This studio brief asked me to design my own banknote to fit within the constraints of 21cm x 26cm. The brief notes I am to consider a number of things whilst designing my bank note such as whether I do one size of the bank note or two, which country I wish to base my design upon and what traditional printing method I decide to use.
I would like to look at different ways I could involve a traditional printing process within my brief as this is one of the mandatory requirements. There are a number of printing processes that I have used before and could use for this project however there are some I have enjoyed and are more experienced at than others. This list of processes includes:
Screen printing
Mono printing
Intaglio printing
creating stamps using the laser cutter
Relief printing
Letterpress
Although all these printing methods could work well for this brief, I would like to use screen printing within this particular brief. Not only is this something I enjoy but it is the process I have most experience with. I feel this project will help me learn more about screen printing and help me become even more experienced than I already am.
I have researched what I can do with screen printing and the different ways I could use it within my design process.
Marbling
One way I could screen print my bank note would use a marbling technique. Using a colour and medium or various colours together with medium I could create a marbled effect. This is done by not completely mixing the colours together when screen printing. Marbling is an interesting technique and could work well for my brief if successful during the printing process.
CMYK separation
A cmyk screenprint layers the colours cyan, magenta, yellow and black onto top of one another to create an print similar to how a printer creates an image. In theory this means any colour I want can be made using this technique and any image Id like could be presented onto my banknote. This may be a technique that is done for more aesthetic reasons which is important as my design will be created for an exhibition space and not for production.
_____________________________________________________________________________
I have looked at some examples of the currency around the world from the past and present that I find most interesting. There are features on these examples that I could use to influence my own design.
I would like to look at different ways I could involve a traditional printing process within my brief as this is one of the mandatory requirements. There are a number of printing processes that I have used before and could use for this project however there are some I have enjoyed and are more experienced at than others. This list of processes includes:
Screen printing
Mono printing
Intaglio printing
creating stamps using the laser cutter
Relief printing
Letterpress
Although all these printing methods could work well for this brief, I would like to use screen printing within this particular brief. Not only is this something I enjoy but it is the process I have most experience with. I feel this project will help me learn more about screen printing and help me become even more experienced than I already am.
I have researched what I can do with screen printing and the different ways I could use it within my design process.
Marbling
One way I could screen print my bank note would use a marbling technique. Using a colour and medium or various colours together with medium I could create a marbled effect. This is done by not completely mixing the colours together when screen printing. Marbling is an interesting technique and could work well for my brief if successful during the printing process.
CMYK separation
A cmyk screenprint layers the colours cyan, magenta, yellow and black onto top of one another to create an print similar to how a printer creates an image. In theory this means any colour I want can be made using this technique and any image Id like could be presented onto my banknote. This may be a technique that is done for more aesthetic reasons which is important as my design will be created for an exhibition space and not for production.
I have looked at some examples of the currency around the world from the past and present that I find most interesting. There are features on these examples that I could use to influence my own design.
I decided to look at bank note re designs as shows how they can be portrayed within the modern world by creatives such as myself. There are a number of designs that stand out most to me.
The below Dollar redesigns are complex and use a mixture of photography, illustration and type. They work well to portray the US in a positive light. They are also portrait and don't include a person which is very different to other bank notes around. There are things I can take from this design such as show I can combine different media
Below shows another redesign of the US Dollar. This design is again portrait but focuses on people and colour to distinguish which note is which. The simple, bright and colourful designs work surprisingly well with the black and white photographs which are displayed at the back of the designs. The way this designer has used coloured paper to print each design is something I could do myself. This is something that is done with the US dollar bill and maybe unique and different to the other designs in the exhibition.
This simple illustrative bank note uses little type and relies on the drawing of a fox for legitimacy and design. The illustrative style used could be replicated in a number of ways for use with a traditional printing methods such as intaglio and relief. This shows me how minimal designs can still be successful as well as how I could use illustrations within my project.
_____________________________________________________________________________
I decided to pick a country that I knew little about. This would mean I could start the project with an open mind and be able to freely explore different ideas for my bank note. It is important that my design decisions are heavily influenced by research. As I was unsure what I wanted to show on my banknote design I looked further into Iceland and the things related to the country. Here are some general facts I found out about Iceland:
Iceland was founded by the Vikings
Björk, the singer and actress, is one of the most famous people from Iceland
The country lies on two tectonic plates causing a large number of volcanic eruptions.
Home to a number of their own wildlife and animals
1 in 10 people from Iceland will publish a book in their lifetime
332,000 people live on Iceland
Over half the population live in the capital, Reykjavik.
As Iceland is a country with a small population but an amazing environment, I have decided that I should focus on its landscapes and the things that I believe really make it stand out as a country. Research has led me to a number of things that I could focus on. These are:
volcanoes
wildlife
the northern lights
its mountainous regions
glaciers, ice and snow
waterfalls, lakes and geezers
As I am still unsure which direction I will take this brief so will take my currant ideas to a critique to aid the development of my project. Despite this, there are different ways I could show my ideas within my bank note design. I decided to list these to help me decide what I use for my final.
