MA Graphic Design Blog

GDE740: APPLICATIONS and INTERACTIONS Week2 - Ideas, Craft and Context

Mon, 30 Sep 2024 17:11:23 GMT

Applied Thinking, Speculative and Contemporary Theory in Design

While researching I came across this blog post on Pinterest . It is a take on the self-portrait but represented by things (plus a photograph and business card). Portraits with objects can not only tell us about the subjects but also a wider picture on what was going on at that period, as seen in this example, The Ambassadors found on Google Arts & Culture .

https://www.artmonthly.co.uk/magazine/site/article/things-v-objects-by-rikke-hansen-jul-aug-2008

What do other cultures do with their loved ones belongings?

In many parts of the Americas, death is seen as a transition to the afterlife. In some Native American cultures, it is believed that the deceased will need their possessions in the afterlife. The deceased’s family will often burn their belongings to accompany the dead to the afterlife.

In China, the traditional funeral involves a procession to the burial site, where the deceased is buried with their belongings. It is believed that the dead will need these belongings in the afterlife.

https://evergreenjax.com/investigating-fascinating-death-traditions/

GDE740: APPLICATION and INTERACTIONS Week 1 - Brief Analysis

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 13:42:47 GMT

Aims, objectives, brief development and audience

This week we were asked to return to previous module, GDE710, to select a project we could develop further to become the subject for a 4 week self-initiated project.

What is a self-initiated project and why do them?

Self-initiated projects are a creative outlet where a artist/designer/maker can express themselves without the rigid constraints of commercial work. They are where creatives can experiment, take more risks and explore new techniques, while also show off their capabilities. Self-initiated projects can help grow portfolios while also build audiences and often lead to more of the type of work you would like to be doing.

How do you identify the subject of a self initiated project?

For me a self-initiated project (or passion project, as I like to call them) might be an extension from a commercial project or a commercial project that didn't come to fruition. They might also be born of an interest I have that I want to explore in more detail or something new I want to learn.

Example: Geoelectric, (above) started life as my own brand identity. I have since developed the whole alphabet and produced a prototype font using Glyphs. It is now in the refining stage where some letters require more exploration to nurture them into keeping with the rest of the characters.

How do you structure and plan the production of a self-initiated project?

My analogue paper system (seen above) includes a job sheet where the project is given a 'title' and initial brief given in the 'project details' box. Below this is a 'To Do...' where I break down a project into smaller manageable chunks or stages in order to keep momentum and make regular progress. All initial ideas, drawings etc are kept together in a plastic wallet with this 'job sheet'. Having the project broken down into a 'to do' list helps define what processes are required to get to an end result. This often gets added to and adapted depending on barriers or hurdles that might crop up especially through the refining process.

I now have a digital folder on my desktop for any digital work to accompany the above or for purely digital projects. Having the file on my desktop keeps it in my minds eye and I try and pick up a project between commercial work, which isn't very often at present.

Whenever, I have an idea for a new project I jot it down or create a new folder, which serves a bit like a list. Some come to life and evolve, others may get deleted/recycled.

Self-initiated Project

One area we looked at in GDE710 was 'the self and identity', where I created a short animation to tell the story of where I was at that time on the course. After looking at dadaism and surrealism I used objects to communicate this, see below. Carrying on from here I have decided to look at identity and the objects we collect during our lifetime. In the film Intel Visual Life , Michael Wolff talks about identity and how we curate ourselves through our appearance from our clothes to how we accessorise them. We project a self we want people to see, but we do the same with our homes with the objects and things we collect, extensions of self. These objects give insights into our lives, what has come before, during and even where we'd like to be. Where we've been, what our interests are, what we have achieved etc. There are gifts, momentos, collections and objects from hobbies and interests etc. These objects are a collection of life, projections of ourselves in physical form. I remember a television series my parents used to watch in the 1980s called 'Through the keyhole', where contestants would try and guess 'who lives in a place like this?' after watching a walk through a celebrity's house, examining objects along the way.

Last year, I read a novel called, 'the museum of ordinary people' in which a collection of objects that once belonged to people and had either been lost, owners died or objects people wanted to keep but no longer had space for. Each object had a story and the museums curator still felt they had a meaningful purpose. I loved this idea of our stuff having a ongoing place in the world with individual stories attached. Someone loved something so much they couldn't bare it being lost to the world.

I have lived with and cared for my elderly mother, whom now suffers from vascular dementia. We lived together in the family home I grew up in, which is a treasure trove of objects and memorabilia collected by my mother or you could say, collaboratively by the family. It is a bit like travelling back in time, you could even call it a living museum. My mum has recently gone into a care home and I am beginning to sort through her belongings, what to keep, give away or sell.

In death, family and friends often keep momentos from our estate, but it can be impossible to keep everything. Our things often end up in a myriad of charity shops or thrown away. So, ultimately what could we do with our stuff?

We have a funeral to say goodbye, a eulogy in tribute to a life, a wake in celebration of life where friends and relatives can reminisce, but what if we celebrated their collection of life with an exhibition? I suppose some already do when a wake is held at the persons home, somewhere that people can feel close to their loved one. Pharaohs took objects with them for the afterlife.

Often with my own things and as my interests and tastes change, there are still things I am attached to and find it hard to part with. These have ended up in a box in the attic in a static state stuck in time with no real need or use. One solution to this conundrum was to create a 2D archive made up of photographs, drawings, collages, vector illustrations etc creating a new collection where the handmade element adds character while it would be easy to store, either printed or digitally. The handmade element also gives an experimental creative challenge, as I could explore a variety of techniques.

A dear creative friend passed away last year and her partner did curate an exhibition in their home. There were photographs, paintings, sculptures, drawings, all celebrating her life's work. It was beautiful and it all prompted discussion and reminiscences making light of a very sad time.

Another solution was to create something similar to a museum or exhibition catalogue. This would be a celebration of a life through objects/artefacts.

References

Gayle, M. (2022) The Museum of Ordinary People . Hodder & Stoughton

Intel Visual Life - Michael Wolff. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfMw8aMzIKQ . Accessed 29/09/2023

Christian Jarrett (2013) The psychology of stuff and things . Available at https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/psychology-stuff-and-things . Accessed 30/9/2023

GDE730: STUDIO and ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK 5 - The Collaborative Mix | Reflecting on Classic Models for Graphic Design Working

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 13:32:15 GMT

The Collaborative Mix | Reflecting on Classic Models for Graphic Design Working

Morag Myerscough Collabroration with Sheffield's Childrens Hospital

Communicating effectively with a client is key to its success and if they do not understand or are scared of a proposal, find a new way of presenting it. Morag found that nursing staff were worried about her ideas and big bold designs having a negative impact on the the children that were in hospital to get better. To present her ideas in a better light and give a better perspective on how they would look in situ, Morag created some 3D models of the rooms. It worked and both staff and patients loved the concept.

Offshore: Migrant Magazine

The magazine works across disciplines, collaborating with poets, editorial designers, photographers, graphic designers...this mixture of disciplines and content makes the magazine what it is and without it, it would not work or be as successful.

Reflect on at least one example of a collaborative project that has led to an exemplary and historically significant piece of work.

Take-aways:

Keep channels of communication open and find new ways to present ideas that can be more easily understood if traditional methods fail.

References

New Paragraph

GDE730: STUDIO and ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK 4 - Business / Project Plans and Communication | Client Relationships, Insight, Content, Structure

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 08:37:21 GMT

Week 4: Business / Project Plans and Communication | Client Relationships, Insight, Content, Structure

Riso Studio Business Plans

Disclaimers

Riso inks are not archival and therefore prints should be kept out of direct sunlight to ensure prints stay as bright as possible.
Riso inks are similar to newspaper ink - so beware they may leave you with colourful fingertips.

(Instagram: @ASumner_design)

Lighter densities of ink can fade, so use more densely with prints/wallart, so they might last.

Products

Due to these characteristics many riso businesses produce items that are not for longevity, e.g. stationary, zines and greetings cards. See example of Risotto's 'Hit List' pads below with a written note for me that came with my paper order.

Subscriptions

Risotto - Riso Club: Members receive 4 postcards exposing different artists from across the world each month in return for a monthly fee (see advert and website above).

Membership

Riso Pop - The Riso Club: 3 membership levels, so individuals can have a place to print if they want to continue to pursue printing after an initial workshop.

Charity | Not for Profit

People's Riso Club - People’s Riso Club offers low cost or free printing services for local organisations and activists, as a stand against capitalism and to support the community. They believe that print is an important method for disseminating anti-fascist, anti-capitalist, anti-racist teachings and messages. People’s Riso Club is funded through community donations.

Risotto Studio - Risotto use their platform to highlight causes and fundraise for them. Issue 82 from their Riso Club, was a special edition fundraiser showcasing artists from Ukraine where all money raised went straight to a local charity, Razom (see above).

Client Relationships

Having a clear business plan with what to expect from both the designer and client are so important to establish a professional grounding, so both parties know where they stand throughout a project.

A timeline for the project will keep the project on track and again the client knows what to expect and when. Sometimes unprdictable things happen in life, so there should be some allowance for this e.g. a get out clause or an adjustment made to the timeline agreeable by both parties. It is important to communicate in a timely fashion and be transparent to avoid conflict.

Terms of Service

What to expect

Privacy Policy

Making it clear on how data is being used when using a website

Determine what might be working well with your business plan, assess what could be missing and consider how might you improve it in the future.

Take-aways:

Riso is niche, therefore relies on more than one business model to make it sustainable.
Create print products not with longevity in mind (temporary) e.g. calendars, stationary, notebooks...
Riso machines can be fanickity, so a second machine is an advantage.
Add other workshops, bookbinding would compliment and allow more waste to be used to create booklets or notebooks.
Offer organisations for good free or heavily discounted printing.
Print Club: creatives that wish to print more for a membership.

References

Sumner, A (2024), Instagram: @ASumner_design

Matiasfta (2022), Is a Risograph businesses a smart idea. Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/printmaking/comments/vpxnwy/is_a_risograph_businesses_a_smart_idea/ [Accessed 2 July 2024].

Riso Pop (n.d.), The Riso Club. Available at: https://www.risopop.com/riso-club [Accessed 2 July 2024).

Risotto (2024), Join the Club. Available at: Ahttps://risottostudio.com/pages/riso-club-membership [Accessed 2 July 2024].

Secret Riso Club (2024), People's Riso Club. Available at, https://secretrisoclub.com/people-s-riso-club [Accessed 2 July 2024].

Riso Box
Individual
Report PDF

Riso Box
Studio PDF

GDE730: STUDIO and ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK 3 - Legal and IP Frameworks | Comparing Different Case Studies, Media Use and Equity Ownership

Fri, 14 Jun 2024 15:04:22 GMT

Legal and IP Frameworks | Comparing Different Case Studies, Media Use and Equity Ownership

Plagarism Allegation

Some time ago I started a roller skating event business with a 'friend' and I designed the identity and all the posters, website etc. One evening a customer asked about the 'S' logo we used on all our social media, suggesting it was a rip off from a local company. They even went as far as sending us a link to the other company. It was similar in that it was made of two half circles and they even used the same colour pink, but the axis was different and the half circles were a slightly different shape. Sadly, I cannot find the company now so cannot show the similarity. Anyway we assured them that it had not been copied and the letters had been based on the concept of the shaped rays of light throw from coloured disco lights at music events. The company was something related to yachting, so a completely unrelated business and therefore not a competitor. We did not hear anything again. This was designed over 10 years ago, but maybe if it had been available (I have no idea if it was) it would have been worth doing an image search to see if there was similar out there, especially as it ended up being a fairly local company. I remember looking through my early designs but the sketched ones wouldn't have been 'time stamped', however, the digital files had the creation date to help if I'd needed a time frame.

We are all exposed to vast amounts visually everyday and there could be a possibility we could be influenced by something we've seen subconsciously. However, if you have a concept and all the original sketches and development work documenting your work, there shouldn't be any argument or question about the authenticity. I have heard of people putting the original designs in a envelope and sending it to themselves, so that it gets date stamped and provided it is unopened there is your copyright date proofed.

The last photo below is a poster design I created to show exactly where the idea had come from. I must have felt a need to quantify the legitimacy regardless of it being innocent.

If this had escalated this is where I would have been better protected with an indemnity insurance to cover an eventuality like this and other scenarios including a client suddenly deciding that your design services have caused them to lose money. More info on insurance down the page.

Indemnity and limitation of liability clauses could also be written into contractual agreements, which are legally enforceable to better protect the designer. I learnt the hard way with contracts, as my business partner for the above company did not wish to do 'paperwork' and saw it as a waste of money. However, it would have protected both of us when things went sour. I ended up leaving and losing most of my investment and they ended up running the business into the ground until someone else took over. So, really we both lost out!

Licensing

Stock Imagery

There are times where stock imagery maybe required e.g. small budget jobs when time is of the essence and when photos are required but there isn't the budget and/or time for a photographer and a photoshoot. This was one of my pet hates of working in a design studio, as needs must sometimes but I felt it crushed my creativity.

Check that the licensing is appropriate to the use. Some assets will only be licensed for certain uses or one offs. Below is an example of Adobe Stock's image licensing. Always check the details, as to not get caught out.

Source: Adobe, 2024

Font Licensing

Just because you have x amount of fonts on your computer doesn't mean they are automatically licensed for commercial use. Just like images they too have licensing rules.

When purchasing fonts check the licensing terms before purchase. On download they will have a licensing document to accompany it.

Type Designer, James Edmondson of Oh No Type shared this helpful tip(s), "Two super important things I learned at art school. First one was the rule that we had to make everything ourselves. If we wanted a photo in our project we had to take that photo, same for illustration or anything else, icons....eventually I'd end up up making my own typefaces, as an experiment and that became really fun and I kinda wanted to make that my job. The second thing I learned in art school...it is not your body of work that determines how creative you look, it's your haircut!", Instagram: @ohnotypeco, 13 May 2024.

Third-party: Client Content

When I worked in a design studio occasionally clients would supply images themselves, as well as the copy for jobs e.g. for an event programme or cinema listing. When asked about the images and copy, clients would say they received everything directly from their licensed affiliate. Some of these images had suspicious file names that made me think they had been downloaded from the internet and therefore, probably did not have any secured rights for use. On questioning the account handlers who dealt with the contracts and billing etc, they did have a clause in the contract that clients had to agree that any content supplied by them had got the appropriate rights secured in order for the content to be used by us.

This reminded me how some clients would request, comic sans to be used for the most inappropriate uses. We subsequently made sure it was deleted from all our computers, so we could say we did not have it and for those more savvy, wanting to supply it to us we could say it was not licensed for our use just to to avoid the discussion.

Copyright / Intellectual Property

All artworks remain with an artist or designer. One exception are logos which remain with the designer but would be annoying to the client as they'd have to ask permission every time they wanted to print some stationary or resale goods etc with their logo. Therefore, it is good practice to transfer ownership to the client at the point of payment. This can be written into a design contract.

Preliminary artwork and sketches produced by an artist or designer the copyright remains with them as the creator. They cannot be copied or reproduced by anyone else, even if someone has bought an original artwork/artefact. Copyright last for 70 years after the authors death (gov.uk2, n.d.).

Source: gov.uk (n.d)

Completed design jobs and their assets may want to be used for the designers own marketing e.g. portfolio, books or other publications, so it is important to state this in the terms and conditions along with the right to credit the designer or company.

Equity Ownership: Sole trader or limited company?

Sole Trader

Advantages

Easy to set up. A sole proprietorship requires no starting capital. Set-up costs are usually minimal depending on your business, but there are no registration fees.
Control. You are the sole owner of the business which means that you will have full control over any business decisions you make.
Simplified accounting. Tax returns by sole traders are a lot less complicated than for other business structures because you’re not taxed separately.

Disadvantages

Personal liability. As a sole trader, there is no separation between you and your business. That means you can be personally held accountable for any debt or employee issues.
Decisions. Because you have sole control over the business, any decisions you make are your responsibility. That means you are fully responsible for the failures and successes of the business.
Limited investment opportunities. Sole traders have a much harder time raising funds because there’s a greater risk for shareholders and investors if the business is not profitable.

Limited Company

If you form a limited company:

you are an employee of the limited company and are classed as employed for tax purposes
its finances are separate from your personal finances
there are more reporting and management responsibilities

(gov.uk3, n.d.)

Graphic Design Contract

The importance of ‘having things in writing’ for freelancers is especially true for graphic designers. A good graphic design contract will ensure your client knows exactly what to expect when they’re working with you.

How to prepare a graphic design contract

As a freelancer, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to a ‘graphic design contract’. However, most graphic designers will use a service agreement contract between them and their client. A service agreement contract will set out your terms and conditions, quality expectations, deadlines and payment arrangements.

Set out your graphic design terms and conditions

In your graphic design contract, you’ll want to confirm your terms and conditions in writing ahead of starting work for any client. Setting out clear boundaries means your clients will understand exactly what you’ll be doing and when you’ll be doing it. Setting out these terms clearly will help to avoid help avoid any disputes over delivery times or payment terms.

Expenses and cancellation fees

As well as the more standard terms and conditions, you might also want to consider detailing the expenses and additional costs you expect your client to cover during the time you’re working with them. These additional costs could include things like travel expenses for meetings or overnight accommodation costs. By outlining the exact terms of any extra fees or expenses, both you and your client will understand exactly how much everything is going to cost before any work is done, meaning you can focus on the job itself and building a good relationship with your client.

You’ll also want to agree a cancellation fee (if you have one at all) as well as information about the terms of late payments.

Graphic design contract checklist

Payment terms: how much, when and the method you want to be paid, late payment terms.
Delivery details: when and how you will deliver work
Expenses: travel to meetings, hotel accommodation etc.
Retention of title: confirm you own the goods until they’re paid for
Retention of copyright
Confidentiality: what information, if any, can you disclose and when
Void contracts: what circumstances would breach the contract and become void
Additional costs: e. g. who pays for postage of materials, packaging etc.

Source: Axa, 2017

Limitation of Liability / Indemnity

To discourage a client from claiming for loss of business, incidental damages etc a limitation clause should be written into the contract.

An indemnity clause is a contractual clause providing that one party is responsible for any losses or damages arising from a certain event or set of circumstances. In effect, the indemnity clause shifts the risk of that event occurring from the indemnified party to the indemnifying party.

With these written into a contract agreement they would be legally enforceable and offer protection to such claims.

Service agreement

What is a service agreement?

A service agreement is a written or verbal contract that sets out the terms between a customer and a service provider. Most service agreements cover things like payment terms and timelines of work. It’s similar to a bill of sale or purchase order but defines a service rather than goods.

Why would I use a service agreement?

If your business provides a service, you need to have a service contract in place to set out your terms and conditions. For example, a freelance graphic designer will use a service agreement to confirm quality expectations, deadlines and payment arrangements.

Source: Axa, 2020

Proofing and Disclaimer

I will definitely need a service agreement for the riso printing, so both parties myself and the client know where we stand. Digital proofs that require approval from the client would avoid conflict if a mistake were to be spotted after printing e.g. spelling mistake. Also with the nature of riso printing and movement while printing there should be a disclaimer pointing this out in the agreement and the proofing process.

Insurance for Graphic Designers

Professional Indemnity

Covers if you’re found to provide advice, design or suggestions that have caused a financial loss for a client. Here you might also add data protection cover and breach of copyright.

Public Liability Insurance

To protect you if someone makes a claim against you because they were accidentally injured, or their property was damaged due to your business. It would cover the cost of legal fees and any compensation. This would also be required for running a stall at a market. Organisers require stall holders to be covered by their own insurance. This would also cover meetings away from the office if something were to happen.

