PPD Task 2

PPD / Task 2

Throughout the course of this academic year , I have learnt a variety of different skills which has increased my knowledge of the graphic design sector and the skills required to fit this job role. Before starting the course I had little knowledge about the workflow and processes a designer goes through when carrying out a project.

The first module 'Branding and Corporate Image' gave me a real insight into systematic design and the techniques involved in producing design for a business. Our first task was to come up with a logo for a live brief situated in Newcastle. I learnt that it is crucial to step away from the computer and start on paper as you can get things down quicker and essentially get more creative before executing the design on the computer. Producing stationary for Creative Industries helped me understand the layouts and dimensions for different types of stationary such as letterheads , compliment slips etc something I was not aware of before starting this course. I also found it interesting researching into what a brands ideology was and what actually made a brand become a brand , learning about this helped me understand and clarify how a designer comes up with a logo and what processes they have to go through to produce a final outcome .

Throughout the digital skills module I managed to pick up a handful techniques which increased my knowledge in both Illustrator and Photoshop but also how important it is to brand yourself and get it right. Which is something I found particularly hard in this module as it was not easy compacting all your brand values into one piece of promotional material and especially a logo for yourself. However a workshop held by Neil helped me formulate different brand characteristics for myself by selecting one object from each category that I felt best represented myself as a brand and my work. This gave me some key words that were relevant to myself which I could use as a guideline when designing my final piece. I could use the work produced in the future when I begin to create a website and officially brand myself as a graphic designer. I enjoyed this module particularly as It gave me creative freedom to produce something to my taste and make all the decisions when it came to my layout and logo. I also picked up some useful techniques in Adobe programmes such as layering in Photoshop ; the ability to screen images over each other to achieve different effects which really opened up a number of different experimental techniques . On my final piece it allowed me to screen light leaks over my image to achieve a Lomotography effect. I also learnt how to successfully trace using the pen tool in Photoshop which is something I was unable to achieve and often strayed away from in the past.

Whilst undergoing the Typographic and Editorial module it made apparent that Editorial design is definitely something Im interested in pursing in the future along with Art Direction , I enjoyed arranging where all the elements would go and making all the decisions when it came to type , layout and imagery. I picked up some useful skills in the Indesign workshops such as how to arrange a document including margins and gutters but also how to place imagery and arrange body copy using place holders. I was already aware of kerning and tracking however going over it in these workshops helped set it in stone and how important it is to think about these attributes when arranging type for print. I really enjoyed this module as it gave me the chance to do a magazine spread on someone of my choice allowing me to experiment with my style however getting back the marks for this module was a little disappointing only achieving 54% on a project I really enjoyed and thought was one of best final pieces of the year. On the other-hand it highlighted the fact that I need to challenge myself after my tutor mentioned my design was too safe and needed weighting. I took this advice and was then able to apply this feedback to our next module for Work Based Learning.

The Work Based learning module opened up a number of different opportunities which I found really interesting , collaborating with a third party photographer and being able to step into an Art Directors role for the day . Before starting the module I was un clear of the actual role of an Art Director , I enjoyed the authority and decision making that came with the job. I was able to convey my idea to a photographer and make all the decisions regarding my shoot including composition, type , lighting , layout. This gave me an insight into working in industry and a better idea of what I want to do in the future in the creative sector. This module was also the first time we were actually working with a live client , after attending a meeting with tyneside I enjoyed learning about design management and the processes in which designers go through when liaising with a third party. I was pleased with how my final design was executed and enjoyed the processes I went through when designing and arranging type and layout. Overall this module helped me understand both the role of an art director and a graphic designer in more clarity which advanced my knowledge of creative practices.

Upon receiving the Practice Enrichment Brief , it being the last module of my course I wanted to challenge myself and step outside the safe zone producing something that would surprise myself. So I set myself a high standard in this module and decided to render my own illustrations of iconic objects from the book 'The Big Sleep' , I loved the idea of doing a book illustration and couldn’t wait to get started. In this module I learnt how to successfully render my own illustrations using illustrator and a number of different colouring techniques in Photoshop. It was also interesting to learn about different techniques designers use to generate ideas for this type of brief including a method called fact or fiction and the process of taking photograph to get a better idea of the composition

of your illustration. Both of these methods introduced me to higher thinking when it comes to arranging a piece of design , picking out everything allowing me to go further and think more creative.

Workshop - Fact Or Fiction

Nick showed us a really useful exercise today called Fact Or Fiction a method used by top creatives in the advertising industry. It really got me thinking on a higher level creatively and opened up my eyes to new ways of working and idea generation. The task at hand was to find an article from a newspaper and produce a rich image of this story in one illustration , I decided to pick the marget thatcher story
'Thatchers Funeral Cost Britons 6p Each'. We had to pick out the Facts and Fictions from this story and come up with one solid illustration with a truth statement. After clueing together the facts and fictions I came about the idea to represent Marget Thatcher as an out of date Milk Bottle , as her funeral opened up old memories of her presidency like a bad smell and also the underlying fact she took away milk at schools.

