Conver
rsation
Mind-Map
Initial Problem It is key in all professional to selfdirect some of your learning in your free time. Although it may, or may not, aid in current or future projects, it will still be a challenge and have the potential to aid in other practical developments. With my Adobe AfterEffects skills being my weakest, I would like to focus on this. Most of my personal development this year with have a focal point around this software, as well as keeping up to date with the other soft-wares, regardless of my confidence in my ability to use them. My first personal development project will be to learn how this video was created, and aim to create something similar.
Initial Solution I decided to combine the two for the sake of this brief. With thanks to Digital Tutors, I am slowly going through some tutorials to aid me in making these new compositions.
Initial Hand-Dr
rawn Animation
Revelations
Illustrator and contemporary artist, Dawn Mellor took time out last week to give us her insights on her industry, artwork and lifestyle. Guest lectures are very important to the development of students as it gives us some knowledge of the real world. Mellor, perhaps more than other artists, has had much life experience and reflects this in her pieces. A side from life experience, Dawn Mellor is fascinated by and takes inspiration from people and fame. She is driven by the concept of famous people taking on different roles. On exhibition she showed us was based around Helen Mirren. Helen Mirren’s role of the queen inspired many people, so seeing Mirren in such roles such as a house made with filthy fetishes, it makes an audience question. Moving on from her disturbing depictions of various characters, she also exploited current events. After the passing of Michael Jackson, she released a book she had made prior to this event, of her portraiture of the King of Pop. Although the ethics of this may be questionable, this has shown that exploiting a market
With this rebellious attitude in mind, Mellor refuses to have her artwork analysed critically with her personal history as a context. She argued that the majority of her artwork did not have meaning as such, and was made “Just ‘Cause”. The excuses for her artwork mostly involved around feminism and not her tragic past, though the fractured, defaced portraits and her attitude may have suggested otherwise. Though this lecture may not have been helpful in the practical side of things, it certainly taught me about the criticism and scrutiny our own work will come under and how we shouldn’t react. I also learnt that although being choosy with where you work can aide in you feeling more comfortable, sometimes you need to be open and find a way to be passionate about anywhere you work. First impressions count, and having an attitude towards a certain employer or curator can cause a lot of problems in the future. Nobody would hire a person for a second time if they didn’t like that individual.
Is My Project Too Safe?
and a given situation can often work in an artist’s favour and should be considered.
Alternativ As a musician, I wrote and performed these pieces. These are some snippets of some music experimentation. I apologise for the quality, but when I decide on the final outcome, it will be recorded properly. Two pieces have already been edited, but still are not complete. Please listen to the here.
Dead End
ve Passion Due to difficulties outside of University, I had to cancel my project in this route. Collaboration, although can be amazing when done right, is sometimes also a pitfall. Relying on others can often hold up on projects getting completed.
With this setback, I opted to experiment down other paths. With music being a main passion of mine, I opted to look further into how I could combine my two passions. Recording music for my animation triggered this epiphany.
Musical Research Whilst waiting for the dancer’s to finish recording their part for my animation, I started to experiment into some alternative ideas. One of the main ideas, along a similar track, came from watching this TED Talks video.
Classical music, although perhaps isn’t dying, it is becoming a very ancient music form. In saying this, music is starting to become more stripped back to like it’s ancestors, in classics, for example All of me by John Legend and Clean Bandit’s Rather Be. Learning a musical instrument, is still pushed in the education system, but some children choose to ignore it’s benefits. It has been proven that people who are good at music tend to be more sociable and are good at maths and logic problems. Music can be very beneficial and so, I came up with the idea of creating little adverts to try and make music “cool”.
Mixing Media
Though Mocking up posters to try and help the cause seemed fun and interesting, I found that sometimes passions need to stay as hobbies. Mixing both my university life and my hobby made me lose a little something for music. I found myself unfocused and this piece of artwork forced.