Business Equipment Insurance

Protection for all the essential equipment needed to keep your business up to scratch. Whether it’s drawing tablets, laptops, tablets etc.

Employers’ Liability Insurance

Where employees might be taken on, it is important to get employers' liability cover to protect staff if they’re injured or become ill as a result of working for you. It would help pay for damages, compensation costs and legal fees.

Contents Insurance

Safeguard the contents of your workspace – from chairs, desks and office kitchen equipment – whether you work from your own base, a rented studio or your own premises.

(Axa, 2024)

Selling Online

Before an order is placed

You must:

make it clear to customers they have to pay when they place an order (for example, a ‘pay now’ button)
display clearly how customers can pay and include delivery options and costs
list the steps involved in a customer placing an order
take reasonable steps to let customers correct errors in their order
let customers know what languages are available
make sure customers can store and reproduce your terms and conditions, for example these can be downloaded and printed off
give your email address
give your VAT number (if your business is registered for VAT)
give the cost of using phone lines or other communication to complete the contract where it will cost more than the basic rate
give a description of your goods, services or digital content - include as much information as you can
give the total price or how this will be calculated
give the total delivery cost or how this will be calculated
tell them the minimum length of their contract
give any conditions for ending rolling contracts or contracts with no clear end date

You must confirm the contract as soon as possible, for example with an email.

Selling digital services

There are extra rules for selling digital services which customers download or stream online, including:

computer games
in-game purchases
TV and film
books
computer programs
mobile phone apps

This would include font downloads.

Downloads and streaming services

If you supply downloads or streaming services, you must:

get the customer to confirm before they download or stream content that they are aware they’ll lose their 14 day right to cancel
get the customer to agree to an instant download before they start the download
include this information in your confirmation of the contract, along with the other pre-contract information

If you do not follow these rules, the customer will keep their 14 day right to cancel without paying.

After an order is placed

You must:

confirm the contract as soon as possible and no later than when goods are delivered, a service starts or digital content is downloaded (for example, an email must be sent when content is downloaded even if it does not arrive at the same time)
provide a copy of the contract on paper, by email or another format the customer can save for future reference
deliver the goods within 30 days, unless you’ve agreed otherwise with the customer

(gov.uk4, n.d.)

Key Points:

Service contract
Proof sign off
Design contract
Always check licenses it saves issues arising later on
If budgets and time allows design everything yourself or more importantly, DON'T TAKE ON SMALL JOBS!
Get insurance, indemnity and public liability
Register your business
Follow government guidelines for selling online
Right limitation of liability into the contract, this makes it enforcable

References

Adobe (2024), Adobe Stock Licence Information. Available at: https://stock.adobe.com/uk/license-terms [Accessed 23 June 2024].

Axa (2016), Graphic Design Legal Issues. Available at: https://www.axa.co.uk/business-insurance/business-guardian-angel/five-essential-legal-principles-for-graphic-designers/ [Accessed 21 June 2024].

Axa (2024), Business insurance for graphic designers. Available at: https://www.axa.co.uk/business-insurance/designer-insurance/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxa7MtPqKhwMVpoFQBh3Y2A_kEAAYAiAAEgLwovD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds [Accessed 3 July 2024].

Axa (2020), The most common business contract types explained. Available at: https://www.axa.co.uk/business-insurance/business-guardian-angel/business-contract-types/ [Accessed 22 June 2024].

Edmondson, J. (2024) 'Shout out to my brother...' [ Instagram ]. 13 May. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/C66vp05x8qd/ (Accessed 13 May 2024).

gov.uk (n.d.), How Copyright Protects Your Work. AVailable at: https://www.gov.uk/copyright [Accessed 23 June 2024].

gov.uk2 (n.d.), How Long Copyright Lasts. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/copyright/how-long-copyright-lasts [Accessed 23 June 2024].

gov.uk3 (n.d.), Set up a business. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/set-up-business [Accessed 3 July 2024].

gov.uk4 (n.d.), Online and distance selling. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/online-and-distance-selling-for-businesses/online-selling [Accessed 3 July 2024].

GDE730: STUDIO and ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK 2 - Business Models, Studios, Estimating, Invoicing and Budget Management

Tue, 04 Jun 2024 00:16:27 GMT

Business Models, Studios, Estimating, Invoicing and Budget Management | Test & Rehearse

Who? What? When? Why?

Thinking about me and what I like doing, what am I passionate about? I jotted a few things down and wrote about me:

Ellie Cross has been a graphic designer for 18 years and educator for 6 years. She has produced numerous small publications for artists, advertising for small businesses and she loves to make. Ellie has taught in further and higher education. She has also worked as a graphics technician bringing a wealth of practical solutions and specialisms in print. Living in an area of outstanding natural beauty close to both the sea and the countryside, Ellie is passionate about the environment and always looking for ways to reduce waste or be kinder to the environment.

From this I created a model to show my expertise, see above, and somewhere in the middle of the overlaps is where I want to be.

With an already established small design studio, I have wanted to have some other revenue streams that involve the above. My wish has always been to have some sort of shop be it a physical one or online and doing the occasional makers market stall to promote and sell my work. I love running workshops so this is something else I would like to incorporate. I am also a keen maker and love to turn my hand to new crafts and just make STUFF.

After my discovery of risography with the workshop I'd attended a few years ago, I went and bought a riso machine on a whim earlier in the year. My intention on 720 was to print my 'Type Lingo Bingo Map' on the Riso. Sadly due our very old electrical fuse board being replaced and having no electricity I was unable to print my final outcome on the riso in time for the project deadline. That aside I have still run this as my first print run below. I reproduced the map making masters from A4 inkjet printed copy, as I hadn't got round to sourcing and installing a driver for the Riso on my mac.

I then created a sample print in Adobe Illustrator showing how the colours could be used with different densities to get more from each colour. Plus because riso inks are translucent you can create more colour options. My next purchase would be a yellow to create a CMYK of sorts. I used the same method of enlarging and copying some A4 inkjet prints to print some copies.

This lengthy method creating ink and paper waste led me to chasing the technician at my Riso supplier for a driver, as he was going to source the best one and test it for me. This had not happened and I therefore had a go at downloading it myself and installing but it was asking for a serial number, which wasn't the one belonging to the machine itself. A technician came out and found out after a few phone calls that Apple had fallen out with Riso and wouldn't support the drivers without an additional purchase of a serial number! An additional cost not accounted for but at least not as much as the machine itself! Anyway once I'd got it all up and running it was smooth running. I am so excited I just want to spend all my time designing things to print...haha.

Why Riso?

While studying Communication Design at University of Portsmouth, I found a love for colour, bold, bright and neon. Colour brings joy and can make people happy! I found screen printing but it was practically impossible to get into the print room. I longed for something more accessible to explore the process at home. I stumbled across a RISO Print Gocco on eBay and used it to make my Xmas cards that year. Fast forward to a few years ago and I found Omega printers in Portsmouth, where you could become a member and then book in on open sessions to use the facilities. However, it is still a long process coating screens, drying them, then exposing them to make the stencil and then cleaning them off again and drying before printing. Then factor in travel time etc.

As mentioned in week 1 I then found a risograph workshop run by Four and Eights and I was sold. Using a similar process to screen printing, the riso machine makes the stencil for you in minutes and then you're away. No mess, no fuss and beautiful vibrant colour AND TEXTURE. It is also extremely quick at printing! Due to the nature of the machine being a copier and the paper being pulled through there is some movement putting designs out of alignment. However, you can adjust the registration but only left and right to reduce some of this and add trapping to your designs where needed. This does add to the creative feel of the prints, an added uncertainty that brings character to the printing and making no two prints the same, unique! This foible gives a handmade feel and adds to the quirkiness of risography enhancing the need to experiment.

From an environmental point of view the riso duplicator does not use toxic toners like a photocopier, but inks made from rice bran. Rice bran, which would be otherwise wasted, is a raw material with no volatile organic compounds (VOCs), so after the oil is extracted for the ink, it can subsequently be used as fertiliser or animal feed.

No harmful chemicals that you would use in screen printing to remove stencils from screens. Instead the riso machine uses bamboo fibre with resin for its master stencils, see above, which once used have left over ink coated on them and is the only waste product. I have done some research and have found some riso users use the old stencils for mono-printing, so they at least get any other use. I will investigate further to see if there could be another way of recycling them. Due to the masters not just being made of bamboo fibre and mixed with resin, it appears to be a myth that they are compostable.

Other environmental impacts would be the use of paper, but this can be lowered by using only sustainable sources. Sustainable paper is produced using virgin fibres from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC, 2024) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)-certified forests. Recycled papers have become big business with paper companies and there is a huge range to choose from. Fenner paper are now offering coffee infused paper or seeded paper for planting after use (Fenner, 2020).

To get me started with my Riso I bought some tried and tested uncoated papers in varying weights and textures from Risotto studio, so I could get going and experiment (Risotto, 2024b). In order, to keep my costing low, allowing for a markup and still offer the best price for customers paper would be cheaper in larger quantities and straight from the supplier, GF SMITH (GF Smith, 2024) and Paper Back Paper (Paper Back Paper, 2024).

Riso describes their draw for creative and sustainable printing: 'All of our RISO duplicators use an emulsion ink, most of which is based on sustainable raw ingredients such as soy oil or rice bran, adding to the low environmental impact of the process. Being an emulsion ink, it can successfully print on a very wide range of uncoated stocks using 21 standard colours with many specialist inks such as fluorescent shades and a metallic gold. Risograph printing has proven itself over decades to be fast, affordable, ethical and eco-friendly, whilst the outcomes are completely unique', (Riso, 2023).

'Risography is both a subculture and printing method with an unusual and unique aesthetic which has been a large drawn for artists, designers, creatives and bookmakers embracing its charming imperfections' (Amell, 2017, p7). I find it a welcome escape from commercial work where many projects require a clean, precise and sharp finish especially for the corporate sector.

Unused prints could be repurposed and used for more experimentation, new prints, collages, offcuts for bookmarks, notebook inserts or covers. No paper waste or at least reused!

A local printer, Key Print, used to print the local newspaper, The Ems, which is now being printed out of area. Emsworth could have a local culture newspaper covering the arts, music and performing arts. This could complement the arts trail, performances, music events etc and promote local artists and designers.

On speaking to my Riso supplier (Apple Office Equipment), I asked who used their machines. Their main customers are churches who use the copiers for their events and service programmes. Creative outlets include Brighton University who offer a low-cost, small run print service for their students.

Potential customers in the area: Schools and colleges, art groups, artists and designers, community groups, poetry groups, performance groups, local bands and environmental organisations, museums, art centres, community centres.

Riso Studios: Business Models

Dizzy Ink

INKS = 12 | MACHINES X 3

PEOPLE: DUO

LOCATION: Nottingham

FOCUS: Education and DIY

Source: (Kamurki, 2017, p197)

Printed Goods

INKS = 6 MACHINES X 1

PEOPLE: DUO

SERVICES: PRINT | IN-HOUSE PUBLICATION | COLLABORATION

LOCATION: Bristol
FOCUS: Print service and platform to pursue other creative endeavors.

STYLE: Folklore and myth inspired.

Source: (Kamurki, 2017, p196) and Printed Goods, 2024.

Risotto

INKS = 15 | MACHINES X3

PEOPLE: MONO

SERVICES: SUBSCRIPTION | WORKSHOPS | PRINT | SHOP

LOCATION: Scotland

FOCUS: Specialist, playful and experimental.

STYLE: Pattern

Source: (Kamurki, 2017, p202)

Four and Eights

INKS = 6 | MACHINES x3

PEOPLE = DUO

SERVICES: WORKSHOPS | SHOP

LOCATION: Portsmouth

FOCUS: Experimental and education.

STYLE: All things Portsmouth. Proper Pompey! Local interest and dialect (Pompeyisms).

Source: (Fours and Eights, 2024).

Key Take-Aways:

It does not matter how big your ink or paper stock is: start small and GROW!
All profits could be directed into purchasing new equipment and making new things.
Recycle everything!
Do not be afraid to ask for help!
Join Riso forums for technical support (aside from Apple Office Equipment)
Always be transparent regards costs.

Costs

Machine

ink

masters

maintanance

paper

Design Services hourly rate

References

Amell, C. (2017), Risography - Loving Imperfections. Monsa: Barcelona.

Axa (2024), How to Price a Product. Available at: https://www.axa.co.uk/business-insurance/business-guardian-angel/how-to-price-a-product/ [Accessed 11 ^th June 2024].

Bishops Printers (2022), Environment. Available at: https://www.bishops.co.uk/this-is-us/environment [Accessed 30 June 2024].

Dizzy Ink (2024), Shop. Available at: https://www.dizzyink.co.uk/shop [Accessed 15th June 2024].

Fenner Paper (2020), Our Products. Available at: https://www.fennerpaper.co.uk/ [Accessed 15 April 2024].

Forest Stewardship Council (2024), What’s in a label? Available at: https://fsc.org/en/what-the-fsc-labels-mean [Accessed 30 June 2024].

Four and Eights (2024), About Us. Available at: https://www.foursandeights.co.uk/pages/about-us [Accessed 21 June 2024].

GF Smith (2024), Fine Collection. Available at: Ahttps://www.gfsmith.com/our-papers/fine-collection [Accessed 1 July 2024].

Havard Business School Online (n.d.), Business Insights. Available at: https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/types-of-business-models [Accessed 26 June 2024].
HSDC (2023), Inkfluence Print. Available at: https://www.inkfluence-print.co.uk/ [Accessed 30 June 2024].

Kamurki, J. (2017), Risomania: The New Spirit of Printing. Verlag Niggli: Salenstein.

MG Imaging (n.d.), Print & Copy. Available at: https://www.mg-i.co.uk/ [Accessed 30 June 2024].

Paper Back Paper (2024), Context. Available at: https://www.paperbackpaper.co.uk/context/ [Accessed 1 July 2024].

Pitts, R. (2021), 51 Riso Studios You Should All Know About. Available at https://www.peopleofprint.com/best-of/51-riso-studios-you-should-all-know-about/ [Accessed 11 ^th June 2024].

Printed Goods, (2024), About. Available at: https://printedgoods.net/ [Accessed 21 June 2024).

Riso (2023), Risograph Creative. Available at: https://www.riso.co.uk/risograph.html [Accessed 15 June 2024].

Risotto (2024a), Stationary. Available at: https://risottostudio.com/collections/stationery [Accessed 11th June 2024].

Risotto (2024b), Buy Paper. Available at: https://risottostudio.com/products/buy-paper [Accessed ].

Van den Akker, P (2024), How do you calculate your freelance design rate?. Available at: https://www.thedesigntrust.co.uk/calculate-your-freelance-design-rate/ [Accessed 3 July 2024].

GDE730: STUDIO and ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK 1 - Planning, Strategy and Management

Sat, 25 May 2024 12:18:12 GMT

Philosophies, Roles and Approach

Practitioner Case Studies

What do you think are the essential logistical and practical requirements to set up a design studio/ business?

Simon Manchipp from SomeOne suggests having 1-3 Clients for steady cash flow before setting up a studio. This is where I am currently, which brings in steady work without being too overloaded with other commitments and caring responsibilities.

Working from home can be isolating and working away from ‘the office’ is always a much-needed pleasure. Sarah Boris suggests being 'well surrounded' i.e. people to have coffee with, peers to help evolve your practice and ideas that can also be critical and inspire you. I do try and make time to meet with friends for coffee and my daily dog walks give me much needed time outdoors. When I first worked in a design agency after graduating from university, one of my colleagues used to make use of any down time between jobs by getting out for a bike ride on his then BMX. I didn’t really appreciate it at the time but certainly do now, the importance of taking some time out. I find this also gives you much needed thinking space where ideas can manifest. Something I have read Stefan Sagmeister also finds conducive to his practice.

Julian House / Adrian Talbot – Intro

You have to be a people person, be able to communicate and people to like you so they come back

You need to have a head for business – if not you set up with someone that has.

Julian – important to listen, put ideas across as if it were their idea. Always run with the client’s idea but move it on that bit further. Make the client feel that an idea was their idea all along. Say things like “Here’s where I got to, when I tried your idea, and here’s something else I tried” – rather than putting their ideas down

Adrian – the client is paying, so you must listen to what they want.

Julian – weaves his ideas into what the client is doing

Adrian – clients come to them because of their client list, buying into something. Also believes clients come to Julian for his style

Sam Winston

Started creating his own posters and designs selling them through shops but didn’t make enough.

Found working at home quite hard after a year, so shared studio space initially with another, 3 days and he had the remaining 2 days.

Felt like he was faking it til he made it, getting off on having a studio. Eventually clients came over for meetings.

Did create a bit of debt and wasn’t managing his accounts well. Working hard but not making any commercial concessions and kept pushing his own practice. Took 6 years to workout how to make money and do his own practice. 20 years down the line he pretty much does what he wants within his work.

Skill swapping and building a social network that you can help each other out on projects i.e. a photographer and then repay with some design work. Rather than emailing people asking for things he emailed and offered to help “I’m into what you are doing, is there any projects that I can assist with or anything I can be of service to you?” Then the first thing the person does is look at your work.

Quality and transparency. Charge for your time, overheads and materials taking into account studio costs, which is a large figure but people respect it. Especially with a breakdown.

Tom Finn & Kristoffer Soelling – Regular Practice

Produce new work. Their work came from work they produced at uni and collaborating which moved with them into the real world. Jobs came from people they knew or a friend that saw a poster that they did. Business will often come from within your own network and your own world.

Don’t necessarily need a website could carefully curate an Instagram feed. Work in a studio to get an idea of how they work and what you what you like or don’t like about how they work. How they file work etc. Form an opinion on how you want to run your own studio.

Any other equipment can be bought as you grow.

Tell us about your first studio space: How did you find your first studio?

Simon Manchipp - SomeOne

All worked from home but got lonely. Bus stop outside Zetta Hotel, Clerkenwell London so they could use their wifi.

Sarah Boris

First space in a screen-printing studio, as part of a 40 people collective. Introduced by doing two residencies. Wanted a space she could continue printmaking but also work with her laptop. Found she didn’t really like people commenting on her work or interjecting when it wasn’t welcome. Needed own space with peace and quiet and lots of white walls.

Julian House / Adrian Talbot – Intro

Small 2-3 rooms of what was once a house next door to Talk Back run by Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones. Each time they moved to a bigger space. 3-4 employees to start then grew to 20-30. Wolff Olins first to have macs and intro approached Adrian for advice on getting a mac and then offered him a job. Started with black and white screens. Still play with analogue and its good practice to be able to draw and draw type. Rather than going straight to the computer.

Sam Winston

Share with tutor in an open plan desk space. 20 units design, illustration, photography, architects. Gave him a taste of how different industries worked. Demonstrated how big each field was and the world of commercial work. He then started gravitating towards tings he liked and spent a lot of time with the illustrators, as he liked that they produced images. Designers had lots of client negotiation, long hours and deadlines. Alan Fletcher saw his work and said it was an artist book. He pointed him towards Ron King who introduced him to independent small book publishing. King said he could work in his space for free. He then made the realisation that he could be author and then sell his work. He didn’t need to have clients.

Tom Finn & Kristoffer Soelling – Regular Practice

Based in hackney wick shared with friends to share costs. Close to where they lived.

I started from my spare bedroom but have now moved downstairs to a room off the entrance hall which is much more professional for clients visiting. Pretty much the same setup just half the size and I need to design a mural for the back wall opposite my desk! I still meet some clients at their premises or out for coffee which brings a much needed break from the office.