Workshop - Photo Acting For Illustration

Today my tutor showed me a really useful technique when trying to get a better idea of my illustration characters and how they can be formed using photography. The workshop taught me that by taking a photograph you were then able to reenact the composure you want for your illustration and trace over this. Above is an example of the sort of thing we were doing , exaggerating characters and going abit wild. I enjoyed the process and gave me alot of ideas about the sort of ways I can achieve an illustration when im not necessarily good at drawing as one thing i always struggle with is the composure of my characters .

NCI 404 Practice Enrichment - Research Task 1

I have collected a range of different imagery wthat portrays a certain style of illustration that interests me. Some of the work featured is taken from works by Malika Favre. I really like Geometric styling and clean cut shapes used to combine different elements of animals features. It is clear the 

positioning of the shapes has been thought out throughly using grids and tools such as the path finder to form these obscure shapes. The colours and clever use of white space to form elements of the 

object I find really intriguing and would love to experiment with this in my up and coming module. 

The smooth bold shapes are masked perfectly to make up a feature of a person or in this case an animal. The Deer image really caught my eye I love the simplicity and natural looking curves that make up the shape of the deer , but also the use of colour and texture . The textures seems to be grainy and old fashioned giving that screen printed feel which i think works really well with illustration and bold 

imagery

I decided to have a look at some Japeneese Match stick illustration , I love the abstract nature and the dated texture applied the posters. I Think this texture was applied by the type of paper the Japeneese worked on it was grainy and often very fluffy to work with. However by using this paper it allowed them to achieve these textures within there work . I aslo really liked the way the Japanesse portrayed and illustrated animals, the deer to the left is almost symetrical and the shading done using just wieghts in lines gradually shortening. The bird above is crafted only using brush strokes to make up the shape of the bird not just a fill colour. 

The use of white space really intrigues, I love the way it can give two different perspetives of an image making people think twice . The use of white space in the image to left of the legs portraying a mans foot and a womans foot at the same time using bold shapes and smooth curves with minimal detailing and use of colour but yet so effective. The karma sutra illustration uses the same sort of style to reflect a man and womens position but at the same time creating a beautiful backgound as all of the images are merged together using black and white to an advantge. The Great Gatsby book cover shows an example of white space used in print and how the positioning and use of colour can 

manipulate an image . As the figure is depicted sitting down the chair is simply outlined my the way figure is sitting and curvature on his legs and arm making it look like there is chair there.

I wish to experiment with white space in this module looking at these examples has given me

an idea of how almost anything can be transformed by clever use of whitespace and 

effective curvatures. 

I like the way these illustrations defy depth or shadow through tone of colour. The image of house displays this nicely , differerent tones of green have been used to explore depth as the tone gradually gets darker as it moves to the ground and lighter in the sky. The pinapple image to the left, uses symmetry to reflect and tessalate the shapes. I like the way the pine cone has been created using colour tones as shadow making it look more realistic but still keeping in with the geometric styling . The texture and mild colour help portray a vintage look and feel. This is something I wish to experiment with when i come to decide on colour palettes and shading for my book cover.

NCI 402 Work Based Learning - Final Design

Before inserting my type , something I found very usefull from my previous project on editorial was using guides to correctly position type on a layout so everything was inline and aligned correctly with the middle of the page. I decided to use this 

photograph as the train tracks fit perfectly into the middle and the photo looks like old train tracks and slightly washed out like Alfred Hitchcocks imagery in his 1950’s posters.

Final Design - I am happy with how this turned out , and how the type looks inside my characters , the lines i think help keep it all aligned and together but also give it a decorate effect alike Alfred Hitchcocks titles. The type is relevant and the actors names compliment the title and headings. I also decided to place Alfred Hitchcocks logo or trade mark at the top of the type so it is even more recognisable .

NCI 402 Work Based Learning - Contact Sheet Back From Photographer

After a week or so our photographs were uploaded onto a dropbox account in which we were allowed to download in a jpeg format. Along with this we were each given a contact sheet by the photographer with all of our photos on , from this we were able to identify which shots we needed and get an overall preview of all of our photos on one page. Above I have circled the shots I am most happy with , I will then give this to the photographer for the raw files of the images I have 

selected. 

Upon recieving the raw files I was able to work with jpegs to get a feel for the layout and how everything is going to fit together on screen. I began to produce a variety of design ideas whilst waiting for the raw files so once I have the raw files it will just be a case of placing the images in. 