Type
Typography based currency is hardly ever seen which is something I don't understand. The language of each country is often unique to each nation and so having a bank note based on this may work well to distinguish the uniqueness and differences.
Photography
This would be a successful way to portray images in a modern way onto my bank note however I am unfortunately not able to go to Iceland anytime soon so this may not be possible for this project.
Illustration
Using a drawing or illustrative style within my design would work well to portray my chosen ideas and has been used within bank notes for hundreds of years. I can also experiment with different illustrative styles to see which is most appropriate for the brief. Because of this, I feel like an illustrative final design will work best to display my ideas.
_____________________________________________________________________________
After finding out some facts about Iceland, I sketched out some first illustrative ideas for this project. These were often vague and a little rushed however I tried to influence my research on bank note design within this work. I feel like this is apparent with the beginnings of a successful layout slowly taking shape. I started drawings for the general facts first then started moving onto the environment.
Based on the darkness in winter and the light they have in summer. I also added mountains/volcanoes to the backgrounds of some designs. Some designs such as the bottom right is very unique but the use of negative space could work well on my design.
From these ideas I have decided that an illustrative technique will work best as I can experiment with different styles to help find the most appropriate for the brief. Because of this I will continue with these ideas to develop my project more successfully.
_____________________________________________________________________________
After looking at other banknotes, including Iceland's own Krona, I feel like it is important to include a number of things within my own note as they are included within other designs. These things are:
The note's value i.e. 1000 Kronur
The bank of which the note belongs to: Sedlabanki Islands
A way to prove its legitimacy. This is something very important within modern designs due to more counterfeits in circulation. Although my bank note is for aesthetic purposes only, I feel like it is still important to have some form of authentication within my design. This is often done with geometric, repeating patterns and technology I do not have access to.
I have looked at how The Bank of England combats the problems of counterfeit money. There are a number of things they do that I could also do myself.
I have taken these features into consideration. A number of these ideas may not be available for my project but as I am designing for an exhibition I could create these features so they only aesthetically look the same even if they don't physically.
I started some illustrations of the northern lights and of volcanoes. I tried to draw each idea in a different way or different style so I had a broad range of ideas for development.
One idea I think is successful looks similar to a silhouette. The negative space between and within the patterns work well for both the volcanoes (showing larva or snow) and for the northern lights (showing the idea of movement and organic patterns within the sky). I did a full page of these experiments in my sketchbook so I had enough different ideas for further on in the project.
Although sketches work well as hand drawn illustrations, I want to scan these in and use the pen tool to create the same ideas on illustrator. I feel this will have a more professional appearance and will work better on the design of my bank note. These illustrator drawings can be seen below.
________________________________________________________________________
Some original based on the wildlife of Iceland and ideas for books (typographical)/
Based on the darkness in winter and the light they have in summer. I also added mountains/volcanoes to the backgrounds of some designs. Some designs such as the bottom right is very unique but the use of negative space could work well on my design.
From these ideas I have decided that an illustrative technique will work best as I can experiment with different styles to help find the most appropriate for the brief. Because of this I will continue with these ideas to develop my project more successfully.
_____________________________________________________________________________
After looking at other banknotes, including Iceland's own Krona, I feel like it is important to include a number of things within my own note as they are included within other designs. These things are:
The note's value i.e. 1000 Kronur
The bank of which the note belongs to: Sedlabanki Islands
A way to prove its legitimacy. This is something very important within modern designs due to more counterfeits in circulation. Although my bank note is for aesthetic purposes only, I feel like it is still important to have some form of authentication within my design. This is often done with geometric, repeating patterns and technology I do not have access to.
I have looked at how The Bank of England combats the problems of counterfeit money. There are a number of things they do that I could also do myself.
I have taken these features into consideration. A number of these ideas may not be available for my project but as I am designing for an exhibition I could create these features so they only aesthetically look the same even if they don't physically.
_________________________________________________________________________
I started some illustrations of the northern lights and of volcanoes. I tried to draw each idea in a different way or different style so I had a broad range of ideas for development.
One idea I think is successful looks similar to a silhouette. The negative space between and within the patterns work well for both the volcanoes (showing larva or snow) and for the northern lights (showing the idea of movement and organic patterns within the sky). I did a full page of these experiments in my sketchbook so I had enough different ideas for further on in the project.
Although sketches work well as hand drawn illustrations, I want to scan these in and use the pen tool to create the same ideas on illustrator. I feel this will have a more professional appearance and will work better on the design of my bank note. These illustrator drawings can be seen below.
________________________________________________________________________
I want my colour scheme to work with the Icelandic ideas I already have for this project. Because of this I looked at the colours that are often projected across the sky during the northern lights.
These images have shown me that blues yellows and greens are seen most within the aurora borealis. Other colours such as reds and oranges can also be seen within some images. I feel it is important that I use similar colours when I portray this spectacle within my bank note so the image created is recognised by my audience.
