12FAYEARBOOK

#12

Name_ Ross Francis Student ID_ 102181 Level_ 06 Module Code_ OUG603

Brief Title

FA Yearbook

Type Of Brief

Live print and exhibition branding brief

Skills

Art Direction, Design, Layout, Branding

Collaborators Nature of Collaboration

Brief

Produce speculative deliverables for their show that can be used and implemented after the end of year hand in, and for the end of year show in Leeds and London.

Joel Burden, David Gaskell The collaboration was done by collaborative crit of the work we independently produced.

We individually came up with research, thumbnails and development for the yearbook and and put them together. Joel tightened the design up and we directed a 3D modeler in creating visual elements for the book.

After sending the book to print professionaly I speculated about further deliverables for the brief in conjunction with a website.

These deliverables will be developed and used as a live brief for my portfolio after the hand in of this module.

Design and professionally print the end of year show yearbook for BA (Hons.) Fine Art at Leeds College of Art. Carry out regular meetings with the Fine Art yearbook committee in order to ensure the brief runs smoothly and that the students are happy.

Background

Considerations

The BA (Hons) in Fine Art involves a diverse, lively community of people experimenting, challenging, learning and engaged in the business of being an artist in the contemporary world. Each subject strand is led by an artist and working in a dedicated subject studio you will engage with a range of strategies to support your development. Every year Leeds College of Art puts on an end of year show of each of it’s degree course. The show comes with a printed book in order to showcase each of the students and promote the course.

Does the yearbook represent everyone?

How can the wide variety of work be presented fairly and honestly?

The yearbook must be about the work, and the individualising of students work.

How else can the yearbook and exhibition branding be applied across a range?

Solution

The solution for this brief was to create a united whole from the many individuals. By giving each student a standardised layout design, the idea was that the work would be free to express individuality. The title of the book and exhibition is SUM. From Rennee Descartes ‘Cogito Ergo Sum’ I think therefore I am, but also as a reference to the united whole that makes the FA Yearbook.

Evaluation

The first thing that comes to mind when I reflect on this brief is that it seemed to consume a lot of time. From the initial pitch, to the multitude of planned and impromptu meetings with the Fine Art committee. While this time can definitely be attributed to the success of the brief, it was difficult to manage interms of following our collective and personal work flows.

One thing that was very successful about this brief was the way in which we conducted ourselves as a design team. In the first meeting the Fine Art committee asked us to bring us colour choices and fonts to the next meeting. I felt like this was an injustice to what we had learnt over the past three years and I urged the rest of the design team to take a pitch to the next meeting. I felt this was necessary for 2 reasons. Firstly, I felt we needed to put across to Fine Art committee that we were confident in our ability to design, in order to garner a level of respect from the committee. Secondly, I thought it was better to take a starting point with justifed design decisions, in order to gain a level of authorship over the design. The pitch went down very well, and although the book has been developed a lot since the original pitch, I feel that this was a vital step in our development. It allowed us to gain more constructive feedback, and move forward with the brief in a considered and organised way. The pitch allowed a point of reference for the Fine Art Committee, and the feedback allowed us to take away parts that weren’t right and quickly replace them with problem solving design.

The book was a thorough grounding in managing a lot of content and displaying it with an element of respect that would make the students feel proud. We organised the photographers so that everyone would have the opportunity to have their work taken as professionally as possible, this gave the artist a level of ownership and direction over the way their work was displayed. This also minimised the amount of chasing up we had to do, as the photographer’s had a level of responsibility to get all of the photographs that they signed up for. (...evaluation continues on the next page)

#12

Name_ Ross Francis Student ID_ 102181 Level_ 06 Module Code_ OUG603

Evaluation Continued

In addition to these elements, we created a 3D type sculpture with the help of 3D modeler Luca Calabrese. We created a 3D rendered sculpture of the word SUM that was made up of a number of physical sculptures. The type face became a physical rendering of the concept.

This was something that I have never given myself the opportunity to do. To apply type in this way has been a fantastic experience that opens my mind to the scope that typography can have. The type became a model that then became image, and informed the overall aesthetic direction of the yearbook and exhibition branding.

This process of working with a 3D modeler was quite difficult due to the amount of time he could dedicate to our project. We were very conscious that he did not have a lot of time to be making amendments, so this part of the project could have been executed better in a professional environment such as a design studio, where there may be an inhouse 3D modeler. This time would have allowed us to make a greater statement of the type, and tightened up some of elements. The process was not made easier by our own inexperience in working in 3D. It is one thing to work with photographers, but working in a 3D piece of software comes with it a whole new level of opportunites and problems simultaneously. I would like to work with this more in future as I expand the focus and the range of possibilities and applications of my practice. I think that 3D software can play a huge role in the day to day of graphic design, and I would like to acquaint myself with it a little better, or atleast the people that work with it.

