Process Book by Sam Sheridan

V i s u a l c o m m u n i cat i o n in context 2

Sam Sheridan

->>>>>>> Series & Systems page 02

->>>>>>> Moving Brands page 19

>> Contents

->>>>>>> Spatial Communication page 27

->>>>>>> Exhibition

page 34

01 S e r i e s

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Create a series of three posters that share a graphic system that revolve around a moment in time.

s y s t e m s

Series and systems Series and systems was a project based on information design - information that is visually effective at telling people what they need to understand. This includes systems such as: info-graphics, data visualization and models/ diagrams.

Working in teams, our brief was to

Initial ideas

information on social media platforms

had been sat discussing what ideas

create a series of three posters that

versus that of helpful and informative

we might use for our information.

share the same graphic system, and

information. Other areas we were

This itself might be an interesting

theme, based around a moment in

tempted to record were how far each

subject to base our posters around

time. They had to work much like an

one of us might be able to travel; with

â&#x20AC;&#x153;How many ideas we could think

info-graphic so that there might be

varying means of transportation we

of during one hourâ&#x20AC;?. The problem

a good understanding of the poster

would record how far we could get

we encountered shortly after this

without the need to explain verbally.

in the duration of that hour. After a

was that it was hard enough to talk

The moment in time was between five

while we had established that there

about and make sense to ourselves,

and six oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;clock that evening where we

was a common problem with all the

let alone make posters that follow a

were required to go out and record

themes; they were neither original or

system for other people to understand

information between these times. The

interesting enough for us to create

without verbal explanation. However

information would then become the

a series of posters in response to

the ambition of the idea excited us

content of the posters. An example of

them. To overcome this problem, we

so much that we chose to stick with

this was from past groups that went

attempted to think outside of the box,

it. We went away and mind mapped/

out and recorded how the weather

which is much more challenging than

brainstormed ideas (Whichever

changed over the hour e.g. how hard

it sounds. What topics are there that

our preferred thinking method is)

it was raining, or however much

we ourselves would want to know

and came back to the group after

the traffic differentiates between

information about? This still did not

the hour was up to compare our

these times. Possible themes we

provide us with anything new until

ideas. The information included lists

contemplated about included topics

we thought more about the subject

and predominantly mind maps that

that covered social media; how many

of conversation, for a good portion of

displayed a huge variety of ideas both

were added and the ratio of useless

our time after the brief was set, we

simple and abstract.

Initial ideas for the design of the posters was to look at lines and diagrams that work use a similar system to that of a mind map. Since the idea was based around mind maps, we needed to explore other methods to simplify and explore mind maps. One of the methods I looked at was using lines to connect ideas like a mind map. Plakhova is a graphic artist that uses information to create diagrams that primarily use line .

Tatiana Plakhova

This (above) was my first attempt at some line work that we might be able to use, with inspiration from Tatiana Plakhova. It is somewhat simplified in comparison to her work.

Abstract info-graphic

Plakhova describes her work as a new sort of abstract info-graphic which is exactly the kind of concept that we were looking to explore to make this idea work. Plakhova also uses information to create the designs that she does and I thought it could work because it would really enhance the message of the idea. Ideas are so varied and we could have so many that relate and so many that are different that if we were to accurately document them, then an info-graphic similar to Plakhova’s work would be the result. However we feared this did not answer the brief enough since the info-graphic had to be something that communicated our idea seamlessly and effectively whereas a diagram of Plakhova’s nature would be far too complex to read or make any sense of. I took most inspiration from Plakhova’s series

titled ‘Complexity Patterns’ - which seems a fitting title given the theme of our idea; which is totally complicated but might also follow a pattern. Since we were exploring the ideas we could have in an hour, we started to change the title to something more along the lines of ‘the similarities of ideas between five people’ or along those lines. In which we would then explore all the similarities between our themes and topics because there were so many overlapping concepts. So complexity pattern was very much what we were exploring but the brief restricted us to make the information clearer which meant that the chaotic and complex style of Plakhova’s work was something that we would not be able to incorporate, but still key to the research process.

The main idea is to show a new way of â&#x20AC;&#x153;infographicâ&#x20AC;? drawings. Because everything we see is biological, mathematical or geological information. It can also be cultural patterns or any other thing. Complexity Graphics works are based on mathematical simplicity and harmony. I would describe them as info-graphic abstracts.

