OUGD406 - Studio Brief 01 - Secret 7

This studio brief works in conjunction with the Secret 7 record competition which tasks us with redesigning the album art for one of their given songs. These songs are:

Chvrches - Clearest Blue
Etta James - At Last
Jack Garratt - Worry
The Jam - Art School
John Lennon - Imagine
Max Richter - Dream 3
Tame Impala - The Less I Know The Better

I have decided to use Tame Impala's song: 'The less I know the better' as I am already familiar with this song and band and feel I will be able to successfully produce an album cover that will work well for the exhibition. I have looked at other album covers as research in preparation for my own cover. One design I looked at was the Beatles cover: Revolver. The illustration and collage by Klaus Voorman creates a psychedelic-like feeling due to the careful line drawing of each band member which detailed features such as every hair. Alongside these illustrations is the use of collage consisting of smaller photographs of the Beatles. This use of mixed media is similar to what's seen in Tam Impala's music video using both film and different illustrative animation. This is something I have taken from my research and would like to experiment with for my design. I will look at how I can use different media within my design to create a more interesting album cover.

I looked at some of my own records alongside the Revolver cover to compare the different designs. Covers such as Bombay Bicycle club's album: 'So long, see you tomorrow' which use different forms of illustration to portray the ideas they wish to express.

Looking at other record sleeves has shown me how a cover can be created using a variety of media. I will look at a number of other covers to see if I can spur any inspiration for my own ideas and design.

I noticed Status Quo's album 'If you cant stand the heat' used a record and record player on the front cover. This link to the product is something I hadn't thought of previously. Creating an idea using a record may successfully show an obvious link to the competition and the song. This album has other interesting features such as an interactive cut out at the bottom right hand corner which symbolises the burning away of the record sleeve. This obvious link to the title shows how I could portray The Less I know The Better if a number of ways to translate its meaning effectively.

The next album cover I looked at was the original cover for this song. The psychedelic theme is seen within the image as seen below. This reoccurring idea is something that I feel I should look at using within my own project as links well to the Band.

I have also looked at Tame impala's music video as I can take influence from the ideas they portray and get an even better understanding of the song. I took screenshots of interesting and important elements of the video that could be used to create initial ideas or drawings that could be used further in the brief.

The beginning of the video shows how the subject first has the girl and then loses her by replacing the main characters head with a basketball and later a gorilla. Despite using what could be seen as provocative footage, I feel it could be an eye-catching image to use for my single design. I also believe this is a turning point in the video where the story changes 

There are a number of reoccurring designs and patterns that are used in the video and could be used as inspiration or within my design for initial sketches such as the 'T' and lightening bolt. Another repeating idea is that of the gorilla which could be interpreted in a number of stages during experimentation of designs.

The video has a scene using the pouring of paint over a black human silhouette. This links to Tame impalas psychedelic reoccurring theme and is a media I haven't used extensively before and could use to link to the Band and song.

The video mixes different media together as seen in the above image. Here shown using illustration and video. This is again something which can be considered when creating my cover.

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I wanted a range of initial ideas that would use various media as I feel this project will let me experiment with processes that I have previously not used. This will be useful for further development on my course. The 30 ideas I created ranged from being obvious to ambiguous and that I thought could both describe the song and band through image. I wanted each of these designs to be unique so thought carefully before sketching them out. Now I have my ideas, I will present them to my crit group to help me decide on an outcome.

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I asked my crit group a number of questions to help progress my project. These questions were:

Do you think my illustrative line drawings used in a number of my ideas would work? If so should they be create on illustrator or hand drawn?
The group thought the use of hand drawn illustrations would give a more personal feel to my work and create a more natural look design which may work better that the intended computerised vector file I intended to create.

Do you think my ambiguous ideas work best or the most obvious?
The ambiguous designs were seen as being the best as would be more eye-catching and unique that the obvious designs.

Will the use of multiple media in a single design work well or is this technique in my design less appropriate for the brief?
The use of different media was thought to be interesting to use during experimentation but may not be used for my development or final.

