Category: TY1DP1

Work by Part 1 students as part of their ‘Design Practice’ module.

Social media in a PANDEMIC!

During the outbreak of COVID-19, social media has been quite literally an essential part in people’s lives. Social media has not only been used to find out new information or regulations put into place, but it has become a coping mechanism. It has somewhat distracted us from the real problem. This has been done by the use of memes. Instagram pages like ‘World Health Organisation’ use a different style within their posts compared to a page like ‘coronavirus_memes’. Although their posts are relating to the same topic, they both contribute differently to the social media bubble. Memes take out the seriousness the subject holds and adds a sense of humour and excitement to the post. Like in the example shown above, back when the lockdown was introduced, the public had gone through a mental craze. Shops were left empty and houses were full of bulk-bought items. Economically, this was a complete disaster, however nearly every meme showed a comical aspect. On the other hand, when we look at the ‘WHO’ Instagram page, we see instructive, clean and well-presented posts. Each new update is a thought out piece of artwork, compared to a meme which usually never has an organised finish. They intend for their message to reach an older and responsible target audience, whilst the meme pages target the younger demographic.

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Additional collages made in the task:

 

 

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Finstagram.com%2Fcoronavirus_memes%3Figshid%3D130b3th5ncyig%26fbclid%3DIwAR06bGQ0lh8daQA0WIiTfzLSbabeZGzkidgk-gOj-l9ivuVWnb5l6SQfZJw&h=AT2TRevOTeH7FOBRERXmJvUvgYx3sgrPZ1Wj0ugVFE9NMMH41M_fcahUu56Y6xPQKnav4BSarMRedGkLNi_HkhrDwzz2dDYIEoMIQqPQI8DPfvLhr1XQqCtTZWjcDIxdHUBPaQbBxBs

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Finstagram.com%2Fwho%3Figshid%3Dn7s7kndnsf28%26fbclid%3DIwAR0Tq8gmj_rdBHIq_lzT1vBguU7cd7-kQ-_yxeK2iz-CcB6voSHbvcBb7yA&h=AT2TRevOTeH7FOBRERXmJvUvgYx3sgrPZ1Wj0ugVFE9NMMH41M_fcahUu56Y6xPQKnav4BSarMRedGkLNi_HkhrDwzz2dDYIEoMIQqPQI8DPfvLhr1XQqCtTZWjcDIxdHUBPaQbBxBs

 

 

Covid 19 In Reading Town

Today for Sue’s and Emma’s Covid 19 project I headed into to town to find any kind of sign or poster that portrayed a warning or instruction about Corona Virus. We then grouped back together to share all of our images and talk about them. We discussed how the general public are growing accustomed to the shear abundance of Covid posters to the point where we have built up a sort of tolerance to them. I personally barley notice these signs anymore and they only really catch my eye when I’m actively looking for them. It was interesting to look at posters that were perhaps not made by professional designers and were a bit more creative and fun. A lot of the signs had a very lighthearted aesthetic to them which is strange considering the disease has killed thousands of people. As a group we evaluated whether we thought these signs might be taken more seriously and further catch the eye if they used scare tactics like on the packaging of cigarettes. The top right image shows a warning poster from decades ago (from the collection) and the image to the left of that is a poster I found around the campus today, it is interesting to see the visual similarities between these to two.

Eyes on the Little Things

Taking Picture from the Surrounding

The Best 3 Images

  1. A tiny corner from a mental fence

2. The parking label on the floor

 

3. The building name of Contraction Management and Engineering

When I was searching around the campus, instead of taking pictures of large scale objects, I chose to look at some converted places. I took the above image from an undertaking area where they fenced up the whole building. I started looking closely at any objects and I found that so interesting I would never see those fonts on the fence if I was not standing in front of it at a certain distance. Not only did the distance matter, the angle of how you observe the thing also affect the look of the font. For example, I took the first picture and the third one in a side approach, rather than facing in front of the object. This way can show the depth of the font and create a three-dimensional effect. I liked how these fonts are carefully and neatly done for the second image. It was also interesting to see which strokes got written first, as the texture of its paint shows the layer of brushstrokes.

 

Grouping those Pictures in Different Category Orders

1. Angle (Looking downwards)

2. Material (Mental)

3. Colour scheme

4. Object (Building’s names)

Classifying is an action to grouping up things that share some same characteristics. I tried to find their obvious similarities between each other, such as the first one, all of those pictures are taken in a downwards angle, from top to down, overlooking at those objects. This in fact shows no depth but only plainness. Another example, some images share the same colour palette, the blue sky, the redness from those signs and the green grass.

Self-reflection

This one-day project was really a fun time to experience around the campus. In fact, we seldom have time to hang around and observe things in detail, but today I finally got a chance to have a closer look at anything else in the surrounding. Moreover, I learnt about how letterings corporate with the environment. Some of them with only the intention of decorating purpose, some of them being particularly legible to readers, all letterings have their own function. Overall, it was such an interesting project to do individually or with classmates.

Are they still a family

For Sara project Impactful images, we were asked to design two images based on a topic given to us. One of the images should be direct and the other indirect towards the topic. The second image should be less subtle but still allow readers to be able to identify the theme of the topic.

I did a mind map of family and I decided to explore pregnancy, as that is what brings the next generation of a family. However, I used pregnancy to represent a mother who dies from childbirth and now the father is left to deal with the trauma and raise two sobbing kids.

For family my original images show a typical family, a father 2 children and a pregnant wife, to go deeper into the topic of  family my theme pregnancy and how it brings joy to those around, however, there are some people in this world suffering from a pregnancy that does not bring life but takes it.

