End of Module Evauation

Throughout this year I think my researching skills and how those skills are used has improved. Before this year I only ever used the internet to do my reading and research, however since branching out I believe it has better informed my design process and the decisions I make after. For our first essay we were set one task was to look into books, journals and articles. I think this helped me get the ball rolling rather than going straight to the internet. Thus showing me that the internet is not always the best source.

I think my writing style still needs improvement however I have learnt how to reference correctly in my essays as well as using text to base my writing off. I haven't done this before so I found it difficult to do. I have never been good at writing essays but I feel like I am slowly improving. However if I was going to do this whole process again I would ask for more help and give in as many drafts as possible. One of my biggest weaknesses is that I rarely proof read which can make the difference from a 2.2 and a 2.1. This year has taught me that I will need to get on top of that because what we learn in this year from the lecture series we could go back on and use in 2nd or 3rd year. 

In regards to my practical work I believe that it is relevant to what I was doing and it was so much fun and interesting to learn more about the handmade print methods as it has always been something I have been fascinated about. I learnt they take more time than you expect and things can go wrong! I don't think however that I have challenged myself enough but hopefully with my ISSUU presentation it will get me off to a good start for the second year. 

For the second year I need to remember a couple of things; manage your time better so that you can be more effective and up to date on your work. Keep on doing drafts of essays and go to the lectures - they serve a purpose! 

Overall I'm satisfied with the work I've produced for this module but I could benefit from better organisation skills so that I receive all the feedback that I can get to strengthen my arguments in my forthcoming essays.

ISSUU presentation Studio brief 3

http://issuu.com/leahratcliffe/docs/cop2.pptx

here is the direct link to my presentation.

Essay drafts and feedback

These were my drafts and feeback I got on them is below. 

Outcome Study Task 8

After looking at all the feedback and different designs I had done I decided I would letterpress my favourite quote. On the right you can see where I have tested out 4 different types. After looking at them all closely I decided I would pick the top font as it was the one that represented what I wanted to do the best. I then moved on to put all the letters in the correct way and line the up all perfectly. I actually found this task a lot harder than I thought it would be due to the fact I had never done it before. However saying this it did not stop me because when I did the first press of the practice types I found it very satisfying. This made me think of Pepin Zurburg when he said, ‘the computer does nothing for you, it only makes things a lot easier’. Because as I experienced it first hand it made sense, I could recreate what I did by hand but on the computer and it just took less time but was more rewarding.

The thing I found most difficult was  making sure that everything was lined up correctly with the correct spacing and making sure the letters didn't fall out - to do this there had to be the right amount of pressure being put in the correct spaces.

As you can see I tried pressing it many times, quite a few times it did not come out properly but I managed to get there in the end. Despite the process taking a lot more time than a computer I am still heavily interested in using it and wanting to make more things by hand, which related to something Odling-Smee said;  ‘Despite being slow, labour-intensive and costly in comparison to modern printing methods, and increasing number of designers (and often their clients) want to use it. ’ .

In reference to the brief I believe that i have taken a step in the right direction, it is going to take a while for some people out there to appreciate the handmade print methods but this is somewhere to start. I have also shown that it can be used in some like an exhibition which is where my series of hand made printed posters could go. ‘Some are using letterpress and silkscreen technologies to produce small-batch or one off products’ (Meyers, 2009) I believe that I have made an example of what Meyers is talking about.

Feedback / further developments Study task 7

I then decided to take the advice of my peers and look more at the posters as if they were a series and how I can make them look like one withot it looking taccy and unproffesional.  I definately prefer the look of the black on one bold colour as it gives it more class. However in general I do not believe that these posters are finished.

I could improve them by getting the correct amount of space around the text so that the text doesn’t just look like it is either floating or that it is out of space.

At this stage in my developments I have gone back to black and white because I believe that the colour is a bit more suitable for the younger generation however for it to be put across as the people who appriciate print that could be more vast but they could be a minority. Due to this fact and the aesthetics and meaning of my project I believe the best design decsision for this project was to strip it back to black and white, which is still striking, and let the quotes talk for themselves.

Due to striping the posters back I thought it would be best to revisit the fonts to doube check that futura was my favourite.  I looked through multiple different fonts, out of the majority of them these three were my favourite. Futura, Impacts and  Rockwell Extra Bold. Again I went back to my peers to see what they thought, much like me the majoirty of my peers liked the way that Futura looked with all of the type, it didn’t look out of place and it was the best for this job.