Which other ideas do you think I should continue with?
My crit group felt the lightening bolt ideas, painted record and 

Further notes on my designs were given. This has helped with ideas for this brief progression. My critique group found that the record idea using paint worked best. And that the use of photography may be appropriate as is a technique used less often in this competition. Simon gave input into my critique, noting that experimenting with different media would work well and could be done in the photography studio so i could take continuously good photographs throughout the process. My critique talked about using unusual media such as powdered paint or nail varnish. These suggestions have given me ideas for my experimentation and development on a number of my original sketches.
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I first created some illustrations of the screenshots that I thought best represented the song as this is one of the original ideas I had for this project. I did this in illustrator, tracing around the original image to see how it could look as a line drawing with clean and straight lines. These work well as the image is represented clearly however some elements look unusual due to the lack of shading within the first design. This however can be altered at a later date when my designs can be improved to better resemble the ideas i want to show.

I experimented with hand drawn illustrations by copying the line drawings I had previously made. These made it simpler to create an accurate portrayal of the original screenshot. I drew out both the basketball and the player, lightning bolt image but found the player holding fur was too recognisable to the video. It's obvious connotation didn't work as well as the more ambiguous basketball idea and have decided to use. For the basketball illustration I experimented with both a fine liner and a darker, thicker marker. These were then scanned in and edited to show the images.

I feel the thicker marker stands out well on the page however the thinner fine liner works better to show detail which I may decide to include later in this project.

Although more distinctive due to stronger, cleaner and more accurate lines, I believe my illustrator drawn illustrations are less unique and personal than my hand drawn. I believe to stand out in this competition this is important and so have decided this is the best media to use for this idea. Because of this I decided to draw another one of my other original thumbnail sketches in this same style.
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I wanted to see how I could progress with the lightening bolt design. After examining various scenes in the video where it's visible I sketched out a small design. Due to the awkward shape of the lightening bolt it was a long process before it became the illustrator made graphic seen below.

I first experimented with doubling the design which worked well to already move away from the original idea.

One thing I noticed when first repeating these designs was that they have an almost psychedelic effect when viewing them due to the repeating designs being so close to each other. These designs have successfully linked image to Tame Impala's song and the ideas they portray.

I used these same designs again but with a black background to see how the lightning bolt can be as eye-catching as possible.

After creating a number of repeating patterns with my design I noticed the similarity to Andy Warhol's work which sees similar prints of the same object duplicated a number of times. 

After looking at more of his work I was inspired to experiment with different colours when repeating shapes. 

I feel these designs strong and work well for my song. Although obvious they are in consideration for the competition due to their bright colours psychedelic looking patterns. A critique further in this project will help me decide whether they will be used.                                                                                    

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The artist Holton Rower uses the pouring of wet paint over different shaped blank objects to create pieces of artwork that is both complex and unique. The many colours Rower uses is similar to the ideas used within Tame Impala's music video where paint is poured over a human figure. This also continues to portray the reoccurring themes Tame Impala express where the idea of psychedelics and colour is used.

I have decided to experiment with Holton Rower's ideas of pouring paint using objects that directly relate to Tame Impala and The lees I know the better. This is also one of the original ideas I had that conveys psychedelic themes.
These objects include:

a vinyl, to relate to the Secret 7
a basketball, like that seen in the video.

I feel that once this concept has been photographed, it can be used extensively by myself within the project whether it be experimenting further with the inclusion of other ideas and media such as collage and illustration or using the photographs as a final design.

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Fabian Oefner uses high speed photography to capture paint flying through the air. The artwork is colourful yet random. Each photograph is unique as the paint is captured in random ways. This is alike what happened in my first experiments where paint appears to have moved in random ways to create a psychedelic- like pattern.

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These photographs show the experimentation I did with paint on a number of objects. At first this didn't work well as the paint i bought was too thick. I used wall paint as this was the easiest to come by and i thought it would work but found that the paint didn't run or drip. These results can be seen below.

