FRIDAY 13TH MARCH 2009

BRIEF -

To create a series of six postcards.

My initial thoughts were about why I no longer send postcards. When I was younger I always used to send them, but since modern technologies have become more easily accessible to me, as I got older I preferred to use new methods.

I like the idea of creating a project based around the fact that postcards aren’t sent anymore due to alternative forms of communication, such as email, text messaging etc. A variety of online applications are now available to everyone that enable us to communicate globally and instantly. Postcrossing is a website which allows anyone to exchange postcards from all over the world.

http://www.postcrossing.com/

I like this idea as it combines tradition with modern methods. I also found the Origami postcard contest; postcards are submitted from the location where the website is viewed. I could somehow combine various forms of communication from across the eras, such as telegrams,  phone and email. It could be that the use of technologies could somehow reinvent the postcard.

My second idea was to construct postcards based on origami folding techniques. Postcards were originally sent as they were cheaper to post due to not needing an envelope. The downside to this is that it can be read by anyone, it cannot contain private information, so the advantage to an origami postcard is that it could be folded up to keep the information confidential. I could produce a set of origami postcards in the shape of famous landmarks like Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower. The designs would have to be flat origami as 3D would get squashed during the posting process. I could use a popular paper from that country, for example for Britain I could use newspaper, as it is associated with fish and chips.

I found this origami ‘puzzle purse’ on the internet.  It has to be unfolded in the correct way to read the verses handwritten on the folds, and see the small illustrations.

My third idea was that postcards portray an image of perfection, they are often so heavily touched up in Photoshop that in reality they do  not look the same – they express a false idealistic image. I could photograph places where you wouldn’t want to be within that area – polluted beaches, rubbish dumps, places in Brighton with used needles all over the floor. Below is some existing examples of a similar idea  from Helsinki.

SATURDAY 14TH MARCH 2009

I bought some existing examples of postcards. I may have to consider designing a back to keep mine authentic.

TUESDAY 17TH MARCH 2009

The strongest idea that I felt I could continue with and develop further was the first.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/mar/29/britishidentity.post

Coast magazine has recently launched a campaign to save the postcard, but they don’t seem to be really pushing it. From what I could find on the net their campaign consists of articles in their magazine asking readers to submit their old postcard collections. Coverage from both national and local newspapers seemed to raise more awareness of the issue, as they reach out to a more varied audience, not to just subscribers.
I would like to push this idea on a larger scale, advertising on billboards, and public transport. My finished designs could be displayed on tubes and at Underground stations, I could print them off, stick them onto places like tube advertising spaces and photograph them.
I’ll also produce them on a smaller scale, shrunk down to standard postcard size. I’m going to highlight the advantages of the postcard over modern technologies, and why we should still be sending them. A postcard is something you can keep, it is not as disposable and forgotten as easy as a text. Physically holding a postcard in front of you has something over a text or email, similar to a book compared to the internet.

This quote from the Skegness Standard gave me the idea of linking the campaign to other British institutions, and using some typical British humour  -

‘Postcards are as important an element of the British seaside as fish and chips and sticks of rock.’

I researched into using postcards as a form of advertising, and discovered that several campaigns have been produced on postcards, for example Save the Post Office petition was written on over 1,000 postcards and sent to Downing Street.

www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/3310797/Text-message-tourists-write-off-the-postcard.html

I looked at postcard sales statistics, which show that they have dropped by 75% in last 10 years. Royal Mail figures show that the amount of postcards being sent are falling by a million a year, from 30 million five years ago to 25 million. Out of 2,000 people surveyed by ITV.com 67% of the population now log on abroad to keep in touch. I could somehow use these stats on my postcard designs, for example using the figures that postcard sales are falling by a million a year, I could drop a million postcard off the top of a cliff (links to seaside).

I sketched out a few ideas for a logo. I wanted to incorporate the British flag, and some aspects of the postcard, such as the stamp.

I made a few notes on things that I considered to be typically British.

I looked at puns and idioms, the way that advertisers gain the viewers attention with witty lines. I tried to find typically British sayings and cultures, including cockney rhyming slang. Hopefully I will be able to incorporate these into my designs.

