Charles and Isla - end of year show presentation

(work in college designed by Peter & Paul)

They were working in collaboration with Peter & Paul (a design company that does the branding for LCA) this created a lot of hurdles and restrictions set by them.
The feedback they received was very brutal and not sugar coated like it is in college
To help them with their design they picked apart the brief and chose what was important to them which they said made it easier for them to create work because they were doing something they enjoyed.



To get some idea of what to produce they looked at previous branding from the LCA end of year shows including last years made here exhibition which was very graphic design based. However they found them too clean and minimal and thought they didn't represent the college well as it is a very expressive place to be.
They had to find a middle ground to work at, something that wasn't too out there but something that wasn't too minimalistic so that the college would like it and approve of it.
Peter & Paul gave them an idea to try which didn't work  so they had to go back to their original idea.
They came up with them name Extaordinary as they think everything in college is a bit 'extra' and needs to be celebrated.
As for colours they stuck to college guidelines but slightly brightened them to be more impactful, however they didn't choose anything too dramatic so that it would still fit in with the college aesthetic.

MESH Typefaces

As our design is based on a mesh/ grid we decided to make our own typeface which fits within the boundaries of a grid. Most of our design work will be structured and angular, so we needed a typeface to fit in with this aesthetic however we couldn't find a suitable typeface so we designed this. It is very angular and abrupt which goes nicely with our design ideas. As the 'M' is the first letter of out exhibition name 'Mesh' we wanted to make this letter stand out from the rest so that  it could be used as a logo on its own for publications that cant fit the whole word 'mesh' on.




Secondary typeface:



Our secondary typeface stems from the fact that we are looking at the grids on ordnance survey maps in relation to the grid found in a piece of mesh, they are very similar. The corporate identity guidelines for Ordnance Survey state that Helvetica Neue is their corporate typeface therefore we will be using this.

Ordnance Survey Maps

  

After our crit we have decided to continue with the mesh idea. We also want to incorporate maps into our design as they are a big part of the exhibition, each poster being exhibited will be from an area of Leeds therefore will sit somewhere on a map. We want to use the grids from ordnance survey maps as they relate nicely to the grids found on a piece of mesh.




Ordnance Survey is the national mapping agency for Britain and is one of the worlds largest produces of maps. It's name stems from the military connections it has after mapping the Scottish Highlands after the Jacobite Rebellion in 1745 and then surveying the English coasts after the French Revolution. Before this no detailed maps were available so it was difficult to move troops and plan campaigns. Starting in 1747 it took eight years to complete what was known as the 'great map' at a scale of 1.75 inches a mile. Roads, hills, rivers, types of land cover and settlements were recorded. This work paved the way for modern surveying as the importance of accurate maps became acknowledged.

The main part of Ordnance Survey maps we are focusing on is the National Grid

The National Grid is the map reference system on all Ordnance Survey maps to identify the position of any feature. The National Grid breaks Great Britain down into smaller sections first identified by letters and then by numbers. The largest unit of the grid is 500km squares each designated by a prefix letter in alphabetical order. The 500km squares are broken down further into 25 100km squares which are again identified by the letters A-Z. These squares are divided into smaller squares by grid lines representing 10km spacing which are numbered 0-9 from the south west corner in an eastern and northern direction. You can identify a square by referencing two letters and two numbers E.G. TQ 6 3

Studio Brief 3 First Crit

IDEA 1

Looking at the mosaic of the college logo and using that shape. Mosaics relate to both the college and the library. We then combined this idea with the process of screen print/ traditional print and over lapping colours. 

For posters/ leaflets etc we would fold the paper in a mosaic shape and print over these, they would all be printed in the same process and same colours but would all look different. It would be a quick cheap process to do. 

IDEA 2

Looking at mesh used on the screens used for screen print, some screens are made from metal mesh. Taking this idea and using metal mesh to create sculptures for way finding by blocking out/cutting out numbers and projecting light through them. 

Things to consider after  watching other peoples:

Visit the actual space

Do research into the library building

Mock ups of work in situ 

Consider something interactive 

Look into colour theory, Albers
Look at Jewish museum

FEEDBACK ON OUR DESIGNS 

More spaced out mesh and have text in the spaces of it

Using coloured lights to project onto mesh, linking both ideas together

Bring in elements of Leeds public spaces and connections to this

Look into Leeds history of textiles to relate it?

Try mesh typography 

Try screen printing with larger mesh so you can see the mesh in the print

Consider MESH as a name, combining things and bringing things/ people together ‘meshing together’ 

Marcel Duchamp exhibition string as a reference

Imagery Inspiration

 

Looking at screen printing, focusing on the colours and shapes associated with it. We experimented with the screen printing process and combined this with the college logos, we took the shape of the mosaic tile as it relates to both the college and the mosaics in the library. From this we folded a piece of paper into a mosaic shape and printed bright colours onto it. When the piece of paper is unfolded, snippets of colour will be seen in different areas of the paper which would work well for a fold out poster, flyer or catalogue. 

We also focused on the process of screen printing in terms of what equipment is used. We looked at the actual screen and what it is made of, it is a thin mesh attached to a frame. We decided to focus on the mesh as it goes well with our name 'emulsion over mesh'. From this we went onto experiment with mesh and making things three dimensional.

We took photos of the mesh to get an idea of how it could be formed and bent and also how shadows could be made.










From this we decided to cut out numbers from it which could be used as a way finding method, for room numbers or area numbers in the exhibition.
These numbers would be suspended in front of a light source and projected onto the walls or floors in the exhibition room.

We then used a photo of the mesh to create a GIF featuring the exhibition name, something like this could be used for social media and altered to have a count down to the exhibition.