My first acrylic experiment was rushed due to low light conditions however I feel this is what caused such unique results. I watered down my paint to make it easier to pour. I then distributed my paint into the centre of the record. Unfortunately, due to using only small tubes of paint I was unable to fill the record with colour just by layering in one place. I therefor moved the record around mixing colours and distorting the natural shapes the paint originally formed. Although regular and consistent patterns were something I hoped for, I feel the irregular experimentations I did work better.  As I unsure of what I was doing, my first experiment's paint mixed more than hoped creating a darker looking pattern. This was another thing about my experiments that I feel worked well.

When returning to my experimentation with new, brighter coloured paint, I was able to successfully create a number of colour pallets to use within two more record designs. As I now have a number of designs that portray different emotions and ideas I am able to photograph them to a professional standard so they can be used within my final design.

Unfortunately I was unable to paint my basketball. When first experimenting, I noticed the paint ran directly off and it was hard to keep still. Once I had cleaned it I also realised that the cost of the paint needed for experimentation was also too high.

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I took part in a mini critique with only a few students. I focused on asking those in my group which record design works best to translate the psychedelic themes Tame Impala portray.

The group had opinions on all three designs. They felt my first record was very dark with only a hint of bright orange been seen in the photograph. The second record I create uses predominantly primary colours with additions of other colours to highlight the record making it eye catching. Despite this, the group found my 3rd design that uses a lot of lime green and yellow within the design to be the most appropriate and so should be used within my final design.

This was therefor the next step In my design process. I created a photoshop document of the right size and imported both my illustration and photograph. 

Despite this being one of my original ideas, I don't feel the final piece has worked as well as I would have hoped. I think this is mainly due to the mix of two medias within an image. Although this can work well, I feel with better developed ideas I would have had a better result.

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I booked a session in the photography studio so my record photos would look as professional as they could. I feel my photographs have turned out well. I must now decide which outcome works best and should be used within this album design.

I feel like these images have come out even better than I would have hoped. Although they do not comply with my original idea using paint and an illustration, I feel like these developed images will be used differently within a final record cover.

My favourite photograph of these records uses the primarily green and yellow design held up to someone's face. This was an experiment I did when in the studio and wasn't planned out however feel like it explores the anonymous nature of the character 'Trevor' whilst also relating to the song's psychedelic ideas in the form of my colourful record.

I want to add type to this image as feel its could better link to my song. As my chosen photograph looks at anonymity I want my type to say TREVOR FOREVER. Despite it having obvious connotations I like its contradiction to the song's lyrics.

I looked at using a san serif typeface, similar to that seen at the start of the song with some differences. My final typographical piece doubles the text, changes its colour and moves it away from the original type creating a 3d like appearance which better suits Tame Impala's ideas, song and my photographs.

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I have looked at adding more elements to my design to better link it with the song title. Such ideas include drawing in the heart in to the illustrative hands as seen in the video. Another idea is to also smash one of my painted vinyls and photograph the results. This will represent the lyrical themes of a broken heart that Tame Impala portray. These experiments were photographed and can be seen below.

Although worthy of an experiment, with a broken record in place it's not clear that it resembles a basketball. Because of this I feel I should use one of the previous photos taken using the complete record.
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I do however like my other ideas. The illustrative lightening bolt and photography using the same painted records shows how good development can influence my work. Because of this I hope to use what I have learnt from this project in the future.

Overall, I feel my final outcome has been successful in conjunction with the brief. I feel I have explored a wide variety of different ideas to help me produce the best outcome possible.

The development from these initial ideas is clear with good documentation of my process on my studio practice blog. I have successfully created album covers that reflect both Tame Impala's music style and their psychedelic themes by using both unique process and more common ones. The obvious links to the music video within all designs is coupled with the ambiguous use of colour. This contrast separates figure and ground and maximises the amount of white space so not to appear cluttered when on display.