On moving I have found all my archives showing how technology has evolved and to how I backup and store files has changed! Wallets full of CDs containing backed up work which I learnt from my days of working in a design agency. Then I moved to a external hard drive and used time-machine on my iMac. My hard drive is still sitting on my desk due to an archive of photographs which I need to extract at some point. Now everything is backed up to the cloud and I can access all my work files from all of my Apple devices. How things have moved on!

I have even found a floppy disc from my very early days doing a desktop publishing course at evening classes. Now I'm just showing my age, haha!

What is the one piece of advice you can offer about running a successful studio?

I have recently been writing a new contract in order to reduce time spent on each job and limiting how many edits can be made, as I have learnt the hard way and projects have run on and on, eating into time that could be spent elsewhere. Julian House and Adrian Talbot from Intro discuss this, advising not to let jobs run on. They reiterate what I have been looking at with the need to limit how many rounds of visuals and changes. I haven't ever reached a point where projects have gone round in circles, just run on which is bad enough. They also spoke about subsidising smaller clients, charging them less than larger clients with bigger budgets. Pricing is something I have struggled with and I do find I undercharge, although I am getting better. Initially this had been intentional to get early work to build my portfolio.

Simon Manchipp - SomeOne

90% doing other things stopping you from running your design agency. Tax and other financial things, systems and meeting with landlords etc. Now’s the chance to do things how you want to do them. For example, reducing contracts to one page. Work travels around all the other designers so they can add to a project but they cannot take away something. End up with rich projects that are more compelling and interesting. Kings Cross rebrand has so many elements it couldn’t have been done with one designer alone. Disney call this plusing, always adding to something. Design and add creativity To everything from an invoice to designing a meeting.

Sarah Boris

Don’t take no for an answer might be more successful next time after a rejection. We have an ability to repackage ourselves. Ask more questions and go with your gut. Learn to say no with some projects. Don’t compromise too much, or the project can lose impact.

Julian House / Adrian Talbot – Intro

50% designing and 50% communicating what you do or have done on a project.

Sam Winston

Trust yourself, transparency and trust. Main person you need to win over is yourself because you are the one person you are answerable to. Need to be ok that you’re not going to be a design professional because you ending up being… Don’t hold on to more concrete ideas have to be flexible or it can be painful. Be sincere about what you want to do.

Tom Finn & Kristoffer Soelling – Regular Practice

Say no to work that isn’t in the direction you want to go in. you need to be outputting work that you want to be doing. Do work you are passionate about. Keep busy. Do work that you love.

Other Studios

Fl@33

When I was studying for my BA in Communication Design many moons ago, I came across Fl@33, a multi-disciplined design duo based in London. What I liked most was how they could create engaging design on what seemingly to some could be a very dull subject e.g. their MA project, Trans-form magazine, published in 2001 surrounding the subject of cranes that adorn the London skyline. It still excites me today from documenting the cranes movements to looking at their form to create crane critters and learning hand movements used by the signalmen. The magazine even came with a CD-Rom, Trans-it, where they showcased film and animation skills to accompany the print publication and a website called trans-port.org.

Aside from their studio work they have a graphic arts shop and boutique, Stereohype . Initially selling their own work, they now use it as a 'international platform to promote emerging and established talents alike', (Jacquillat & Vollauschek, 2004). For the past 19 years they have run a yearly button badge competition giving students and designers a platform to showcase their work on these tiny canvases.

In my own work I have always tried to keep things varied, so things do not become boring or tedious but you do end up being a little bit of a jack of all trades.

How To Run A Creative Business: In-depth breakdown w/ Melinda Livsey

Chris Do discussed one of my big problems with clients, projects and MONEY! Below are the key points he discussed with freelancer, Melinda Livsey to help improve her business and streamline her work.

Key Points

• WORK LONGER: make more time in a day, even if its just an hour.

• GET SOME HELP: outsource what you can

• SAY NO to small jobs!

• FOCUS SHEETS: a to do list for the day. Do not get caught up with other things, save those for later!

• CLEAR THE DECK

• RESPONSIVENESS: answer clients promptly and keep to deadlines.

• BRING SUBJECT OF MONEY UPFRONT make sure money has no power over you

• BRING UP THE GATE: Case studies look expensive | reams of logos looks cheap and attracts more of the same.

All of these points are a huge help for me to improve my own practice. Working from home, as I have mentioned before is full of distractions especially while caring for a loved one, plus being surrounded by mundane chores that need doing (note to self get a cleaner) and even the dog! Although, my dog walks are my head space time and allow me to think and breathe. Extending my working day can be difficult but I often work late evening when everyone else has gone to be and find this quite productive, as long as I do get some sleep or things get less fruitful the next day.

I recently had to update my portfolio for a job and for quickness I used all the logos I'd created recently as the "showcase", I despised the look and as Chris said in the dicussion, it looks cheap! I do have case studies, as a click on from each logo but by then potential clients could be lost. I will definetly be modifying this area with something more engaging and more sophisticated.

Guilty of taking on the small jobs and not charging enough, this is something I have been working on. My responsiveness to clients can be lapse when I am up against a deadline, ignore it and it doe not go away you just get more stressed. Respond straight away!

I have a to do list that I usually write in an evening ready for the next or it gets written first thing. I love Chris' name for them 'focus sheets' over 'to do' which sounds like a list of chores! I do need to be more disciplined with this and make it a ritual, as I quickly slip out of the habit and things get sloppy and all over the place.

Stefan Sagmeister

bluhhh

Creative Spaces

Locally more shared spaces have popped up and I have often toyed with the idea of doing this at least once a week as a way of getting out of the office and be around other creatives. However, I also see this as an unnecessary expense while also having extra distractions that could reduce my production time. I have mentioned before this is something I found extremely difficult when working for a design agency.

Hotwalls Studios, Market and Exhibition Space

I attended a Riso workshop at Four and Eights located in Portsmouth. Their unit is part of a council initiative offering studio spaces on lease for a maximum of 5 years with a subsidised rent to give creatives a jump start. The units are located in the historic hotwalls which have been renovated to create a thriving creative community of artists and makers. Due to the seaside location there are lots of foot traffic from tourists as well as locals. There is a monthly market and the round tower also offers exhibition space for hire. However, this is still quite an outlay monthly and several spaces are often shared to reduce the cost. I do love this concept of having all three possibilities in one place. The spaces vary in size and the workshop I attended only sits 4 people comfortably, so not great for an additional income. https://hotwallsstudios.co.uk/hire

Portsmouth Printmakers

I find it difficult to fit in time for my own personal projects and something I have tried in the past was being a member of Omega Printers, now Portsmouth Printmakers. This gave me a specific time to do exactly what I wanted and be creatively free. In this environment I enjoy sharing with other creatives and it also brings possibility of new collaborations. The above photos are from when I screen-printed some Christmas cards a couple of years ago, alongside printing a canvas playing board for a client project. https://portsmouthprintmakers.co.uk/about

Coworking Emsworth

Coworking Emsworth was created in 2022 as a response to people going back to workspaces after the pandemic. We found that people had embraced the flexibility of home working, but wanted a professional space to work from - and so the hybrid workspace was born.

Their si ster company 'Monster', is a local creative agency that specialises in branding, design, digital marketing and custom websites since 2007, also works out of the same building.

At the end of last year I did a trial there and it made such a difference to my productivity being away from my home studio without any interruptions. It was also so nice to work with other people, as it is lonely working as a freelancer.

https://coworking-emsworth.co.uk/

Take-aways:

You can run a virtual studio from anywhere, you just need a laptop.
Work hard on both client and personal projects and both will generate more work. Repeat business is easy business, as Simon Manchipp says.
Get out of the office for head space and well-being.
Make time for personal projects to avoid burnout from client work.
Get an accountant - not something I have done yet for my freelance work, as they are expensive. Although, I have experience in having one for a past business. My current income and expenses are manageable, so I do my own bookkeeping and self-assessment. Something for the future once my business grows.

References

Sagmeister, Stefan (2013) ‘ Medalist Stefan Sagmeister ’, AIGA [online]. [Accessed 27 May 2024]

The Futur (2017) How To Run A Creative Business: In-depth breakdown w/ Melinda Livsey , [online video]. [Accessed 19 June 2024]

Jacquillat, A. & Vollauschek, T. (2001), Trans-form > Magazine. Royal College of Art.

Jacquillat, A. & Vollauschek, T. (2004), Stereohype shop . Available at: https://www.stereohype.com/ [Accessed 20 June 2024].

GDE720: HISTORY AND FUTURES - COMPLEX SIMPLICITY Week 3

Thu, 08 Feb 2024 00:33:45 GMT

Big Data

Research Task

Analyse a piece of information design and consider its effectiveness at presenting complex data in way which is easy to digest.
Consider clarity, communication, structure and form. Be precise and write a critical outline of this piece of work.

Big Data

I found this...extremely powerful and emotive way to present the cost of human life in the current Gaza war. It reminded me of the Danube Bank Memorial in ??? showing shoes representing all the jews that lost their lives during the ???

References

Facing History & Ourselves (2016), Shoes on the Danube Bank Memorial. Available at https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/shoes-danube-bank-memorial-0#:~:text=Sixty%20pairs%20of%20shoes%20mark,river%20in%201944%20and%201945. [Accessed 8th February 2024].

BBC (2024), Children's clothes laid on beach in Gaza war protest. BBC News, 6th February. Online Available at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cw4qe491pj7o [Accessed 8th February 2024].

Brief 1 - Concept & Development:
Type Lingo Bingo

Over the last year I have been working with the local museum to update their logo and signage. On doing the research task in week 1, looking at historical and contemporary type I remembered a ghost signs walking tour I had done some years ago organised and lead by ghostsigns expert, Sam Roberts around Stoke Newington. You can access the tour via the Ghostsigns website and either walk it yourself with the downloadable plan or virtually via google maps, as all signs on the tour are geo-located (ghostsigns, 2024). This got me thinking about the letterforms collected and how they tell a story of Emsworth's history and type. The museum already do walking tours but not on this subject.

I then remembered a Type Tasting workshop I attended with type expert, Sarah Hyndman and how she has made the subject of type and fonts accessible for all through type experiments and games. Adding a fun element would engage a younger audience, which the museum is lacking.

After looking at pressing issues in research task 2 and reading about the library being in danger again, I wondered if the two ideas could be combined in a collaboration with the library. The walking tour could have additional elements like a workshop run alongside, aimed at children and young people, which could be held at the library. The local library provides workshops for children and have the space to do so, unlike the museum where space is limited.

So, the concept is a walking tour where the map would be available from the museum. So, it appeals to a younger audience I came up with the name, Type Lingo Bingo and users can check off the letters as they find them, learning a little about each letterform and its location...BINGO! until they have a full house! Users can explore the town centre while playing this game of observation.

Another twist...could the map be sponsored by local businesses, as they could benefit from exposure?

Workshop Concept: Type colouring sheets for younger children where they add colour and texture to the letterforms found on their walk, adding a future spin. Type specimen sheets for older children to reference and create their own future letterform. There could be a communal wall of letters if participants didn't wish to keep all their letters.

With our constant bombardment with advertising in both digital and analogue form, the younger generation have grown up with a huge variety of fonts and are quite akin with the language they carry. Therefore, I have added sections to the map explaining how the letters are created which in turn gives them their distinct characteristics e.g. stone engraving and sign painting.

The first layout above didn't allow much room for text content, so I explored other options through my folded samples and how each section would be viewed and in what order upon opening. I chose to work with A3 to maximise space and legibility but not compromise on size, so it still fits easily in a coat pocket. The colour scheme uses blue from the museum's identity, in addition, to black connecting to the past and pink representing the future while also being fun and giving visual impact. Below is a A4 prototype.

Colouring sheet development: Some of the letterforms were very dark and difficult to isolate an outline, so I decided to trace these by hand and then scan before touching up in Adobe Photoshop and vectorising in Adobe Illustrator. I could have just drawn them as vectors first off but where is the fun in that? The colouring sheets enable the user to add adornments, shadows, outlines, as well as colour. By isolating the mosaic tiles allows for the colour scheme to be manipulated rather than the internal tiles being just black.

The scope here is broad and could include a digital version of the tour and there could be letter postcards available in the museums shop, as well as the workshops being extended beyond the type highlighted through the walk and become a series, whereby books, films, music could be explored too? The community centre where the library is home, shows films and holds music gigs too and again this could be more themes for type workshops. The community centre also offers art classes, which again attracts an older audience, perhaps these could attract a broader age range and have young and old engaging more. It has worked with the introduction of table tennis, which brings a great sense of community. The community centre are holding a 'young people's day', which has been extensively advertised in an attempt to draw in more young people.

Best get on and write the content rather than just playing with letters and rambling!

References

Ghostsigns (2024), Stoke Newington Ghostsigns Walk. Available at https://ghostsigns.co.uk/tours/stoke-newington-ghostsigns-walk/ [Accessed 5th February 2024].

House Industries (2013), House Industries: 100 Postcards. Chronicle, London.

Type Lingo Bingo
Studio PDF

GDE720: HISTORY AND FUTURES - COMPLEX SIMPLICITY Week 2

Sat, 03 Feb 2024 17:25:24 GMT

Story Told

Research Task

Gather a range of pressing issues that are being discussed in your local area.
Consider the forms of communication that are being used to raise awareness about these problems, what methods are working and what could be done better?

Sewage Discharges

Southern Water's old infrastructure cannot cope with the size of the local population, which continues to grow with more houses being built.

Mentioned before in GDE710 (Cross, 2022) where Chris Pearsall Photography's Drone footage attracted attention to address the issue of sewage discharges. It was difficult to ignore or dismiss being able to witness a discharge in progress. Local TV news took up the footage and gave the issue more exposure and Southern Water had the pressure to resolve the issue turned up a notch.

Blue plaques appeared adorning the name of a local councillor and the words, …’Supported and allowed Southern Water to dump sewage in these harbours and adj beaches for 15 years’ (Griffiths, 2023). They only lasted a few hours situated in several popular seaside towns. Not the publicity usually welcomed and not the best way to turn the screws, as it would be tantamount to slander. This is reflective of the anger that many locals have carried for far too long.

The Southern Water protest poster in the form of a blue plaque (Robbins, 2023) works much better, as it does not target an individual who is not responsible for the discharges directly but the company responsible.

Green flag to indicate to local sea users that the water is safe(ish) to use and there have been no sewage discharges within the last 48 hours. Locals have argued for some time with the number of discharges, how can one of the tourist beaches retain its blue flag status year upon year? It is not just people that have been made sick from exposure but also dogs! With their new flag they are trying to create a flag that locals can trust! These flags have been confiscated by the council worried about liability (Buncle, 2024). The activists get their data from Southern Water’s “live” discharge data, which doesn’t instil confidence when the council remove these flags. Maybe they do not trust the data? An article from the council about the ‘well meaning’ flags was then circulated to their emailing list, website and social media accounts. In the article they have released their plans for digital signs to be erected with a live data feed from Southern Water, so water users can be confident in water quality (Havant Borough Council, 2024). A sign system was promised some time ago but due to seemingly lack of progress, local activists created their own. There will still be a wait, as the idea is still only at consultation stage. But at least there seems to be some progress albeit slow. HBC have put up signs with a QR code along the seafront to direct beach users to the data available. I would guess the council do not want to draw attention to the issue and lose tourists and therefore, would like to keep the issue discreet.

Protest banners and plaques - There have been protests (Paine, 2022) and some protest banners were left on display on the Emsworth round-about, but sadly the signs left did not give the full story leaving passers-by a bit perplexed unless you knew. I seem to remember one had a big poo on it with a slogan similar to 'full of s*#t', leaving the question who, what, where, why? I understand these symbols of protest are ofter made hurriedly but they do need to communicate effectively, especially if seen out of context or the message is lost.

Library Cut Backs and Closures

Library cutbacks and closures – Emsworth Library was saved in the last round of closures in 2020 and instead was relocated to the community centre to reduce running costs with reduced opening times. This time it may not be so lucky.

Image: The Ems Newspaper, Winter 2024.

Litter - Keeping Britain Tidy!

Images: 2 Minute Foundation, 2024.

According to the local council, ‘an estimated 25 million tonnes of litter were dropped in the UK’, (Havant Borough Council, nd) and it is a growing problem. The council offer support for community litter picking, which in turn helps them keep area tidier.

The local Green Party councillor organises a weekly Litter picking meet at the local park. A local charity, Final Straw Foundation, organises beach cleans around the area.

Several litter picking stations were also setup some time ago, but have since disappeared possibly due to vandalism or equipment not being returned. I tracked down the creators, The 2 Minute Foundation (The 2 Minute Foundation, 2024). They produce litter picking stations in the form of an A-Board with a holder for a pair of litter pickers and refuse bags. The picking station in Emsworth was sponsored by one of the local pubs, so passers-by could do a pick while on their walk. The problem with this is often people want to do a pick but the pickers are already out and there’s no telling when they might be returned or no-one has topped up the refuse bags. Other issues are vandalism and theft! Fantastic idea though. Other incentives I have seen is an app related to a Cornwall locale, where local businesses reward litter picking with discounts. This in turn encourages custom. I learnt of the app at a charity 7k beach run, which also involved a beach clean. Lots of people took part in the run but only a handful of people joined the beach clean, but at least it raised some awareness. We even found an old crisp packet dating back to the 1980's, demonstrating our continued problem with a lifetime of plastic!

High Street Shop Closures

Like most high streets across the country, Emsworth is no different as it struggles to retain businesses. High rents and the cost of living crisis have hit here too, although shops don't seem to stay empty for long here. I believe the Stonecrest premises has been snapped up and the previous newsagents in the square is due to open soon, as the Naked Pantry with a modern, bright and vibrant design. This will just leave what was once, Citrus Flowers, left vacant, and a gift shop that is due to close left vacant.

PO10 and Co-working Emsworth are businesses that have diversified into collaborative efforts and will hopefully stand the test of time. PO10 as it says on their sign is a lifestyles and interiors outlet for local artists and creatives. Also masquerades as a gift shop with jewellery, children's books, bath additives the list goes on. Being on the corner of a side street, they utilise the side window, by renting out the window space for a 'artist of the month' feature to give the artists/creatives more exposure (another revenue stream). They also take a percentage of sales from items sold. The old library site, now Monster Creative and Co-working Emsworth is another example of using other revenue schemes. Monster moved from a smaller premises with less transport links to here. Being a small team they do not require a huge amount of space but benefit from having a meeting room that probably not required so often. Queue co-working where other individuals or small companies can rent space or hot desk bringing in another revenue stream, plus the meeting room can also be rented out for meeting or even workshops. Co-working together reduces running costs while benefitting from all the perks of a bigger premises. It is also a low cost solution for those working from home and that human need for company.

Images: Ellie Cross (except those labeled)

Utility Misery

Utility companies digging up the roads and pavements over and over. Adding to pothole misery, traffic congestion and damage to other utilities. This is what most locals are chatting about. Many asking why utility companies can’t communicate and work together, so the same road doesn’t get dug up time and time again. For context the roads were dug up by Giganet to lay their full fibre network throughout the area during 2023 and now City Fibre is doing the same. During the Giganet install both gas and water utilities also dug up some of the same roads! From a creative point of view, I love the short-lived bright squiggle pavement artworks. A local councillor has investigated the ‘ working together’ possibility and sadly this is impossible to enforce by councils, but what they have been looking at introducing is a ‘lane rental’ scheme that will possibly bring more control to councils (Kennett, 2024).