Overall this brief went very well, and the feedback we have received has been great. Working collaboratively became easier as we developed the brief, on the whole we worked well collaboratively in terms of us giving each other feedback and getting a final result we were all happy with. We all had significant input into the book and I feel like the decisions that were made were shared, and a true reflection of our collaborative practice.

Research

Ross Francis 102181

Extended Practice OUGD603

What did I do?

Why did I do it?

What more could I have done?

For the research in this brief, I conducted mostly primary research. I visited a range of art galleries in order to immerse myself within the arts sector. I looked at a range of publications in the galleries. Other than this, I worked very closely with the Fine Art committee in order to understand what they wanted, and look at some of the work that was going into the book. Looking at past yearbooks was also a vital part of research in order to analyse them and see what is successful and unsuccessful.

I did mainly primary research, as this was one of the most professional briefs I had done today. I wanted to conduct my research in a considered and thorough fashion. I held regular meetings with the committee in order to make sure the design and concept was on the right lines. Visiting existing galleries, especially the Hepworth, allowed me to open my mind and understand the context of my design, and what the conventions of the sector are.

I did a lot of research for this brief. In honesty I think this is probably one of the most successful briefs (in terms of research) that I conducted. I conducted the research in a succint and process led way.

First understanding the problem, finding what I could out about the context, and then proceeding to develop a concept from discussions with the committee. I then proceeded to carry out visual research that would inform my design direction. I would have liked to explore more visual options, but at the time I explored a very direct visual approach.

FA Yearbook Brief #12

Design Direction

Ross Francis 102181

Extended Practice OUGD603

What direction did I take?

Why did I take this direction?

What influenced me?

For the visual direction we decided to use the concept of SUM, being parts of a whole, into the visual language of the book. I personally looked at a range of digital and installations that would all have an over arching quality of being made up of many parts. I also looked at strong art brands in order to get some more traditional input on the layout and typographic style.

The concept that was determined with the committee was a driving factor. I felt that the direction was very suited to the concept, especially if we could incorporate an element into the visual language that paid homage, not just the parts of a whole concept, but to the wider context of the arts sector. I was directed toward solving problems in the design from a variety of sources, and I wanted to take a solid and honest direction that was based mainly around the work and information, and not over designing the object.

I was influenced by a range of different things. For the main visual I was influenced by sculpture, computer graphics, 3D renderings, and distorted type. I was influenced by the art world in general, looking into contemporary sculpture by artists such as Alice Channer. I looked at successful layouts for artwork, in order to see what design elements I could adopt and employ for the yearbook.

FA Yearbook Brief #12

Development

Ross Francis 102181

Extended Practice OUGD603

How did I develop the brief?

What problems did I have?

Was it successful?

I developed this brief by first deciding upon the basics. Having decided a typeface, I put together a basic layout in order to get feedback from the committee. Deciding upon a layout for the students work that was minimal and intimated a gallery setting, being based entirely around the work, and having minimal distractions. The rest of the book was put together in a more subjective development stage that was open to crit by the design team and the committee. To gain our SUM imagery we visited a 3D modeller that helped us acheive the visual.

There were a few problems orchestrating the team together, and a lot of the brief was done at different points with individuals. This was down to our own management of time and personnel. However, there the work that was produced was very well received and we were very happy with it. We did have some issues implementing the visual concept, however, once we started working with the 3D modeller this became far easier to control.

The brief was a success. The committee gave us some very promising feedback and the tutors were very happy with all the decisions that we made. It would be nice to move the brief further, and I think that the success of the yearbook has allowed us to complete more design work after we hand in our modules to expand the deliverable set.

FA Yearbook Brief #12

Presentation

Ross Francis 102181

Extended Practice OUGD603

FA Yearbook Brief #12

Ross Francis 102181

Extended Practice OUGD603

FA Yearbook Brief #12

Ross Francis 102181

Extended Practice OUGD603

FA Yearbook Brief #12

Ross Francis 102181

Extended Practice OUGD603

FA Yearbook Brief #12

Ross Francis 102181

Extended Practice OUGD603

FA Yearbook Brief #12

Yearbook

Ross Francis 102181

Extended Practice OUGD603

FA Yearbook Brief #12

Yearbook Welcome Page

Ross Francis 102181

Extended Practice OUGD603

FA Yearbook Brief #12

Yearbook Contents

Ross Francis 102181

Extended Practice OUGD603

FA Yearbook Brief #12

Yearbook Essay

Ross Francis 102181

Extended Practice OUGD603

FA Yearbook Brief #12

Yearbook Student Page Portrait

Ross Francis 102181

Extended Practice OUGD603

FA Yearbook Brief #12

Yearbook Student Page Landscape

Ross Francis 102181

Extended Practice OUGD603

FA Yearbook Brief #12

Yearbook Student Page Portrait

Ross Francis 102181

Extended Practice OUGD603

FA Yearbook Brief #12

Thanks Page

Ross Francis 102181

Extended Practice OUGD603

FA Yearbook Brief #12

Ross Francis 102181

Extended Practice OUGD603

FA Yearbook Brief #12