Although none of my designs were picked for the secret 7 exhibition, I feel they have been completed my designs to the best of my ability with my final outcome successfully portraying my own concepts and Tame Impala’s ideas.

OUGD404 - Studio Brief 02

The second brief from Design Principles gives free rein to whatever subject I would like on which to base a book. The only mandatory requirements for the project is to create a 10 double page publication. I had a few initial concept ideas which would work for this project.

1
My first idea consisted of documenting the independent coffee shops of leeds, noting their location on my own map as well as my own personal rating of their coffee. I would hope for a more minimal design within this publication with strong photographs to accompany a design and layout that is successful for the brief.

2
Creating a book to show the best burgers in Leeds. With a large amount of restaurants to offer, with good photography and use of grid systems, I could create an informative guide to this topic.

3
My Final publication idea would comprise of information about recycling. This would link with the competition brief on sustainable design.Strong photography within the studio would work well with the information I give on my chosen topic  to produce a book that, although usually seen as being a boring subject, can be reimagined as being a more aesthetically pleasing piece of work.

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To help me decide my topic choice, I attended a critique with the second year BA Graphic Design Students. Once my brief and each idea had been explained to my peers I was open to feedback that could help with my development of the project. The opinions of those In my group showed my recycling publication was the most unique idea out of the three and would work well in conjunction with the brief.

The other students also noted a number of suggestions that could help my project progress further and become a better and more professional looking design. These ideas were as followed:

To look at creating the book out of recycled stock;

To think about my content and adding information such as statistics and what can and can't be recycled.

Use good photography that is eye catching and invites in the audience

These responses have been taken into considering as I decide on content for my book. I feel that in particular, the use of statistics together with added information and my photographs will be useful as could back any other ideas I wish to use in my book.
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I first found some styles of publication that could work for my own project. One such example can be seen in an article on 'the women of wall street' in the magazine Vice. Vice use a simple two column grid system which is used throughout this part of the magazine. The images are large so the focus is aimed directly at them. 

Interesting sections of text such as quotes are enlarged making them more eye catching. This encourages the audience to read the quotes and then continue reading the article. This is something I could use within my own brief as this subject is usually considered as being boring however enlarged, interesting pieces of text would draw the reader in as they flick through.

I also looked at some examples of design in the same subject area as me. On designspiration.com I found a number of pieces which worked especially well.

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I want to create a publication that will inform my audience about recycling, reusing and up cycling. I will hopefully change their point of view and their actions in the future. I have decided that students should be my focused target audience.

After now living in student accommodation for six months I have noticed how students can be less aware of what can and can't be recycled as well as less care and attention when throwing away their rubbish. I hope to create an aesthetically pleasing publication that, because of its good design, will attract my chosen audience which will in turn inform them of this subject. 

As this book intends to inform, I looked to creating a style how I present my book that would do this in an interesting way. I sketched a number of ideas on paper on how my publication could be set out with initial thoughts on the layout having an important role.





These ideas were then presented within another critique. This would focus of the style rather than content. I showed my group the range of concepts I had come up with and asked them a number of questions in reference to these ideas. I asked:

I want my publication to be unique, interesting and informative. Which themed idea do you think works best to show this?

Do you think a photography based book will attract my audience and be appropriate for this idea?

Should this publication be created as a well produced, one off artist book or be a small guide that can be printed cheaply and easily for my intended message to be spread efficiently?

My group thought I should experiment with both a hard copy, one off publication and a smaller, easily distributed book. These two ideas focus on different intentions for the book but both work well to portray my message.

They noted that I should consider being as sustainable as possible with support for the idea of using recycled paper. I noted, however that recycled paper is usually bad quality and can other be quite thin so they said to look at using different sheets of cut down scrap paper, handmade paper or textured paper. These ideas would still work with the sustainable theme but may produce a better outcome for my project.