Idea Generation / Prototypes Study Task 6

In order to develop my intial ideas based uponhand printing methods. I also wanted to incorporate my piece to have meaning behind it and put a message across.  I decided to go with a poster which tries to grab the viewers attention. The best way for me to do this to attract my audience is to focus on the big bold text and have the right amount of white space around it whilst still getting the viewer to look at the poster to recieve the meaning that is coming through the poster. 

On top of this I also chose to look at colours and how that effects the way the poster looks and how it impacts on the message and the viewer. When making these 3 initial ideas I wanted to focus on colour that are opposite on the colour wheel as it is suggested that they grab more attention. I personally believe that when looking at the 3 coloured designs that they distract away from the writing rather than drawing attention to it.

I chose to keep the designs quite simple by leaving out an image and just having it as the texts, I think that it keeps the viewers attention to the meaning of the poster rather than just looking at the picture that is behind it. Keeping it to just type it effectively demonstrates the approach that I am going for.

I pitched the idea of a poster or a poster series that feature quotes that have meaning behind them.

I recieved some useful feedback that I then used to aid my project further. The feedback I recieved was that I could use famous quotes which I could then refine to a certain area for example technological quote like steve jobs “innovation distingushies between a leader and a follower”.  Another suggestion I got was that I could use the quotes from my essay or I could make up quotes in a way that portrays a messsage. 

In relation to my sketches shown here, they have helped me visualise my ideas which I’ve developed and taken further since this point, which can be seen in my prototypes and development stages. 

My problem that needed solving was how print can be used and appriciated today. The solution to my problem was to create a series of posters that was most applicable to my audience. For these ideas I was thinking of the younger generations, those who have just learnt about print methods and want to try new things so I looked into colours that work together and the space around the text. When researching into the colour I thought it was best to look back on Burrill’s work to see what colours he put with other colours to see if I liked the look of them. For the text of my posters I went with quotes from my essays to reinforce my project as a whole.

By doing this I think that it has impacted on the meaning of what the type is trying to tell the viewer. However saying this I like the way the black writing looks on top of the warm orange. I like the orange of this poster due the fact that when I looked at all these prototypes together my eye was drawn to the orange one which means that it must be the one that stands out the most. However unlike my original ideas for the use of colour it does not completley draw your attention from the type that is there at present.

For these prototypes I also looked at teo different fonts. I used Impact as the heading font and futura of the smaller fonts. I wanted to see if you could spot the different fonts when looking at them and which looked the best. I think that the kerning of Impact is a bit too close together which makes it harder to read.  

I asked some peers about what they thought about these so far and the response was similar to mine however some thought having so many different colours doesnt really tie the whole project together as one and it looks a bit overwhelming and unproffessional.  

Research Study Task 5

Eye catching typography

My poster series I heavily based on Anthony Burrill’s work. Burrill is perhaps best known for his typographic, text-based compositions, including the now-famous “Work Hard and Be Nice to People”, which has become a mantra for the design community and beyond. I love how meaningful and eye catching his work is. 
The wood type that he used is always especially bold, and it fits. It is pretty strong, simple and non-designed.

Colour Theory

Colour theory is a body of practical guidance to color mixing and the visual effects of a specific color combination. 
block colours
The designs need to take into considerations the target audience, mine is those who still appreciate print which is quite broad. This is why im basing my series on Burrill. Looking at Burrills use of colour he goes for very bold colours with high contrast to get the attention of those viewing it so he can get across his message.


Psychology of Posters

“The purpose of any poster is to communicate a message. To accomplish that, a poster must first grab a viewers attention. A poster is seen while someone is on the move - driving, riding, or walking by - so it must be engaging enough to capture a person’s attention amid all the other visual clutter."

Handmade techniques

Letterpress printing would be a good analogue technique to use, sticking to the hand-made theme. This process involves printing copies of type by pressing a raised surface, in the shape of the characters, onto paper. Before digital printers, this is how books were printed, it is very time consuming, contemporary experimental designs are created with letterpress. Screenprinting is another handmade technique which is widely used and something that I could use in my designs. 


Geographical:

‘of or relating to the natural features, population, industries, etc., of a region or regions.’
In relation to the geographical aspects of Leeds I looked at firstly at the contemporary art galleries in the area. As my target audience is based on people who go to exhibitions and people who love hand made print. Examples of galleries include; Henry Moore Institue, The Tetley, Gallery Munro House and Sunny Bank Mills. I then looked at Colours May Vary which is a shop which sells some of Burrill’s prints. 

