Overall I feel that this has been my least successful brief overall.
The fact that I got ill for the first week did not help matters and made me rush my final idea and produce something that was not only ineffective and didn't follow the brief properly but that I was not proud of as a designer.
I would have liked to carry the dubstep idea a lot further and investigate many different ways which i could manipulate the existing typeface to make it look like it belonged on a dubstep poster/flyer.
After my unsucessful final crit i decided to completely re-think my idea... and decided to go off on a tangent with the cowboy idea and found this much easier to work with... and looked a lot more successful as a result.
I spent a lot of time experimenting with different things surrounding the cowboy and western theme... with stirrups and cowboy print, spurs and ropes... and the most successful result was the rope idea, using the frays as serifs.
Now this idea I felt worked a lot more and I felt better about myself as a designer with this as a result. The idea needs to be re-produced and a lot more work to make it look perfect but I definitely feel this goes with the brief a lot better.
Its fun and about cowboys at the same time... which really communicates Chris... now i just have to produce the whole thing.
Thursday 22 October 2009
Sunday 18 October 2009
Alphabet soup 2 - For a partner - Evaluation on Chris's typeface based on me
What personality traits do you interpret from the typeface designed to represent you?
Chris has split each of the letterforms into 1/2 upper-case and 1/2 lowercase and combined them to make one.
I told him i had a tendency to slightly bi-polar sometimes... therefore I am assuming that this is the idea that he is working with.
Describe what you think of the typeface :
I think that this typeface is a really well-designed piece of work... it's incredibly well designed and thought out... it looks very professional.
In what ways is it effective, and in what way is it ineffective of representing you?
I think, in the sense of the bi-polar side to me, that this represents me very well... however, to me as a whole, i feel Chris didn't take into account the larger parts of my personality... the typeface is very neat and concise, but not very fun... which i feel would have portrayed me a lot more effectively.
Chris has split each of the letterforms into 1/2 upper-case and 1/2 lowercase and combined them to make one.
I told him i had a tendency to slightly bi-polar sometimes... therefore I am assuming that this is the idea that he is working with.
Describe what you think of the typeface :
I think that this typeface is a really well-designed piece of work... it's incredibly well designed and thought out... it looks very professional.
In what ways is it effective, and in what way is it ineffective of representing you?
I think, in the sense of the bi-polar side to me, that this represents me very well... however, to me as a whole, i feel Chris didn't take into account the larger parts of my personality... the typeface is very neat and concise, but not very fun... which i feel would have portrayed me a lot more effectively.
Alphabet soup 2 - For a partner - Evaluation on the re-visited typeface
Partner - Chris Anderson
Which personality traits did you choose to respond to and apply to the typeface?
I chose to use the fact that Chris wanted to dress up as a cowboy at a fancy-dress party. I feel this also communicate his fun and childish sides (which he also described himself as).
What are the reasons behind the design decisions you have made for the typeface?
Whilst looking into different aspects of the cowboy theme... I discovered there were so many different visuals i could incorporate into the designs... I didn't want to throw in the kitchen sink if you will... i thought that using ropes to form the letters was an effective and simple way to portray this. I then decided to add frays into the ropes to add a bit more detail.
In what ways are the results effective?
I think they effectively show what I am trying to portray... the letterforms are clearly created out of frayed ropes.
If I had more time to re-create this typeface I would definitely have looked into different ways of using the ropes to create the letterforms... maybe use the lassoo idea? maybe incorporate more of a Western feel?
Which personality traits did you choose to respond to and apply to the typeface?
I chose to use the fact that Chris wanted to dress up as a cowboy at a fancy-dress party. I feel this also communicate his fun and childish sides (which he also described himself as).
What are the reasons behind the design decisions you have made for the typeface?
Whilst looking into different aspects of the cowboy theme... I discovered there were so many different visuals i could incorporate into the designs... I didn't want to throw in the kitchen sink if you will... i thought that using ropes to form the letters was an effective and simple way to portray this. I then decided to add frays into the ropes to add a bit more detail.