NCI 402 Work Based Learning - Day Of Shoot

Arriving at 9am on Friday morning I was a little apprehensive about how things would turn out , after waiting an hour or so for the equipment to be set up and lighting arranged , we noticed that the camera was not attached to a monitor and the cable was missing or did not function. This was abit of a pain as I could not view the photographers shots on a larger scale meaning I would have to look at the image through the camera screen. After waiting for my group members to take there turn . It was nearly lunch time and we were all getting a little hungry however it was my turn to step up to the mark. I began by briefing the models and showing them my scamps so they can in turn get a better idea of how I want it to look . I jumped on set and arranged where the models would stand , after every photograph taken I would have a look at the preview and decide what adjustments needed to be made. Firstly the lighting , it was far too dim , As I needed a silouette of two males the detail was not essential , so the lighting was brought to the back to achieve this effect. After numerous changes and adjusments with the photographer I really felt like an art director , orchestrating every movement of the model making all the decisions regarding the style/colour/lighting. It really gave me an insight into the job role of an Art director and what it means to be one. After I was happy with the photographs the photoshoot was over and I left with the experience of being an art director for the day even if it was for an hour or so - I felt important.

NCI 402 Work Based Learning - Tyneside Cinema Meeting

Our Client’s ‘Tyneside 

Cinema’ decided to invite us along to a short presentation about how they work with external partners aswell as the limitations and contraints of working with a third party. This gave me an insight into 

actually how many people are involved in the design process . At Tyneside It has to go through many different levels of interaction before a design decision or mock up is even made. 

After the presentation we got back to class and were asked to illustrate the critical paths that were taken by a designer and a client when liasing with each other. This helped me gain a better idea of the 

processes proffesional designers have to go through when designing for an outside client that has limitations. It made me realise how little time you get to actually ‘design’ and runaway with your imagination. As there are always people who need to feedback so it eventually turns into a back and forth process between the desinger and the client going through various different party’s before something can actually be signed off and produced.

NCI 402 Work Based Learning - Inspiration

I then decided to look at some current film posters that exist today. Whilst searching through pinterest I found these two posters which really inspired me and gave me an abundence of Ideas for my own poster. I love the way the ‘Road To Perdition’ poster has been executed . 

The silouette outline of a man , presumed to be the main charater or protagonist of the film. Whilst in scenes black and white from the film are captured inside the silouette merging together. I think this idea works really well . The type positioned at the bottom center of the poster helps ground the main image and complete the overall balance of the Layout. 

Another Poster which really caught my eye was the officlal poster for ‘Looper’ . Portraying the two main characters vertically symetrical from the title of the film. The actors names are placed above in a smaller type unlike Hitchcocks where the actors are placed at the bottom with higher case surnames. I think this idea could work well for ‘Strangers On A Train’ as there are two main characters alike Looper. I am going to use these two posters as my main source of inspiration for my ideas . By finding these posters it will help me form a clearer idea of what kind of photographs I need for my poster and how I will present my idea’s to the photographer when art directing my photoshoot. 

NCI 402 Work Based Learning - Alfred Hitchcock Research

I began to look at some of the contemporary posters around for Hitchcock’s films , this really gave me an insight into what other artists picked up on from the film. Which scenes or objects are represented and which are not. Colours/Layout and Style differ from the 1950’s , displaying a more illustrative style and picking up on key enigma’s that the audience will almost instantly recognise and be able to relate to . I found this really helpfull in gaining more idea’s about what type of style and layout I want to execute in my Stangers On A Train Poster. 

NCI 402 Work Based Learning - Alfred Hitchock Research

Looking at the posters for ‘Strangers On A Train’ helped me gain a better idea of what sort of scenes and enigma codes were dipicted in the posters to help illustrate the films narrative and 

evidently sell it. I have noticed that the actors names are always featured in a large type that differs from the film title giving the actors there own respect and limelight. The actors names are usually positioned at the top of the poster or the bottom , the type also appears to be smaller than the title also displaying there first name in a smaller type than the surname. I will take on board these layout proportions and conventions of posters to help me when scamping out initial ideas for the layout and composition of my poster for Strangers On A Train. I decided to watch my chosen film to get a better idea of the storyline and really get into the style of Hitchcock’s work. At first i was a little apprehensive about the film being how dated it was however i picked up on a lot of enigma codes used by Hitchcock and key scenes with gave me some ideas for my poster. The film is shot in black and white allowing Hitchcock to experiment with low lighting  and exaggerate the mood and emotion in the particular scene.

NCI 402 Work Based Learning - Alfred Hitchcock Research

After looking at some of Alfred Hitchcock’s existing posters for films , it is clear there is a distinctive style within the layout and feel of each poster . The posters usually include manipulated photography with hand rendered slab typography using abstract shapes and experimental layout. The posters are relevant to the time period of 1940’s - 1950’s . 

The illustrative style is detailed and although the posters look dated now , they were clearly as 

influential as the films. I like the over dramatic imagery and by looking at these posters it will help me gain a better idea of the layout/style and color palettes for my own design for ‘Strangers On A Train’ .