Tat i a n a p l a k h o va

This was a piece of digital artwork that I created in response to the series and systems brief and was inspired by Plakhovaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work based around data, mathematics and lines. Whilst trying to make sense of our information and find a way to document it I made this. It was not made out of the information we had gathered, I just felt like this is what it might have looked like if we had been entirely accurate or maybe if we did it for more than an hour. The concept of trying to track ideas led me to this due to the complexity of the task that we had made for ourselves. But I do think this could be the beginning of another project that might have some very detailed and interesting outcomes.

This was a result of trying to layout all the information but in a simplified way, similar to the last image, but easier to follow yet retaining some of the complexity that reflects the diversity amongst our ideas. Similar to star constellations but instead; each â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;starâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; represents an idea that someone had during the project and the lines are what connects them to one another. The colours represent the different people in the group that had the ideas. However these methods were too complex and would not be used for the poster due to them being too ineffective to communicate.

Some brainstorming and planning for the layout of the diagram - we felt that circles and lines might be the best way to go when trying to accurately show information that could be read. Along the lines of an info-graphic/ diagram.

O b j e c t i v e

Objective ideas were the ideas that could easily be measured as there would be little change from person to person.

Overlapping themes

They are more like recordings that could be made in the hour. Examples of what we put inside the category include: how the weather changes in an hour,

Our next issue would be solving

TV shows that could be watched inside

the complexity problem. We

the hour and time differences between

started to go about doing this by

countries (although they differ they can

categorising the information that we

be measured).

had. Obviously we would not be able to use all of the ideas as there were too many and it would subsequently

S u b j e c t i v e

clutter the posters to the point that they would no longer tell the

This category was the ideas that

viewer anything. Categories that we

could not be measured; they may mean

settled on were: Abstract, objective

different things to different people

and subjective ideas. From there

but they were not uncommon enough

we were able to narrow down the

to be placed in the abstract category.

results so that they might be able to

Subjective ideas included: mortality,

be put into a poster and understood

different hourly wages for people,

by the audience. So initially we

productivity and missed opportunities

went to display the information

inside an hour.

through a modified venn diagram including circles and lines to show the overlapping ideas within the

A b s t r a c t

themes as we thought this would be the most effective way to display the

Abstract was the theme that contained

information. Any circle that overlaps

all of the surreal ideas and almost

would be indicative of ideas that

outside-of-the box concepts that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t

each member of the group had; the

fit inside the subjective or objective

bigger the circle, the more people

categories or had no way of being

that had that idea.

measured; i.e. they just raised questions. Some of the abstract ideas that were included were: if time was a person or a literal thing what would it become? Why do we measure time and what is it? And an our comprehension and perception of things and time.

Sketch The final sketch determining where the ideas might fit in/ the overlaps.

These were some of the ideas that we found were common throughout the brainstorms that we had made. However there were many more such as mortality, consumption, knowledge, personal care and work/ leisure comparison.

5 Wa g e

Was a theme that came up throughout our mind-maps - how much an hour is worth, in money, to people.

Time

Social

Time obviously came up since the topic revolved around time and what you could do with it. Some more surreal thoughts were what if time was a person or a thing? Social media was also a popular topic since a lot of people spend majority of their time on that. It is time consuming and so widely used.

T r av e l

How far someone could travel in an hour - e.g. if someone was to walk for an hour they would not get far whereas you can travel to different countries with in an hour.

Content

The content of an hour and how that differs to people. An hour could mean a long nap or perhaps a training session for some other people.

Perception

Our perception of time - like the saying 'time flies when you're having fun'. What is our perception of time, how fast does it go and is it different for everyone?

Productivity

Measurement

Opportunity

How much work do people do within an hour? How productive are you usually and what can you physically get done within the constrains of an hour. There are 60 minutes in an hour and there are 3,600 seconds inside that hour. How do people measure it? How many opportunities are inside the hour and how many of these do we take and how many do we miss? What are the possibilities in an hour?