The uses of black in the second image is to show mourning and loss of a family member, I made the mother and the child emotionless to show that they have gone from this world and no longer with their family.

The title ‘Are they still a family?’ is to ask viewers if this mourning family can still be a happy family even though they have lost what brings them joy.

Moreover, I enjoyed this topic cause is similar to that of storytelling, which I have interest in but with images. I would love a  similar topic in the future but with more time to develop and explore my ideas.

CH monogram

In today’s class we were provided with two fonts, Garamond and Futura. Using one of these fonts, we had to use our initials to create a monogram.

I sketched out my initials, CH, and then photocopied them at different sizes, playing around with the scale. I mixed the two initials to see which shapes I could create with them. I found that I was getting lost in my own ideas, making the initials blend in such way that I could not tell they were a C & H anymore. I wanted my monogram to be a clean and clear presentation of my initials, and that is why I chose the final design that can be seen below (the last three drawings on the page).

I thought it would be fun to add some colour to my design. I chose green because it is a calm colour that is associated with nature and good-luck. It is fresh and cool, and to me it holds the idea of hope and new life.

Yellow is a happy colour. It is fun and youthful, and adds energy, just like the sun .

 

Education system

In this session presented by Sara Chapman, we explored designs and art that convey a deeper meaning. Looking at artists such as Banksy, we discussed how his work has dual meaning and presents emotion and thought provoking imagery. We were all assigned a word to focus on conveying our own message for and my word was ‘education’. I had several ideas and took time to create a spider diagram to get all of them on paper and consider which ones were the best. I decided to convey how in school we are taught a lot of information that many of us don’t and wont ever use but are made to learn as they are obligatory topics. I used topics such as algebra and physics equations which can be handy but not for all and show how once we grow up, we realise we haven’t been taught some of the most important and vital pieces of information that we need as adults.

To represent the decline in understanding life and topics, I used only primary colours in the first image. Not only does it have that stereotypical school life feel but when it changes to the the second image, it accentuates the hopelessness we begin to feel as  we grow up. The  colours change to grey and dismal tones. I also only used my own handwriting in the first image to convey that sense of innocence and typical school taught handwriting. I then contrast it in the second image by using bold and capitalised font to show the harsh reality of our life changes and us not being given the education to keep up with it. To complete this concept, I decided to do it digitally as I felt it would convey my ideas better due to the solid colouring.  I used Adobe Draw for the entire process.

Boris

Brief:

Create two images which convey ‘Politician‘. The first image should convey the word directly. The second image must have one addition to change the feeling or the meaning of the first image. Export into a GIF.

Process:

When I think of a politician the first image I see is a man in a suit behind a podium. It is quickly accompanied by the impression of greed, deception and power. Image is considered everything and so is public perception. This makes many political environments very controlled and staged. I wanted to create something which would pull back the curtain and reveal what people really want to know. We always watch these press conferences and wonder what is not being said, or very much wish they would just say what we are all thinking or know to be true.

My first image is of a political scene as they are often portrayed. My second image has defaced the first with a message we would rather was being shared or admitted.

I was going to create a generic man to represent the ‘politician’, but my classmates suggested a well known figure would make the piece more personable and therefore more impactful, as it relates to this brief. Therefore I chose an image of Boris Johnson at one of the latest COVID news conferences. At first I had thought to deface this image through imposing a monkey over his face, or some other image to suggest foolishness often associated with politicians. However I found this to be too gimmicky and not quite message I was wanting the image to create.

Instead I went for the crude sort of style we often see in text books and on posters. I like how it so effortlessly defaces the controlled and sophisticated front trying to be conveyed by the politicians and brings an element of chaos to the scene. I chose to desaturate the image to further the contrast between their staged presentation and our desire for all the information, however shocking.

To create this loop I first created each image in Illustrator and exported them to Photoshop. In Photoshop I was able to make each layer a 0.5 second clip to play on repeat. From here I could export it as a GIF.

Reflections:

I like how it is as if the message breaking through the mask here is that the podium is saying what Boris isn’t. The simplicity of the design puts the point across clean and clear and I am pleased with how well this has fulfilled the brief. I also learnt how to make a GIF on Photoshop, a function I didn’t know about before.

Royalty

 

Cristiana Couciero was my inspiration for this work. She has a simple photomontage style that I thought would be appropriate for the style i am going for.

Using the image shown, I implemented the circle to show the main image. The ruler and protractor outlines show order and depth to the image. The number that I chose in my final work was the day Queen Elizabeth II was crowned. This added more meaning to photomontage. Couciero’s work is centered towards the middle and leaves the outer space empty. The use of black space  allows balance and the text creates more texture.

 

The first image represents supporters and followers. The colour blue gives a calm ambiance to the image and the lighter peach background exudes warmth. Overall, the image is giving a positive aesthetic.

 

 

Instead of a blue circle, it changes to red to give a more aggressive tone. The blue background compliments the red and makes it more dynamic as it’s darker. Mark making were used to replaced the measurements to represent more chaos and irregularity.  The photos of the fans were replaced with paparazzi to represent the invasion of privacy and loudness that they represent.

Lettering in the Environment

Lettering in the Environment

lettering in the environment

In Eric’s lesson we explored the campus for interesting pieces of typography. The powerpoint above the stop sign image has all the photos i took in the lesson. I feel as though i could’ve arranged them into better categories.

I enjoyed taking photos of different pieces of type around the campus, this activity also helped me explore the campus further. My favourite image i took is the one above, this is because i like the angle it was shot at and also how the bright red of the sign stands out among the blue background making it the focus point of the whole image.