With sustainability still in mind they said to look at different binding methods. Thinking about using methods away from staples as these cannot be recycled despite being a cheaper and quicker method of binding that other traditional techniques.
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I found an editorial called The Outpost Magazine which used a similar typeface to what I have decided to use. I also found this publication useful due to its successful use of a grid system. The consistant 5 column grid system is seen throughout and works well to bring sections of the book together. This is something I would like to do within my own publication so will look at creating my own grid system for this brief.

Block colour pages with contrasting white and black type is eye catching and is clear and easy to read. This is something that could work well within my own publication. However, this example of block colour has been printed onto its stock. I would use coloured paper for this with white or black ink as would look for aesthetically pleasing for my final.

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I want my book to show how man made objects take time to decompose into the earth whilst foods and dead plants take literally no time at all. One way I feel I could show this is through multiple photos of the same object taken at different times. This is similar to a time lapse however will work well within my publication.

I feel like I should experiment with different natural products as some may take longer than others to decompose. I will take photos of these experiments as may work well within my final piece. The items I will take photos of are as follows:

An apple core,

A banana skin and 

Other fruits of veg

I am using the left overs from food as I know these will decompose the quickest. I will also photograph a man made product such as a plastic bag. Although it will say a different length of time has waited between photos, I will take these photos one after another with only small changes to the bags position as I know from research and knowledge that the plastic bag will take thousands of years to even decompose a little.

I created my own photography studio within my own room so I would be able to take these images.

 

The photos are seen below:

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It is important that my front cover is inviting to my particular audience and stands out among other informative publications. Because of this I want to use a unique design as well as colours that stand out and my chosen headings typeface.

The design I use must convey the ideas I sketched up as I and my critique found these to work best. This would show how everything can be re used or recycled which is the primary idea my book will convey.


















The moving line that can be seen within my sketches could be used within my front cover and be used continuously as a theme throughout my book. It can be seen as being organic which works well within my recycling themes. I sketched some more using these ideas as felt would help develop my project and help me come up with the most successful cover possible.

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I have started to look at the typographical element of my design. I want to use two typefaces within my brief. I want the headings typeface to be unique and to stand out so I experimented with the word recycle.

The typeface I have decided to use is Narziss ProCy Ultrabold-Regular for headings due to its unique and modern qualities that work well with my chosen themes and ideas.

The body text I use must be legible so I will use a san serif typeface. The typeface I use must also work with my chosen headings typeface. Due to Narziss ProCy having thin parts within letterforms, I feel the same qualities would work for body text. Because of this, I feel I should use Garamond.

The type size I use is also very important as different pt sizes will be more appropriate than others for different things. I have decided to use 12pt for body text as this will should be legible at most publication printing sizes for my reader target audience.

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Now I have decided on my front cover through sketch form, I will transfer these ideas to illustrator so I can start to develop and progress within my project.

Although my design works well I feel it needs to be contained within a space. Because of this I added a box around the image for further designs. As well as this I added my own personal logo as feel it is important that this book can be traced back to me so the audience can see other work of mine.    

Now my front cover has been decided I want to explore different colour schemes on which to base this book. I explored obvious choices such as various greens which have obvious connotations to my recycling theme.

Although these work well to portray my ideas, I want my book to be unique and to stand out to my target market. Because of this I looked at using less conventional colours such as reds and blues. These experiments can be seen below.

I feel like the red colour scheme used works best as is dissimilar to the usual colours representing recycling. The bright, eye catching colour also gives off the ideas of danger and that this is an important subject matter meaning I am more likely to attract an audience for my publication. 
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As information on this subject is usually seen as being boring I want to primarily use photography for my content. The text within my publication must also be clear and legible to cohere with these ideas as well as being short and to the point. I started to list the things I'd like to see within this book as well as what I thought would be most important and most useful for my audience.

I want to have different sections to my publication, similar to chapters. This will separate the different areas of the subject I would like to explore making it easier to read and understand my book. The areas I want to give information on are:

Recycling

Reusing and up cycling

A company/ design agency that are sustainable, think its important to recycle.

The future. What could happen etc. 

I have already decided to include my rotten banana skin photos along with my plastic bag photos within my publication however I must look at other topics to touch on.