Issues

The Medium The medium that we intended to use was to print the posters all on acetate paper so that the colours would be vibrant and eye catching. Also, by putting the ideas into three categories we might be able to print three posters; one with a venn diagram showing that category of ideas. After we have done that, we planned to overlay the three posters in a way that shows all the overlapping themes across the different categories.

The Solution We decided to make the diagram more interesting by changing the circles to shapes that would represent the categories. A straight line would be used for the ‘objective’ category, circles (although we said we did not want to use them - we changed our minds) would be used to show the ‘subjective’ ideas. Abstract blobs would be the shapes used to represent the more surreal ideas under the ‘Abstract’ heading. Also the use of colour seemed to be very similar to what the other groups were doing so we needed something to make our idea stand out further than the others; especially since it was such an abstract project idea. We had always played with the idea of using black and white within the project so we made our design out of black and white.

After the experimentation with the venn diagrams, we came to the conclusion that doing a venn diagram, or anything involving circles, was not as exciting or different as we wanted it to be. Our idea was so abstract that we felt that we should be more adventurous with the design. This led us to think about new methods we might be able to use, however we still felt that an element of overlapping was a good way to show how the ideas react with eachother. After all that is what our mind maps showed us; that there are many ideas that are linked to eachother and even other people come to some of the same ideas as others. Therefore we needed to show this but at the same time show that there are so many different ideas and that it would be reasonably impossible to document all of them over an hour and between five people. So we modified the diagram so that the ideas would be represented by different shapes rather than all circles and lines.

The revisited idea The medium for the next idea would be along the same lines as the last one; we still liked the idea of being able to lay one over the other in order to get a visual that matches up all of the ideas and can be viewed as one poster or as a series. Therefore we chose the next medium to be printed onto tracing paper rather than acetate and the paper would have the potential to fold over itself to become one. This enabled us to keep the format relatively similar to the one we had before - all we had to do was change the circles and colours to shapes and make them black and white.

The new idea However we later encountered problems when we were told it was still not clear enough - we had made it too complex and difficult to read; the new shapes and shadings made it harder to make sense of it and anyone looking at it for the first time would not understand its meanings. Also there was an issue that it did not tell them the time scale behind the data we had collected. So we were told to rethink the way in which we presented our idea. With the deadline nearing - we had just one more day until the pin-up - we started to brainstorm other options. We had all the information and organised it into categories so the hardest part was already done. We looked towards more diagrams that involved circles and lines; they would surely be the clearest method of presenting our data, but we liked the abstract elements so we looked towards other solutions. Before long we said it might be clearer and different if we presented the data onto clocks. There would be three clocks in total; one for each category of ideas, and as opposed to numbers, the clock hands would point to ideas. We would use the same system again; the ideas that everyone had would be larger and the smaller, less common ideas would be smaller on the clock face. The hour hand was taken away from each clock face so that it might represent one continuous hour of developing ideas. This would solve the time scale problem.

M o v i n g

b r a n d s

Animate a brand into a video bumper that can be used as a short visual opener/ closer of video content.

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Moving brands was a group project in which we were given a brand to animate into a video bumper. Using background information on the company we were to create the animation to reflect the existing brand and identity.

Foster + partners The brand The brand that my group was given was Foster and Partners, the architectural company. Over the past four decades the practice has pioneered a sustainable approach to architecture through a strikingly wide range of work and received more than 685 awards and won over 140 national and international competitions. Through our research we had quickly discovered that Foster+Partners were all about sustainability and being responsible for the environment. One of the key things they strive for is to be beneficial for the environment - since they are responsible for designing and building the structures, they have the power to create them in a way that might benefit people and the environment. Another feeling we got from their website is that they are very modern and up to date with their technology, they are also very direct and get straight to the point. Although the video bumper had to be relatively direct, since it was only short, we made sure to make it very straight

forward to reflect their style and other projects. We took inspiration from one key advertisement, made by Honda, named â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Keep Upâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in which they only use words and a background scene to advertise their cars. The words flick through quickly to create the sentences which looks very clean and suitable for the brief.