Name for the Exhibition

Words associated with screen printing:
>Print
>Paper
>Fabric
>Ink
>Screen
>Serigraphy
>Stencil
>Emulsion
>Mesh
>Frame
>Screen

Words associated with Leeds/ LCA:
>City
>Colour
>Mosaic
>Tile
>Block
>Busy
>Links
>Connections

We decided to go for the name 'EMO' Emulsion Over Mesh which is a process during screen printing

POSTER CRIT

Here are the 5 poster designs I took to crit:

 

For this design I took one of the collages I had created previously and made it into a vector. I then duplicated this and merged two together. The colour used in the background is the same colour used in the original poster and I think it works well as it replicates light which is fitting for the end of the black out. 

For this design I took a photo that I had taken of the town hall and erased all the windows, my reasoning behind this was because during the blackout they would've had to be bordered up/ had black out curtains behind them. I wanted to put my focus on the windows and the fact that after the war they could now shine light out of them so I chose a bright colour (swatched from the union jack on top of the building) to replicate the light. I decided to put the rest of the image in black and white to emphasise the brightness of the windows.

I then elaborated on this idea and used some of the collages I had created to add text. I added the same red/pink from the windows to this to represent the fact I would print these words in the same colour.

My other poster design derived from the clock that told people what time the blackout would be on each specific day. I chose not to add any text because I think the clock in the background made it pretty explicit that it related to time. 

My final design is another photo I took outside the town hall. I tried to get it in the same position that a photo from 70 years ago had been taken (at the event) I then chose to put i snippet of the old photo overlapping the current photo. I put it in two lines to look a bit like a pause sign so when people look at it they take a minute to actually take it in and realise the history leeds has to offer. 

The feedback that I got from my crit was that I had done a good amount of research and my event was interesting. The design people liked the most was the last one as it had a combination of present and past which is done nicely. 

Poster Colours

Looking into colour meanings and trying to find one that symbolises victory/ relates to war.

Looking into camouflage colours, camouflage works most often in one of two ways. Camouflage clothes often make someone harder to see, thereby concealing their identity. Sometimes, though, camouflage might include specific colors and patterns meant to make someone harder to see by disguising them to look like something else. The word “camouflage" actually comes from a French slang word meaning “to disguise."



The flag combines aspects of three older national flags: the red cross of St George of the Kingdom of England, the white saltire of St Andrew for Scotland (which two were united in the first Union Flag), and the red saltire of St Patrick to represent Ireland. 



The three colours I am considering using are green, red and blue therefore I looked into colour meanings to see which was most suitable. 

Colour representations

Blue Security, trustworthy, stability, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, trust, friendliness, preservation, courage, science. 

Green Wealth, money, calming, trees, ambition, endurance, healing, calm, generosity, natural, completion and protection. 

Red Energy, power, vigour, leadership, courage, passion, activity, joy.

Orange Cheerful, passion, pleasure, enthusiasm, fascination, creativity, fun.

I find the most suitable to be either blue or green as I find red too bright and fierce. It would also have been the colour of the blood lost during the war which would be too insensitive to use therefore I won't be using this. Blue and green on the other hand are much more calming and represent things such as courage, trust, friendliness, ambition, healing and protection which I think all relate nicely to the war.  Another colour to represent gold would be victory, associated with things such as gold medals won by winners in the olympics.







When trying the colours I preferred the blue as I think it relates nicely to the union jack, however I want to try find a colour between the blue and the green to combine the two as I think they both relate nicely to my event. The green relates to camouflage and protection whereas the blue relates to the union jack flag and courage.



The colour I have decided on is this, I think it is calming as well as being celebratory.

OK-RM

OK-RM identity for Miami beach art fair 'untitled'


What I like about OK-RM's design for the untitled art fair in Miami is that it it is very minimalistic therefore can easily be applied to any element of branding they'll need to produce such as posters, maps, flyers and business cards. There is no set colour and it is very minimalistic. The only colour is this bright pink splash on their tent which attracts attention rather than being black and white.

The versatility of the design can be seen in their tote bag designs and map design.




I like that once you're inside the branding is muted so that the art work stands out the most whereas outside the tent the branding is vibrant and attracts you to it.

http://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/ok-rm-untitled-art-010216

http://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/okrm-disobedient-bodies-book-jw-anderson-hepworth-wakefield-jamie-hawkesworth-170317

http://www.ok-rm.co.uk/project/untitled-art-visual-identity

Leeds Town Hall

After researching into the VE day celebrations in Leeds I found out about a parade that took part around Leeds Town Hall. I found some old photos of the event happening and wanted to go back to the site to take my own photos.

 



I wanted to combine the two images to show that not only did such a big historical event happened in Leeds but the landmark where it happened at is still there. It was a really weird feeling being part of the history but over 70 years after. I think it helped me develop my design in a sensitive way.

WW2 posters

A lot of the posters designed in WW2 were to warn people to always carry their gas masks with them and to take precautions during blackouts. When thinking about the end of the war and people celebrating their freedom I thought about the changes they had to make throughout the war and things that would go back to normal almost instantly. I looked into the blackout and how it was an essential part of keeping people safe and reducing the risk of places being bombed. However with the blackout brought a risk to peoples safety especially those who had to be outside at night or those walking home from work late. I think this is one of the most crucial things to change after the war, the freedom to have lights on at any time of day.



I chose this poster to look at and experiment with because I liked the simplicity of it and minimalistic colour, it's very straight to the point and easy to understand. I wanted to layer up the design and over complicate it to represent the end of the blackout and the end of danger. I did the same thing through collage and digitally.
















I chose this poster to experiment with as I like the typography in the title. I decided to take it and photocopy it multiple times over the top of each other.

      



Whilst searching for posters I came across this image of a sign letting people know the time of the blackout. I chose to focus on the clock in this image and repeat it into making a pattern for a screen print design.