In what ways are the results effective?
I think they effectively show what I am trying to portray... the letterforms are clearly created out of frayed ropes.
If I had more time to re-create this typeface I would definitely have looked into different ways of using the ropes to create the letterforms... maybe use the lassoo idea? maybe incorporate more of a Western feel?
Alphabet soup 2 - For a partner - Evaluation on the original typeface
Partner's name - Chris Anderson
Which personality trait did you choose to respond to and apply to the typeface?
I chose the fact that Chris is very into his music... particularly dubstep and drum & base. I also picked up that he is quite fun and vibrant... and his favourite colour is orange.
What are the reasons behind the design decisions you have made for this typeface?
I wanted to find a font which would look appropriate on a flyer or poster advertising dubstep and drum&base club nights or shows. One that caught the eye, was bold and colourful and then edit it to incorporate more of Chris's personality.
In what ways are the results effective?
I think they are effective in that they achieved my goal. I could imagine this typeface on a dubstep flyer/poster... the orange is very bright and eye-catching.
In the final crit for this project, with the help of Fred and the others in the session I realized that my typeface was not altered enough from the original I used from the internet... so in a way, was plagerism.
I decided following this to take a completely different direction and try to create an original typeface... which followed the brief properly.
I decided to use another answer to Chris's quiz... the fact that he wanted to dress up as a cowboy. There are some really strong visuals surrounding the whole cowboy tradition so felt that this would be an effective way to go.
After creating a few letterforms using ropes as a base, I decided this looked a lot more effective than the previous idea.
Which personality trait did you choose to respond to and apply to the typeface?
I chose the fact that Chris is very into his music... particularly dubstep and drum & base. I also picked up that he is quite fun and vibrant... and his favourite colour is orange.
What are the reasons behind the design decisions you have made for this typeface?
I wanted to find a font which would look appropriate on a flyer or poster advertising dubstep and drum&base club nights or shows. One that caught the eye, was bold and colourful and then edit it to incorporate more of Chris's personality.
In what ways are the results effective?
I think they are effective in that they achieved my goal. I could imagine this typeface on a dubstep flyer/poster... the orange is very bright and eye-catching.
In the final crit for this project, with the help of Fred and the others in the session I realized that my typeface was not altered enough from the original I used from the internet... so in a way, was plagerism.
I decided following this to take a completely different direction and try to create an original typeface... which followed the brief properly.
I decided to use another answer to Chris's quiz... the fact that he wanted to dress up as a cowboy. There are some really strong visuals surrounding the whole cowboy tradition so felt that this would be an effective way to go.
After creating a few letterforms using ropes as a base, I decided this looked a lot more effective than the previous idea.
Alphabet soup 1 - dissect - Evaluation
This is the feedback I received from another student on the course in response to my typeface for the word 'Dissect'.
WHAT IS BEING COMMUNICATED AND HOW?
I do feel like it communicates really well, at first it took me a little while to properly understand. Dissect is quite clear once seen however, from the skin print down to the bone, very literal but its really effective. I like it. It's quite hard to see what each image/photograph is, but that might be for the best, as it could be quite disgusting, but then it might communicate in a stronger way.
HOW WELL DOES THIS ANSWER THE BRIEF?
It answers the brief really well, existing letterforms have been used and have been altered to show the appropriate meaning. There's been no change in colour or editing which makes it easier to see clearly.
HOW WELL HAS THE IDEA BEEN VISUALLY EXPLORED?
The design sheets clearly show where you started and how you came to what you produced as a result.
WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS OF THE RESOLUTION?
The strengths of the resolution are how literal it is and how well it communicates the word. Dissect conjures up a lot of images and this would be the most vivid, it is also straight to the point.
HOW COULD IT BE IMPROVED?
Maybe if it was done on the computer it would be a lot more professional and could really try different ways - like letters showing more of the underneath layers.
My response to the feedback.