We decided that the first animation would consist of just words that are joined by a consistent ‘+’ sign since that is a consistent theme on Foster+Partners’ website and is even used in their logo and brand name. Again it highlights the straight to the point attitude that they have; they simplify things that are not necessary such as the ‘and’ in Foster+Partners - they merely substitute it with a simple symbol. So we agreed that the animation was going to look like the Honda ‘Keep Up’ advert but the plus symbol would be a constant within the animation with words appearing either side that advertise Foster+Partners and put across their brand image. This would prove to be effective and relatively simple since the website already contains a similar theme; within each project they have words that describe them and their work joined by a plus symbol. All we were required to do was arrange them in a manor that suited us and the music in the animation. The music was a simple, sophisticated loop made up of bass noises and claps in a catchy arrangement, as the beat changed, so did the words. This gave the animation a good flow and felt like it was very polished and refined.

The second animation was going to be similar to the first one in order for them to work together as a series, however this was not part of the brief; they could be two completely separate animations. But we felt like they should be connected and also allowed us to spend more time developing the previous idea we had for the video. The second edition was to be similar in the sense that we would retain the professional and simplistic features from the first one but move away from the words. We decided that, because the aim of the video was to promote them, we would make the next animation more about the buildings that they have created. More of a showcase of their design work. Using Adobe Illustrator we vectorised some of the buildings that they built and put them into the video. To make them more interesting we animated some elements of the buildings; for example for some we animated the wind and clouds, for airports we animated planes flying, and other basic adaptations to make the animation more professional. We used the same music as in the animation before so that they might fit together. Again, we synced the visuals with the sound to make it flow.

Above art some of the vectors that I have created but were not used in the final animation since we felt that they were too detailed. The vectors underneath were the ones we used in the final animation since we decided they should be simple so that they were easier on the eyes. Also we had animated certain aspects of the icons so a complex icon with animation would be too complex.

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S pat i a l c o m m u n i c at i o n Consider space and its relationship to empowering communication. Represent a concept inside of a space.

Pose+town centre Spatial Communication involved a change of media. The projects before had been predominantly based around visuals such as: video, posters, and various forms of mounted information. This time we had to make use of a space to put across our messages, how we chose to use the space was down to us, but it was the documentation process of the project that was most important. We were put into groups and each given a topic/ a word and a space to communicate that word in - we got the word ‘Pose’ and the space ‘Town Centre’. Initially we were stuck for ideas since what are we trying to communicate through the word pose? We explored ideas such as the concepts put forward in TV programs such as ‘The Real Hustle’ - in which con artists prove to the viewers how easy it is to be fooled. They show that it is easy to convince people that you are a person of authority and that can enable you to get anything. For example they managed to steal a rental car from someone because they pretended to work for the rental firm. They tricked the customer into giving up the car because it was the “wrong car” and theirs is still waiting, they then stole the vehicle. This was something that we were interested in at first but came to the conclusion that this might be slightly risky and perhaps not giving the best appearance to the university. But it would portray pose in an accurate way. We

then moved on to ideas that involved surveys; a survey that had the same answers just rephrased in order to pose as something that it is not and communicate how easy it might be to manipulate people into giving the answers that you want. After not being very enthusiastic over that technique we decided to look at the town posing as something that it is not, which led us on to tilt-shift photography. Tilt-shift photography is a technique that makes the subjects in photographs seem like they are models. Therefore the town could be posing as a model or a toy. Tilt-shift photography uses perspective and photographic effects like blurring to create surreal outcomes to convince the viewer that they are looking at an image of a model. They are predominantly used when taking photographs of people, cars and typical city scenes - which we thought is convenient since we were exploring the town centre as a space. This led us to taking photographs around the town from high places such as car parks to gain the required perspective. The best outcomes were from taking photographs up the balloon in Bournemouth where we were able to get the perspective correct. The results were very successful as the town did look like a model. It was also surprisingly easy to complete; requiring very little retouching but it did not feel complete yet.

P u t t i n g t i lt- s h i ft p h oto g r a p h y i n t o p r act i s e These were the first attempts at tilt-shift photography - taken from the top of a car park in Bournemouth in order to gain the correct perspective. They were successful in some elements because they did look like models however I knew there was better results to be had. Also the locations to be photographed were very hard to find since we needed to be in a high place to get the effect correct. Luckily Bournemouth town has a hot air balloon that is available to take trips in; this would provide us with the perfect perspective and conditions to create the tilt-shift images.

