Contents Page Title Page Number Introduction ............................. 2-3 Initial Ideas ............................... 4-5 Graphic Design History .......... 6-9 Semiotics ................................. 10-13 Typography ............................. 14-21 Composition & Layout ........... 22-29 Modernism & Post Modernism . 30-37 Colour ....................................... 38-41 Design Deck Mock Assessment 42-45 Final Design Deck .................... 46-57 Bibliography ............................. 58-65 11
The Start... 22
Starting off my visual journey is a daunting task and I want to “ grasp my ideas and concepts through this diary in a way that creatively shows my thought process. Previously, I have had very little experience in the design world and hope to develop my skills “ effectively to a professional level. Design is a response to a specific problem. You are given a problem to solve, and then you let the problem itself tell you what your solution is. - Chip Kidd For this particular assignment, we were asked to create a visual identity for ‘The School of Communication and Media’s End of Year Show’. This diary will take you through my digital design journey... 33
Initial Ideas 44
Through some online research I found a selection of different posters that caught my attention and intend to explore the ideas behind them through my own work. 5
Graphic Design History Week 2 6
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Semiotics Week 3 1010
Semiotics is the study of signs and their meanings. Terminology: Signifier: This is the pointing finger, the word, the sound-image. (changingminds. org, 2019) Words Signified: This is the concept, the meaning, Gestures the thing indicated by the signifier. It need not be a ‘real object’ but is some referent to which the signifier refers. (changingminds. org, 2019) Images Denotation: This is literally the word for a word! It’s the literal meaning of a word, Sounds a gesture, or any mark, without emotion. (vocabulary.com, 2019) Objects Connotation: This is the baggage a word or idea drags around. It refers to the various social overtones, cultural implications, or emotional meanings associated with a sign. (vocabulary.com, 2019) 1111
Photoshop Experiments 12
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Typography Week 4 Ty.pog.ra.phy Noun The style and appearance of 14 printed matter.
Aa In typography, a serif is a small stroke regularly Serif attached to the end of a larger stroke in a letter or symbol within a particular font. A typeface making use of serifs is called a serif typeface. Aa On the other hand, a sans-serif is one that does not have extending features called “serifs” at the end of strokes. They are much more simplistic and have Sans serif clean, sharp edges. Leading Tracking Kerning A typography term The overall spacing The spacing between used to describe the between characters, specific individual distance between also known as characters. each line of text. character spacing. Leading Tracking Kerning Leading Tracking Kerning Leading Tracking Kerni n g Tracking Ker n ing Leading 1515
Neville Brody 1616
Neville Brody is an English graphic designer, typographer and art director from London who studied design at the London College of Printing. He first made his way into the public eye through is record cover designs and his involvement in the British independent music scene in the early 1980s. (fontshop, 2019) He is now considered one of the best known graphic designers of his generation and has an interesting way of communication his message through type. 1717
Experimentation 1 23 1. I started off by adding my type. 2. I then separated each 5 word into individual layers and aligned them on the 4page. 3. Using the shape tool 4. With the pen tool I 4. Finally, I used I connected some of the created a slanted black the selection tool to letters. background. invert the bottom colours. 18
1 23 45 1. I started off by adding 2. I duplicated the text 3. Using the colour my type. and off set it to either side. overlay in blending options I was able to 4. Using the colour 5. I added a background change the off set colour to red and blue. overlay in blending and using a similar options I was able to technique to the text I change the off set colour added some background to red and blue. shapes. 19
Luke Choice 20
Luke Choice is a multidisciplinary designer who tells stories through dynamic colour and composition for a broad range of clients. (Adobe Creative House, 2019), He goes by the name ‘Velvet Spectrum’ and is currently based in New York. He works primarily with 3D, illustration, typography and with many more facets of design. (Abduzeedo.com, 2015) His colourful and vibrant work is reflective of street art and I find it very intriguing and hope to use a similar style in my own work. 21
Composition & Layout Week 5 22
Foundations of Design “Composition is the way the principles of design are organized. The elements of design are line, shape, colour, value, texture, form, and space.” - ConceptArtEmpire.com Contrast Repetition Alignment Proximity 2323
Contrast The state of being different from something else in juxtaposition or close association. Creating Contrast... Colour Adjust the size or shape of an object. Use contrasting styles of text. Position Posi tion 2244 Orientation Posi ion Positio
Repetition This is a strong reminder that every project should be consistent with the design through colour scheme, and layout. 25
Photoshop Experiments 12 3 1. I started off by adding 3. Using the blending my type using “The Bold options I coloured the Font” middle type red and put a stroke on the one 4 above it. 2. I duplicated the 4. Finally, I selected the type with equal spacing rest of the layers and between them. pasted the layer style. 26
Alignment Alignment is the process of making sure every object within a design piece is moved and placed in a way to line it all up. This will allow work to be easily viewed and navigated and gives a sense of organisation. Grids Grids are an Grids also speed up essential tool the process by helping Grids that should be designers decide used throughout where their content design to create will go. Adobe Suite consistent and software all have this Grids professional tool included and I looking pieces. have been using it in every piece... 27
Proximity The principle of proximity is simply the process of ensuring related design elements are placed together. Any unrelated items, should be spaced apart. Close proximity indicates that items are connected or have a relationship to each other and become one visual unit which helps to organise or give structure to a layout. (Edgee.net, 2014) For example, your automatic response to this paragraph is that it’s unrelated to the first paragraph - and you’re right. This is why proximity is so important within graphic design. 28
Modernism & Postmodernism Week 6 2929
Modernism Modernism was not Industrial societies, growth necessarily conceived of cities and World War as a style but a loose 1 were all factors which collection of ideas. Its shaped modernism. influence covered a Modernists questioned art range of movements in for its lack of freedom and art, architecture, design so this is how modern art and literature. was formed. Lack of Freedom Formed in 1900s And so... Fauvism Expressionism Cubism Futurism Constructivism Dada Surrealism ...were born. Le bonheur de vivre (Fauvism) 30
Scream Girl with a Mandolin Oppressed Peoples of (Expressionism) (Cubism) the Whole World (Constructivism) L.H.O.O.Q Cyclist Jim Warren (Dada) (Futurism) (Surrealism) 31
Designer: Lester Beall Lester Beall was an American graphic designer notable for his gimmicky nature of designs. They were considerably simulated by the free-market capitalism of the time. He criticised European artists He uses bold primary colours in a contrasting way to portray a very direct message to the audience. His use of illustrative shapes and arrows have become a staple to his work and is now easily recognisable as his as his own style. 32
Photoshop Experiments 12 3 1. Using primary colours I created a background similar to Beall’s “Radio” piece. 2. With the pen tool I created a candle in silhouette form. 3. Finally, I added Beall’s signature white arrows and added some type. 33
Post Modernism Rejection of Modernism It was born out of Post Modernism is a High Culture scepticism and was broad art movement that a reaction against developed in the mid- to modernism. It challenges late 20th century and is more complex and often considered one of the most contradictory layers of controversial movements in meaning. art and design history. High Culture vs Low Culture Low culture - also Low Culture known as pop culture - is a term for forms 34 of popular culture that have mass appeal. Its contrast is high culture. Both terms have picked up a derogatory denotation over the years due to the very distinct cultural differences.