One thing I would like to show is what different products can be turned into as one of the things I have recognised as being important is informing my audience about what they could do to help save the planet. I feel like this is very important.


I have looked at including my own, small guide to up cycling as a page within my publication. I found different ways to up cycle for this, my photographic research can be seen below.

I feel like a simple up cycling process would work best for my book to show how easy it is to do. I would also like my guide to be suitable for my target audience. Because of this I want to show my audience how to create a simple plant pot, similar to my example within a welly above. I tried this first to see how successful it would be and found it worked well so I will continue to make more for my photographs.

Sustainable companies and recycling conscious design studios are something I wish to focus on. Because of this, I researched into these areas. One such company I found focuses on sustainable design is 19 Greek Street.

19 Greek Street

This London based design studio describes themselves as having a style which is eccentric, colourful and eclectic. They focus on disposable 



Disposable Society

This exhibition by some students from Leeds College of Art shows off artwork featuring sustain ability. This could fit well into my design and will be considered  for part of my books content.

King Koby

This shop is my barbers. I have noticed whilst getting my hair cut, their efficient use of up cycling. They reuse a number of items within their number of dee as fits well within their vintage aesthetic.

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I have decided to add a word to my front cover design. Adding 'use' beneath 'cycle' is not only an aesthetic choice to create a more fluent design but I feel it is important to be included within this cover for ideas relating to recycling. This can be seen below.

I have also had the idea to add a photo into my design. I am unsure whether this will be used within my final but I have shown within experimentation where my photos could be placed if I choose to do this. Adding photos onto my cover could add interest to my publication which would attract my target audience. I must be careful that the photograph used does not contradict my bright colour scheme but I will experiment with this further within my project once it is more developed.

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The stock I use to print this design must replicate the ideas of sustainability. Because of this I have looked into different paper types I could use within this project.

The most obvious choice would be to use newsprint as this type of paper is created using recycled materials as was created for newspapers as cheap stock. There are various weights of this paper that could be used preventing the less rigid qualities of newspapers. Although this could work well, I feel like the colour of the stock could change the colours of my paper. Because of this I have explored other options for this brief.

I have recently discovered PaperBack which is a company that specialises in recycled paper. This will be perfect for my brief as I will be able to experiment with a number of stock choices. I have emailed this company noting my intended purpose for their paper, hoping that they will send me some samples to see which stock will work best.

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I have finalised a number of design decisions for my recycling book that will help me progress to a more finished layout. 

One thing I have decided on is the size of my publication. Although easy to hold and more obvious for similar designs, I wanted my book to be A4 rather than A5. This is because I want my final piece to be unique from other publications and to stand out for my target audience. This design decision was finalised in coordination with where my book would be displayed. Due to the nature of the subject, I feel it would be better for my book to be free as my target audience are more likely to pick it up and read it. I would place it in such places as the student union, student accommodations and within the universities of Leeds.

Another design decision of mine will be that I will continue to use the flowing, organic line throughout the book rather than just on the front page. This will better link my whole book together. I would also like to lead this flowing line into a question mark. This will be situated at the back of my book and will tell the audience that it is up to them as young people to recycle and change the world for the better.

I have also decided to use two different colour stocks within my book. The main colour used will be white and second will be red. I feel this will add to the aesthetic qualities of my book. I must first experiment with printing on the red paper as some inks may not be visible once printed.

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Before I started drawing, I looked at some research relating to the layout of my publication. I found some use of interesting grid systems such as the example below. The use of large numbers with type below works well. I feel I could use a similar design with images to enhance my own design.

I also found the below image on Designspiration which shows the type running from the spine, onto the front cover. Although this works well, it has given me the idea of having something running from one page to the next so the book links well together. 

My idea is similar to how the publication below uses the same unique grid system and use of colour with the ink and stock to link the pages together successfully.

Using a repeated grid system or colour over a number of pages like the example above will help link my publication together. I could do a similar thing for my own publication where my moving line from the front cover spreads across the rest of the pages.