S h ot s f ro m t h e b a llo o n Some of the photographs from the top of the balloon over Bournemouth town. They allowed for a good, high perspective that was able to reach the results that we wanted.

After we had finished the images from the balloon we looked towards other methods of portraying the word pose in an environment. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when we decided that we could try and make something else appear as though it is posing as the town as opposed to the town seeming like it is posing as something else. So we began to explore with Lego towers and photographing them from various perspectives to make them seem as though they were part of the town. In the end we found that the most realistic results were found with the Lego in front of the light from the sun creating a silhouette effect as this made them look the same size and colour as the silhouettes of other buildings.

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E x h i b i t Propose an exhibition in which you design the brand, identity, space, way-finding system and the promotion for.

B r u ta l i s t a r c h i t e c t u r e Exhibit The exhibition project was based around creating our own brand identity, logo and promotional means for an exhibition of a theme of our choice. We did not need to design the work inside the exhibition; only propose an idea for the layout and plan of one.

Would be an exhibition on the architectural movement of the 1950s to the 1970s, descending from the modernist architectural movement of the early 20th century. Looking at very concrete buildings

T h r e at s t o h u m a n i t y Includes the potential to do the exhibition on topics such as global climate change, bee decline, a zombie apocalypse and any other threat to humanity.

G e n e r at i v e a r t Is all about art created from coding and processing; primarily from computers and similar systems. It is art that is derived from data.

Noise Another topic we had to choose from was noise; whether that be sounds and hearing or maybe the visual â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;white noiseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or any other area within noise.

Ety m o lo gy Is the study of the origin of words and where they come from. It is all about what the meanings of words are and what gives them their meanings.

P o s s i b l e

t h e m e s

G e n e r a t i v e

a r t

The topic that I began work on was Generative Art. Generative art was something that I had never seen before and was immediately interested in it. Its experimental style that was chaotic and perfect at the same time inspired me. It also provided a huge challenge for me since how was I to brand an exhibition of this nature effectively?

I started to go about researching both exhibitions and generative art as a subject so that I might increase my knowledge and understanding of it. I discovered that generative art is art that has been created by using data and code. This code (or algorithm) is then input into a program on a system and the system creates the designs that the artist sees. This explained the chaotic but perfect shapes that are in generative art. After doing some short research into it I discovered that a lot of the methods of generative art mirrored ideas behind evolution and natural selection; the shapes and code would come together, in patterns in most cases, and these patterns would be repetitive until something changed and then the art becomes something different. There were many different themes within generative art that I looked towards to gain a better understanding; they were all similar to a degree but some were very different. Obviously the key element was coding and the notion of an operating system creating the art but also they followed these themes of evolution. This was initially a potential direction for the project since it is not something I would have associated with the topic of generative art especially. I thought it was more about the input of information and what the visual representation of data might be if it was art. However after a quick look into generative art

I realised that it is in fact a huge subject with many different sub-categories and directions that I might be able to take the project. Inside generative art the key subjects I looked at were: algorithm art, fractal art, digital morphogenesis, evolutionary art, immersion and systems art among other less interesting themes. Algorithm art was a detailed recipe for the design and execution of an artwork, which may include computer code or other input which determines the form the art will take. This input may be mathematical, computational, or generative as was fractal art - just a subgenre of algorithm art where the shapes are calculated around a curve or geometrical figure. Digital morphogenesis is the process of shape development through computer, it to causes an organism to develop its shape. Evolutionary art was based around this common idea of natural selection processes and equations to create shapes. Immersion was about the possibilities of a virtual reality which might be interesting - having the exhibition a virtual depiction and totally interactive, surrounding atmosphere. Finally the last aspect of generative art that I looked at was systems art - where art influenced by computer, and systems theory, reflects natural and social systems.

C o n way ’ s g a m e o f li f e Conway’s Game of Life - is a cellular automaton devised by mathematician John Horton Conway in 1970. The “game” is a zero-player game, meaning that its evolution is determined by its initial state, requiring no input. You interact with the Game of Life by creating an initial arrangement and observing how it evolves or creates patterns.

The rules For a space that is 'populated': Each cell with one or no neighbours dies, as if by solitude. Each cell with four or more neighbours dies, as if by overpopulation. Each cell with two or three neighbours survives. For a space that is 'empty' or 'unpopulated' Each cell with three neighbours becomes populated.

