DP3/ Collaboration/ Surface Pattern Yearbook

Live Brief / Collaboration / Competitive

- Publishing and Editorial

About

For this brief, I was originally thinking about doing some live branding work, but then after discussions with other graphic designers on the course, we decided that we plan to submit a pitch for the Surface Pattern yearbook. I will be working with Kirsty Alderson; Kirsty Hardingham and Sophie Wilson. We all have an interest in image based design, as well as type and layout skills, so thought we would be a good team to pitch for this yearbook. 

Personally I have an interest in illustration, and have lived with surface pattern course members for two years, so feel as if I have an understanding of the course. I have also visited the New Designers exhibition for the past two years running so have a genuine interest in the course.

After talking to students from last years thirds years on the course, they were unhappy with the quality of the yearbook created last year, so I think it is important we regain the trust of the course tutors and create the kind of yearbook that they will be impressed with. To do this we will need to ensure good communication with the tutors to ensure we are creating what they want us to. (If we get this pitch!)

First Meeting: 18/09/12

Here are the notes from our first group meeting.

- We need to decide how we will photograph the final work, and maybe need to enlist the help of a photography student, or practise with the equipment in the photography studio
- We need to contact the course tutor to ask their permission
- As last year the focus seemed to be on creating a stylish book more than anything else, this year we need to ensure that everything that should be covered is. For example, we could include a profile page with each member of the course, featuring a photograph of them, a short interview and some information about what they want to do next, alongside contact details. This is something we noticed was missing last year, so we want to make our yearbook personal.
- We would need to decide on a colour scheme, typeface, stock, general theme for the book, which would all come after a discussion with the tutor to see if they had a general theme they wanted to run throughout the course
- How could we make the design of the book relevant to the content of the course? For example, we could screenprint / use finishing touches such as flock or foil on the cover to show our understanding of the traditional printing processes used on this course
- We could include patterns inside - possibly a pattern including designs from the students?
- The placements and awards the students have gained need to be recognised and the achievements celebrated in this book to try and get them the best job opportunities
- We would need to ask tutors for rough dates when these tasks need to be completed
- We need to ensure the course tutors sign the proof copy of the yearbook we would make, to ensure their satisfaction before the document goes to print
- Do we need to consider ethical issues such as sustainable design when considering printing and stock choices?
- And of course we need to have a back up plan in case we don't get chosen to create this yearbook. There are a few other courses we all agreed we are interested in and would suit our combined skills to design for.

Initial Research

One of the things we all agreed on was that we needed a really good understanding of the course to start with. We have looked at the information provided on the college website to give us a good idea, and will discuss the course with actual 3rd year students. A possible idea is to collect quotes/keywords from the students/tutors and from this information to include in the yearbook.

View Course Gallery

The course is also featured on arts thread View Course Portfolio. On Artsthread there is a bit more detail about each graduate, such as a list of their skills and a bit about their work. This helps them appeal to potential employers.

Next Steps

The next step is to discuss with our course tutor the possibility of us being able to design this yearbook. If this is agreed that we may be able to do this, we would need to meet with the Surface pattern tutor to discuss his opinions on this. Then we will have more meetings to delegate actions of what we would need to do to create this book.

DP3/ Research Brief/ The Internet

Research Brief

About this Idea

Inspired by Bradford Media Museum's Life Online exhibition.

I was fascinated by Bradford Media Museum's exhibition about the history of the internet, and realised how little I actually knew. After an initial trip to the museum just for a look around, when I decided I definitely wanted to focus this project on the history of the internet, I went back for a really good look around, making sure to play on all of the interactive things and take notes of all the information. I was there for a good few hours! [see notes] & [photos]

What is it going to be?

This is a research brief where I immediately decided on my topic but didn't know what I actually wanted to create, which is a bit of a strange way of working for me. I don't want to just copy off the Bradford Media Museum's exhibit, and I know I don't want to focus on an exhibition setting as this is what I am doing for another brief.