Demographical:
‘relates to a particular structure or sector of a population’

In relation to my awareness campaign my chosen demographic is students. I chose students as when you are starting at university you learn all the different techniques that you could want to know and mnay people become interested in print as they never really as the machinery or knowledge before. More specifically




students in Leeds having focused on those at the University of Leeds and Leeds College if Art. Obviosuly there are many people other than students who are appriciative of print however I wanted a general demographic as a whole and since I don’t know exactly who is appriciative of print then I chose students.  The large student population of Leeds means that if they put on an exhibition of their prints a wide range of people would be reached, with a higher variation of age.

Psychographic:

‘the study and classification of people according to their attitudes, aspirations, and other psychological criteria such as life style, social class and personality’

For this I looked at the overall lifestyle of the students in Leeds. The majority of students enjoy their time in Leeds as it is wll known for its nightlife which is appealing to the youngre generation. Looking at The University of Leeds itself, they were voted 4th in the UK in the 2017 Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey which is very high up.


I chose 3 letterpress example and once screenprinting example as those are my two options that I could use for my project. 

The first figure helpes inform my design as I think the bright colours compliment each other nicely.

For the second figureit again was letterpress, a piece from the print project. When it was created it has the idea of limitation and working with what you have got. This informed my design as it made me think that less is more.

For the third figure it is Burrill which is what I am basing my peoject on, from this i love the bold big text. 


For the last figure I looked at screenprinting. This particular screenprint was made by clare halifax, I was looking aminly at the places that she placed the leafs, I liked the layout and was thinking I could use that sort of layout as a background.

Defining the brief Study Task 4

Research Focus

Research must reference theme of technology.

Aspect of technology: Hybrid aesthetic / handmade aesthetic 

Graphic design discipline: Design for screen / print making

Defining the design problem

The Problem:

- How analogue techniques can be used and appreciated now

- What is the message being portrayed?

Brief ideas: 

• Create a series of posters that feature famous quotes? To go in something like an exhibition
• technological quotes? - Steve jobs

Client needs / requirements

• Must be hand printed to show the importance and that hand printing is still loved today
• Vibrancy / attention grabbing, boldness.

Target Audience

Target audience is those who still appreciate the art that is print making. It used to be that you could tell a place for gigs if there was poster activity about it. The posters shout at you for attention, to make you think or act or just to make you smile. A lot of the younger generation are looking to bring print back. 

Visual Analysis Study Task 3

These 6 images I chose as somewhere to start and something handmade which I was going to look at for my essays and project. They all relate to my quote due to the fact that they are all handmade. 

 Atelier Mit Meerblick

- done by hand, the type is physically burned into the paper using a stencil template, each poster being a unique.

No Fly Posters - The Print Project

- done by hand, letter-pressed onto the paper being used for the print project. they print client work to an incredibly high standard using special finishes and techniques that are not possible using modern printing processes

Grafica Fidalga

Gráfica Fidalga are a trio of friends in São Paolo, Brazil, who make posters on a 1929 German Letterpress using hand carved wooden letters. They’re famous for their printing and have worked with the likes of Anthony Burrill. 

 Bob and Roberta Smith

Bob and Roberta Smith see art as an important element in democratic life. Much of their art takes the form of painted signs. Central to Bob and Roberta Smith’s thinking is the idea that campaigns are extended art works which include a variety of consciousness raising artefacts.

 Anthony Burill

strong bright type which is the main focus of his work

 Paul Smith Bauhaus - Art as life (Barbican)

by Glasgow based graphic designer and illustrator, Paul Smith. These works were made in response to a brief to create six Bauhaus-inspired images to be sold in the Barbican shop.

Harvard Referencing and Triangulation Study Task 2

Theme --> Technology
Focus --> Why are graphic designers reverting to analogue techniques /methods?


Robert Urquhart, 2015
- desire for individuality
- smaller individual designers keep traditions alive


Rick Peynor, 2013
- 1990's designers more experimental in handmade aspects


Phillip B Meggs, 2006
- breakthrough technologies / design innovations
- influence of designers and consequences

Semiotics

Semiotics is the science of studying signs and their meanings. 

The signified (experience) and signifier (spoken or written language) are the codes that help us as individuals to understand signs. The relationship between them is arbitrary and the signs are organised into codes. 

According to Barthes (1957), signs signify on two different levels which are denotation (literal meaning) and connotation (cultural associations).

Saussure believes that a sign's meaning is determined primarily by its relationship to other signs. 

CODES
- codes are found in all forms of cultural practice
- in order to make sense of cultural artefacts we need to learn and understand their codes
- we need to acknowledge that codes rely on a shared knowledge

- they have a number of units to choose from )paradigmatic dimension) which are combined by rules or conventions (syntagmatic dimension).
- all codes convey meaning
- all codes depend upon agreement and a shared cultural background
- codes perform an identifiable social or communicative function


Saussure defined codes to be organised into:
PARADIGM - a set of signs from which one is to be chosen 
SYNTAGM - the message into which the chosen signs are to be combined
All messages involve selection (from a paradigm) and combination (into a syntagm).