Initial designs (not my images, if I want to continue with the idea I will photograph the objects myself).

After reassessing my aims, I decided to scrap the British postcard theme, and just focus purely on a save the postcard campaign.I designed a logo in Illustrator, initially was just a circle, but then I added the additional wavy lines which feature on a postcards stamp when I decided to use the layout of a postcard.

I orginally tried to photograph objects to use on my postcard, but I didn’t think the finish looked professional enough, so I drew out the objects in Illustrator. I would like to re-do the last two postcard designs, changing them into vector format so that they look like the rest of the set. I did try running them through live trace in Illustrator, but they looked better as they are.

BRIEF

To design the visual identity, packaging and direct a thirty second TV commercial for a new brand of breakfast cereal.

TUESDAY 7TH APRIL 2009

To begin my research I visitied the Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising. The majority of cereal packaging on display was clearly aimed at children. As this was a popular target audience, which already saturates the market I decided to find an alternative category to design my product for.

WEDNESDAY 8TH APRIL 2009

I found a few cereal boxes at home. I noticed how much unneccesary information was printed on them, how many people actually bother to read all of the text on the box? I’d like to reduce my packaging right down to just the essentials. An organic theme would go well with this idea.

SUNDAY 12TH APRIL 2009

All those easter eggs got me thinking about my packaging! This Smarties egg box had the least amount of packaging on it out of Harvey’s collection. After having to dispose of a huge amount of excess packaging I decided to continue with my idea of an organic cereal, as I could keep the packaging to a minimum, with a simple environmentally friendly design. Like the Smarties box I could make the box from recycled materials.

I looked into existing organic products on the market, and researched into inventive ways of packaging items. The cardboard tube packaging below is a great idea, as the packaging would be very strong and easily transported. The plastic lid on top would be great for keeping the contents fresh, which conventional boxes sometimes fail to do. I like the brown paper/cardboard material used on the other two images, it gives it more of an organic, environmentally friendly feel. The simplistic design of these two is the look I am aiming for, like these examples graphics and text will be kept to a minimum on my box.

I researched into Japanese packaging designs which used techniques such as origami. I’d like to create a net for my box which doesn’t need to glued together, it would make my design even more environmentally friendly. I looked at different ways that I could make the box lock without using glue. The existing designs below gave me the idea of shaping my box to suit the cereal.

MONDAY 13TH APRIL 2009

I went to a few supermarkets to do some market research. I think that the idea of a window which enables the customer to see the contents is far better than a printed image of the cereal in a bowl. That way you get to see the quality of the product, not an image touched up in Photoshop. It also reduces the amount of ink being used. A feature could be made of the window, transforming it into a shape. Dorset cereals have cut windows out in the shape of their logo.

This sandwich box completely contradicts itself. Whilst it claims to be less damaging to the environment by using plant extracts for the plastic window and the card being made from recycled and sustainable resources, I couldn’t believe how much pointless information was printed on there. They had even printed on the base of the box! (third image)

TUESDAY 14TH APRIL 2009

I began working on my cereal box design. I decided to begin with the form of the box itself, I would like to use an unconventional net.

Suprisingly I found the net for a brown paper bag hard to find!I found one at this address

http://brownpaperbagproject.blogspot.com/2007/06/brown-paper-bag-with-box-net.html

I adapted the paper bag net by adding an semi circular flap at the top on one side and cutting the other half of a circle out of the back This could be an interesting design feature, which could also double up as a handle.

I got this Tiger box a while ago. The sides fold into the box, and remain in place without any glue. This idea is in keeping with my idea of my design having a reduced impact on the environment by using greener products to make the box wherever possible.  I adapted this design into a shape more suited to a cereal box, as the Tiger version was short and square.

WEDNESDAY 15TH APRIL 2009

I thought about names for my cereal company. I decided not to use any gimmicks, as I wanted the naturalness of the product to speak for itself.  I drew out ideas for logo designs, and then developed my favourites in Illustrator. The orange is my favourite, as the geometric shapes give it a modern, simple feel.

