attitude of the music itself.
Annie Hall
After researching into the work of Detroit Underground I decided to search for a more local source and discovered the likes of the Designer Republic, a record label founded in Sheffield. The work is created in a very simplistic style and is said to have been largely influenced by themes of Russian Constructivism, this is very evident in the work. The designs incorporate text along with very simple graphics, vibrant colours and patterns. Although the designs reflect ideas of Russian constructivism, many of them also display the same technical style as the work by Detroit Underground and manipulate information to add detail to the work. The designs again evidence the simple geometric shapes that are used in the other works and this again is likely to reflect the style of music that the album or poster is created for. I believe that the bold colours are very much used tor represent the style and mood of the music that the artworks are created for, the bright colours create a sense of energy, passion and excitement which would seem a very good starting point to sell the album.
The Designer Republic
The Designer Republic
The Designer Republic
The Designer Republic
These are some images I collected from two of the Designer Republic books, the artworks which I have photographed particularly appealed to be because of the unique shapes and bright colours along with the familiar technical styles of the designs.
The Designer Republic
HOW DO I GET THOSE SHAPES?
It is easy to recognise that many of the shapes used in the work of the Designers Republic reflect that of the city. The architecture and shapes that surround us on a daily basis are easily deconstructed into simple, geometric forms and here you can see that the Designer Republic had similar ideas. Initially their intentions were to paint the building purple however due to some restrictions they decided to display the work digitally through what appears to be a vectorised form. By selecting simple yet interesting shapes, the designers created a series of photos called the purple building and this highlights ways in which the architecture of the city can be deconstructed down to very simplistic shapes and forms. It may be possible for me to use this idea as an influence for my project and a way in which I can deconstruct the city to then create something else from it. It would appear that many of the works by the Designer Republic along with Detroit Underground manipulate these forms to create new compositions which reflect the music of a particular place and this may be an approach I could take forward in my developmental work.
The Designer Republic
The Designer Republic
Armelle Caron
It’s possible to consider many different ways in which the city can be deconstructed. I discovered this artist called Armelle Caron who deconstructs a map view of the city into hundreds vectorised outlines that she then neatly organises into rows of similar shapes. This allows us to see how many of the shapes may be buildings or homes, showing the vastness of the city and how many people really live there. Each of the pieces she creates is a breakdown of different cities across the world; it’s really interesting how the construction and layout of each city differs from another. This may be a possible approach in which I could experiment with myself to provide myself with more shapes; some cities that I could use would be Huddersfield, Manchester and Sheffield. It may then be an option to begin to put these shapes together to create something that wholly encapsulates the city both physically and metaphorically.
Armelle Caron
Caroline Grohs
In addition to deconstructing the architecture of the city it may be possible to take it a step further using the work of Caroline Grohs as a source of inspiration. She created these series of images to represent the motion and strength of the dancers in a show and these were featured across flyers, hand-outs and on the website. However I saw them in a different light in the sense that anything within the city, no matter how complex, can be deconstructed down to simple geometric form. The dancers show very unique and abstract forms that have been used to create these skeleton formations representing dance in a very condensed form. It may be possible to take elements of the city and deconstruct them. Some possible ideas might include people, places, vehicles, roads, animals and probably a lot more! Something as small as a Pepsi can may provide a series of really unique shapes that I can work with. This will allow me to encapsulate themes of the city and present them through my work.
Caroline Grohs
During my research of Caron and Grohs I realised that many of the shapes were influenced by key points, either points of strength and joints on a dancer, or places which stand out on an birds-eye-view map. This very much reminded me of the map pins I had seen and considered that it may be possible to document all of the places I have visited with pins and then join all of these points up to create unique shapes. This was yet another idea which would hopefully enable me to deconstruct the city and enable me to then work with it at a later stage.
Map Pins
WHAT CAN I DO WITH THE SHAPES?