Another thing I should note for my bank note's colour scheme is the Icelandic flag. After research I found that the colours of this flag are based around Iceland's landscape features. The red and white represent its volcanoes and glaciers that make Iceland famous whilst the surrounding blue represents the water around the country. I feel like these colours are essential for my bank notes as relate directly to my country of choice and the environment I am focusing on.
These are the paint colours i will use within my screen printing process. I will experiment with the marbling of these first and may decide to use other colours within my final.
________________________________________________________________________
The type I use within this bank note must be appropriate for my design and for Iceland in general. I want to use a bold, eye catching typeface that is legible and works well with my illustrations. Because of this I decided to create a typeface for this project. This will be simple and use block squares to create letterforms. An example of my experiments can be seen below.
The type I use within this bank note must be appropriate for my design and for Iceland in general. I want to use a bold, eye catching typeface that is legible and works well with my illustrations. Because of this I decided to create a typeface for this project. This will be simple and use block squares to create letterforms. An example of my experiments can be seen below.
__________________________________________________________________________
I would like the Icelandic flag to be featured on my bank note. I feel like this could be done using only Lines and May work as a form of legitimacy if this was a live brief even if it is only an aesthetic choice for this exhibition. I have first sketched some ideas out to see how this would work.
I feel the best drawings portray the flag across the whole banknote. This gives room for more ideas within the design and also splits the note up into sections which I have noticed as being common within other designs. I have experimented with the flag idea more on illustrator, developing the idea at the right bank note size and with some of my type.
_____________________________________________________________________________
I wanted to develop my illustrations within my bank note so it would be more obvious what they represent. I did this by experimenting with the shading of designs and the different areas filled in. I feel my response to this has been successful. The clear separation between mountain and larva better identifies my image as being a volcano.I added these to some initial bank note layout designs which were based on research earlier in the brief. Although I didn't consider using most of the designs I made, I feel they helped the development of my final bank note design.
I then looked at adding the northern lights illustration to my design.
Once this was added I noticed how much it looked like smoke from the volcano. Although this does work well for my brief,
I brought these designs to a critique for feedback and development in my project. I explained my ideas to the group and asked for their opinions on my mountain/volcano and lights combined. Although they felt the illustrative sky did look like smoke, if I were to still to use the marbling technique with blue and yellow, the northern lights would still be recognisable.
This feedback I received during this crit gave me confidence in my design to develop it
more towards a more complete final bank note.
_____________________________________________________________________________
At this point in my design process, I started to look at setting up my screen for printing. Although it was still unclear how my final design was going to look, if I was to stick to my time plan and leave time for my final briefs, it was important that I started this process. I therefore set up my screen for printing by cleaning it and applying emulsion. This will save me time in the week ahead when I decide to print but have started working more on studio brief 3 and 4.
_____________________________________________________________________________
One thing I noticed in research was the number of bank note designs that incorporated a repeating pattern in the back of their design. Not only does this add another security feature to the banknote but it also adds interest to the background of the design.
This is something I experimented with for my own bank note. Using illustrator I was easily able to create a simple pattern based on Iceland's flag and my own earlier interpretations in this project.
Although the results from these experiments were successful, I feel I must consider the fact my bank note will be for an exhibition and not as a live brief. Because of this, I feel the repeated design would be too busy and if I was to make the lines thinner, it may be difficult to print the design.
_____________________________________________________________________________
I wanted to look more at my colour scheme although I had already decided I would be using the marbling technique and black. I decided to add more colour from the Iceland flag. I experimented with the use of red within my design
These experiments worked well and so I will continue to use this colour within my bank note as I progress through the design process.
I did, however, decide to take away the black from my designs as I progressed and added white, the final colour from the flag. I did this to lighten up my design and also felt the negative space would better show the texture of the paper. This is something I felt could work similar to the repeating patterns for legitimacy. I also changed some other parts of my layout such as the flag design. I feel these final ideas are successful. Once these were complete,
_____________________________________________________________________________
Now my final bank note is ready, I have decided to start screen printing my design. I was able to expose and dry my screen in a day which meant I could progress to screen printing straight away.
I first printed the red part of my design as felt it was more important for this to come out without imperfections.
Once I had a number of successful red prints, I experimented with the marbling technique on some of the successful red prints. I experimented with two different stocks as I was unsure what I wanted to use.
After looking at the results on both paper stocks, I have decided to use a 200gsm water colour paper as the texture of the stock is appropriate for the repeated pattern legitimacy ideas.
My final prints can be seen below.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Overall, I feel my design has been successful as I have stuck to the personal goals set at the beginning of my brief. Such goals included working to a time plan which I based my project on. This worked well and meant I was able to complete my brief to a higher standard and in better time.
I have developed my ideas on Iceland extensively using research to inspire my work. This can be seen in my final bank note where the colour scheme and design has clear links to my chosen country. There were, however, some things that I felt could be improved.
I would have liked to look at experimenting with a three or four colour screen print to make my design more interesting however due to my timings in the screen print studio, I was unable to work with some of these concepts. Despite this, I feel my final prints work well and are suitable for the exhibition they will be shown in.
No comments:
Post a Comment