PARADIGM
Every time we communicate we select from a paradigm. All the units in a paradigm must have something in common and each of the units in a paradigm must be clearly distinguished from the others. 
Where there is choice there is meaning, and the meaning of what was chosen is determined by the meaning of what was not. 

SYNTAGM
Once a unit has been chosen from a PARADIGM it is combined with other units. This combination is called a syntagm. 

- a sentence is a SYNTAGM of words
- our clothes are a SYNTAGM of paradigmatic choices of hats, gloves, ties ...
- interior décor is a SYNTAGM of choices from the PARADIGM of chairs, wallpaper, carpets etc. 
- an architect makes a SYNTAGM out of doors, windows etc. and their positions

The PARADIGM is the choice and the SYNTAGM is the relationship.

Postmodernism

Postmodernism is a reaction to modern life, technology, new materials and communication. The origins of postmodernism -->

• 1917 - German writer Rudolph Pannwitz, spoke of ‘nihilistic, amoral, postmodern men’ 

• 1964 - Leslie Fielder described a ‘post’ culture, which rejected the elitist values of Modern Culture

Uses of the term 'postmodernism' -->

• after modernism 

• the historical era following the modern 

• contra modernism 

• equivalent to ‘late capitalism’(Jameson) 

• artistic and stylistic eclecticism 

• ‘global village’ phenomena: globalization of cultures, races, images, capital, products

• Postmodernism has an attitude of questioning conventions (especially those set out by Modernism) 

• Postmodern aesthetic = multiplicity of styles & approaches 

• Space for ‘new voices’

• Postmodernism is a reaction to these rules 

• Postmodernism starts as a critique of the International Style – Robert Venturi, Learning from Las Vegas, 1972 – Ideas developed by Charles Jencks, 1977 • Postmodernism's only rule is that there are no rules 

• Postmodernism celebrates what might otherwise be termed kitsch

There is something at the core of Postmodernism, it is a time period. Charles Jencks says modernism died 1972 which is also when Postmodernism began. Symbolised by the destruction of Igeo development in St Louis, 1977. Instead of solving a social problem, it creates one. Modernism is dying because it was bored from the start, revel in the destruction of dream. Postmodernism is about criticising cultural authority and finding ways in which to solve stuff not just following the one path. Postmodernism is looking like a neutral style and is criticism of rules, the only rule is there is no rule. Park Hill Flats in Sheffield added colour and so is no longer a "slum". Roy Lichtenstein creates massive screen prints in which are high end art. High end art and low end art divide is beginning to crumble. Andy Warhol is the ultimate figure of Postmodernism, the opposite of the modernist figure, a self professed to having no talent - anyone can be famous, just a constitution.

J-F Lyotard ‘The Postmodern Condition’ 1979 

• ‘Incredulity towards metanarratives’ 

• Metanarratives = totalising belief systems 

• Result – Crisis in confidence

Postmodernism is the opposite to modernism. It was initially born out of optimism, an aspirational reaction to WW1. It is about progress, celebrating the new and not thinking that new inventions would improve the world. Modernism is function is first and beauty if second, it is a blind obedience that loses something. Whilst Postmodernism is more about form over function, stripping back everything. Postmodernism is the opposite to whatever the characteristics of modernism is. 

- Postmodernism - Modernism attitude of questioning conventions (esp. Modernism) 
- Postmodernism - Modernism  aesthetic = multiplicity of styles & approaches 
- Shift in thought & theory investigating ‘crisis in confidence’ Eg. Lyotard 

Modernism

Modernism -->

1. Terms- ‘modern’, ‘modernity’ 
2. Modernity – Industrialisation, Urbanisation – the City 
3. Modern artists’ response to the city 
4. Psychology and subjective experience 
5. Modern art and photography 
6. Defining ‘modernism’ in art 
7. Modernism in design

If we start to think about subjective experience, the experience of the individual in the modern world, we start to come close to understanding modern art and the experience of modernity. 

Modernism emerges out of the subject response of artists / designers. Modernism can be about embracing modelled techniques, making images that responded to sensations / energies of the modern world, how the modern world helps us understand ourselves and reinstating order and control.

Modernism in design -->
- Anti-historicism -
Doesn't look backwards at historical atheistic, pushing things forwards. Modernism is about creating the new.

No need to look backward to old styles, Ornament is crime - Adolf Loos (1908).