The other issue here is the short notice given to residents that works are to take place or lack of it. I received a flyer through my door two weeks prior to works commencing, yet it stated 7 days without an actual start date. Therefore, my car was barricaded on my drive and I had to find a workman to release me! Just a knock on the door the day before would have been helpful, so I and the rest of my neighbours could park elsewhere.

I love the bright, colourful, spray painted instructions detailing the location of other utilities. Viewed upside down or anyway other except the intended, they're just colourful, whimsical, squiggles making a long elongated repeat pattern.

These markings and squiggles in this instant are pretty easy to decipher, labelling an underground network of pipes including water, gas, along with other networks (VM= Virgin Media, BT = British Telecom, G = Giganet). They are even colour coded with a different coloured spraypaint for each utility (Cawley, 2014). An unknown network beneath our feet, which isn't so well hidden these days with our roads and pavements looking more like a patchwork quilt of asphalt.

Photos: Ellie Cross

Conclusion

These issues are reflected across the UK and are not just a local issue. I believe all issues are victims of austerity and privatisation. Create competition and watch the degradation of goods, services and infrastructure.

However, there are always creative people and their communities in which they live, that manage to evolve and prosper WORKING TOGETHER!

References

Bundle, J. (2024), Hayling Island campaigners "shocked" after Havant Borough Council removes sewage spill warning flag from Beachlands. The News Online, 11th January. Available at https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/politics/hayling-island-campaigners-shocked-after-havant-borough-council-removes-sewage-spill-warning-flag-from-beachlands-4474752 [Accessed 3rd February 2024].

Cawley, L. (2014), Your pavement squiggle markings decoded. BBC News Online. Available at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26745534 [Accessed 20th February 2024].

Cross, E. (2022), Message and Medium, Pencil, Pixel, Performance, Packaging. elliecross.co.uk/blog, 14th November. Available at https://elliecross.co.uk/week-9-message-delivered.

Forero, N. (2023), Libraries across Hampshire could see more cuts made in a bid to save money. The News Online, 16th November. Available at https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/politics/libraries-across-hampshire-could-see-more-cuts-made-in-a-bid-to-save-money-4413242 [Accessed 3 ^rd February 2024].

Forero, N. (2024), Library cuts return. The Ems, Winter 2024. p.8.

Griffiths, S. (2023), Hayling Island Official [Facebook] 20th February 2023. Available at https://www.facebook.com/groups/636187076515173/permalink/2833103696823489/?mibextid=K35XfP. [Accessed 3 ^rd February 2024].

Hampshire County council (nd), Planned Maintenance. Available at https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/roadmaintenance/plannedmaintenance?fbclid=IwAR1VBm6q8h38GNHu3TEH1CzlXVeQtJbyu5enXiey7Inc7YR71Zyz_E4W_yQ. [Accessed 5 ^th February 2024].

Havant Borough Council (2024), Unauthorised water quality signs being installed on Hayling Island. Havant Borough Council Online, 8th January. Available at https://www.havant.gov.uk/news/2024/unauthorised-water-quality-signs-being-installed-hayling-island [Accessed 3 ^rd February 2024].

Havant Borough Council (2024), The Waterlooville Festival of Ideas begins at 6pm [X] 22nd January 2024. Available at https://twitter.com/HavantBorough/status/1749401737478172740 [Accessed 8th February 2024].

Havant Borough Council (2023), Have your say on Waterlooville Town Centre Masterplan. Havant Borough Council Online, 22nd November 2023. Available at https://www.havant.gov.uk/news/2023/have-your-say-waterlooville-town-centre-masterplan [Accessed 8th February 2024].

Havant Bourough Council (nd), Community Litter Picking. Available at https://www.havant.gov.uk/street-cleaning-and-litter/community-litter-picking [Accessed 5 ^th February 2024].

Kennett, R. (2024), Emsworth Matters with Councillor Richard Kennett [Facebook] 27 ^th January. Available at https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=370753265555943&id=100078638178300&mibextid=WC7FNe. [Accessed 3 February 2024].

Paine, T. (2022), Southern Water: Protesters ramp up pressure as Chichester council says it also doesn't trust firm's figures. Available at https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/politics/southern-water-bosses-grilled-on-pollution-in-chichester-harbour-and-wastewater-capacity-3993498?fbclid=IwAR1i4qe9NX5C7S76jrYEfIlUenrICfg1z5ya6_du29DzjLTDxRy07mgLa4w_aem_AUm2vwp6nnkPP8gw4ySIcRhH5TADBH4tOsWEJi_gKPuf-wt2Q90BgMXQfEmoBJHRH8g#hw51s1n23i. [Accessed 3 ^rd February 2024].

Robbins, H. (2023), Hayling Sewage Watch [Facebook] 3 ^rd July. Available at https://www.facebook.com/groups/407566053035490/permalink/1729779927480756/?mibextid=K35XfP [Accessed 3 ^rd February 2024].

The 2 Minute Foundation (2024). Available at https://2minute.org/Stations [Accessed 5 ^th February 2024].

GDE720: HISTORY AND FUTURES - COMPLEX SIMPLICITY Week 1

Fri, 26 Jan 2024 22:56:13 GMT

History Revealed

An exploration and collection of typographic examples used in and around the town of Emsworth. I researched and collected a broad range of examples taken from historical and contemporary reference points. The collection was then edited down to five examples I think best reflect the identity of the local area.

Historical Typography

Anchor Plates

An anchor plate is a large plate or washer connected to a tie rod. Anchor plates are used on exterior walls of masonry buildings for structural reinforcement. Due to their visibility, many anchor plates have a decorative style. Common styles are the X-wall tie plate, S-iron, and T-head. In the United Kingdom, pattress plate is the term for circular restraints and tie bar being an alternate term for rectangular restraints.

‘Anchor plates are made of cast iron, sometimes wrought iron or steel, and are often used on brick or other masonry-based buildings. They are commonly found in many older cities, towns and villages in Europe and in more recent cities with substantial legacies of 18th- and 19th-century brick construction’ (Wikipedia, 2022). So, these anchor plates give away the historical nature of many of the buildings in the village.

Although, there are many types of anchors or anchorages, according to the Dictionary of Architecture and Construction, an anchor plate specifically is a ‘wrought-iron clamp, of Flemish origin, on the exterior side of a brick building wall that is connected to the opposite wall by a steel tie-rod to prevent the two walls from spreading apart; these clamps were often in the shape of numerals indicating the year of construction, or letters representing the owner’s initials, or were simply fanciful designs’ (Hisour, nd). The first two images below demonstrate how the business prior to the Pet Pantry, called Grate Fyres, used initial anchors G and F to act as additional proud identifiers as the proprietors of the building. These would have been alongside their business sign, which would have covered the earlier ghost sign now exposed under the Pet Pantry sign and signage on the shop front around the corner.

Hard to believe that the Emsworth Slipper Sailing Club (above) at one time was left derelict when it was in such a prominent position and despite its history as a once working mill. Thankfully it was rescued and renovated to what we see today.

Photos: Ellie Cross

Ghost Signs

Recently exposed ghost sign while some external building work was in progress. Currently, a beauty salon, it would appear it was once a coffee shop, around the 1950's according to discussions on a facebook page 'Memories of old Emsworth' where I posted the photographs to see if I could discover more. The word 'coffee' can be seen in a script style of lettering. Sadly, due to the wall repairs the lower lettering is difficult to decipher. The current beauty salon has chosen to have a signwritten shop front, sympathetic to a tradition gone before (see Beauty Salon Amaya below under signwriting).

Many painted signs have been lost through painting over the entire exterior walls, as seen below in this example of what was once Mant's butchers and now the Old Pharmacy (although it has been home to several others in between). The ghost sign in the above right image underneath the, Pet Pantry sign, is believed to have also been a Mant's butchers sign run by the same family as below. It is difficult to decipher all the letters, as it appears on closer inspection that there are multiple letters overlaid otherwise knowns as a palimpsest. The Letters appear more ornate with the style of serifs, so more than likely date a lot earlier than the coffee sign c1950-60.

Photos above: Ellie Cross. Below: Mant & Sons, Memories of Emsworth | Old Pharmacy, Ellie Cross.

Mosaic Entrances

Mosaics date way back in history but only came to the west in the 19 ^th century in the form of tiled mosaic entrances. They were the height of fashion in the Victorian era and many shops and apartment buildings had one. These entrances would have brought an air of sophistication and confidence to those entering a shop. These mosaic artworks are a piece of social history, that would have required skill and patience. During the Victorian era, contemporary mosaic tiles were installed throughout entranceways, hallways and kitchens, with the black and white square tiles often highlighted by beautifully coloured mosaic tile accents and designs. The contemporary geometric finish of this popular tiling style has stood the test of time, with many homeowners now restoring these beautiful finishes to their former glory.

The building today has been split into to separate shop units and the modern signage almost lost compared to the grandeur and pride of the 19th century signage and ornate entrances.

Photos: Ellie Cross | B&W images: Memories of Old Emsworth (2020)

Traditional Signwriting

I love the use of 'purveyors of quality meat/fish' instead of butchers, it sounds so superior to the competition. The purveyors name, M.R. Starr stands proud with a clear visibility, just like Corbin's did above.

Chalcrafts Antiques feels like a step back in time and reminiscent of a bygone Emsworth, with lettering adorning the angled, vertical sections of the bay window to stand out to passers-by, as they walk from either direction along the pavement. A hanging wall sign attempts to do the same, but the lettering is so small it does not have any impact from a distance and would be easily overlooked. Due to the limited space of the shopfront a script style lettering does not have clarity and is therefore difficult to read, unless you are close to it. The name needs to be bolder to create a clear hierarchy from the business credentials.

The curvy script used for Amaya brings a feminine softness to the name and the script style used for, Beauty Salon, exudes elegance and luxury. The space here allows for this style of lettering and can easily be read with a clear hierarchy. The italics of, beauty salon and the phone number make legibility a little more difficult from a distance, yet clear from a closer proximity.

In all examples, you can see the brush strokes and the workmanship that has gone into the work. At one time there was probably several signpainters living in the area with their very own shop front.

One advantage of using a sign writer is they always carry their tools with them, so if you want an addition they can oblige there and then. No need for consultation unlike modern methods where the sign maker has a reliance on a computer and a machine to do the work, so inevitably would have to come back at a later date to install.

The Old Flour Mill below has some interesting letter spacing especially on the word, Emsworth where some of the letters are inconsistent with the character of the other letters and appear to have been arguing e.g. s and w, and the spacing for worth looks somewhat relaxed compared to the rest. Working with scale exaggerates spacing mistakes.

Photos: Ellie Cross

Pub Signs

Like many towns and villages, Emsworth was once home to 11 public houses, but many have been lost over the years. Some buildings are still in situ with just a change in business and give a little nod to what was there before by leaving the original pub sign in place. Others signs have been saved from the skip by the local museum like the Railway Inn sign below, although I managed to snap it in situ before it went to its new home. The larger sign is still in situ and awaits its fate (too big for the museum), as the building is up for sale. Just incase you were wondering, the Railway is located right next to the train station. It was built in 1847 (Emsworth Online, nd) to coincide with the railway reaching Emsworth and the village getting its own station.

Photos: Ellie Cross

Street Signs

I knew that Jock Kinneir and Margaret Calvert, designed the Transport typeface that appears on all of the UK's road signage today, but didn't know about the arguement that ensued on its journey to fruition. I came across a great article on street and road signs, 'How serifs lost the road war but won the streets'.

I love the School Lane sign, below far right, where the two waring factions are brought together to sit in relative harmony.

Photos: Ellie Cross

Art Deco to Slab Serif

Photos: Ellie Cross

Contemporary Typography

Vinyl Lettering

Low cost and quick to apply! Sadly, adhesive vinyl does not have the longevity of paint and I feel it is a reflection of modern, throwaway society, where things seem temporary and not made to last. A better use is for vehicle or window graphics, where they can also be removed easily.

I love the cracked effect on the museum lettering, it is like sparks of electricity coming from it or maybe lettering out of a horror movie.

Photos: Ellie Cross

Serif vs San Serif

The heavy weight of the sans serif typeface works beautifully to echo the buildings windows and vertical timber within the roof apexs'. Sympathetic to the building. I then found this old photograph from 1920s, which has a similar style of sans serif lettering on the light coloured exterior, long before the illustrated hanging pub sign with serif typeface. Proof that trends come full circle. To think when sans serif typefaces first came to be used in the Victorian era they were considered ugly and it is thought that was where the name grotesque came from, as in horrible. The word Grotesque, or Grotesk in German, is often used as a synonym for sans-serif in typography.

Similarly to Chalk, the Monster Creative & Emsworth Co-working signage harmoniously sits with the building and the typeface's lighter weight compliments the narrow muntins dividing the panes of glass in the windows. Again, looking into the archives I found an old photo of Emsworth Square and you can see the shop front of Pinks Butchers was also painted in a dark colour with the shop's name in white. Although, but extending the colour to the full width of the building gives it a more modern feel and creates a clear division from the upper part of building.

Photos: Ellie Cross | B&W images: Memories of Old Emsworth (2020)

Boat Names & House Plaques/Numbers

New Paragraph

Photos:

References

Dalgleish, Liz (2020), Memories of Old Emsworth [Facebook] 21 October. Available at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1010415952338059/search/?q=corbins&locale=en_GB. [Accessed 25th January 2024].

Emsworth Online (nd), Emsworth's History - The History of Emsworth's Public Houses. Available at https://www.emsworthonline.co.uk/The%20History%20of%20Emsworth%27s%20Pubs.html. [Accessed 26th January 2024].

Google maps (nd), Chalk Creatives. Available at https://www.google.com/local/place/fid/0x48744f44c03bf02d:0x113d031046ae6713/photosphere?iu=https://streetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com/v1/thumbnail?panoid%3D_yFmxV0p0eGzyEsvRn_wkA%26cb_client%3Dlu.gallery.gps%26w%3D160%26h%3D106%26yaw%3D208.21268%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100&ik=CAISFl95Rm14VjBwMGVHenlFc3ZSbl93a0E%3D. [Accessed 24th January 2024].

Hisour (nd), Anchor plate. Available at https://www.hisour.com/anchor-plate-28463/ . [Accessed 24 ^th January 2024].

Wikipedia (2022), Anchor plate. Available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchor_plate . [Accessed 25th January 2024].

Wright, Daniel (3 November 2021), How Serifs lost the road war but won the streets. Available at https://thebeautyoftransport.com/2021/11/03/how-serifs-lost-the-road-war-but-won-the-streets/ . [Accessed 23 ^rd January 2024]

GDE710: CONTEMPORARY PRACTICE Week 12 - New Steps

Wed, 14 Dec 2022 12:17:49 GMT

Ideas in a Different Space, Problem Swap, Cultural and Paradigm Shift

How is Perception changed when Design shifts into a new Paradigm?

Taking a graphic design interest that is familiar and investigated how the idea could be improved, disrupted or retold through a shift of application. For instance, using opposing media or environment (e.g. from book to installation, packaging to performance) or an opposing time or fictional future (e.g. speculative design).

With it being Christmas and all the extra parcels arriving, I started looking at packaging and the familiar symbols and slogans. We always have a few boxes tucked away for repurposing either for storage or guinea pig houses and shelters. I have always been curious about these marks especially the printers symbols, as they can produce different textures and outcomes depending on the amount of ink used and how much spread/bleed, as a result. Now I have an outlet for them. First thoughts were to create a navigation system, with the arrow symbols, numbers etc like you'd find to orientate your way through a multi-storey car park and then use the printers symbols to add some abstract art to the often drab grey concrete walls and pillars.

The printers symbols on the packaging reminded me of psychedelic graphics from the 90s rave scene and how would they look animated. This idea conjured up reminiscences of the electronic music duo, Altern 8 and their black and yellow album artworks (images 4 & 5 above). The symbols also reminded of Anthony Burrill's book 'Look and See', a printed compendium of collected ephemera and printed material (below).

Low and behold the symbols I had were covered in there and he too had the same reaction regards music. Anthony writes:

'Looking at abstract images conjures ideas of musical composition and abstraction in music, a correspondence that I can visualise. I suppose image patterns and sounds live together in the same part of my brain, which is why I find it so satisfying when they're combined.'

I collected the symbols from photographs and had a little experiment animating them in Adobe Photoshop, image 1. I then laid the symbols out in Adobe Illustrator to help my thought process and decide what I might do with them next. On rolling over the vectorised shapes with the select tool, the individual hexagons highlighted with a blue outline appeared to become animated, image 2-3. Lastly I imported the shapes into Adobe Photoshop once again to create a more trippy effect.

By using a different medium to display the symbols, the meaning and message is instantly altered and disrupted. By enlarging the size of the hexagon shapes, this disrupts the origin further and becomes less recognisable from its intended purpose and context of packaging. It begins to take on new meaning and a new message.

By animating the elements you begin to see a rhythm and imagine a beat. The options here are limitless. I added a cardboard textured background to add a hint of their original origin.

Thinking about futures and how art movements and music genres often reinvent themselves, I decided to add some electronic music to the piece. The music is a sample from Adobe Stock, 'Future Rave Electronics' (Dynamic, Space Age, Powerful) by Alexey Anisimov . I haven't beat matched the animation to the music, it is simply to give an idea of how it could work. The visuals could be used for a more elaborate piece to be shown as a backdrop to a stage installation for dance concerts or festivals. In the summer I watched the band Bastille at Victorious Festival and I was blown away by the graphics and how it enhanced the whole experience without detracting from the performance, telling a visual story to accompany and compliment the audible one.

This could be easily used as a printer's animated Christmas card sent out to their clients on mail lists, while also a basis to design a printed card, as a mailshot to clients.

GDE710: CONTEMPORARY PRACTICE Week 11 - Trends and Environments

PH244641 — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 02:50:57 GMT

Lighting up the Message, Symbolism and Semiotics of the New

Challenge Task

Case Study: Take a brand and look at how it is delivered in different countries, e.g. alcohol, tobacco, transport, cars. Is it symbolised in a different way? Why might colour or typeface have been changed? Does it work at a local level and does it work at a global level?

This case study explores how society is subtly manipulated by a message and how graphic design is deployed in a global context.

One of the Wests best loved brand, Heinz has been around for more than 150 years and is enjoyed the world over in one form or another.

In 2020, Jones Knowles Ritchie worked on creating a ‘Masterbrand’ to unify Heinz’s identity internationally. The brands iconic keystone shape has been simplified to act as a frame to put emphasis on its food photography across all its 20 product categories (Brewer, 2020).

Like the Olympic games iconic rings, the keystone is a learned symbol that is instantly recognisable across the globe, along with the Heinz logotype. The keystone originates from the company’s beginnings in Pennsylvania, USA, where the state looks a similar shape when viewed on a map.

The colours have been refined to a select set of striking pantones. The original red used for their tomato ketchup has been kept and represents the ingredients, fresh and healthy.

Being a global brand, they are always looking for new markets and avenues to go with their business, so they often come up with new products suited to the local culture or market. China for instance has its own Master soy sauce, but it has deviated from the Masterbrand to appeal to a local audience.

Examining the packaging for the Master soy sauce, note that the keystone is reduced to just the top arch, as I have indicated in the adjacent images. Subsequently, along with the label written in Chinese you wouldn’t know it was a Heinz product. However, the advert is on brand with its use of images depicting fresh and healthy ingredients, along with the adverts striking colours. Look again and you notice more gold has been used on the advertising and packaging in the Heinz range, which like in western society symbolises wealth and riches in Chinese culture too. So, the idea could be to make the Heinz products look more prestigious amongst other brands.

The Heinz logotype remains the same on all of its condiments but its product name i.e., tomato ketchup there has been a typographic decision to use Chinese glyphs or characters to keep in line with the local culture.