I totally agree with this feedback, my intention this week was to make the letters clearly but simply convey the word dissect... which I feel I did by keeping a very literal view throughout... which, all in all, is what I feel graphic design is about... visually communicating what you're trying to say... so people can understand what you're trying to say.
I also agree with the idea of reproducing the letters on the computer... as to my knowledge of the programmes at this point, i do not feel i would be able to do this to its best advantage as I would probably spend most of my time trying to figure how to work the programme rather than doing anything productive with the letterforms... maybe at a later date I will be able to re-address this and push this project to its best.
WHAT IS BEING COMMUNICATED AND HOW?
I do feel like it communicates really well, at first it took me a little while to properly understand. Dissect is quite clear once seen however, from the skin print down to the bone, very literal but its really effective. I like it. It's quite hard to see what each image/photograph is, but that might be for the best, as it could be quite disgusting, but then it might communicate in a stronger way.
HOW WELL DOES THIS ANSWER THE BRIEF?
It answers the brief really well, existing letterforms have been used and have been altered to show the appropriate meaning. There's been no change in colour or editing which makes it easier to see clearly.
HOW WELL HAS THE IDEA BEEN VISUALLY EXPLORED?
The design sheets clearly show where you started and how you came to what you produced as a result.
WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS OF THE RESOLUTION?
The strengths of the resolution are how literal it is and how well it communicates the word. Dissect conjures up a lot of images and this would be the most vivid, it is also straight to the point.
HOW COULD IT BE IMPROVED?
Maybe if it was done on the computer it would be a lot more professional and could really try different ways - like letters showing more of the underneath layers.
My response to the feedback.
I totally agree with this feedback, my intention this week was to make the letters clearly but simply convey the word dissect... which I feel I did by keeping a very literal view throughout... which, all in all, is what I feel graphic design is about... visually communicating what you're trying to say... so people can understand what you're trying to say.
I also agree with the idea of reproducing the letters on the computer... as to my knowledge of the programmes at this point, i do not feel i would be able to do this to its best advantage as I would probably spend most of my time trying to figure how to work the programme rather than doing anything productive with the letterforms... maybe at a later date I will be able to re-address this and push this project to its best.
Saturday 17 October 2009
Alphabet soup 2 - For a partner - formative feedback
In this crit... two people assess your work with the back-up ideas and designs.
This was my feedback -
STRENGTHS -
Good research into existing type, good annotation in sketchbook and a good use of colour.
WEAKNESSES -
No brainstorm of ideas or real research into his character. Work just loose sketches not stuck into book or annotated, what are they? what are they for? and how do they relate to Chris?
The typeface has not been manipulated enough.
ACTIONS -
Present the whole re-visited alphabet.
Stick in loose sketches and annotate better.
Experiment with more colour.
Why rope? explain...
STRENGTHS -
Good research on typeface. Deep investigation into dubstep.
Annotated sketchbook.
WEAKNESSES -
Not much research into the cowboy theme, how it links to chris... in the sketchbook.
The typeface hasn't been modified much, its simple and doesn't communicate all that well.
ACTIONS -
Develop ideas, more brainstorming
Work on letterforms to communicate his personality.
Experiment with colour, materials and methods of producing type.
This was my feedback -
STRENGTHS -
Good research into existing type, good annotation in sketchbook and a good use of colour.
WEAKNESSES -
No brainstorm of ideas or real research into his character. Work just loose sketches not stuck into book or annotated, what are they? what are they for? and how do they relate to Chris?
The typeface has not been manipulated enough.
ACTIONS -
Present the whole re-visited alphabet.
Stick in loose sketches and annotate better.
Experiment with more colour.
Why rope? explain...
STRENGTHS -
Good research on typeface. Deep investigation into dubstep.
Annotated sketchbook.
WEAKNESSES -
Not much research into the cowboy theme, how it links to chris... in the sketchbook.
The typeface hasn't been modified much, its simple and doesn't communicate all that well.
ACTIONS -
Develop ideas, more brainstorming
Work on letterforms to communicate his personality.
Experiment with colour, materials and methods of producing type.
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