THURSDAY 16TH APRIL 2009

A few initial ideas for the front of the box.

MONDAY 20TH APRIL 2009

I came up with a few designs for the back. I wanted to keep it simple without any unnecessary information. I found a barcode font and other logos on the internet that I can use on my box to make it more authentic.

I made a prototype using the type of card that I am going to use for my final design. I will have to add flaps to the side tabs to keep the box closed. If the product was to be sold on the market, the orange design which also doubles up as a handle would be packed flat for easier transportation, and then pressed out before putting out on the shelves. I changed the name to Pure, although am not certain that this will be the final name for it yet. The definition suits the product perfectly  -

Wholesome, unadulterated, untainted, uncontaminated, unpolluted, germ-free, unmixed, real, clear, true, simple, natural, honest, perfect, genuine, authentic, flawless. Free from impurities, dirt, pollution, or foreign elements – containing nothing inappropriate or extraneous. Innocent or morally good. Having no faults; sinless.

FRIDAY 24TH APRIL 2009

I thought about the concept for the TV commercial. I’d like to create a simple ad which highlights the products naturalness, perhaps showing food in an unappealing modified state, with a voiceover saying that no ingredients like these are used in making the cereal. I looked at Innocent, Jordans, and Dorset Cereals TV adverts to get some inspiration for my own ad.

Simple adverts have the same approach as Innocent, they create an ad which focuses purely on the product, without a lot of distracting extras.

In this 2007 advert, Simple has gone back to 1980’s approach, reusing the mechanical arm spraying the object to show the ageing process.

Dove also has a similar approach, I like the idea of stripping everything back to it’s natural state.

SATURDAY 2ND MAY 2009

I went to Howies and Muji to have a look at their packaging. Howies aim is to make people think as well as buy. Their catalogue is sent out without the use of an envelope, and can be sent back to them or recycled once it is finished with. The same applies to their clothing, old clothes can be returned so that they can be recycled into new ones.  I particulary like their slogan in the back of the catalogue – all rights reserved, all wrongs reversed.

I found this cereal box in Tesco. They have printed an effect of what  is supposed to look like brown paper onto the box. If they want to promote it as a natural product why not use true ethical materials instead of just imitating! Clearly marketed for those buying into the current ‘green’ trend!

TUESDAY 5TH MAY 2009

I experimented with injecting different fruits for my cereal advert. This is to show all the additives and chemicals that exist in some foods we buy. I thought about reversing the footage after I have filmed it. If I continue with the idea I will will have to find a way of attaching them to the surface so that they don’t move during filming. As these were just experiments I didn’t worry about getting the correct lighting, so the quality isn’t great.

Pear injected with coloured ink

Orange injected with green ink

Sliced orange injected with coloured ink

sliced orange injected with coloured ink

Peach injected with coloured ink

Peach injected with water

Peach injected with sodium chloride

Peach injected with bleach

Clementine injected with ink

Clementine injected with sodium chloride

Sliced clementine injected with sodium chloride

WEDNESDAY 7TH MAY 2009

Having problems finding a printer. Ideally I would like my box to agree with design ethics. David mann suggested a printers in Essex which I will try tomorrow. I Went to see Toby in the Knowledge Dock about the possibility of laser cutting my design. He suggested that as it is not too intricate to use a scalpel, but i’m going back over the summer to get tutorials on how to use the laser cutters, which will be useful for future projects.

FRIDAY 8TH MAY 2009

After the crit I decided that my idea for the advert was was too clinical, it could seem as if I was extracting something out of the food, which goes against the brands ethics. I thought that I could maybe do an animation, as the problem I have with filming is that I might complicate things too much.I want to keep the ad as simple as possible.

SATURDAY 9TH MAY

I’m having problems getting hold of recycled card for my net, as it seems that I will now have to make the box myself. I will transfer the design onto my net by using decal dry transfers, which you print off and then rub on.  I will try shops for their unwanted packaging boxes, to see if i can find any card.If not I will have to cover with brown paper, which is something that I don’t really want to do, as there are so many creasefolds on the constructed net it may make it harder to fold. I thought about how the cereal would be contained within the box. Originally I had wanted to have the cereal visible in a bag inside the box which if mass produced would be made from plant extract (like the plastic on the M&S sandwich box I looked at previously). I decided to adapt my net slightly, so that the cereal would be contained within the box. As the sides fold in I thought it would be a waste to not highlight this feature with a pourable mechanism. The cereal now comes out the box from the side of the box base. It has also made the box a lot stronger.