Obviously having these shapes is one thing but it’s important to consider the next step in how I am going to use them to construct something new that represents the city as a whole. I started to look into themes of cubism as the work breaks down what would’ve been very complex imagery to create something made of many geometric shapes. Take the work of Thomas C. Fedro for example; the images are very unique and powerful as they are simple and easy to interpret. The bright colours often reflect the somewhat ‘random’ nature of the designs and the irregular shapes enhance features to create a more aesthetically appealing piece. Although I am not particularly fond of the works of Fedro, I can appreciate the strength of the composition and the context in which they were created and for this reason decided to use his work to direct me towards further development.
Thomas C. Fedro
Whilst using cubism as in influence but looking towards more modern representations of it, I discovered an artist called Carl Kleiner who constructs shapes from shapes. I really like the simplicity of these designs and the crisp edges. A huge part of these images depends on the colours that are selected and ensuring that although there may be a lot of different colours, they all complement one another and work well in harmony. It may also be possible to construct physical shapes and photograph these, creating really unique and unusual angles and concepts.
Carl Kleiner
Carl Kleiner
I really like the multimedia style of these pieces in terms of the different textures and patterns that are shown through the work. Again all of the colours used appear to work in conjunction with one another and create a really harmonious outcome.
Carl Kleiner
Kleiner is said to have been strongly influenced by Ollie Baertling in the artworks I have looked at. This becomes very clear when you begin to look at the works of Baertling, the shapes used and the way they are constructed very much parallels with the work of Kleiner along with the use of colour and simplicity. Baertling’s work is described to be “Completely naked art, stripped of every inessential” which implies that the very crisp finish I talked about in Kleiner is in fact created on purpose and is done so to focus the viewer very much on the dynamics of the artwork’s creation. The importance of shape and colour become very apparent at this point and will be an area to focus on theoretically at a later stage.
Ollie Baertling
Sylvia Yang
I decided to look at constructing something more object, such as a person or an animal and discovered a style that is very much a ‘modern cubism’ and is called low poly artwork. Sylvia Yang is a very good example of this in which she constructs animal’s faces using only simple shapes, creating tone through the use of colour. Her artwork is very simple and for this reason it is easy to distinguish what each animal is despite the use of quite ‘interesting’ colours. What I am trying to say here is that there aren’t many pink and blue owls flying about, but yet the design is still really effective as she makes the colours work really well together. It’s possible to consider that the characteristics of each animal are represented through the colours that have been chosen for it and this may be the reason that the designs work so well. For example the deer can be considered adventurous and inquisitive which could be represented by the bright greens and pinks, but also cautious, calm and smart which could be shown through the greys and blues. This is only an idea and may not necessarily be the case but it is important to consider that the colours in the design play a huge part in the mood that it creates.
Sylvia Yang
Benjamin Flouw
I continued to look for artists that create works using the low poly style; I researched into an artist called Banjamin Flouw. The neutral colours and unique texture of his designs help to represent the theme of nature that appears to run throughout the work. In addition, the designs are made very cute through the use of characterisation of inanimate objects. I feel that this adds personality to the work and very much represents Flouw’s style. Again the importance of colour is evident throughout his works and also the importance of the background colour in designs with negative space.
Benjamin Flouw
Charis Tsevis
I decided to focus on works that highlight the importance of colour, designer Charis Tsevis uses colour to represent motion in his designs using a plain background and then creating areas of colour where the figures would appear to have moved from. I really like the use of contrast as I feel it creates a powerful result and allows the viewer to feel as if they are a part of the image and can see it moving despite it being two-dimensional. As the artist often uses the colours of the clothes to represent the movement in the image, it acts as if it is a blur of movement and therefore gives the illusion that the design is actually in motion.
Charis Tsevis
Liam Brazier
Finally I looked at the works of Liam Brazier who again uses the low poly style however his work is much more detailed. He concentrates strongly on highlights and shadows throughout each piece to add a very realistic feel to the work and in many cases the designs look as though they should be photos. I really like the realistic styles of the designs as I feel they demonstrate to the viewer how anything real can be constructed of very simplistic shapes.