So I need to brainstorm what I can do to create an interesting outcome that has a different purpose from the existing exhibition. To do this, I need to work out what the actual problem is!

What is the problem?

- The internet is an important part of our lives now but we don't know much about how it started
- Youngsters don't know what a life without the internet was like

- Consider effects of viral media such as the KONY 2012 video
- Today youngsters can't even remember life before the internet - opinions on this
- Do we take the internet for granted today?
- What are the pros/cons of the internet?
- Is the internet good or bad?
- Which websites have changed the world? e.g. facebook, twitter, amazon, ebay, youtube, google, wikipedia
- Big Brother issue - are privacy settings ethical?

Considerations

- Who is it aimed at?
- What am I trying to achieve? (persuade, inform etc)
- How can it be different?

Possible outcomes

- App - Game - Quiz - Campaign - Event - Interactivitiy - Book

DP3/ Dissertation Subject/ Women's Magazine

Publishing and Editorial

Branding and Identity

Research Brief - Area of research: feminism (relevant to dissertation)

Skills Driven - Improving typography and layout design

I came up with the idea for my first brief straight away, as it is based on the theme of my dissertation. I'm asking the question: Can women's magazines, focusing on the specific example of Cosmopolitan, ever be considered feminist? So, It would be great to link in my design practice by proposing a design for a magazine that is suitable for feminists.

My ideas for my women's magazine:

- No celebrities on the cover, either real women or artwork

- A bit like stylist magazine, but for a younger audience

- Featuring affordable clothes, and articles relevant for a younger audience

- Adverts inside are approved and won't lower the self-esteem of the viewer

- Suitable for feminists but appealing to all

Design possibilities & considerations:

- Contains illustrations, type, photography etc...

- Foil logo, spot varnish, some type of finish to stand out (like computer arts magazine)

- Could be a different paper stock to other glossy magazines (like company magazine is now)

- Could be handbag size and normal size like cosmopolitan, so that it can be taken everywhere (need to consider where it will be read)

- Could use spot colours (like wired magazine does)

- Spines could line up to make an image (like you often see with partworks)

- Images overlapping on to next pages, irregular columns, the text being diagonal, breaking the rules of layout design in magazines (as David Carson did)

- Sketch out magazine plans first using a grid system

- Consider hierarchy of page - what should be seen first?

- Reader may dip in and out of the magazine, so consider the flow and how to guide the reader across the magazine

- Could do different editions/covers for the same issue to make them collectables

- Consider product/range/distribution... what else could come out of it? For example, cosmopolitan sell watches and other branded goods. Books, blog, website....

- Readability is key - 60 characters per line. Consider kerning, leading, font size, choice, colour etc

- Think about how much it will cost and how this will affect advertising and how much the target audience can afford to pay

- How will it be bound? Create a dummy magazine to test the size

- What stock will be used? Could have a thicker cover, maybe fold out bits.

- Needs to stand out. Could be an unusual size (like national geographic magazine)

- Could have die cut pages that show through to reveal something from the page behind

- Use of different stocks inside to keep the pages exciting

- Free gifts with the magazines can attract attention, can be useful things such as extra magazines, CDS, (one magazine did free tampon cases) etc

- Front cover could be done in a different style each week to showcase different artists talents, and could sometimes be designed by readers (like stylist magazine)

- How is it wrapped? Does it have a bellyband? Come with a bookmark?

- Mix of hand drawn and digital designs. (like the liberty christmas magazine and pages from cath kidston magazine)

- Borders around images, maybe just one image on page, to have a completely different look from the standard women's magazine (such as oh comely!)

Features of magazine:

- Fashion & Beauty

- World News

- Topical Issues

- Business Advice

- Craft / Cooking Section

- Inspirational Women

- Travel 

[My magazine will feature celebrities, but only interviews and things they agree with, no speculated gossip, no photos judging their weight/cellulite etc. The features will celebrate these celebrities achievements rather than criticising them.]

I'm going to start by researching what is already out there for women in the UK in terms of magazines, as well as looking at general magazine design. 