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Now I have decided on what will be going within my book I will start to sketch out my layout. I will draw out these ideas first as I can experiment with different layouts quickly to help with the positive progression of my project.

My next step will be to recreate my chosen layout on inDesign so it is ready for print. As I have not yet taken my photographs I will place rectangles within the layout until I have chance to go to the studio. 

When typing up my paragraphs into my grid system layout I noticed that there were a number of orphans at the bottom of paragraphs. In an aesthetic sense this looks out of place. Because of this I adjusted the size of my text boxes so they opposed my grid system. As this was only a minor change,

I have decided not to use photos on my front cover as I feel it works well at the moment at being eye catching and attractive for my target audience.

Although there are parts of text which are incomplete, as this is only my first layout mock up, I still have time to improve what I say within my book, making it more realistic.

I feel this layout works well and is appropriate for my brief. It is eye catching and because of its modern design will hopefully attract my intended target audience. There are some things I hope to add and change such as including a contents page and correcting some of my text. Despite this, I feel like my design is successful and will work well for my final hand in.

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I feel the other photographs I take should be taken as professionally as possible and with facilities available at the college I believe I can accomplish photos to a high standard.

I have looked at photographers that focus on objects as their subject as inspiration for my own photographs. Photographers such as Martin Parr who have taken a series of photographs on food.

The vintage feel of his photographs is down to his use of film photography. Although I am very familiar with this form of photography, due to restricted time that I would need for developing and no clear link to the brief except for aesthetic reasons, I feel digital will work better. However, Parr zooms in close to his subjects so the details are noticed and photographs as a whole stand out. This works well and is something I will experiment with for my own publication.

The images below show the photographs I have taken for this project. I must go through these images to find the best and most appropriate for my book. Once I have done this I will insert them into my InDesign document ready for print.

My final layout with photos can be seen below. I believe I have successfully completed this brief as works well to attract and inform my audience about my intended subject. The publication flows from page to page and keeps the reader interested throughout. I felt this was important from the start of the project especially as I was tackling what is usually seen as a boring subject.

I added some elements that I felt were important but hadn't been included previously. One thing I added were page numbers as I had forgotten these in my first layout. I first experimented with using Narziss Pro at pt size 18. This is my chosen headings typeface but due to thin parts of some letterforms, was unsure at first whether the type would be legible at the smaller scale, however found it still stood out and worked in correspondence to the rest of my layout.

Another thing I decided to include within my publication is a contents page. I feel this is necessary for this layout to help guide my audience through my book. I feel like the one I have created is successful in my layout and will be used within my final.

My next step will be to print my book. I will use the carefully selected stocks that I have collected. The photos from these results will be shown below.

I have decided to ask a number of other designers some questions to help me complete this project. This was show me how successful my publication has been and how well it would work within the real world.

My final piece of feedback came at the end of my project when I decided to ask some other graphic design students some questions about my final publication that I thought would better help me understand what I could have done better and what went well.

Do you think my publication is successful in creating interest in a subject which is usually considered as being boring? In summary, the designers I asked felt my final publication is very engagine. They feel the red line help ‘glide your eyes across the page’. One responce also notes how my content is interesting and how they ‘have never thought about these products in this way’. Although the aesthetics are most important, the content will help the reader continue through the book. 

Is there anything you would change to help this become more appropriate for the brief or more successful as a design? One responce suggested I printed a full page in the red colour so the white type would be visible as the black isn’t consistant with the rest of the book. Although this seems like a viable option, the quality of the printer would have to be much better than the printer I used for this project. Due to the lower quality, ink will streak leaving marks in blocks of colour. This would not be as professional for my final design and so in this sense the black ink works better.

As a student do you think you would pick this up if it was free? if so why is this? The designers I asked  agreed the interesting design and eyecatching colour of my front cover would attract my target audience into picking it up. They also liked the minimal design of my publication as felt it was suitable for my target audience. This is due to the popular clean, modern designs that are often picked up by design students.