The colours used on the Chinese sauce, red and yellow, will have been a considered decision to add meaning. Yellow is an imperial colour in the traditional Chinese colour system, and it represents power, royalty and prosperity. Yellow can also be associated with pornography publications in China, so it should be used with caution in brand marketing to avoid making a disastrous marketing faux pas. The red is a popular and promising colour in Chinese culture that symbolises luck, happiness, and joy. Purple in modern times is used to represent love and is attractive to younger consumers (Olsen, 2022). With these things in mind, looking at semiotics and meaning especially within a non-native culture you can understand why large brands appoint expertise specific to the target market. Kraft Heinz appointed BBH China for their creative lead in China, as they are said to have brand-building expertise with a deep knowledge of the Chinese market (campaign, 2020). Decisions on global brands and how they are packaged can quite simply make or break them in their targeted market.

Reference List

Brewer, J. (2020) Heinz gets first ever global masterbrand, served up by JKR. Available at https://www.itsnicethat.com/news/jones-knowles-ritchie-jkr-heinz-masterbrand-graphic-design-100620 (Accessed 7th December 2022).

Campaign (2020) Kraft Heinz picks BBH in China. Available at https://www.campaignasia.com/article/kraft-heinz-picks-bbh-in-china/463496 (Accessed 8 December 2022).

Jones Knowles Richie (2022) Available at https://jkrglobal.com/case-studies/heinz-2/ (Accessed 8 December 2022).

Image source:

Kraft Heinz China (2022). Available at https://www.kraftheinzchina.com/Accessed 8 December 2022).

GDE710: CONTEMPORARY PRACTICE Week 10 - Type and Page

Tue, 22 Nov 2022 15:06:02 GMT

Constructs of Typography, Systems and Theory

Challenge Task

How can typographic conventions and design inform and imbue the meaning of a given text?

This weeks challenge was to take an excerpt from a national poet or writer and transform the text into a single typographic composition:

Redesign the first line of text in a style that’s appropriate to the subject - draw it, render it, build it;
Then take the body of the text and typeset it.
Be experimental. How does leading, positioning, stresses on particular words and detailing affect the power of the piece?
How is meaning affected by interpretation in a tangible way?
What is the relationship of the page?

Poem and Inspiration

I chose the poem as it is playful and reminiscent of many a time spent feeding the ducks with my daughter and from my own childhood. The poem is a ‘ditty’ from the Wind in the Willows sung by Ratty. Moley didn’t care for it much to whom Ratty replied:

“ Nor don’t the ducks neither,” replied the Rat cheerfully. “They say, ‘Why can’t fellows be allowed to do what they like when they like and as they like, instead of other fellows sitting on banks and watching them all the time and making remarks and poetry and things about them? What nonsense it all is!’ That’s what the ducks say.”

After our lecture this week on typography and a brief history, I wanted to explore analogue methods for the type and not automatically go to the computer. For inspiration I looked at one of my books, 'Graphic Poetry' (Wig-01, 2005) a collaborative project between graphic designers and poets.

“In comparison to text, a picture is something we respond to more quickly and easily. If the image intrigues, it should encourage one to read the poem, even if it is only to decipher the image.”
Marion Deuchars ( Wig-01 , 2005, p.10)

Being reminded of Alan Kitching's work I love how he uses scale and colour often alone within his letterpress compositions to express meaning. In the example below the print almost feels alive, as the scale and structure appears to bring the type alive to gesture a kiss; thus the content of the poem (Wig-01, 2005, pp.68-69).

Concrete poetry like 'Il pleut' use type as illustration with letters cascading across the page to imbue its meaning. Sam Winston's, 'A Dictionary's Story' employs a similar technique with a sandstorm of type floating, falling, flying across the page reflecting the meaning of the words and bringing the story to life in such a beautiful way.

Images: Poem's origin 1 and 2 (Classic FM, 2010, p.18). Inspiration sort from the book, Graphic Poetry with example of Alan Kitching's Kiss composition 3 and 4 (Wig-01, 2005, pp.68-69). Lastly, Sam Winston's book, A Dictionary Story, with exert from the book 5 and 6 (Winston, 2009).

Experimentation

I began with experimenting with letter stamps and ink pads. I looked at how the arrangement of the letters can start to illustrate the words i.e. backwater below becomes more fluid and begins to move just like a river. However, this would not help add meaning to the poem, backwater being the stagnant part of the river! I continued to play adding more space (kerning) between some of the letters, overprinting and using different col ours of ink.

Next I printed each of the wooden type bloc ks I would need to spell 'backwater'. I chose to use this exercise to explore colour, mixing greens and blues to mimic that of stagnant, sludgy, algae ridden water. I only have one set of wooden type, so I thought I could scan the prints and experiment with scale and composition onscreen later on.

With a few type experiments complete I did a few sketches for possible layout ideas and other techniques to try before remembering my typewriter! I used the typewriter to play with the words 'All along the' by increasing the kerning between the letters, as well as dropping letters between lines, altering their baseline and again add some movement. At this point I made the decision to put emphasis only on the words 'along' and 'backwater'.

Development

After scanning the wood block prints, I chose a selection of block letters to spell, 'backwater' and then began to play with the type size in Adobe Illustrator. Each letter was then placed onto the artboard and a multiply transparency applied to merge the layers. This added fluidity to the type seeping into each other. The word was rather long, so I felt it better to break it up, that way it would also play on the meaning with the placement of 'back' on the back of the 'water'! The imperfections of the Rs shortened stem gave it more of a fluid impression to the Rs tail, as if pouring out of its tail and subsequently the word composition. I chose to use Illustrator, as it gives you so much more control over the type when it comes to typesetting the main body.

I used the same type treatment for the stamped letters, scanning them in, but this time as whole words rather than individual letters (image 2). Each word was then placed onto the artboard and a multiply transparency applied to merge the layers. I then experimented with the type sizes and word placement.

I haven't used bitmaps for years and wondered if it might make playing with colour a little easier and quicker, as you can select the colour for each bitmap image using the fill or swatches. I created a set of bitmapped images of the letters using Adobe Photoshop, saving them as tiffs before placing them into Illustrator (image 3). However, the letters lost a lot of their natural texture, which I felt was reminiscent of water ripples that added to the piece.

Looking at the stamped letters I began to feel they seemed a little stark and needed to be a bit less heavy. Going back to my typewritten words created on the typewriter, I felt they were lighter and more playful, reminiscent of Sam Winston's work and fitted more with the poem. Using the same type treatment as before I scanned the words and placed them into the Illustrator composition. The word 'along' now playfully bounces 'a l o n g ' the top of the 'a' and 'c'.

With this decision I began to look for a similar typewriter font for the body, settling for, Nitti Typewriter. I increased the leading between stanzas, so they could be easily distinguishable. Finally, I wanted to finish with a more whimsical treatment, similar to how the poem began. Here, I began to play with drawing duck tails to reiterate the idea of the ducks dabbling and exploring how to add the idea of water ripples to demonstrate being in water (image 4). The duck tail was drawn using the pen tool and ripples using the ellipse tool, before adding type on a path. Initially, I was only going to use the last two lines of the final verse here, but the other two became detached and were left out on a limb. So, I added a whirl for the swifts! Here I used the paintbrush tool to get a smoother line for the type path. I increased the tracking to replicate the letterspacing of the typewriter at the beginning of the poem. Opening up the tracking also gave the type breathing space making it easier to read on the path (Ambrose and Harris, 2005, pp.94-95).

Final Outcome

I have really enjoyed this challenge, especially exploring type by hand. The type setting on the swift's whirl needs some adjusting to relieve the slight clash or near miss of words, yet I think they are still readable. I added the poem's name and author to finish the composition with concentric circles. Had I produced this all digitally it wouldn't have had the same expression I believe adds to the words and brings them visually to life.

By using type on a path for the last stanza it balances the composition with the typewritten opening words.

References

Ambrose, G. and Harris, P. (2005) Basics Design 3: Typography . Switzerland: AVA Publishing SA.

Classic FM (2010) One Hundred Favourite Poems: Poems for all Occassions Chosen by Classic FM Listeners . London: Hodder & Stoughton.

Wig-01 (2005) Graphic Poetry: A Wig-01 Project . Hong Kong: Viction Workshop; Slp edition.

Winston, S. (2009) A Dictionary Story . London: Arc Artists Editions.

GDE710: CONTEMPORARY PRACTICE Week 9 - Message Delivered

PH244641 — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 22:55:32 GMT

Message and Medium, Pencil, Pixel,

Performance, Packaging

This weeks lecture on Form and function, a conversation between Susanna Edwards and Sam Winston.

We live and work in a world filled with digital communication and find ourselves stuck to our screens. Although there is craft in using digital tools and having an intellectual approach to solving problems there is much to be learned and found through exploring tools with our hands. Exploring a variety of mediums and craft not only gives you more tools to work with, but by using your hands to create you are moving away from the visual sighted to a more embodied type of learning through craft and touch. Sam Winston’s observation ‘You need to work out how the idea manifests as a substance’. Your hands do seem to have their own intuition and knowledge.

The first project Sam worked on, he got a book and folded the pages in on themselves. Looking at it he realised he would not have been able to have intellectualised that into being, there were too many variables, that were beyond his visual perception – the way the paper behaves and the way the form perhaps taught him. Learning through touch.

Sam Winston describes this exploration of medium through touch as, ‘It is basically moving into a physical embodied approach to something, which is clumsy and not manageable and its full of mistakes and its messy - but they’re all the qualities the controlling brain doesn’t necessarily want, but it’s the thing where ideas and mistakes make for interesting new…ideas!’ A realm where ‘happy accidents’ can arise.

Resources

Friends of the Earth

The first image is of a Friends of the Earth project, created in 1990. It is a cinema PIF, rated U, which makes its scientific point with creepy music. The billboard is made out of litmus paper and when acid rain falls, it starts to turn red, like blood. The blood represents the damage done to the environment, killing it and we should act now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soztSYWrTmw

The Solar Report

Image 2/3 are from the Solar Annual Report, which is powered by the sun. On initially opening it the pages appear blank but react when sunlight falls on the pages revealing its contents.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hm0tRDW9wgI

These are great direct examples of using the medium to enhance the message content they are to convey.

Oil & Water Do Not Mix

This screen-printed poster was made with oil collected from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico disaster. Anthony Burrill designed the poster with one of his simple speciality phrases, hitting the message concisely. Proceeds from the sale of the print were donated to CRCL (Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana) a non-profit organisation dedicated to restoring the Gulf of Mexico’s coastal wetlands. The project was conceived and produced in collaboration with Happiness Brussels.

Again an example of using a medium at the heart of the message.

Medium Vs Message

David Carson - Raygun Magazine

Stephen Sagmeister - Cranbrook Talk

Felice Varini’s Environmental Typography

Stephen Doyle

David Carson Talk

V&A Exhibition Poster

The Clock Exhibition Graphics

J. Muller-Brockmann Poster

Challenge Task

How can a message be enhanced through the medium in which it is implemented?

Research

Initially, I went for a walk and took a few photographs and then sat for a while on a bench listening to passers-by. It was a beautiful evening, as the sun was just setting which had brought several people out for walks. I heard two conversations from different people talking about the covid pandemic and how they’d become regular walkers around the millpond during the lockdowns, as a means of escape. Another conversation was between some dog walkers and how they wouldn’t let their dogs of on the shore any longer, as one had become sick since swimming there.

Image: Drone footage shows sewage pumping into sea in Hampshire conservation area (Paine, 2022).

Stats from the Guardian news Youtube channel using Chris Pearsall Photography's Drone footage (The Guardian, 2021):

This is untreated raw sewage being released into the sea through a 7 foot wide pipe
It was reportedly pumped into Langstone Harbour, a conservation area for 49 hours straight.
The wastewater was released from a nearby treatment centre to prevent it backing up.
Sewage was spilled into England's rivers and seas over 400,000 times in 2020 prompting calls for tougher penalties for water companies that do so.

Southern Water have appeared in the news a fair bit in recent years for illegally discharging sewage and polluting our seas and rivers. However, this is not a new thing. Sewage contamination was to blame in the great oyster scare of 1902. This occurred when guests at a Winchester banquet became ill and the Dean of Winchester died from typhoid attributed to eating Emsworth oysters served at the event. Following inspection of the Emsworth oyster beds, gross sewage contamination was identified (Newell, 2022).

If the Emsworth oyster did kill the Dean of Winchester, then the subsequent publicity and findings of investigations of the case did for the Emsworth oyster industry. Sales plummeted, livelihoods were lost and the industry was devastated, never to recover its former esteemed position. Certain attempts to re-establish the industry in the town have been made, most notably between the two World Wars when the onset of World War II caused understandable interruption and disruption (Newell, 2022).

Now our waters are still under threat by contaminated sewage and from time-to-time people and dogs have been heard to get sick after swimming or part-taking in water sports in the area. Locals have been campaigning relentlessly to get MPs to make southern water accountable and force a positive change. I have witnessed staff from the environment agency testing in the local area and they wear full protective clothing including suits. What does this say? More and more houses have been built in the area with no further infrastructure put into place to cope with the rise usage nor has SW invested in the aging facilities to improve or upgraded their capacity. Nothing has changed, just more discharges! These discharges are supposed to happen only to cope with storm water and it is said that the sewage is considerable diluted beforehand. Drone footage taken by ?? was released of one of these local discharges and it gives a grim view. SW have a duty to report all discharges and when they are going to happen but with increased pressure it has been found that their data is flimsy and not always reported. So, those that use their reporting system to see when it is safe or safer to use our local beaches are doing so are then unknowingly being put at risk. I have seen reports on social media of people complaining about the smell or seeing toilet paper and sanitary products floating in the harbour.

The harbour is a conservation area and noted as an area of outstanding natural beauty, yet there is all too often a hidden danger laying in these waters.

Words to Describe the Area

Idyllic, calm, tranquil

Scandal, anger, fury, disgust

Inspiration

Thinking about how I might communicate these two very different ways of feeling I remembered some railway posters I’d seen while holidaying near Swanage. I did the tourist thing, visiting local sights and travelled on the steam railway. On the platform at Swanage, they had several vintage posters adorning the platform walls, like these examples. All portray an idyllic picture postcard illustration of a village or beach to visit and explore by train.

Images: London Transport Museum and Etsy.

With this in mind I thought I could create my own but also representing the murky disgrace caused by numerous discharges of sewage into the surrounding seas by the hands of Southern Water.

Searching for the ideal word to marry these two together, I came up with scourge. An area of outstanding natural beauty scourged by sewage contamination. This also has the undertones that the public are being lied to.

References

Etsy (2022) Vintage railway poster swanage dorset train travel advert art deco print. Available at https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1310569147/vintage-railway-poster-swanage-dorset?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_uk_en_gb_c-art_and_collectibles-prints-giclee&utm_custom1=_k_Cj0KCQiA4OybBhCzARIsAIcfn9nlj7kx1Jr5ZXvMmRVCpMsfpl_bmlaMHr23jbJLiR0F1eiZSp6uM-waAshcEALw_wcB_k_&utm_content=go_325944888_20231796888_88477835928_aud-463075091758:pla-106555092035_c__1310569147engb_446968090&utm_custom2=325944888&gclid=Cj0KCQiA4OybBhCzARIsAIcfn9nlj7kx1Jr5ZXvMmRVCpMsfpl_bmlaMHr23jbJLiR0F1eiZSp6uM-waAshcEALw_wcB (Accessed 19 November 2022).

Etsy (2022) Corfe Castle, Dorset Southern Railway Poster. Available at https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/758223396/corfe-castle-dorset-southern-railway?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_uk_en_gb_d-art_and_collectibles-prints-digital_prints&utm_custom1=_k_Cj0KCQiAg_KbBhDLARIsANx7wAxlHo2_YVWnFxI5kXO6OQ00Ixu-yrHNIPBi3ryrGWhp7Xo1VReSezUaAjAVEALw_wcB_k_&utm_content=go_326242248_20237094048_88513737528_aud-371913912633:pla-106555091555_c__758223396engb_480729579&utm_custom2=326242248&gclid=Cj0KCQiAg_KbBhDLARIsANx7wAxlHo2_YVWnFxI5kXO6OQ00Ixu-yrHNIPBi3ryrGWhp7Xo1VReSezUaAjAVEALw_wcB (Accessed 19 November 2022).

London Transport Museum (2022) Collections: Posters. Available at https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/collections/collections-online/posters/item/1983-4-736 (Accessed 19 November 2022).

Newell, L. (2022) The Emsworth Oyster Industry – A Short History. Available at https://emsworthmuseum.org.uk/artifacts/75-emsworth-oysters (Accessed 19 November 2022).

Paine, T. (March 2022) Southern Water sewage monitoring scheme is labelled 'feeble' as only one device is in the sea. Available at https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/politics/southern-water-sewage-monitoring-scheme-is-labelled-feeble-3602542 (Accessed 20 November 2022).

The Guardian News (2021) Drone footage shows sewage pumping into sea in Hampshire conservation area. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTwjUh92j00 (Accessed 19 November 2022).

Development

Initially I was not sure which direction to take, a film or print outcome. I created a contact sheet in photoshop to review my photos and video (image 1, below).

With the photos I had, I made the decision to make a poster with the rail posters in mind. I experimented with image 1 and 2 using photoshop filters trying to give a painterly feel. The dry brush added part of the aesthetic I was looking for, but I wanted it to be more like an illustration than a painting. Going off on a tangent I experimented adding a distressed layer in image 4. Not happen with any of the images I looked at the video I'd taken again and decided to take a still (image 5). I kept this simple and only added a smart blur which was more of the aesthetic I'd wanted.

Dates of process screenshots do not correspond with the final outcome, as I am terrible at remembering to screenshot as I go and subsequently took them after to show my journey.

To create the poster I took the new illustration into Adobe Illustrator to begin constructing the layout. I used a creamy coloured background to give a slightly dated look. Next I browsed my own font collection and then Adobe Fonts to find an appropriate typeface. Settling for Mendl Sans Dusk Bold for its Art Deco style appropriate to the era of the poster style in the 1920s.

From here I wanted to represent the idea of sewage seeping into the local waters. In reality by the time it gets here the colour is diluted and not always as noticeable other than some scum on the surface, floating faeces, toilet paper and sanitary products. I wanted the unseen to be seen, so I created some vector shapes, adding different colours to each ring of scum and added a darker transparency, along with adjusting the shapes fill to a lower opacity.

Another idea would be to add a dirty smear across the poster rather than have created a vector seepage. Mud from the beach could be used but obviously not directly to the poster due to bacteria contaminates hence me using a safe option.

So, I couldn't leave it there and decided to make some hand smears reiterating the message of being scourged while I also feel the filthy hand is trying to cover it up.

Final Outcome

Although I chose to create my final outcome as a poster it would equally work as a postcard. Had I more time I would have experimented by creating the illustration by hand to get a more authentic outcome to the inspiration, but my illustration skills are not the quickest and I would not have got to this stage. The alternative would have been a vector illustration from the original photograph, and subsequently simplified the scene further.

This style of artwork has been a bit over used with postcards popping up in many tourist towns and villages, however, I think it carries the message effectively, especially for local people, although subtle. It could easily become a campaign poster with plenty of space to add more information to call for more support and push for long-term action and a resolution to the century long scourge on the environment.

I feel the medium has enhanced the message due to the public being misled by the title of the area being that of outstanding natural beauty yet it is continually soiled and contaminated?! The added smear below also implies a cover up, like a grab for the lens while implying that there is someone behind the scourge.