MONDAY 11TH MAY 2009

I began my new idea for my cereal box advert. I scanned a piece of brown paper for the background, this ties in with the brown card that I will be using for my cereal box, and gives it more of a natural organic feel.

My transfers finally arrived. As I have not been able to find any A1 sized card I bought some strong brown paper which I applied to the card before constructing my net.

I had problems with the transfers, first with printing onto the sheets through my printer, then getting the transfers onto the box. I have had to order some more, this time with a white backing so that they will show up more. I don’t think that they will arrive in time, so for now I have printed off the design onto paper and stuck it onto my box.

Once I receive the new dry rub off decals I will make another version of my box and post on here.

WEDNESDAY 13TH MAY 2009

I finished my cereal box advert. It took me nearly all day to learn how to rotate the tractor wheel! I wanted to create my own music for the advert, and wanted something natural, so I went to the woods and recorded the birds singing. There was a lot of buzzing on the recording, which I couldn’t get rid of completely, so I layered the recording up over some music I created in Logic and edited it to thirty seconds.

I need to adjust the settings when I render the film in After Effects, as it is a bit squished.

TUESDAY 2ND JUNE 2009

Visited Innocent headquarters with Chi. It was nice to see a company truly sticking to their ethics without compromising in any way and creating the best smoothies in the process! It was interesting that Howies,  a company I previously looked at for inspiration, have recently worked with Innocent on T-shirt designs. The best part (apart from the freebies!) was getting to see some examples of newly designed packaging as flat nets printed off on a standard printer. Really highlighted the fact that professional print processes really help to enhance great design further.

Above left – Aleksandr Rodchenko: advertising poster for Red October cookies 1923; Right – design for cup and saucer, 1922 – my favourite design in the exhibition.

Rodchenko and Popova were key figures in the movement Constructivism, which occured during the time of the Russian Revolution. Constructivism sought to bring about positive change in a new society, incorporating many different forms of the arts into everyday life. The movement finally brought recognition to Female artists, for the first time their work held as much value as Mens.

Key elements in constructivist designs featured materials arranged scientifically, resulting in abstract geometric patterns, similar to Cubist principles. The main focus was on the formation of line. I liked the intentive use of cardboard and plywood in place of canvas in room three, and the wood shavings that were added into the paints surface to create texture.

The experimental contents of room four were particulary insipiring, displaying a collection of line drawings on paper; constructed with the use of a compass and ruler. Having a bit of an obsession with geometric perfection myself, I found it interesting that some of these perfectly measured linear angles were constructed on torn scraps of paper; it gave them a feel of not being too precious, whilst still remaining visually pleasing to the eye.

References

Tate exhibition booklet, Rodchenko & Popova Defining Constructivism.

Image taken from -

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/4928225/Rodchenko-and-Popova-at-Tate-Modern—review.html

Self-Portrait , 1966.

I couldn’t conclude my discourse entries without writing about Andy Warhol. One the most controversial and photographed American artists of the twentieth century, he continues to influence contemporary art practise and its conceptions to this day.

His source material was selected on the basis of causing intentional media frenzy, within a world that had recently become influenced by consumer culture. It all helped to further heighten his fame, for Warhol no subject was too controversial.

For me, it is the Warhol brand that interests me the most, an image that he carefully constructed. Famously self-conscious, it could be surprising that he produced a large portfolio of self-portraits throughout his career. But for Warhol it proved the most effective means of satisfying his desire for exposure, and enabled him control over how the world perceived him through the media. Like a chameleon, Warhol was a man of many disguises, he appears to convey a different image with each portrait, never revealing his true identity. He pushed self-promotion to the extreme; due to his media savviness his own fame eventually overshadowed that of his subjects, and ultimately helped to heighten their status further.