Scott draves Scott Draves is a software artist best known for creating the Electric Sheep, a collective intelligence consisting of 450,000 computers and people that uses mathematics and genetic algorithms to create an infinite abstract animation. The Electric Sheep is a form of artificial life, which is software that recreates the biological phenomena of evolution and reproduction through mathematics. The system is made up of man and machine and is a distributed system, with all participating computers working together to form a supercomputer that renders animations, called â&#x20AC;&#x153;sheepâ&#x20AC;?, that everyone sees. The human participants guide the survival of the fittest by voting for their favourite animations in the flock. All that is required is to download the infinitely changing screen saver.

T h e b e g i n n i n g o f s h a p e The beginning of shape was to be the name of the generative art exhibition. The reasoning behind this comes from my research into digital morphogenesis. Morphogenesis coming from the Greek word â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Morpheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; which literally means the beginning of shape. Another reason for this title is the correlation between evolution and generative art; its all essentially inspired about the beginning and progression of organisms.

W h at i s t h e b e g i n n i n g o f s h a p e ? It was one thing coming up with the name of the exhibition but what exactly was the aim of the exhibition? Initially it would be to explore the beginning of shape - but what is the beginning of shape? A dot or a mark would be the beginning of shape, or perhaps an idea. However after some thought I decided that the aim of the exhibition is to draw attention to the efforts that generative art makes to understand evolution and create a visual representation of it. Maybe generative art is a method for people to understand natural selection, organisms or maybe the purpose of life. The exhibition itself would most likely not answer the questions, how could they, but they would make them known to other people and perhaps change the way people look at generative art in the future.

So I started to look towards methods and designs that were inspired by dots and mark making; the exhibition would follow this theme to reflect the fact that shapes start with a point. The only ideas I had for this would be to draw and design everything in dots and maybe lines; almost like structures that are yet to be created. At this point the only idea I had for the exhibition was some sort of animation illustrating all the dots coming together to create the title and maybe some other words to describe the exhibit - similar to that of the Foster + Partners project. This might act as some sort of digital ephemera and introduce the exhibition to people perhaps over social media, the website, advertising in other exhibitions ect. The idea was partly inspired by other generative art videos and animations, however they were extremely complex, but I thought an animation might be a better form to advertise the exhibit since a lot of generative art contains elements of movement, whether it is an animation or a still image since there is much going on.

Logo design

The first thing that I had to do before I began thinking about promotional methods was to first devise a logo and an identity for the exhibition, since the animation would have to include parts of this to show that it is all related by some means. One idea for the logo design was to pause generative art videos and make a sketch of the designs on screen and then to simplify them into something that could be used as a logo. This was working out fairly effectively at first; the designs were interesting and had the potential to make a good logo once they were simplified.

Trying to include an element of dots in the logo and identity was something that was important because it is the foundation for the exhibit. Drawing the logos as if they were dot to dot drawings was the only way I could see this working besides the option of just using a dot (or group of dots) to illustrate the exhibit. But it had to be something that had the potential to become noticeable and recognizable. This was the end result, a honeycomb type logo that incorporates dots and lines. Reached after looking into tracing and copying existing generative art stills from videos such as Electric Sheep and then simplifying them into something suitable for use as a logo/ identity. There was also room for colour to be added to it however I thought it looked best in black and white since then the small details like the dots would be recognized. But it had the potential to be adapted to different things and might also be fairly recognizable. It was simple and aesthetically appealing.

Ha r m o n o g ra phs

I looked towards other methods that might be called generative art, one that I found was that of harmonographs - machines that use a mechanical apparatus that employs pendulums to create a geometric image. The drawings created typically are drawings of greater complexity. Since I did not have access to a real harmonograph I found an online version that uses computer and coding to create the same results as a harmonograph. I thought this could be a good way to reach some sort of logo for the exhibition. So I had a go and reached a number of different outcomes and then tried to simplify them in Adobe Illustrator to create a logo. They were unsuccessful because ultimately; they had no relation to the exhibition or its name, they were just a nice design and nothing much more. The designs did not reflect anything in the exhibition besides the fact that they were created by a generative art technique. I also reached the conclusion that a harmonograph would make a good addition to the exhibition because it would be something interactive and different for the audience to use. Different in the sense that it would be something that wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be completely down to technology and coding; it would be something tangible that people could use and would also produce images onto paper which maybe the audience could take away with them. It also explores different forms of generative art because the harmonograph is not a computer or system as such, it is more of a tool.