Liam Brazier
CONSIDERING PRESENTATION
My intentions are to consider ideas of deconstruction in terms of the city, choosing elements that I feel reflect a particular city strongly. I will then deconstruct these elements in order to create something new which I feel will represent the city as a whole, but does not necessarily look like the city. In many of the artworks I have looked at, colour and shape play a big part in creating an atmosphere of a design, I feel it may be possible to deconstruct a city and then using knowledge of shape and colour, to then construct something that represents the mood and atmosphere of that city without the traditional association with buildings and shops. To do this I will begin by deconstructing Huddersfield in a variety of different ways. I may consider taking photos and choosing out shapes in the buildings and architecture, or studying a birds eye view and selecting key points on that map or simply looking at the shapes within it and picking them out. Alternatively I may select some places, items or beings that I feel represent Huddersfield and begin to look at deconstructing these into simple geometric shapes. Once I have done this I will then look into creating something that represents Huddersfield as a city. As my outcome is likely to be a poster of some sort, I have decided to research a little into the composition and layout of posters that I am interested in, the following pages or research will explore this accordingly and hopefully give me some ideas in terms of how I can take my ideas forwards.
MartĂn Liveratore
Martin Liveratore uses information to present graphics in an interesting and intriguing way. Although I may not necessarily be creating information graphics pieces, it is important to consider the strong compositional techniques that he uses in his work. Many of the designs are constructed of simple shapes and have many separate elements to the design, all of which fit together and work wholly to represent his intentions. I think this is useful as it is very important to consider the layout of the design and to ensure that it all works together, complementing each and every element of the design including any type, graphics or images that may be included.
MartĂn Liveratore
Alain Vonck
I also began to look at the work of Alain Vonck who’s work appears to be presented in bits, quite a contrast to the work of Liveratore. The designs are constructed of many different elements and brought together through colour. It was the incorporation of text that drew me to this image as it all appears broken up but yet still appears to make sense. As many of my work focuses on the deconstruction of the city, I felt it would be important to consider ways in which I could represent this in my outcome. Although I wouldn’t break up my images quite so much as I am working with the idea of constructing something new out of the shapes I find, I appreciate the concept of these designs and may consider using a similar style at a later stage.
Alain Vonck
Dry Icons
I thought that these compositions by a company called Dry Icons looked very much like something I would like to create. I really like the use of shape and the way they are put together along with different patterns and lines. The colours of the designs also play a huge part in the pieces as they represent different moods, for example the image on the top right appears very peaceful with the use of blues and purples. I think it’s important to notice the effect that the text has on the presentation of the design, different fonts can portray different ideas and represent things differently. In my development I will certaintly be combining both lines, pattern and shape with a combination of colours and text to present teh city in a certain light. I thinkt hat these designs present these ideas well in terms of the kind of outcome I intend to make.
Dry Icons
Moodboard on Posters
I continued to look at different compositions of posters that I liked. I noticed that many of them are very simplistic, making use of either very few colours or many colours that work together. It is evident that much of the text in the images is very simple and not overly decorative which I think allows the viewer to focus on the content rather than the initial appearence. It is becoming very obvious the kind of outcome I would like to make and I think that when I bring together all of the elements that I have focused on and make sure that everything works in harmony, I will be able to create a very relevant and interesting outcome. Although I intent to produce a poster I need to focus more on what the poster will contain and who it will be directed towards before I can begin the composition.
Moodboard on Posters
FINAL OUTCOME IDEAS
As stated, I intend to produce a poster that represents the city, however more specifically I would like to deconstruct the appearence of the city that people see everyday and may consider boring and make it something much more. As my project has been strongly focused on music, I would like to continue the project in that light and create a series of posters that embody the primary appearence of the city and convert that into something that represents the excitement of the nightlife in huddersfield. I will experiment with a variation ideas, both working with the nightlife that is already available in Huddersifeld and presenting design ideas for this, but also considering my own example of a nightclub that encapsulates Huddersfield as a whole.It is important to consider that the likely audience for a design like this would be students, for this reason I will ensure that the content of the design will reflect this in appealing to audiences as such.