References

Books -

Schaffner I., (1999) The Essential Andy Warhol, The Wonderland Press.

Image taken from

https://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A6246&page_number=53&template_id=1&sort_order=1&artistFilterInitial=G

With global warming issues increasing, designers are having to face up to their responsiblities of helping to reduce waste and encourage recycling, by using sustainable resources whererever possible. A recent article in Graphic Arts magazine discusses the effect that print companies have on the world, and that few  have taken steps in improving their negative impact on the environment.

For my recent graphics brief (to produce a cereal box)  I have been looking at ways to reduce packaging and it’s effects on the environment. For the production of my box I contacted environmentally friendly printers. I discovered that in addition to using vegetable based inks, dyes and recycled papers, the printers that they use have also become less damaging to the environment, with a number trying to reduce carbon emissions.

There has been a recent trend into buying environmetally friendly, greener products. However, after researching into this market I discovered that a vast majority of these products available which make the claim to be greener, are just merely targeting those who wish to make a difference and charging them more in the process. Consumers buy these products without really questioning just how ethical these companies really are.

References

http://www.lovelyasatree.com/print_issues.htm

http://graphicartsmag.com/articles/2009/03/environmental_issues_in_print

Semiotics is the study of signs; everything we interact with can be deconstructed to reveal a hidden series of codes. The science behind this system was made popular by Roland Barthes in the late sixties. Within his book Mythologies, he talks about Saussure’s semiological system; the signifier representing the concept, the signified in the form of an image and the sign a combination of the two.

Evidence of the use of semiotic language can be seen everywhere in the design world of today. In an environment highly influenced by advertising and the media, we are constantly absorbing information, whether we realise it or not. Designers recognise that our minds connect certain meanings to visuals. Through the deliberate use of colour, type, imagery and social/political issues they promote the subject, producing the illusion of desire.

Design can be also be used as representational forms to simplify, especially when the meaning has to be understood and recognised on a global scale.  Todays universal trade requires a worldwide language,  the use of a logo helps to distinguish a immediate connection to the subject, without the need for translating into different languages.

References

Web -

http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem01.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semiotics

http://www.code.uni-wuppertal.de/uk/computational_design/who/nadin/publications/articles_in_books/Design%20and%20Semiotics.htm

Books -

Roland Barthes (1993) Mythologies, Vintage.

Ed Fella’s career has spanned over several displines; originally an illustrator for top advertising agencies for thirty years, he retired from the commercial world so that he could return to education. Fella would regulary crit students work at Cranbrook before enrolling onto the course himself, it was through this experience that he made the decision to turn his talents to teaching. Throughout his illustration years he self published projects, and produced free work for the alternative Detriot art scene.

His work is a great example of postmodern design, taking the concept of desconstruction he mixed up existing trends with new ones. His use of collage,  handdrawn style and varition on size and style of typefaces all are reminiscent of the Dada and Surrealist age. His works have an almost childlike, doodle feel to them. Fella is clearly an artist highly knowledgable in various design prinicples; he learnt the rules well, in order to break them so successfully.

Like Zuzana Licko he constructed new typefaces, ahead of the boom of the digital age. Émigré dedicated half of issue 17 to Fella. His designs have featured on the front page of Raygun, and his fonts continue to be distributed through Émigré fonts.

References

http://www.edfella.com/

http://www.edfella.com/resume.html

http://www.emigre.com/Editorial.php?sect=1&id=34 (emigre 30, 1994)

http://www.emigre.com/EMag.php?issue=17

http://www.worksight.com/writings/writings_essays_ed_fella.html

Image taken from

http://www.edfella.com/

Automatic Drawing, 1924. Andre Masson

Surrealism developed at the close of World War One. The movements leader, Andre Breton had been a practising Dadaist throughout the war. Surrealist key principles encouraged complete freedom of thought by tapping into subconsciousness; recording ideas and dreams through automatism and games. The purpose of Surrealist games such as cut up and exquiste corpse was to remove any form of conscious control from creative works.