- Truth to materials -

Embrace the new world such as new materials for example concrete, steel, new paint technologies. Modernism tends to celebrate these materials and celebrate what they are. 

Form follows function -

Places functionality before aesthetics as you solve a problem with the design and if solved efficiently the design will have beauty/ an aesthetic. Don’t design something to be pretty.

Quarry Hill Flats, Leeds 1938-78

Attempt at modernism as the utopia hasn't materialised. Modern world hasn't provided equality.

Internationalism -->

Modernist practices aim to create a neutral yet universal language, culture that is available to all. Tend to get styles of making that don't seem to belong to a particular country but could belong to any country.

Harry Beck underground map -->

Form follows function, to understand London at a glance therefore not typographically correct. Doesn't use the exact way the lines run of distances, strips system down to the bare minimum to be legible and easily understood by all.

Aesthetic that doesn't belong to a specific time period

If you try and make your work fit a specific style at a particular moment your work will look out of fashion and old in a matter of years. Modernism looks to strip things down to their essentials which creates timelessness which shows the success of modernism. 

The Bauhaus -->

Re-invented the way art and design is taught in the spirt of internationalism. Interdisciplinary approach with photographers teaching typography etc. Created a diffusion of high art into everyday life, not just principles of craft objects but that would transform into everyday life. 

Russian Revolution 1917 -->

set up worlds first socialist country, workers take control and distribute wealth so all would be equal and no-one would starve. During this time you can't have a style of communicating that uses old styles, need to communication. 

El Lissitsky 1924 -->

Reduces photography down to it essence of light but getting rid of the camera. 

Colour Theory: Colour and contrast

How we perceive colour -->

Spectral colour = a colour that is evoked by a single wavelength of light within a visible spectrum. A single wavelength or narrow band of wavelengths generates monochromatic light. Every wavelength of light is percieved as a spectral colour in a continuous spectrum. The colours of similar or sufffiecently close wavelengths are often indistinguishabe by the human eye.

Our perception of colour is based on the eye recieving light that has been reflected from a surface of an object.

White Light:

cant see individual wavelengths, see as a mix of white light

interpret colour when white light is reflected of a surface.

different materials create different wavelengths 

Shorter wavelengths produce blue light, why the sky is blue. 

Everything to do with colour is based on how we see it.

Rods: conveys shade of black, white and grey 

Cones: colours

Type 1: sensitive to red-orange light

Type 2: sensitive to green light

Type 3: sensitive to blue-violet light 

When different cones are stimulated we will see different colours such as if our green cons are stimulated we will see green. The eye if folded due to the physiological response which allows the eye to see a full range of colours through the adjustments of red, green and blue. 

Spectral colour is where the eye can not differentiate between spectral yellow and some combination of red and green. The same effect accounts for our perception of cyan, magenta. Different colour modes are needed to be able to understand colour which relate to physical colour and spectral colour to do with light. 

Subjective Colour

Chromatic Value:

 - tone, hue and saturation is what is spoken about when we discuss colour, as these make up colour. Give each colour a chromatic colour, 

• neutrals created my mixing more colours together to reduce the colour values, mixture of primaries and secondaries with more white added to reduce there values. 
• complementary colours are those opposite colours on the colour wheel this is because the complementary is made by combination of two primaries. 
• Everything we see has a colour value but depends on its hue, tone and saturation which can be altered to create different colours. 

Series of Contrasts in:

Tone -->

 This can be seen by looking at black and white, series of colour contrast that allow different colours to be visible through the contrast which allow for differentiation. Contrast and tone allows for things to be seen easily as black and white are quite high contrast. However using tones/shades of the same colour make it more difficult to see due to little contrast. 


Saturation -->

Juxtaposition of light and dark values and their relevant saturations. The variation effects how the eye sees the shades as colours can appear lighter and darker. Tone, hue an saturation work together within the contrast of saturation to see how pure a colour is. 

Hue -->

The contrast in hue allows for colour to be recognised based on the wavelengths. Contrast of hue looks purely at the tonal value and the colours they create, closer in hue the colours, lower the contrast. 


Temperature -->

Relates to the hues that can be considered warm or cool. Oranges and reds are associated with warmth whereas blues are perceived as cold colours. The use of different tones of red can create a cooler red based on the contrasts created when they are overlapped or placed next to each other. 


After Image -->

How are eye see and perceive colour as well as the memory of the eye. When you look at something that is bright and look away you can still see aspects of the image. Eye remembers colour that it’s seeing, as information seen by rods and tons burns information into the retina. Eye seeing saturated light to the eye flips the colour in order to balance the colour.