Music Posters
Here are some examples of the kinds of designs that I am hoping to create, as with the designs in the album covers at the beginning the colour and style reflect the themes of music that it is made for. Many of the colours that’re used ar very vibrant colours and the shapes are very sharp, mostly triangles and diamonds however there are some curvy shapes added in there to create a sense of harmony. Either way all of the shapes appear geometric and very simplified. The text that is used in most cases is very simple and easy to read, the designer has ensured in most cases that the text completely contrasts with the background, this allows the viewer to clearly see what the design is trying to present.
Music Posters
Colour Theory
I think it is important to represent moods throughout my designs and as I have discovered throughout my research, colour plays a huge part in this. As you can see from these images, each colour represents a different mood or feeling, I think in my designs I would like to portray Huddersfield as an energetic and charismatic place. It could also be considered natural because of the countryside surroundings and friendly because of the people in it.
Colour Theory
Squares and rectangles are stable. They’re familiar and trusted shapes and suggest honesty. They have right angles and represent order, mathematics, rationality, and formality. They are seen as earthbound. Rectangles are the most common geometric shape encountered. The majority of text we read is set in rectangles or squares. Squares and rectangles suggest conformity, peacefulness, solidity, security, and equality. Their familiarity and stability, along with their commonness can seem boring. They are generally not attention getters, but can be tilted to add an unexpected twist. Think of web pages that tilts framed images to help them stand out. Every element on a web page is defined by a rectangle according to the css box model. Web pages are rectangles made up of smaller rectangles and squares. In Buddhist symbolism a square (earthbound) inside a circle (eternal whole) represents the relationship between the human and the divine.
Circles have no beginning or end. They represent the eternal whole and in every culture are an archetypical form representing the sun, the earth, the moon, the universe, and other celestial objects between. Circles are used to suggest familiar objects such as wheels, balls, many kinds of fruit. They suggested well roundedness and completeness. Circles have free movement. They can roll. Shading and lines can enhance this sense of movement in circles. Circles are graceful and their curves are seen as feminine. They are warm, comforting and give a sense of sensuality and love. Their movement suggests energy and power. Their completeness suggests the infinite, unity, and harmony. Circles protect, they endure, they restrict. They confine what’s within and keep things out. They offer safety and connection. Circles suggests community, integrity, and perfection.
Considering Shape
Triangles can be stable when sitting on their base or unstable when not. They represent dynamic tension, action, and aggression. Triangles have energy and power and their stable/unstable dynamic can suggest either conflict or steady strength. They are balanced and can be a symbol for law, science, and religion. Triangles can direct movement based which way they point. They can be used to suggest familiar themes like pyramids, arrows and, pennants. Spiritually they represent the religious trinity. They can suggest selfdiscovery and revelation. The strength of triangles suggests masculinity. Their dynamic nature make them better suited to a growing high tech company than a stable financial institution when designing a logo. Triangles can be used to convey progression, direction, and purpose.
Crosses symbolize spirituality and healing. They are seen as the meeting place of divine energies. The 4 points of a cross represent self, nature, wisdom, and higher power or being. Crosses suggest transition, balance, faith, unity, temperance, hope, and life. They represent relationships and synthesis and a need for connection to something, whether that something is group, individual, self, or project related.. As with lines vertical shapes are seen as strong and horizontal shapes are seen as peaceful. Most everything said about vertical and horizontal lines can be said about vertical and horizontal shapes. Curved shapes offer rhythm and movement, happiness, pleasure and generosity. They are seen as more feminine than sharp shapes which offer energy, violence and, anger. Sharp shapes are lively and youthful and are seen as more masculine.
All text on these pages found on - www.vanseodesign. com/web-design/visual-grammar-shapes
Considering Shape