///


I've started some initial research on magazine design to go with the research I am doing for my dissertation about feminism.

Before I can start designing anything, I need to make some decisions about the magazine and its content, and then I'll think about what it will look like. 

In the mean time, I think I should play about a little bit with type and layout design, maybe following some tutorials to gain a better understanding of this.

What can I call it?

I've looked up the dictionary definition of feminism to find synonyms, to help me think of a relevant name I could call the magazine.

Here are some more keywords to define what feminism is:

I've tried to think of some ideas based on these keywords. I want it to be obvious that the magazine is feminist, and supports women's rights, but I also need to the name to still seem stylish. It also needs to be a name thats not been used before and isn't too similar to what else is already available.

What am I trying to suggest about the target audience?

- Intelligent - Stylish - Creative - Believes in equality - Interested in whats going on in the world - Confident, inspirational, powerful women - Independent

Ideas

- Liberty Girl (freedom from control)
   - variations: Liberty&Love; Miss Liberty, Liberty Heart

- Womanism or Womanist (believing in and respecting the abilities and talents of women; acknowledging women's contributions to society)

- Femme Fatale  (Some say the femme fatale "remains an example of female independence and a threat to traditional female gender roles,")

- Butterfly Effect (The butterfly effect is a metaphor for the concept that small, seemingly insignificant events — like the fluttering of a butterfly’s wings — can produce tremendous and unanticipated consequences)

- Venus (Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus)

- Virtue (A good or admirable quality)

Design Practice 3 / Initial Ideas

Before I decide which ideas to actually follow up, I've brainstormed some of my initial ideas. Then I'll choose the ones that are most relevant to the areas of practice I want to focus on, and the ones that I think I'll get the most out of by completing. I want to learn new things and this will be my last chance to do what I want to do, before I work for others and just do what they want me to!

- Women's magazine suitable for feminists, relates to my dissertation (research)
- Book about the history of the internet, inspired by Bradford Media Museum exhibition (research)
- Fictional rebrand of a cafe / packaging / promotion / retail (skills driven)
- Do editorial images for a whole newspaper for a month to improve image skills (skills driven)
- Photography collaboration with another student (skills driven / collaboration)
- Create signage and retail set up for a fictional fashion shop and create packaging, cover promotion (collaboration)
- A fictional graphic design shop selling fonts etc, chance to learn more about graphic design (research)
- A LCA graphic design magazine featuring students work (live)
- Graphic design museum set up, covering promotion / signage / etc, chance to learn about the history (research)
- Rules for graphic design students, illustrated book with type, infographics etc (skills driven)
- Creating the branding for a series of upcoming designers (live)
- Working with another LCA graphic design student to enter college competitions (competition / collaboration / live)
- Entering new competition briefs, writing my own based on old ones (competition)
- Cross course collaboration, working with printed textiles students creating our own range of products and packaging (collaboration)
- Creating type only posters from old ISTD briefs in an attempt to improve type skills (skills driven)

Design Practice 3 / Negotiated Briefs

Summer Brief

Identify and formally present a set of 10 briefs (supported by statement of intent and initial research and development for each) that you intend to respond to during level 6 of the programme. The briefs should reflect your emerging interests in professional Graphic design practices.

We are directing our own practice for Level 06. For each brief consider: why you are choosing them, what you aim to learn and what work you will have for your portfolio.

Things to Consider

- What skills do I want to develop and how can the briefs support this?

- What subjects am I interested in and how can the brief accommodate this investigation?

- What audiences and contexts do I want to design for and why? 

- What do you aim to get from collaborative/ live briefs?

Notes

- Need to have a significant amount of work for each brief

- Will do about 5 of these briefs before christmas, others may lead on to fmp

- Use live briefs, take a brief, modify deliverables, use competition briefs as a starting point

- Brief writing tutorials after summer

- Consider what the product/range/distribution will be and brainstorm ideas for all 10

- Live briefs could include pitches for yearbook and degree shows

- Decide which briefs you will do straight away 

- What do you want to do? What do you need to do?