Dead End
The Issues I decided to go back to my mind map and rethink everything over. I looked to TED Talks for inspiration and found the above video.
as an individual. One thing that sprang to mind when watching this video is that strangers are just potential friends. Everyone is human after all.
As highlighted in this TEDs Talks video, conversations are important. The content and purposes of said conversations are crucial to how we are perceived
For this reason, the idea of “pegging” people, as a marketing ploy for a hypothetical company would be an excellent side project. The hypothetical company
would perhaps be a match making service looking for new clients. These pegs would contain contact details for the company and would be secretly “pegged” onto various members of the public. Though this may offend some, for others it could be just what they needed.
Research
With my other paths all being dead ends, I opted to look back to my mind map one last time. I noticed that, though I may not have had an idea written down, my style of mind map was unusual and so looked into it further.
With much research into it was defined as art done outside of normal social boundaries and cultures. The best examples of outsider art either happens in newly discovered civilisations that have not been influenced by the wider worlds, or those who do not have access to the outside world, i.e. people in From string to string, prison or asylums. I became interested in outsider art and handwriting The most recognised outsider analysis. I had my own art originates from mental handwriting analysed, which asylums. This is because whilst the outcome was the artwork reflected on the somewhat offensive, it was reasons why said patients interesting as I have the were in there. Art work same handwriting as my included depictions of abstract dad. topics, such as the feelings of paranoia and other mental Outsider art, however was health issues. exceedingly interesting.
Whilst most of the artwork would be considered as scary or dark, it also possesses a key insight into the minds of people we may not understand, or health conditions we cannot experience for ourselves.
Final Piece
ReBr
rand
Group Project
Working as part of a group can either be a blessing or a curse. As seen in the last project, it was a curse. Working with friends, however, you know eachother’s strengths and weaknesses. You also know their styles as designers, so it can help with idea generation. For this rebrand project we only worked as a group for the initial stages of research. Though this hardly counts as a group project, it was interesting to see people take this project in different directions. Please click to see everyone’s different opinions on how to rebrand The Cotton Factory in Huddersfield. Below are links to my friends blogs and their work on this brief and to the right is our grouped initial research. It is clear to see that we all have our own individual styles in how we did things.
Audience Rebecca Shaw
Huddersfield, Yorkshire Ruth Willis
The Competition Lauren Winstanley
Cotton Factory Now Gaynor Thorpe
Berlin Trip I found the trip to Berlin very helpful to this project. Seeing how another culture honours their histroy, regardless of how different to the one I am looking into. The German’s may not be proud of their history, but they do strive to make sure that it is remembered and learnt from. I saw the museums and memorials that had been erected and decided that for my own project, I need to make sure that I honour history in the way it needs to be. Neither good, nor bad historical events should be forgotted about as they are both, equally, learning curves. Though I will be creating a happy atmosphere and celebrating the entertainment of the wars, I also need to remember that Veterans faught for our freedom. As a supporter of BLESMA, I feel like I should find a way to incorporate local Veterans and war history into my project, be it in pictoral form or in events. I feel that I could do this mainly through restoring photos to colour from this era, as I did with my Grandparent’s wedding picture last year and perhaps cpontinue with my project for Earth Artefact.
Final Brand
Bra
d Guidelines
and Guidelines: Cotton Factory
Live B
Briefs
Y.C.N : Pan
Please find my research Document here and my final pieces, without he logo to the right.
n MacMillan
Level Co
ollective
Placem
Having secured a years placement at BWAR!, I have already started and am finding the job amazing. Working in industry is always helpful and having done two short placements over the course of university so far, in the fashion industry, I wanted to branch out. BWAR! so far has been amazing and I am looking forward to continuing here over the year. So far I have created many logos for several businesses, written content for web and apps, created graphics for web and apps, advertising and much more. With a fast paced company like this, no two days are the same, and I like the fact that there is never nothing to do. The experience I get here will set me up for work after university, where-ever I end up.
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