Dali, Picasso and Marcel Ducamp were amongst the artists who practised automatic drawing. Many paintings began by the use of this method, once a form became visible within the image it was developed. As discussed in my post Surrealist Typography I think that it is arguable that the process can be entirely automatic – having experimented with this technique myself I feel that there does need to be some intervention in order for the image to be visually interesting. Pioneer of automatic drawing Andre Masson admitted that he often incorporated both states of consciousness in his work.

Surrealism’s influence is evident in the work of artist Brian Schorn, who I have mentioned in earlier discourse post Émigré. Like Breton, Schorn holds the same fascination for body parts; both have a history within medicine.

References

http://www.gosurreal.com/history.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrealism

http://tashcarter.wordpress.com/2009/03/18/surrealist-typography/

http://tashcarter.wordpress.com/2009/04/20/discourse-emigre/

Image taken from

http://www.all-art.org/art_20th_century/masson2.html

David Carson article on Bryan Ferry.

Ray Gun was an iconic rock and roll magazine that published over seventy issues throughout it’s lifetime (1992 – 2000.) The cover tagline,’the bible of music & style’ sums up the content perfectly; the magazine became just as infamous for experimental design as it did for musical content. Ray Gun always maintained an edge over the competition, by promoting up-and-coming artists in advance of its rivals.

The typography and page layouts were pushed to the extreme, sometimes to the point of being illegible. An example of this is in the film Helvetica. David Carson, the magazines original art director discusses issue 21, the legendary article on Bryan Ferry. To reflect on the dullness of the interview, he ran the article in Zapf dingbats font. Ray Gun’s hard to read design ethics proved to be unfavorable with some people. However, many thought that this added to the magazines appeal.

Ray Guns groundbreaking style can be compared to Émigrés. The innovative type featured in both magazines helped bring about the realisation that it was possible to have a successful career dedicated to designing new typefaces. The rise of Ray Gun was documented in Émigré in 1992 (Issue 24) and David Carson featured in issue 27 in 1993.

Extract from Helvetica – David Carson on Bryan Ferry article.

References

Web -

http://www.emigre.com/Editorial.php?sect=1&id=17

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Gun_(magazine)

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Raygun-Magazine

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3065/is_n12_v21/ai_13634968/

http://joeclark.org/design/davidcarson.html

http://www.emigre.com/EMag.php?issue=24

http://www.emigre.com/EMag.php?issue=27

Film -

Helvetica

Image taken from http://magculture.com/blog/?p=1209

TWO WEEK PROJECT

FRIDAY 1ST MAY 2009

I randomly selected stop-motion artist Eat-Pes, who real name is Adam Pescadero. He creates amazing short films that are not normally longer than thirty seconds each by using everyday objects. Popular on YouTube, he has also produced commercials for big brands such as Nike, Bacardi, Orange and Playstation. Recently he was featured in Digital Arts magazine, the link to this article – http://www.eatpes.com/DA_interview.html

Within the interview he talks about the production time of Western Spaghetti taking him thirty five days to make, I have just two weeks to come up with something similar!

Interestingly, I could not find out much about the man himself. Below I have posted my favourite animations created by him which I originally watched on his website, which can be found at http://www.eatpes.com/

I love the simplicity of My Pepper Heart, originally created for Valentines Day.

I’d like my project to be bacsed around alternative uses for everyday objects. I could film or photograph people using items for different purposes than what they were designed for.

SUNDAY 10TH MAY 2009

I found these two sites which featured alternative uses for everyday objects.

http://lifehackery.com/2008/01/23/99-extraordinary-uses-for-ordinary-objects/

http://www.atelier-v.ch/entdenken/sites/p01/02.html

MONDAY 11TH MAY 2009

The end needs to be edited. I might try speeding it up as it is quite long, but by doing that the alterative objects that are being used may not be as obvious. I will also try and convince my Sister to film again without her make up on, and apply it with the objects used. Ideally I would have liked to film with her looking directly into the camera, but that would have put her off, and I don’t think that her acting would have been as good!

WEDNESDAY 27TH MAY 2009

Below is the updated version. I have sped it up in iMovie and added an audio loop which I edited in Logic.