New revised identity After a tutorial I was told to revisit the logo that I had created since it was not consistent enough with the rest of the identity or style of the exhibition. So I began to revise it and whilst doing so created a new logo and adapted the identity of the exhibition as well; leading to a completely new identity for the exhibition. The new identity was found because I needed a logo that reflected the title of the exhibition. Since the title was ‘The Beginning Of Shape’ this was too long to be stylized and used as the logo, I needed a symbol. However the old symbol was not coherent with the rest of the theme, so I needed to change one or the other. This led to me shortening ‘The Beginning Of Shape’ to its initials: TBOS. From here I was able to investigate making a logo that might be able to incorporate these letters, which influenced me to create the end logo consisting of the four shapes. In order to not throw away all the past refinement work, I stuck with the wire frame like diagrams in the background and incorporated into the rest of the identity, but the logo was going to remain as the simple shapes because this had the potential to be placed anywhere when it came to the promotional methods and had the potential to be more recognizable and perhaps even more interesting in the sense people might question what it is and what it stands for.

Way - f i n d i n g s ys t e m The way-finding system was something that I had to think about for the exhibition as well. After the exploration into the identity (namely the logo) it made sense to draw up a wayfinding system to match it. The way-finding had to be simple enough for everyone to read and understand effectively in order for them to navigate the exhibition and the building. The first brainstorms used the shapes created from the logos to draw arrows to guide the audience around the exhibition; these would then be placed on the floor and the walls at decision points in the exhibition so that they would be understood effectively by the guests. Since the logo and the identity was black and white the way-finding was going to be also, in order to match the theme, but also because of the nature of the exhibit. The artwork that was going to be in the venue would be very bright and colourful and if the way-finding system was the same then it would be lost amongst the artwork and therefore not be clear enough for the audience to follow. These images are the initial ideas for a way-finding system; different arrows made up of the same pattern as the logos before. However these looked fairly complicated and therefore might not be as appropriate for a way-finding system as maybe a simple arrow. But they did fit with the feeling of the artwork that would be at the exhibition. But there would be the issue of them being lost amongst the exhibition artwork.

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These arrows here were the simplified versions that were a result of doing more work on the way-finding in order to make them more understandable and easier for people to read and use to navigate around the building. I realised that perhaps I was trying to make the way-finding system reflect every other aspect of the exhibition too much and might just be more effective if it was incredibly simple. I think this way-finding works better than the wire frame style I was exploring.

After the reforming of the identity I decided that the way-finding system was going to be something to do with technology; either there was to be an app that you download to take you through the exhibit and to refer to for directions, or there was going to be ipads around the venue at convenient locations for people to use - which would work in a similar way to the apps. With consideration I chose the ipads since it would be inconvenient to download an app for people and might deter people from going to the exhibition. However if there is an ipad around that has been programmed to show the map then this makes for an effective way-finding system that might be more in depth for the viewer as well, rather than just symbols or colours on walls for people to follow. It would also reflect the exhibit in some respects because of the technology and data based works. I would create a web page for the exhibition that might act as a digital ephemera and also the wayfinding, because this web page would be what all the ipads show and the map would be incorporated into this. Since the brief requires two different forms of way-finding, I would also include markings on the floor and walls for people to follow; something similar to the wire frame design that is incorporated into everything. There would be very simple line drawings on the walls with destinations at the end of them all to signify the direction of those things. For example; toilets, the harmonograph suite, exhibition one ect along with the ipads because then it would be relatively hard for people to get lost inside the exhibition. But colour was not something I was going to use in the way-finding since I did not think it would be necessary with all the other way-finding methods and also the exhibit was going to be very colourful and therefore the colours would run the risk of being unnoticed.

In place of ipads there might be the Isomi interactive media devices around the exhibition since these seem more like something to be used as a form of way-finding.