I’ve also had the idea that this could work as a video with calming sounds of the seabirds and water lapping, then the sound of the gush of a sewage discharge while the footage changes to a view of the pipe discharging, breaking the idyllic, tranquillity. This would have a jarring effect from calm to the loud and violent. Or without sound and have footage of the murky water slowly seeping across the water, so a milder, calmer feel like the poster. The video could be distributed via social media.

GDE710: CONTEMPORARY PRACTICE Week 8 - Skills & Making

Wed, 09 Nov 2022 23:07:19 GMT

Personal Reflection on Skills Development and New Process Model Outcome

This week’s lecture, Filling the Gaps, is a series of talking heads case studies, asking a variety of practitioners the following questions:

"What would you like to be doing that you are not doing in your work?"

Simon Manchip – Has no time for anything else. Enjoys the variety of challenges that come with running a agency. Projects stretch him in so many different directions he finds compelling and he really enjoys going to work. Different mind sets needed for different projects, adapting your mindset for different clients. If he wasn’t doing what he does he’d be looking for something transformative, strategic for the future and would want to make things that are interesting. World of work often automated. Law can be automated as you required to remember lots of things which computers are good at. Where as humans are really good at original thought and lateral thinking. Not so easy to be replaced by a machine.

Sam Winston – Can’t imagine not doing what he does, maker/artist. Would become a hermit and live in the woods and watch trees growing.

Regular practice – Create things or make notes of them as they happen and often sometime in the future they remember it because it now fits with a brief. So, they end up working with things they like because they kind of make it happen. Do not have any burning desires as they try to do the work they want to do anyway.

Sarah Boris – Likes to test materials rather than just paper and a screen. Would like to do more for the home like rugs and tableware. Maybe collaborate with some product designers. Learns a lot from people from different backgrounds.

Intro – Get outdoors more. Most of the time complaining about things around them, clients, their work, their daily routine. Thoroughly enjoy it as a way of making a living and would recommend it. The nature of their work keeps them happy. Enjoyable projects but clients get on their nerves more. Talbot type venture a salvation as he had started to need another challenge. Happened by accident. Personal projects can relieve the pressure of intense work projects.

"How important are side projects and are you currently working on any?"

Simon Manchipp – He had side projects while he worked for others and made a bit of extra money. Too busy for side projects now but is working on his own products rather than just being a service. This includes software and digital platforms. Discovering things from outside of just being a service.

Sam Winston – He has made a living out of side projects. Always have to find something that isn’t work. He found literature and books which encroached into his work. Gets lots from solitude, trusting space to find answers rather than filling the space to get answers. I’m going to do nothing but as a human we can't do that and in turn come up for 50 ideas while actively trying not to think about anything.

Regular Practice – intrigued by authorship and what to do. You get to define a side project 100% rather than their studio work. Need to carve the time and actively do it or it may never materialise.

Sarah Boris – side projects always been her bread of her practice. To do list of side projects and often sits with the list for a few years and then if she still values the idea she’ll start doing some. Side projects important for practice as they define her as a designer. Side projects are purely you without any influence from a client. Side projects land more work as they say more about herself than a typical portfolio.

Intro – Julian House, “Making music was the first part of it because he wanted to make music and collected records, into weird electronic records and then he and a friend with similar interests realised they could create a little label. It was a fortunate time around 2004 when they could share their music with the world via the web but without the world stealing it from them. Sell more vinyl than CDs. It wasn’t just about making the music it is all the associated design that goes with it, packaging, film, events etc. This creative outlet is important because you don’t really know where it is going to go and it evolves out and becomes its own thing. You have complete ownership which is important as you have created, owned and released something into the world. Overall a Sense of owning that world that you have created. Idea of creating things and putting them out there and those being your things. Feeds back into client work. Side lines offer relief and feeds back into your day job. Adrian talbot “side lines pick him up again.” Side lines can lead to learning new skills, as you are doing it you are learning how. He’d always thought it must be quite easy to design a font but has discovered it isn’t. there’s no such thing as a mathematical designed typeface, it is a highly visual process, even the most geometric typefaces they are full of inconsistencies. Still on a learning curve and on versions 6 ^th 8 ^th versions of earlier fonts which sell well so must be getting something right. He continues to create new fonts every time he feels compelled, retreating into a world you wholly own. No one can tell him what to do and when to do it and how to do it he has complete ownership. If they weren’t selling fonts and music it would be a completely futile exercise. It validates what they are doing and what they have done. If you have a side project it needs to have some criteria to meet in the end. So if you make a film you need to have people show up to watch it or arrange with a gallery to show it. You need something to validate it or you’re working in a vacuum of just designers speaking to each other.

Over the years I have completed small jobs for friends which has brought about other work. Chance encounters with random strangers in the street has too brought in new work. I always have a list of side projects but rarely have the time to execute them. Working for a studio I realised the importance of side projects to relieve the tension from rigid commercial work projects. Even now it is something I feel is beneficial and there are many gains by factoring some time in, even to push learning a new skill or gain new work through doing something that you love.

Resources & Other References

Brian Eno (2017, April 5). How to Beat Creative Block. Available at Brian Eno: How To Beat Creative Block - BBC Click.
Brian Eno (2021, April 8). Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies. Available at Bloombergs .
The School of Life (2017, September 21). The Importance of Vulnerability Available at The Importance of Vulnerability.
The School of Life (2015, March 23). Keep Going. Available at Keep Going.
Brian Eno, Oblique Strategies (last ed, 2018), [Accessed 16 January 2019] Available from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oblique_Strategies
Klanten, R. (2009). Data Flow: Visualising Information in Graphic Design. Gestalten, Berlin.

Read | Watch | Listen

Creative block can hinder us at any stage or we can get stuck in a rut especially when working alone, using the same methods and techniques to create the same outcomes becoming more and more stagnant in our creative process and practices, often becoming bored along the way. Therefore, it is important to have strategies to combat these if our work is to have any longevity.

‘Visual metaphors are a powerful aid to human thinking. From Sanskrit through hieroglyphics to the modern alphabet, we have used ciphers, objects, and illustrations to share meaning with other people, thus enabling collective and collaborative thought. As our experience of the world has become more complex and nuanced, the demands to our thinking aids have increased proportionally. Diagrams, data graphics, and visual confections have become the language we resort to in this abstract and complex world. They help us understand, create, and completely experience reality.’ Alan Woo, Super Ordinary (Klanten, 2009).

Watching Brian Eno's, 'How to Beat Creative Block', he discusses how he and friend, Peter Schmidt, developed their card deck, Oblique Strategies, as a tool to get over some of our annoying human traits to aid their work.

Eno had the idea when working in the music studio under pressure on a small budget, where you can forget all your best ideas. Panicking about how much time you have can push all other ideas aside. You’re not really paying attention to what is going on (Eno, 2017).

The first oblique strategy Eno wrote was ‘honour thine error, as a hidden intention’, just to remind himself if something goes wrong don’t immediately chuck it out, just for a moment give it a listen and see if there’s something interesting about it (Eno, 2017).

Another example, ‘Discover the recipes you are using and abandon them’, as humans we can do this but as Eno says a ‘computer would discover them and keep using them again and again’, we do not have to and we can generate new ideas by using strategies to stimulate new ones (Eno, 2017).

From this he wrote a dozen or so more and had a list, but the list didn’t work so well because you tend to just take the one that is most convenient, the one that lets you carry on exactly what you are already doing, so decided they should be on cards to avoid this (Eno, 2017).

‘What would your closest friend do?’ this one takes you out of your own head and look at something from another perspective. It is like when you play a piece of music or show a piece of work and you immediately become critical of it, as you are seeing it or listening to it as they are (Eno, 2017).

The cards are not restricted to making music and have also be used as aids in many other situations and disciplines. Although, Eno felt very uncomfortable after finding out one individuals occupation. He'd been chatting to someone at a dinner party who had recognised him as the creator of, oblique strategies and professed to using them himself. When Eno asked his occupation, neurosurgeon, he swiftly asked that he not use them anymore (Eno, 2021)!

Image: Brian Eno's, Oblique Strategies. https://www.enoshop.co.uk/product/oblique-strategies.html

What could a diagram be?

‘We live in the age of information. The world is an interconnected system where “everything” appears to be cross-linked with everything. With the vast quantity of complex information that we need to understand, rank and communicate, information design becomes fundamental. Therefore, more and more information is being visualised extending the application of diagrams far beyond its classical field of use’ (Klanten, 2009).

A diagrams is a simplified drawing showing the appearance, structure, or workings of something; a schematic representation, yet it can take on lots of forms. For example, a list, like that of ‘How to work better’ by Peter Fischli and David Weiss (image 1 above). It’s a simple list of 10 things to do to work better, but its overview could be applied to any occupation or discipline. This reminded me of Anthony Burrill’s ‘Work Hard and Be Nice to People’, which has become a motivational poster that has turned up in many a creatives studio and beyond. He has even setup an Instagram account so people can submit their photos of his artwork situated in different contexts around the world. Here’s mine (image 2), a slightly different variation on the well-known larger woodblock print, along with my motivational peg letter board where I change the quote every so often to keep me moving! (image 2).

Mark Lombardi 's George W. Bush, Harken Energy and Jackson Stevens, ca. 1979-90, 1999 (image 4) demonstrates how a diagram can not only be an orderly representation of data, but it can be beautiful too.

Challenge - What are your skills? What are the gaps?

Write a list of your current skills and a separate list outlining the skills that you want to acquire. This can include ways of working, thinking or an area of knowledge you wish to develop.
Create a ‘process model’ which summarises the skills you currently possess and the gaps you wish to fill.
This piece of work could be a diagram, a 3D statement that clearly communicates a thought process relevant to you at this moment (how you deal with weaker skill gaps and how you maximise your talents), a statement, a model, a tool.

Inspiration & Development

Initial list of skills I possess and skills I would like to acquire. I then started to try and categorise them into bubbles that overlapped. This progressed to an idea of a butterfly and taking flight with the categorises overlapping within the wings.

Inspired by a walk with my dog, I often track my walks using the app Strava and then I remembered Jodie Silsby’s Portsmouth Vernacular map made from listened conversation recorded at each of the roads throughout Portsmouth (image2&3). My roads could be named after skills.

Other inspiration came from the initial concept of the Breathe campaign where roads had become networks of 'trees' taking over from those of nature (image 3). Here, I thought of the idea of branches on a possible tree of knowledge.

Image 1 shows my dog walk map, which is really a process map on happenings and how I overcome them to get to where I want to be. My mind wandering slightly from the brief.

Image 2 is a screenshot of my Strava app recording one of my dog walks. On inspecting the settings there is a Heatmap option to display all of my sports route history. This generated the idea of skills mapping further and how I could map skills I am proficient in, skills that need more practice and skills I would like to explore or acquire.

Image 3 is my new list split into three columns. Some I feel come between acquired and need for practice, as sometimes we do not use a skill for some time and it needs to be exercised to remain at a good standard or we can also forget how to do something over time.

Final Outcome

Like the Strava app the orange tracks represent where I have been and the skills I have learnt, and the blank roads are the skills gaps. The skills that I am more proficient in are more travelled and the ones less so could do with more work. I’ve also left roads unnamed for expansion. I realised in the map it looks like I have never been home and I am always walking the dog!

GDE710: CONTEMPORARY PRACTICE Week 7: Research and Theory

Fri, 04 Nov 2022 18:52:52 GMT

Methodologies, Management, Catalysts, Theories and Fiction

Object: Adana 5x3 Letterpress

Image: (Briar Press, 2022)

The Adana Agency was founded in 1922 by Donald Aspinall and selling their unique printing presses to both commercial companies and hobbyists around the world (Caslon Limited, 2022). The Adana 5x3 letterpress is the smallest of modern Adana machines and was first unveiled in 1956. It was one of the earliest Adana machines to be made of an aluminium alloy, rather than cast iron (Caslon Limited, 2022).

The development of offset lithography in the 1960s changed the nature of the printing industry, letterpress became economically unviable and, in most part, redundant (Rivers, p10, 2010). This decline in popularity took a further blow with the introduction of computers and subsequently the production of the Adana letterpress machine ended in the mid-1980s. Caslon Limited stepped in purchasing Adana in 1987 and they continued to supply refurbished 8x5 presses and supplies (Caslon Limited, 2022).

Images: (Rivers, 2010, p128, p67 & p73)

Since the 1990s a resurgence in the production of letterpress materials from a number of individuals and small companies predominantly in the US and UK, have revived the fortunes of letterpress printing. Favourable for creating a tactile light impression on the paper, which in the early days was known as a ‘kiss’; today a much-desired deeper inky impression is what has captured the hearts of letterpress printers and their clients alike (Rivers, p11, 2010). Possibly with this in mind, Caslon began production of a new 8x5 machine in 2017, capable of printing with greater pressures (Caslon Limited, 2022) and thus, reinventing the letterpress!

With the resurrection of letterpress comes the rise in studios opening their doors to provide workshops and courses in the craft. Some universities have managed to hold on to their print studios with a myriad of equipment, encouraging experimentation, bringing history to life and in turn raising future letterpress practitioners and users of the aesthetic. The future looks bright.

Reference List

Briar Press (2022) Adana 5x3 instruction manual. Available at https://www.briarpress.org/14558 (Accessed 2 November 2022).

British Letterpress (2022) The Adana 5x3. Available at https://britishletterpress.co.uk/presses/small-presses/adana/the-adana-5-x-3/ (Accessed 2 November 2022).

Caslon Limited (2022) About Us. Available at https://www.adanaletterpress.co.uk/about-us-1-w.asp (Accessed 2 November 2022).

Caslon Limited (2022) Adana Letterpress. Available at https://caslon.co.uk/adana-letterpress/ (Accessed 2 November 2022).

Four and Eights (2022) Workshops. Available at https://www.foursandeights.co.uk/collections/workshops (Accessed 2 November 2022).

Rivers, C. (2010) Reinventing Letterpress. Hove: RotoVision.

St. Bride Foundation (2022) Workshops. Available at https://sbf.org.uk/whats-on/category/workshops/. Retrieved 2 ^nd November 2022.

University of the Arts London (2022) Letterpress Short Course. Available at https://www.arts.ac.uk/subjects/communication-and-graphic-design/short-courses/graphic-design/letterpress-short-course-csm (Accessed 2 November 2022).

Wikipedia (2022) Letterpress printing. Available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letterpress_printing (Accessed 2 November 2022).

Methodology

Primary source: First-hand experience of owning a press and attending courses at Central Saint Martins and other workshops. Photographs of my own press.

Secondary sources: Books and online resources.

Pictured above is my 5x3 press I rescued from eBay and refurbished from a once neglected paint flaking relic to a fully working teaching machine I would share with students. Roll on a few years, sitting beautifully displayed on a shelf in my studio unnoticed and untouched, the rollers had begun to liquify until completely melted away leaving it in the sorry state it is in today. Moral of the story buy the best from the experts! For now, relegated to the garage until refurb number two in the fullness of time.

GDE710: CONTEMPORARY PRACTICE Week 6 - Noticing the Ignored

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 22:57:48 GMT

Experiential Drawing, Capture, Writing, Recording, Play, Photography

Looking, seeing, capturing

On my first visit I began by photographing the area to make an initial documentation. It was not instantly noticeable where the street started. The High Street fed into the town’s square and the numbering and street name sign didn’t correspond to a clear beginning for the road.

Once onto the definitive part of the street and examining the building numbers further, there were several numbers missing along with their corresponding buildings. I had walked up and down the same road so many times but had completely missed these oddities.

The buildings are of a mixture of eras dating back hundreds of years. Today they comprise of mainly private housing, as well as, pubs, restaurants, cafes, antiques, estate agents, barbers, a charity shop, public toilets and a car park!

From here, I decided to delve into the archives to see what could be thrown up on the mysterious missing buildings. There is a Facebook group who share old memories of Emsworth including old photographs, artworks, stories, and reminiscences. The photographs below flagged that there were some large prominent buildings rising above the houses and pubs, which are no longer there. The largest I was guessing would be a brewery, as I have seen similar architecture in a brewery building in another local town.

I decided to take a trip to the local museum to see if more light could be shed on the missing. On asking a helpful museum volunteer, she steered me towards some files containing numerous documents relating to the buildings in South Street. I found several houses had been demolished in the 1950s/60s to make way for a car park signifying the growth in the motor trade and the increasing number of cars on the road. Prior to this the town’s square had been sufficient for parking including horses and carts.

After scouring the archives another museum volunteer enquired how I was getting on and then promptly whisked me off to the museums main collection. On studying a map from 1876 the missing large buildings protruding into the skyline were indeed from a brewery. Emsworth had also been hit by several bombs during the second world war due to its proximity from the city of Portsmouth. Not many buildings had taken a direct hit but the force from the blasts had caused considerable damage.

Several of the houses are old fisherman’s cottages reflecting a long-gone thriving trade. Today, there is only one operational fishing boat working out of Emsworth harbour.

South Street was known for being a rough area and outsiders were not welcome. Demonstrated in this old photography showing a cluster of menacing looking men, most likely fishermen and sailors stood outside the Anchor public house that also doubled as the customs house.

After WW2 many families were relocated to another area of the village. Declining fishing industry and the scandal of poisoned oysters brought on a huge change for the area.

On chatting to one of the museum curators there are several connections still seen today to the past existence of the Kinnell & Hartley Brewery. Watch makers, Zero West, are located in the old boathouse, which was once part of the old brewery. When the brewery was demolished, Noel Kinnell, had the cottages to the left of the boathouse built for the families that had worked at the brewery. He also paid for the erection and repair of the seawall and much used promenade still standing today. Kinnell lived in Emsworth at Seafield not far from the millpond and has left behind quite the legacy. The road in which Seafield House is located is also named after him, Kinnell Close.

The museum also has an archive of audio recorded interviews, which could make a nice typographic map.

There is so much material here, I have unearthed several projects I can come back to. For now I am going to focus on the idea of the 'missing' and go from there.

Development

When I was playing detective with the buildings based on the old 1876 map, I chose to create it on my studio wall as a visual reference to see where I had got with the investigation (image 1). This made it so much clearer to track, so I could associate the buildings with the numbers and where they were, rather than the numbers alone. From this exercise I could see exactly what was missing now.

Image 6 shows the building identifiers (signs and numbers) and image 3 of the digitised versions. I created these as grayscale images in Photoshop before vectorising them in Adobe Illustrator.

Another avenue I looked at for portraying the missing was to use some of the old photographs I had discovered and recreating the scene now by finding the rough point in which the originals had been taken (images 4 and 5). I then overlay the two images in Photoshop to create some ghostly images of past and present. I also explored blanking the old buildings out combining the images with the same technique but then drawing the buildings shell with the pen tool in Illustrator (image 5). The image then represents past, present and gone!

Final Outcome: The 'missing'

I decided to produce an abstract road map of the properties today . The missing numbers represent the lost or missing from the past to in turn convey there is a history behind it and the variety of type styles reflect the eclectic character of the street past and present. I feel the figures are just about recognisable as building identifiers and as to what they represent.

There are so many ideas here I found it difficult to hone in on just one aspect, but I really enjoyed creating something a little more abstract.

GDE710: CONTEMPORARY PRACTICE Week 5 - Thoughts on Ideas

Thu, 20 Oct 2022 18:25:59 GMT

Defining Methods of Thinking, Curiosity and Insight

How do we think?

This week looked at the constructs of thinking and generating ideas with a lecture ‘Thoughts on Ideas’, by Susanna Edwards.

Design Processes:

Bauhaus

The exploration of the design process and the work of the Bauhaus started to be taken seriously in the early twentieth century. The new approach revolutionised many successful companies and their products as they established themselves based on Bauhaus theories.