High Culture + Low Culture = Post Modernism Post modernism collapses the distinction between high culture and low culture and is applied through everyday life Although many believe that post modernism is a dying movement in today’s society, it is still very prominent and is seen throughout our daily lives. One of the greatest examples of this is through the use of “Memes”. There has also been examples of post modernism in music, movies, architecture and fashion. However, there have also been instances where this sort of art has become offensive through fashion and music and is considered cultural appropriation. Sun Rise - Roy Lichtenstein Photoshop Experimentation 35
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Stefan Sagmeister is a designer and art director from Austria who currently lives and works in New York City. He is largely known for his work for the Rolling Stones, The Talking Heads, Jay Z and Lou Reed. He also has a design firm called Sagmeister Inc. Sagmeisters designs are rooted in disorienting images and self-defining aphorisms. He doesn’t limit himself and takes on many forms of art through graphic design, typography and even performing arts. As a designer, he inspires me the most as his process of creating a piece is often less thought out as you would think and he goes off sporadic or random intuitions. In a way, he creates his own design 37 rules.
Colour Week 7 38
Danger Power Passion Emotion Importance Energetic Confidence Energy Creativity Optimism Sun Attention Humour Happiness Hazard Balance Love Acceptance Nature Harmony Calmness Kindness Honesty Peace Emotion Intuition Imagination Maturity Royal Wisdom 39
Terminology Shade is any pure hue or mixture of pure colours with only black added to them. Therefore, no white or grey is added. (Color Wheel Artist, 2019) Tint is sometimes also called a pastel. But to be precise, Colour Theory defines a true tint as any hue or mixture of pure colours with only white added. (Color Wheel Artist, 2019) Tone is any hue or mixture of pure colours with only grey added. To be precise, this definition considers grey as truly neutral. In other words, there are no additional pigments in the grey other than white plus black. (Color Wheel Artist, 2019) Hue refers to the attribute of a visible light due to which it is differentiated from or similar to the primary colours. The term is also used to refer to colours that have no added tint or shade. (Technopedia, 2019) 40
Colour Psychology Colour expands much further than choosing which colours compliment each other. In fact, so much more goes into the thought process behind choosing which colours designers use. Colour psychology is Colour association is also the study of hues as a a large part of identity. determinant of human For example, we are behaviour. Colour ‘programmed’ to associate influences perceptions that blues and darker colours are not obvious, such as to men whereas women the taste of food. Colours are associated with lighter, can also enhance the pastel colours such as pink. effectiveness of placebos. (Nickkolenda.com, 2019) For example, red or orange pills are generally used as stimulants. 41 Men and Women’s Favourite Colours
Design Deck Mock Assessment Week 7 42
Design 1 As part of my first design I wanted to hone in on the elegant aspect of the creative brief and took large inspiration from Muller Brockmann. 43
Design 2 For my second design I wanted to create something more industrial looking and modernistic 44
Design 3 For the final design I went for a more stylistic and playful design by introducing brighter colours and playful typography. 45
Design Deck 46
Design 1 For my first design I wanted to take great inspiration from Luke Choice and created a similar effect to his typography. 1 2 Firstly I added my typography I then added a background using the Mistrain font. and imported a sunset image. 3 4 Using the liquify tool, I created I positioned the sunset image brush strokes to create a wet and rasterized it over the text. 47 paint look.
5 6 I then added the rest of the I repeated the same method information and added a with the liquify tool to complete dividing line with the pen tool. the poster. For the poster, it came out very well and my desired effect came off very well. However, after doing additional research, I found that Adobe have released a different method to achieve Luke Choice’s outcome more closely and would have preferred it for this poster. Additionally, I feel as though I could have done more with the type at the bottom to tie it in with the rest of the poster. 48
For my invitation, I wanted to keep the theme very consistent and continued using the liquify tool. As some added definition, I added some dripping paint around the edges. As a whole, I like the outcome but found that I could have went more heavy on the drips of paint on the type to make it more apparent. I repeated the same for the website and kept the colours consistent throughout with simple buttons to compliment the title. 49
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