Some more examples of the Isomi pieces that could be placed around the exhibit and below: examples of the way-finding symbols - electric sheep, harmonograph and game of life.

Some experimentation for the leaflet and schemes for posters, promotion ect. Consisting of lines and dots that are all coming from one point. A representation of the exhibition title â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Beginning Of Shapeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

This time I have introduced colour and the logo to them. This much colour does not work as well however a slight bit of colour worked much better.

The final leaflet cover - this is where the map will be (on the back) and act as a promotional ephemera. Also mock-ups of what the ticket will look like; a holographic like card that is similar to a business card with the logo on and some information on the back. It is also the token that is used to collect the data for the projection onto the venue - these are handed in by the guests and that data is collected and influences the artwork on the projection.

Typography Type for the exhibition was something that needed to be addressed also. The typeface would be on all the promotional materials and around the exhibition. Originally I wanted it to reflect the identity with the dots and the lines so I made some tests in Illustrator and explored the structured feeling that the logo had.

Although the type had to be something that was reasonably easy to read, I liked the results from the tests for the wire frame text the most. However this was not something that would be effective for the exhibition because it was simply too complicated to read large amounts of it. In fact the only thing it was effective for was a nice looking title, but it was too complex and intense for use with the logo. They did not look related to eachother.

63 In the end I decided to use an adaptation of the font Helvetica for the title (to make the shapes to form the logo) and an adaptation of the Grotesk font for the information for the rest of the exhibition. This is because the shapes of the letters reflected the shapes of the logo in a flattering way. They seemed like they were related and were both of a similar simple nature that made them work well together. The fonts were also a very safe option for the exhibit which was fine with me since they shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be something complex as that would be ineffective as a typeface and would also take a lot of the attention away from the logo, designs etc. There would be too much happening at once.

Coolvetica

Coolvetica wire frame adaptation

Bebas adaptation

Typo Grotesk

Typo Grotesk adaptation

Typeface

T h e E x h i b i t i o n s pa c e Originally the exhibition space was going to be just a simple gallery for the exhibition - made up ideally of lots of big rooms and tunnels in which the artwork could be projected on to and around the audience to bring some feeling of immersion. Immersion was one of the titles that I was considering naming the exhibition, I wanted the exhibit to seem like it was all around the audience and be interactive. This was an aspect that I still wanted to retain for the exhibition since I still thought that immersion was a good title and idea. However the idea came from the connection between generative art and virtual reality and there was not as many options to go from there as a theme, but it was something I wanted to include in the exhibition in the end.

Museum of moving image

The Museum of Moving Image in New York was the location that I chose in the end because the inside layout and also the outside architecture match the theme and the identity of the exhibition. The outside of the building is made up of panels that almost look like the wire frame style that has been a consistent element throughout the identity of the project. It being a museum focussed on moving image also made it suitable for the theme since most of the features of the exhibition would be interactive and moving elements of generative art. For example there was to be a room for an exhibit of: Electric Sheep, Conwayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Game of life and a harmonograph room - all of which would require screens and moving elements.

The venue also needed larger rooms so that many people might be able to interact with the artwork at once. The Museum of Moving Image contains all these elements as well as smaller rooms which would be used for the smaller exhibition features like stills from the content. It is also a modern building and even the inside of the building is styled in a way that suits the exhibit. The museum is close to having some of the rooms that I initially looked for in the venue and it also has some elements that make it look like a science museum. This is positive since I did look towards the science museum being the location for the exhibition, however this museum is much more suited.

Promotion in place

67 Some examples of the promotion that might be used for the exhibit. Posters featuring some of the images from the featuring artists, the dates, place and logo for the exhibit. Keeping it simple with a few variations of the posters. But the promotion will primarily consist of the projection on the side of the building because this will be part of the exhibition itself and dependant on the visitors and tickets sold for the exhibitions.

Mock up exhibit Areas like these would make the perfect location for the screening of electric sheep and Conwayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s game of life. Also the reception area looks like the way-finding systems would not look out of place in them.

Images of how the exhibition should look and a mock-up of the projection on the outside of the building as a form of promotion in space. The projection will be a form of generative art created by the data collected from the tokens (tickets) that the guests have. This in-turn will create a piece of art for the outside of the building and perhaps surrounding streets or other buildings.