This is the conceptual diagram showing the structure of teaching at the Bauhaus, that was developed by Walter Gropius in 1922. As described by the Bauhaus Archive:

The programme places building at the center of all the activities. But a regular course in architecture was only introduced at the Bauhaus in 1927. Only the most talented students were admitted to the architecture course. At the start of their studies, they received a year of basic training in the so-called preliminary course, in which they were able to experiment with color, shape, and materials, with no specific goals. Depending on their individual suitability, this was followed by practical work in the workshops and accompanying disciplines. The students entered the workshops as ‘apprentices’ and were to sit their ‘apprenticeship’ exams within a given time period.

The outer ring indicates a preliminary 6-month course in basic materials and involved painting and rudimentary experiments in form-making. The inner two rings indicate a 3-year period where students were introduced to workshop training conducted by two masters: one artist, and one craftsman. The center of the wheel references building construction, engineering, and Architecture, which was studied in theory and then skills learned would put into practice by working on the actual constructions of buildings.

Exercise was also a big thing at the Bauhaus to enhance levels of thinking and communication.

Brian Lawson

With the emergence of design methods came the mapping of the design process. Generating models, formulae, and diagrams that aimed to illustrate best practice. In the early days of the 1960s it often took a linear format consisting of arrows and boxes. Words like analysis, synthesis and evaluation we associated with design for the first time. Design has stepped into the genre of science.

In the last 40 years business has activity sort to a adopt a methodology that acknowledges other competing factors within business. The linear format was criticised for suggesting a problem could be solved in one go. Revised models that incorporated loops and iterative phases taking wider design and business activities into account were developed. They allowed time to evaluate and test ideas, as well as allow the designer to consideration a number of ideas at the same time.

Today our awareness of design as a process has increased. The level of complexity is accentuated by factors such as technology, sustainability, social responsibility, legislation and so on. As our social and cultural boundaries blur so do the borders of design as a discipline.

The design process of today is less scientific, it is adapted to meet changing business requirements. Our world is evolving so quickly that there may never be an ideal methodology. Or process. What matters is there is a flexible infrastructure is in place with the foresight and intelligence to respond quickly and appropriately to creative change.

Double Diamond Process Model

Developed through in-house research at design council 2005.

Simple graphical way to describe the design process and divided into 4 phases, discover, define, develop and deliver. Maps the divergent and convergent stages of the design process showing the different modes of thinking that designers use.

Discover stage

First quarter marks the start of the project beginning with an initial idea or inspiration often sourced by a discovery phase in which user needs are identified. These include market research, user research, managing information, and design research groups.

Where designers and other project team members keep their perspectives wide in order to allow for a broad range of ideas and influences. At this phase the company is asking a question, posing a hypothesis or identifying a problem by analysing market data, trends and other information sources.

Define stage

Activities of the define stage are:

• Project development
• project management
• project sign off.

Filter where the review, selection and discarding of ideas take place. this is where findings from the Discover stage are analysed, defined and refined as problems, and ideas for solutions are pitched
and prototyped.

Develop stage

The third quarter marks a period of development where design-led solutions are developed, iterated and tested within the company. Key activities and objectives during the Develop stage are:

• Multi-disciplinary working
• Visual management
• Development methods
• Testing

At the Develop stage the project has been taken through a formal sign-off, which has given the corporate and financial backing to the development of one or more concepts that have addressed the initial problem.

During the Develop stage, the design team, either together with key internal partners (such as engineers, developers, programmers, and marketing teams) or via external design agencies, refine one or more concepts that will address the problems or issues identified during the Discover and
Define stages.

Deliver stage

The final quarter of the double diamond model represents the delivery stage, where the resulting product or service is finalised and launched in the relevant market. The key activities and objectives during this stage are:

• Final testing, approval and launch
• Targets, evaluation and feedback loops

The Deliver stage of the double diamond design process is where the final concept is taken through final testing, signed-off, produced and launched.

It will result in a product or service that successfully addresses the problem identified during the Discover stage. It will also include processes for feeding back lessons from the full design process to inform future projects, including methods, ways of working and relevant information.

From looking at these models and processes of our thinking we can see how our understanding of thought has developed over time.

On a basic premise Lawson’s model is a clear model of how a project evolves through thinking and process to a conclusion. The model forms a basis for the double diamond model, which underpins most of our process and thinking today.

It was intriguing unravelling our passage of thought and how we travel through these processes often without a second thought.

Workshop Challenge

Explore and find an example of a way of thinking. This could be from the area of arts, design, philosophy or science. Choose a thinker or a process and summarise in a black line drawing.

This week I had been watching some of the speakers at Adobe MAX and listened to Chris Campe, whom is a designer, author, and founder of her studio, All Things Letters in Hamburg, Germany.

She specialises in lettering because she couldn’t make up her mind between writing and designing. In her work, she combines letterforms and language to create experimental lettering that is both expressive and thoughtful. Chris studied Illustration in Hamburg and Paris and Visual Studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has written several books on lettering and co-founded the Berlin Letters festival. She also shares her knowledge in workshops, on Instagram, and as a speaker at conferences like Adobe MAX.

At art school Chris was afraid of the rules of letter design and making mistakes, she describes it as a secret science and imagined a typographic gatekeeping looking over her shoulder saying “what did you do? ….we’ve been doing this since Guttenberg and what you did is just wrong!” Subsequently, Chris did not finish any class on typography, type design or calligraphy. She later learnt from workshops, books, and by practising. Chris only overcame her fear of breaking the laws of letter design when she wrote her first book on lettering. After writing 3 books in only 3 years, a total of 600 pages about lettering and type design did she feel she really knew the rules! She finally understood that rules are guidelines not laws and began to experiment and push the rules of lettering!

“Rules are like handrails, they’re there when you are not sure of your step but you do not need to hold onto them in all circumstances.”

What lettering usually is: A series of letter custom draw for a specific use, like a book cover, editorial illustrations in a magazine, a logo, a mural, a stamp. Lettering as an applied art which serves to communicate a given message or mood. It communicates both visually and verbally and it addresses the viewer intellectually as text and emotionally as image.

For the duality to work the text needs to be readable. So no matter how fancy the letters she draws are she still wants people to be able to read the words.

in applied lettering legibility is key but in experimental lettering legibility is a lot less important. In fact, the meaning can get in the way of experimentation, so using alphabets works more easily than readable text.

The alphabet is a convention, it’s an agreement about what sign stands for which sound. In her experimental work she renders the conventionality of the alphabet visible and asks…

“does it have to be this way?”

Chris then examines how she can change the letterform before it no longer looks like a letter at all. For example: does an E have 3 arms or can I give it 5 or 7?

Chris explores the limits of letterness! An area where the letter strays so far from its original structure that it becomes unrecognisable. It is important in order to challenge the convention of what letters look like, people still need to recognise that it is still a letter and not just random shapes. In order to see the unusual people need to recognise the familiar first.

Process and Development

Using Chris Campe's creative process for her experimental lettering, I began by looking at a digital typeface onscreen for initial form while exploring the letterforms using analogue means including a variety of brushes, ink, fine liners and tracing paper before scanning and exploring digital techniques using Adobe Illustrator.

I really enjoyed this way of working and will definitely explore further. It is a fun way to play while refining analogue skills. Endless possibilities, adding different parameters along the way!

I tend to only use sketchbooks for personal projects and haven't done so for some time, so this was a great exercise to renew this practice and create a resource I can delve back into for future inspiration.

Final Outcome

Process poster inspired by Chris Campe's Adobe MAX talk and her creative process. It demonstrates the experimental process and how adding our own constraints/techniques can create a multitude of outcomes along the way.

By adding a starting point we have a prompt/inspiration and then by adding constraints we have something to move on with. Without constraints or a brief we do not have a direction but once formulated it can lead to play and more creative solutions. Professionally clients provide the brief and for personal work we can create our own, which can lead to play and allow for more experimental outcomes. This in turn can often lead to new interesting and exciting client work.

However, this is not a linear process, and the end is not always concrete. Projects might not completely evolve into an end product and may lie dormant for time until it could materialise again for another end or evolve into something else. With the create process there is no real end. A client project might not meet its full potential and be side-lined to the archives, yet later find its true calling.

GDE710: CONTEMPORARY PRACTICE Week 4 - The Self & Identity

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 22:04:41 GMT

Values & Equities; Giving Form to your Story

This week we looked at ‘the self’ and before we delved into our own being we had a guest lecture titled ‘The Self’, by Martin Hosken, a lecturer in critical theory. Martin teaches at Falmouth University on the postgraduate and undergraduate Graphic Design Courses.

Martin said, as humans we have a common ground… ‘Through the passage of conception, birth, infancy, childhood, puberty, adolescence, adulthood, middle age, old age and our eventual demise we all breath, eat, drink, sleep and dream. Throughout our lives we can experience pain, sadness, humour, beauty and moments of ecstasy, and most importantly the fabric of our communities are bound by feelings of love, attachment, empathy and the possibilities of our imagination. Yet we can also fight, bicker, squabble and lie, and at times it feels humanity can cast a long shadow.’

So, what makes us different?

...'From here we need to reflect on our own lives to extract our core values. These values are influenced by our individual experiences and beliefs influenced by family, culture, and our own psychology: YOUR SELF.'

If we look at the English language there are approximately 450 terms that are prefixed with the word ‘self’, demonstrating the vastness and complexity when exploring the concept of self.

I found it interesting that when the question is raised on nature over nurture and vice versa that most under 40s leant towards nurture and over 40s nature. While studying for A Level communication studies this question was raised along with case studies to support each case. I too leant towards nurture at that time, but now I would lean more toward nature, finding experience has more of a stronger influence on my thoughts and feelings. This could be that we are influenced more by our nurturers when we are younger taking on their thoughts and feelings; then later in life we become more independent in our thoughts and more influenced by our own life experience?

Workshop Challenge

How can graphic design enable you to communicate your core values at this moment on your course?

Distill from your understanding of your practice and your character, your values as a designer. Make an initial list of 20 words you can then edit down to five words.

Visual mood boards for each of my 5 chosen words:

Adaptive Mood Board

Juggling motherhood, being a carer for my mother, managing my work, being a pet mum, running a house and everything else life throws at us, I must be adaptable to whatever comes. This also goes for my work, as I often need to adapt to constraints.

For sometime I have been hearing about Midjourney, an independent research lab exploring new mediums of thought and expanding the imaginative powers of the human species. Due to the abstract subject of self I felt it would be a good opportunity to explore Midjourney’s artificial intelligence art to create some of my mood boards.

It is an interesting concept and I would need more time to explore to see how to refine imagery more to better match your own vision. Not a replacement for human creativity, but could be helpful for visualising initial ideas and concepts.

Curious Mood Board

I am curious by nature and love to explore and expand my knowledge. Graphic design projects often throw up new subjects I need to delve into in order to create something authentic and true.

Books and my studio library to feed my knowledge and curiosity. Other photos taken from my phone of curiosities I've found on walks e.g. painted numbers on a wall and the randomly scattered concrete curb stones on the shore, which could be used for inspiration at a later date.

Conscious Mood Board

I am aware of my surroundings and conscious to record everything including senses, sight, sound, feeling, touch, and smell. Another Midjourney experiment.

Experimental Mood Board

Often with my graphic design work, due to time constraints there isn’t any time to experiment, and I would like to use this time studying to do just that and explore techniques and materials I don’t normally get to. Take more risks, enjoy and have fun!

From my archive; experimental letters combining different forms and exploring space using a variety of materials including charcoal, pen, ink, graphite.

Aspiring Mood Board

I've been wanted to do some collage for a while now, so thought I'd use this in my mood boards. I did go a little off piste, delving into the Cross archives, but eventually started to create some collages to represent each of my chosen words.

I had been thinking about doing a master’s degree for several years, but sadly the courses I was interested in didn’t fit with my situation. During the pandemic and the amount of time I spent at home increased due to my mother’s poor health, I felt I needed to do something for me. I wanted to expand upon my practice and broaden my prospects, so I began looking at master’s degrees and found Falmouth Flexible.

Create a single visual expression that conveys you e.g. a film, 3D, typographic, an artefact or an experience.

Final Outcome: My ' SELF '

Conclusion

To express my 'self' and what makes me, me, I looked to my mood boards that I had created for each of my chosen words; adaptive, experimental, curious, aspiring, conscious.

I wanted to express the chaos of life, how we are often stretched in so many ways while it is also these things that equally shape us and make us who we are.

I collected photos, images from books, took photographs and delved into my archive of previous work to make this animation. The idea of my exploding head came last year when I first started my MA journey and created my first quadriptych, before having to put study on hold due to my mother falling ill. So, I was finally able to use these elements for this and possibly more appropriately.

Influenced by looking at the dada and surrealist artists I decided to use objects to represent elements of my life. I wanted the piece to be fun, while also touching lightly on the feeling of overwhelm at times and wanting to explode. My blinking eyes representative of the idea of consciousness and being aware. The idea of me appearing was to convey the idea of emergence from ones being and making the invisible, visible. There were so many other objects I would add to the mix if time had allowed, but it gives an idea of what I was trying to achieve while also demonstrating the process of unpacking my ‘self.’

Words manifesto

I aspire to expand my knowledge and better my design practice. No matter what life throws at me I will adapt to get the job done. I will remain curious and look at a variety of sources for research and explore methods to record my work. I will be conscious of my surroundings and use what I have. I will endeavour to experiment using processes and techniques I may not have used before to push myself from my comfort zone.

GDE710: CONTEMPORARY PRACTICE Week 3 - Fields of Practice

Tue, 04 Oct 2022 10:00:00 GMT

Designers, Design, New Languages,
Theory and the New Aesthetic

The Effect of Globalisation on Design

I found the guest lectures interesting to hear different views on the effects of globalisation on design and design practice.

Simon Manchipp from Someone, felt people saw globalisation in a negative way with some believing it leads to homogenised design. He doesn’t find this the case at all and for him it has ‘led to greater collaboration…with bigger ideas and a bigger canvas’. Working with different cultures can bring about a different way of thinking.

Although, technology gives us greater connectivity more easily, Sam Winston prefers to travel to work effectively and experience things first hand, ‘people respond to other people, you still need to connect.’

Sam Winston often works with a publisher on picture books and the books are printed in China. His last project was printed in 23 different languages all over the world, so very much tied to a global economy. This does affect the way he works as he was asked to separate text and image so there would be only one plate change for each language, which saves hundreds of thousands. So, it affects design decisions from an economical point of view. He tries to push away from this as it often means the last 500 books have been made like that, but as a creative you always ask how can I make a book that looks different? If it weren’t for designers pushing their ideas and their design, this way of working would inevitably lead to homogenised design.

In the resource film, 'Drawn Here (and There) by Non Format', it explores the role of the designer in a global context.

The two halves of Non Format, Kjell Ekhorn and John Forss, formed a creative partnership around 1999 and established a business in London in 2001. They started out with work for The Wire magazine before branching into fashion, music and publishing clientele. Their work is a fusion between type and image and has been highly influential often being defined as the look and feel of graphic design at turn of millennium. They have accrued many awards for their work.

Images: http://non-format.com/ (Oct 2022)

Images: Drawn Here (and There), 2010.

The charts above show how the duo working across time zones has increased how long the office is actually open for each working day. From left: London hours, London/USA hours, London/USA overlap, Norway/USA extended hours, potential for 24HRS!

Image 3 shows how much the pairs hours overlapped when they worked between London and USA where they could catch up and discuss work; and image 4 shows how this overlap was increased further with a change of time zones and both working a few extra hours.

They have clients all over the world and communicate mainly by Skype and email and have found it does not matter where they are in the world they can still work and collaborate together. They have calculated that the office could be manned 24hrs a day across time zones and the pair could also be working simultaneously for just as long as when they both worked in London together!

Globalisation, technology and remote working has allowed people to move anywhere in the world and work seamlessly, so no-one would actually know where you were working from!

Task 1: D&AD Award Winners 2022 Synopsis

Explore the categories of the D&AD award winners 2022 and consider how this impacts on your views of design terminology, consider the overlaps and points of change, difference and similarity.

I haven’t looked at the D&AD awards since studying for my BA some decades ago and it seems to have grown significantly. There are a whopping 40 categories not to mention subcategories for each. On looking through these I noticed that there were many projects entered into several categories and had either been short-listed or won across many. The most notable was the Burger King Whopper Heist, which won seven awards and was short-listed for a further two; this was across 5 categories for one campaign. This alone demonstrates the overlap between categories and disciplines. However, it also enforces that there are many design practices that are multidisciplinary, working collaboratively across disciplines and can therefore offer clients campaigns or solutions that integrate across many platforms. Collaboration and changing technologies enables boundaries to be overlapped or even broken to create whole new realms or subcategories.

One submission stood out in the Graphic Design category was the NYPhil submission (I love the use of typography). This crosses both graphic design and typography categories and therefore there is a crossover in subcategories including integrated and logo. Yet, this term ‘integrated’ encompasses multiple categories of design, so the list could be much longer. However, this type of work increases its reach to a wider and much broader audience and subsequently more success for the client and arguably more chances for awards in some cases.

There are so many overlaps and similarities, yet huge differences between some categories of design and I think the D&AD are making the best of a very difficult job in categorising them.

Historically examples of design would be covered by the more traditional category of ‘print’, but now this has been taken over by the infinite possibilities of ‘digital’. Amongst the submissions for this years D&AD I noticed the use of moving image, animation and video seems to have become the trend. Maybe to engage us for longer. In all, design will continue to grow and evolve with the adage of new technologies and continual development.

Below are some of the applications for the NYPhil new identity which as the short film accompanying the work suggests it has ‘infinite possibilities’ including moving image!

Task 2: Breaking the Boundaries of Graphic Design

We were asked to consider classic design models and definitions, and what breaks these boundaries. We believe in graphic design as a term but what are the areas that we believe fit under the umbrella of graphic design?

Branding

Editorial design

Book design

Web design

Type design

Logo design

Illustration

Packaging design

Animation

Interactive design

Choose a piece of design that breaks definitions of design practice and write a paragraph describing this practice. Come up with a new term that describes this area of work.

Meet Furnitype! I first came across the work of Joel Poole by accident when my mum was watching the BBC series, Money for Nothing, and his work instantly grabbed my eye by its bold, bright and vibrant style, plus my own love of mid-century furniture.

In an interview on Type 01 , Joel describes his work as traditional sign writing meets pop art, street art, graphic design and whatever else takes his fancy. He is an escapee of corporate life, and began restoring vintage furniture before coming across sign writing and work by the likes of Joby Carter, Dapper signs, Ben Eine to name a few.

Images: type-01.com (Oct 2022)

I love this combination covering lots of my own likes, mid-century furniture, sign writing, vibrant colour and upcycling! I too have turned my hand at upcycling my own furniture in the past by adding colour, but I think I need to push my own boundaries!

Images: elliecross (April 2020)

My daughter required a desk to complete her home-schooling during lockdown, so I renovated this desk that my great grandad had made for my mother when she was little. Originally it was painted white and had so many layers of paint from over the years. I stripped it back to bare wood and decided to leave some of the exposed wood like a window into the past and to see the grain that my great grandad would have also touched and worked on. I have a fondness for distressed textures and surfaces, so to see this through all its stages was a delight and to keep some of these gives the piece a little more character. Hopefully my great grandad would have approved!

GDE710: CONTEMPORARY PRACTICE Week 2 - Industry Today

Fri, 30 Sep 2022 09:11:20 GMT

Geo-tagging Studio Practice

I found this weeks resource, 'Drip-dry T-shirts; the evolution of the graphic designer' by Lucienne Roberts (AVA) very insightful into how the role of the graphic designer has evolved since the second world war and all the influences that have contributed to the practice of graphic design today.

