Works Produced by my Classmates

Short Course Module Design:

 

Flyer Design:

Poster Design:

Music CD Design:

Book Cover Design:

 

  

Website Design:

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Logo Design:

 

 

The Process of Designing

Basic Design Materials:

Here is a list of some of the essential materials need for a graphic design class to proceed.

•  Layout paper - This paper is used in the preparation of advertising & design layouts. The paper has a degree of transparency that is used in preparation of a design concept / layout. The layout paper is used in the preparation of advertising and design layouts. The layout paper is used as an overlay by the artist to trace elements of the design. As each element is accepted by the client, the artist retraces them onto the next layout until eventually the layout is complete. So that each new element can be changed without disturbing other elements.

• Grid paper

• Tracing paper  - aid in rendering type and tracing elements from photos etc.

• Coloured card & paper

• Acetate paper.

• Cutting matt, ruler & kraft knife

• Eraser, pencil & a compass. A geometry set would also be handy.

• Coloured felt tip pens

• Coloured markers, highlighters

• Glue, prittstick, pva glue, super glue, bluetack.

• Masking tape, double sided tape

• Spraymount - for mounting card or affixing layered paper or card.

• Laptop

• Printer

• Photocopier

• Camera - documenting work.

• Thesaurus & dictionary - useful tools for brainstorming and word association.

Taken from Grace Bruton's Blog.

Graphic Design Artist Research

Graphic design is a creative process—most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form (i.e., printers, signmakers, etc.)—undertaken in order to convey a specific message (or messages) to a targeted audience. The term "graphic design" can also refer to a number of artistic and professional disciplines that focus on visual communication and presentation. The field as a whole is also often referred to as Visual Communication or Communication Design. Various methods are used to create and combine words, symbols, and images to create a visual representation of ideas and messages. A graphic designer may use a combination of typography, visual arts and page layout techniques to produce the final result. Graphic design often refers to both the process (designing) by which the communication is created and the products (designs) which are generated.

Common uses of graphic design include identity (logos and branding), publications (magazines, newspapers, and books), advertisements and product packaging. For example, a product package might include a logo or other artwork, organized text and pure design elements such as shapes and color which unify the piece. Composition is one of the most important features of graphic design, especially when using pre-existing materials or diverse elements.

Taken from wikepedia

Graphic design can in its essence is a visual language used to express ideas and convey messages. These graphic symbols are almost nearly all universally read and understood. 

From its simplest use of information relay, graphic design can become an art form in itself. I have found learning more about graphics very interesting and below are some examples of the use of graphics I really like.

I like the use of typography and word in these images. The interplay of the font boldness and size used to create the image and shadow is interesting and the actual text adds another level.

These are amazing hand drawn letters/typography by graphic artist Jakub Konvica. Computers are used so heavily especially in the area of design that it is quite unusual to see hand drawn work, especially of this precise nature. The unusual morose imagery, I feel harks back to medieval times and the memento mori.

Coca Cola is one of the most recognisable brands in the world. I love this marketing campaign which focus on the bright side of life. Great use of colour and the always recognisable bottle which is now a symbol.

Viktor Hertz uses imagery to recreate posters and imagery from well known films and posters. Very simple but very effective, especially the use of the New York skyline to describe his hair.

I love the retro spin Albert Exergian and Stephane Mass-Bidal have given to the phenomena of Facebook and Youtube.  They play with and appropriate old fashioned 70's book design.

The use of Photoshop means that every image we look at now has been manipulated. I find it amazing how perfectly some designers alter and merge images. This is one area I really want to improve my own skills.

Shepard Fairy blurs the line between art and design, is this a painting or a poster. He also brings into question the use of propaganda.

Subject Matter Research

Because I am creating an ad for a short course module I think the ad has to contain a certain amount of information but also be eye catching because it needs to also show creativity and be artistic. I have began looking at several different poster and course ads and the information is shown but they also display great levels of originality.   

This is  from St. Martins advertising a portfolio course. The idea of the ticket to your future is really clever. 

This is for ceramics obviously and gives a real sense of the module theme visually and instantly. 

I really like the shots of these ads for St Martins Summer courses. They are multi layer and dynamic and give a real sense of the arts. By being so visually rich and explanatory there is no need for too much text, just the essentials.

I thought these ads were so clever I just had to include them. By playing on our social concious and referring to social issues these are so clever and striking. This college has taken a completely original way of reflecting  current trends and issues and using them.

I think this is one of the simplest but most effective course ad I have ever seen. Simple things such as the colour of the paper, it positioning, wrapped around a pole and the information tear away stubs, all represent a pink tutu perfectly. 

I also really like the simplicity of this image for a short course module in typography. I like the textural and simple qualities of this and the ballet lessons ads because they are so immediate and effective.

Graphic Design - Book Cover Design

1st year Graphic Design Scheme and some examples of the work produced: 


http://www.docstoc.com/docs/111758022/Graphic-Design---Book-Cover

Kinetic Art Works

During the course of this project I got really interested in the possibilities of kinetic art. Below are a few videos which exemplify some really interesting ideas.

Fischli and Weiss remove these things that surround us from their contexts in our daily lives, and then restructure their relationships to one another. The artists aim neither to glorify nor to alienate these common objects, but merely to create new references in which they might be considered.
THE WAY THINGS GO - without narration or interviews - simply records the self-destructing performance of Fischli's and Weiss' most ambitious construction: 100 feet of physical interactions, chemical reactions, and precisely crafted chaos.

 This is a commercial made by Honda to showcase the Honda Accord. It is a two minute video that shows Honda Accord parts interacting with each other similar to a Rube Goldberg machine.

The official video for the recorded version of "This Too Shall Pass" off the album "Of the Blue Colour of the Sky". The video was filmed in a two story warehouse, in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, CA. The "machine" was designed and built by the band, along with members of Syyn Labs ( http://syynlabs.com/ ) over the course of several months.