Evolution of Design Culture to Today

Looking at the history of graphic design gives us an understanding of how we got to where we are today.

Connections can be seen, of how one moment led to the next, how style and ideas evolved and what influence social environments have played. The timeline shown opposite, is a great visual representation of how styles have evolved and can be tied to the emergence of inventions and technological advances and radical shifts in styles can be dated to specific events in history. Graphic design has come a long way in a relatively short space of time and continues to evolve.

Printing had been around for 500 years, initially to create books, when the industrial revolution gave rise to advertising. At the turn of the ninetieth and twentieth centuries there was a noticeable shift in recognition of the design decision, from that of the print decision, requiring the existence of the typographer and the designer. The 20s and 30s saw a rejection of the ideals of craft production. The machine and mass production was now what excited artists and designers alike (Roberts,
2005, p3)

Following World War 2 western society was left fragmented and sociological, political and economic changes were inevitable. Society needed to reject old ideas to invent new, to try and make everything better (Roberts, 2005, p2).

To be ‘modern’, typography had to be asymmetrically arranged on the page and type was predominantly sans serif, see the example left (Sock, 2016).. Typographers looked at abstract paintings as a source of theoretical and aesthetic inspiration, which led to a different approach to the integration of type and images. Images particularly photographs were used more abstractly and simply, like type, whilst type was exploited visually in the manner of an image. This marked the start of graphic design thinking that is still relevant today (Roberts, 2005, p3).

Pentagram Logo Designs (Image of the Studio, 2022), PMT machine (Design Bull, 2022), Traditional Typesetting (Adobe, 2022), Barney Bubbles, Emigre magazine.

In the 70s companies began to require a recognisable image and the logo was born. In order, to market products and services they needed to be instantly identifiable, and in comes the idea of branding. The likes of Fletcher, Forbes and Gill and Pentagram saw the emergence of independent practice and the birth of branding. Logos were seen as an Important tool and these design groups began creating identities for multinational companies, which were heavily influenced by modernist ideas (Hollis, 2001, p186-187).

In our lecture, ‘how did we get here?’, Maziar Raein talks about how the 80s was an interesting time for it seemed almost split in half. The early 80s had designers looking back to the production and design practices dating back to the 60s and the latter looked towards the future. Maziar, remembers clunky PMT machines (Photo-mechanical transfer) were used for enlarging work and much of type was still handset. These were then quickly replaced with the introduction of the computer.

Maziar goes on to say that there was a cultural shift against the political climate, after the disruption and turbulence of the 70s. The likes of Barney Bubbles and Jamie Reid became influential with their punk influenced graphics linked to the post-modern movement.

Emigre magazine was influential between 1984 and 2005 and one of the first publications to use Macintosh computers, Emigre influenced the move towards desktop publishing within graphic design. Art directors, Rudy Vanderlands and Zuzana Licko, caused quite a stir in the design community with their experimental layouts and Émigré became a platform for design debate, publishing essays and writing on design (Design is History, 2022).

This has by no means a succinct history of graphic design but touches on some of the developments which have influenced design culture today.

Trends today seem to be leaning towards moving image with the need to capture audience’s attention amongst a myriad of information bombarded at us continually through our new dependency on mobile technology and digital devices. With recent technological advances in 3D printing, AI and AR technology, where will
we go next?

Four key evolutionary design steps that contributed to the identity of the modern-day design culture in my area.

Printing / Mass Production
Photography / Advertising
Logo design / Branding / Identity
Computers / Web / Moving Image

Task 1: Design Practice

Select three practices that summarise my area in terms of design practice.

Living on the Hampshire/West Sussex border, I decided to look at practices across this area. The first was Buzzword or now known as 'Buzz', based in the cathedral town of Chichester in West Sussex, the second Yes! Creative based in the city of Portsmouth and Monster Creative, based on my doorstep in Emsworth, Hampshire.

Buzzword Creative

buzzwordcreative.co.uk

Buzzword Creative is based in Chichester, Hampshire. It creates brand identities and digital services for a wide range of industries including cultural, financial, education, commercial, broadcasting, charities, medical and corporate sectors. They were founded in 2001 and have 8 employees.

Company statement: We are a team of creative professionals, experienced in digital, design and brand building to develop client vision into reality. We believe in the power of people, innovative thinking and collaboration – all of which are adopted in our daily work ethic to exceed client expectations.

Image: Google maps (2001)

Images: buzzworkcreative.co.uk (Sept 2022)

Yes Creative

yesstudio.co

Yes Creative is a creative design studio in the heart of Southsea, Portsmouth. Established in 2013 they specialise in graphic design, branding, web design & development, illustration and video.

Company statement: We strive to make the most of your brand, and showcase what is special about you so you can stand out from the crowd. Our focus is to create aesthetic, beautiful and wholly unique work that increases your online, and offline, presence. We love design and we pride ourselves on being a bit different. We’re passionate, forward thinking designers who specialise in delivering bold and exciting web and design solutions.

Image: https://www.forunitedkingdomlovers.uk/portsmouth/en/best/social-media-design-specialists-portsmouth (Sept 2022)

Images: https://www.facebook.com/yescreativeagency (Sept 2022)

Monster Creative

monstercreative.co.uk

Monster Creative provides brand development, photography, graphic design, digital marketing and website design services.

Monster was established in 2007, they have an office in Westbourne, Hampshire and have recently expanded to the next town Emsworth with sister company, Co-working Emsworth.

Company Statement: Our approach is simple: Create experience-led, effective and original experiences so our clients’ continue to stand above the competition. We believe in the power of simple ideas underpinned by rigorous research, providing only the best and most up-to-date advice for every niche we serve. We work across a diverse scope of media to give you a full service agency experience.

Images: Google Maps (2019) - Monster's Westbourne Office &

https://www.facebook.com/MnsterUk

Images: https://www.facebook.com/MnsterUk (Sept 2022)

Task 2: Design Production

Select three places for design production in my area.

Sea Dog Print

seadogprintstudio.co.uk

Seadog Print studio specialises in screen printed and embroidered apparel.

They are a team of six comprising of the owner, Senior Graphic Designer, Head Screen Printer, Graphic Designer, Textile and Embroidery Engineer.

Company statement: Sea Dog is a Portsmouth based print studio equipped to produce the highest quality screen printing and embroidery. We pride ourselves on our standards and reliability of our service; always aiming to further advance our capabilities, service and efficiency.

Images: seadogprintstudio.co.uk (Sept 2022)

Four and Eights

www.foursandeights.co.uk

Four and eights are a print collective and risograph studio based in Portsmouth. They are both graphic designers. Marie is also a university lecturer teaching graphic design and is Adobe Certified. Darren is also an illustrator, printmaker and part-time lecturer too. They hold several professional memberships including The British Printing Society, The Society of Bookbinders and The Oxford Guild of Printers. They design, make and sell prints as well as pins, stationery and apparel online and from their studio at The Hotwalls Studios.

Company Statement: We are a print collective and riso studio based in Portsmouth. We are both graphic designers with a passion for print.

Images: www.foursandeights.co.uk (Sept 2022)

Bishop's Printers

bishops.co.uk

Bishops Printers is family run business based in Portsmouth since 1985. Starting with just three people and a small 2-colour printer in a garage, they now employ over 180 people now operate from a large industrial unit. They offer litho and digital printing, perfect binding, sadle-stitch binding, mailing and white label services.

Company statement: We’ll do all of the basics right, each time, every time. We’ll deliver outstanding service, be trustworthy, open, easy to deal with people who provide great quality products that deliver value.

We’re never blasé. We appreciate that you have choice. We work hard to win your business and every order matters to us. We want you to continue to place business with us for years to come. We’ll rise to every challenge you pose so that you experience first-hand: reliability, consistency, speed and we’ll produce great work we’re proud to deliver to you.

Images: https://www.google.com/maps/contrib/117128122401068298167/photos/@50.8369438,-1.0466884,17z/data=!4m3!8m2!3m1!1e1 (Sept 2022)

GDE710: CONTEMPORARY PRACTICE Week 1 - Who? What? Where? and Why?

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 11:18:21 GMT

Where Are You and Why Design?

Practitioner Case Studies: INTRO

Creative partners, Julian House and Adrian Talbot, have been practicing for 30 years. Both have produced work from their interests. Julian House has a keen interest in music and collected vinyl, which has led him to produce album artwork and onto animation and film. Adrian Talbot is more of a traditional designer working with 2D print and communication. His interests lie with print and letterforms, so his work orientates towards identity and logo design.

Based in London and majority of their clients are London based but with the advance in communication technology they do have clients that are further afield.

Talbot remises about studying graphic design and not really knowing much about it, apart from quite liking art at school. Perhaps then developing an interest in words and pictures and how they combine to tell a story. Seduced by works of Neville Brody and initially more interested in aesthetics over effectiveness of the story. Now his work is more refined and looks more at how to tell a story effectively with the minimum number of components. The arrangement of words and pictures and space still excites him 30 years later.

Quadriptych Challenge

Produce a quadriptych (four images) to illustrate your answer to each question:

Who? What? Where? and Why?

Who?

My name is Ellie (Eleanor) Cross and I am a graphic designer with a passion for print and typography. I have 10+ years of experience working in design studios and freelancing, plus a degree in Communication Design from the University of Portsmouth. I have taught in further education, and I am excited to start my new journey studying for a master’s degree while continuing to freelance alongside.

My ‘who’ design is the ‘e’ from my visual identity. It is made up of pieces just like a jigsaw all representing pieces of me.

Each piece representative of who I am, roles, responsibilities, work and hobbies, which often overlap, and this is communicated by the triangles intersecting and overlapping.

I chose to have some missing pieces from each letter to represent the idea of a design in progress and the problem solving that comes into the design process but here I feel it reflects my ongoing development and that we are never an end product, just evolving to become our better selves.

The bright colours reflect digital design, working on screen RGB and my love of colour. I have made a complete alphabet in this style and made my first font, ‘geoelectric’. It was a fun personal project, which still requires some refinement before releasing it into the wild.

Additionally, the letter is representative of my love of typography and letterforms.

I take influences from everywhere, my surroundings, experiences, books, people, my environment...

What is it that you do?

I design for both print and web which has brought a nice variety of work often bridging the two. Most work has started with logo/identity design and then progressed to further work.

A board game called, Batax, has been my pivotal project and quite a journey. Initially, I was brought in to realise the graphics beginning with the logo. Quickly I was immersed with all aspects of the project including the game itself.

The project has grown to encompass all aspects of the games design including packaging, the playing board itself and refining the instructions.

Working alongside its creator, we have researched materials to make it environmentally friendly. We have refined the board and playing pieces to make them easy to manoeuvre and navigate without interfering with opponent’s game play.

Being a strategy game we wanted it to have both a traditional but modern feel, which I believe we have achieved.

The reason for this being a pivotal project is that it has encompassed so many of my skills as a graphic designer yet challenged me in new realms of game and product design. It demonstrated my adaptive nature working across mediums, allowed me to play and take risks with the games identity. Another love is playing with shapes, so using the playing piece shape to create the logo was an absolute dream.

The project has also led to more collaborations with the artist who conceived Batax and we have gone on to design children’s books, an initiative to motivate people to talk and be proactive in making changes to their lives to help in the fight against climate change amongst other things.

My ‘what’ square shows the ‘b’ for Batax’s logo formulated from the shape of the games playing pieces.

Where?

I am based in Emsworth near Portsmouth on the sunny south coast. I have the best of both worlds in that I am close to the calm countryside and the tranquil sea, while only a short distance from the hustle and bustle of the city, Portsmouth, which has quite a thriving design community. Here I have access to a range of local printers, as well as a print making studio where I have access to screen printing facilities to escape the digital and get my hands dirty.

In the practitioner case studies, Sam Winston, talks about his need for silence and space to generate ideas, which resonated with me from my own experience working in a design studio after graduating from my BA. The studio was open plan with all our desks in the centre of the room. Three designers on one side and MD and account managers on the other. The setup allowed for easy communication between us all with questions often being fired across the tables. It also made for great collaboration for us designers when it came to projects, as we may be given a project to start on individually, but when it came back from the client with changes or edits it could go to any one of us depending on who was free. We would have a weekly meeting at the beginning of each week to discuss where each of us were, what work was on or coming in etc.

This setup and way of working didn’t work for me, it felt chaotic. I found the setup distracting and couldn’t concentrate. I also found you were constantly having to familiarise yourself with each job and what the previous designer had done/not done, as we all seemed to have different workflows and ways of artworking.

Today, I work from a small studio at home. I work independently where I have the space and quiet to formulate my ideas. I am responsible for each project and therefore I always know where I am. At times I miss sharing a space with another creative to discuss and bounce ideas off each other.

However, many of my recent projects have been collaborative, which has been amazing. We discuss the project and the best way to tackle it together and then we each go our separate ways to work on our elements. We then meet regularly to discuss progress or communicate remotely and so on until the project is complete. This has been a massive breakthrough in my design process and what works for me as a designer.

With the digital age I do not find my location hinders me. I have local clients whom I meet in person and others whom I communicate with remotely.

This ‘where’ design demonstrates where I am situated in the uk. I thought I would keep this simple for those who are located elsewhere in the world rather than using place names, which could be lost on the reader.

Why Design?

I had an interest in art and design at school and loved design and communication. I’d spend many a lesson doodling and playing with lettering, but I was steered away from graphic design and didn’t really know what direction to take. After several years of dead-end jobs where I had worked my way up as far as I could go, I returned to college and took a part-time desktop publishing course. Little did I know this was the beginning of my road back to design! I became computer literate (unleashing my inner geek) and was hungry for more. I made the decision to return to full-time education and study A Levels. At this stage I was still unsure what I really wanted to do. After choosing two of my subjects, information communication technology and communication studies what would be my third? My tutor suggested Law, but after literally falling asleep in class I needed a rethink. Scouring the subjects there was one that leapt out at me, Graphic Design. I loved printmaking, rendering letters, and extending my software knowledge. That was it back on my path and went on to study a BA in Communication Design.

My work so far typically started life by hand and I loved exploring new mediums, screen printing, letterpress, photography and so on. Once I graduated I landed a dream job at a local design and marketing studio. I learnt so much, especially software in a very short space of time, including how to delete elements in Quark Xpress using the delete robot (showing my age)! With all the work now produced digitally for corporate clients, I began to hate everything about studio life. I remembered the advice of one of my university tutors, “make the most of your freedom and experiment”, now I knew what she meant.

I took a complete break from design until a graphics technician job came up at a local college and I loved it. I enjoyed using my knowledge and expertise to help the students and no two days felt the same. I fell back in love with Graphic Design and began freelancing again on the side. College gave me the fix with the handmade and getting my hands dirty, while freelancing kept my hand in all things digital.

This is pretty much where I am today, freelance projects working digitally for my freelance clients/ projects and then back to analogue for extracurricular play on personal projects. It is all about balance.

For me design is a journey, each project different and presenting a new challenge. The only commonality with each project, being it is a journey from A to B. A is the beginning; the brief, and B the destination; the end design. A client may come to me with a starting point to design a company logo and then they often present me with other work, a new journey to another destination. For me this keeps things interesting and enables me to delve into realms and subjects I may not have ever come across. I am always learning and I get to play along the way!

"Design is a tool to solve a problem; it is visual communication with carefully constructed words and images to convey a message simply and effectively. Design can move you, it can call for action, it can instruct you, it can inform you. Design is a visual language that can speak to you!"

This ‘why?’ design is a simple diagram to represent a journey from A to B and the dip represents the design process and how often you can trough part way but you keep plugging and you come out the other side to an end destination, the final design.

It combines words (although here just letters) and image to define what graphic design is to me and showing the anchors and handles is to convey the notion of being constructed… design also makes me smile! :)

Initial idea and Development

Much of my work is created using Adobe Illustrator especially logo designs, so I felt vector graphics would be a good way to represent me and what I do.

Initial layout and ideas above and digital development below.

Initially, I was working with a four-square grid but found the elements didn’t sit comfortably with each other and they felt unbalanced, so I pursued a four panel grid instead. The idea for a panel layout came from Regular Practice’s talk on the quadriptych and hieroglyphic inscriptions. I like how each column flows to the next. In choosing to use simple vector graphics these too reminded me of the visual language associated with hieroglyphs.

MA Graphic Design Blog

GDE740: APPLICATIONS and INTERACTIONS Week2 - Ideas, Craft and Context

Applied Thinking, Speculative and Contemporary Theory in Design

What do other cultures do with their loved ones belongings?

GDE740: APPLICATION and INTERACTIONS Week 1 - Brief Analysis

Aims, objectives, brief development and audience

This week we were asked to return to previous module, GDE710, to select a project we could develop further to become the subject for a 4 week self-initiated project.

What is a self-initiated project and why do them?

How do you identify the subject of a self initiated project?

How do you structure and plan the production of a self-initiated project?

Self-initiated Project

References

GDE730: STUDIO and ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK 5 - The Collaborative Mix | Reflecting on Classic Models for Graphic Design Working

The Collaborative Mix | Reflecting on Classic Models for Graphic Design Working

Morag Myerscough Collabroration with Sheffield's Childrens Hospital

Offshore: Migrant Magazine

Reflect on at least one example of a collaborative project that has led to an exemplary and historically significant piece of work.

Take-aways:

References

GDE730: STUDIO and ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK 4 - Business / Project Plans and Communication | Client Relationships, Insight, Content, Structure

Week 4: Business / Project Plans and Communication | Client Relationships, Insight, Content, Structure

Riso Studio Business Plans

Disclaimers

Products

Subscriptions

Membership

Charity | Not for Profit

Client Relationships

Terms of Service

Privacy Policy

Determine what might be working well with your business plan, assess what could be missing and consider how might you improve it in the future.

Take-aways:

References

GDE730: STUDIO and ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK 3 - Legal and IP Frameworks | Comparing Different Case Studies, Media Use and Equity Ownership

Legal and IP Frameworks | Comparing Different Case Studies, Media Use and Equity Ownership

﻿

Plagarism Allegation

Licensing

Stock Imagery

Font Licensing

Third-party: Client Content

Copyright / Intellectual Property

Equity Ownership: Sole trader or limited company?

Sole Trader

Limited Company

Graphic Design Contract

Limitation of Liability / Indemnity

Service agreement

What is a service agreement?

Why would I use a service agreement?

Proofing and Disclaimer

Insurance for Graphic Designers

Professional Indemnity

Public Liability Insurance

Business Equipment Insurance

Employers’ Liability Insurance

Contents Insurance

Selling Online

Before an order is placed

Selling digital services

Downloads and streaming services

After an order is placed

Key Points:

References

GDE730: STUDIO and ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK 2 - Business Models, Studios, Estimating, Invoicing and Budget Management

Business Models, Studios, Estimating, Invoicing and Budget Management | Test & Rehearse

﻿ Who? What? When? Why?

Why Riso?

Riso Studios: Business Models

Dizzy Ink

Printed Goods

Risotto

Four and Eights

Key Take-Aways:

Costs

References

GDE730: STUDIO and ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEEK 1 - Planning, Strategy and Management

Philosophies, Roles and Approach

Practitioner Case Studies

What do you think are the essential logistical and practical requirements to set up a design studio/ business?

Who? What? When? Why?

What is the one piece of advice you can offer about running a successful studio?

Big Data

Brief 1 - Concept & Development:
Type Lingo Bingo

Story Told

Library Cut Backs and Closures

Contemporary Typography