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Studio Brief 02
Research

I found it necessary to research into the current Japanese Yen design to see its general denominations and the history behind the currency. Firstly the Japanese Yen has been in production since 1870s, the Yen literally meaning "circle" or "round object" and from early research into the Yen I found out that Japan is mainly a cash based society, meaning that most everyday transactions such as credit card, check and as of recently Apple pay aren't commonly used, therefore Japanese take the Yen as part of their life. As with any currency, the Japanese Yen is divided into several different values, which makes the system easy and convenient to use.

Denominations 

When I looked into the denominations I wanted to focus on the banknotes rather than the coins as I found them more relevant to my brief.

The One Thousand Yen Banknote

The front design has a portrait of Hideyo Noguchi who was a prominent Japanese bacteriologist and the back design has pictures of famous Japanese landscapes such as Mt. Fuji, Lake Motosu, and cherry blossoms. Like most currency today the colour has a blue overlay and also includes many anti-counterfeiting techniques such as holograms, intaglio printing, watermarking, latent images, and special ink that reacts depending on the lighting and angles seen. The empty center circle actually holds a mirror of Noguchi's portrait if held up to the light. As the lowest denomination of Japanese Yen banknotes, the one-thousand Yen note is the most common and useful to have.

The Five Thousand Yen Banknote

The front has a portrait of Ichiyo Higuchi, who was Japan′s first prominent woman writer of modern times. She wrote relatively little as a result of living a brief life, she died at 24. The back design has a Screen painting of "Kakitsubata Flowers" by Korin Ogata. The main overlay colour of the 5000 Yen banknote is purple. Although of a higher denomination than 1000 and a lower denomination than 10,000, the 5000 Yen note is probably the least commonly seen in Japan.

The Ten Thousand Yen Banknote

The front has a portrait of Yukichi Fukuzawa who was a Japanese author, writer, teacher, translator, entrepreneur and journalist who founded Keio University, the newspaper Jiji shinpo  and the Institute for Study of Infectious Diseases. He was an early Japanese civil rights activist and liberal ideologist. His ideas about government and social institutions made a lasting impression on a rapidly changing Japan during the Meiji Era. He is regarded as one of the founders of modern Japan. The back focuses on the Chinese phoenix statue at Byoudou-in Temple in Kyoto. The main overlay colour of the 10,000 Yen banknote is brown. It is the largest denomination of currency available to the public in Japan. Although it is the highest, it is also readily seen and used by all classes as Japan is a cash-based society. 

From researching into the Japanese Yen I discovered numerous factors to consider, such as the different colours used in each denomination along with which banknote is used the most. Seeing who each face on the denomination was interesting also but not that useful as at this stage I wasn't considering using the same portraits but maybe the inclusion of the famous landscapes would be more useful. 

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Studio Brief 02
Digital layouts

Trying out the digital grid in Indesign with content allowed me to understand how it could possibly work with text and imagery, by using this grid it makes it flexible to apply various content, this grid also allows hierarchy and makes it easy for the viewer to read I believe. The variations of type size and text rag works well with this grid.

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Studio Brief 02
Stock & Binding considerations

Considering stock and binding options is a big design process decision in this brief because Ive been encouraged to explore various types of stock in design principles and also learnt bookbinding stitches. I found the best place to view stock was using the G.F Smith website as it let me view the wide range it offers along with its specifications. From initial ideas I knew I wanted clean white stock for the main part of the publication but maybe for the cover, variations of greys or black would be most suitable.

Ice White would be suitable because it'll help the photography stand out more in the publication, the stock choice will effect the figure and ground on each spread as it'll effect recognising objects on each spread, a basic stock will attract less attention than say a fluorescent colour would. As I stated in my initial concept thoughts, I wanted the publication to have a high end fashion / lifestyle feel to it and this would be achieved through clean white stock I believe.

The image above shows a pamphlet stitch, which I think would be the most suitable for my publication considering how the spread will be presented. Out of the three stitches I've learnt, this is the most simple yet the one which I find the most aesthetically pleasing as a more traditional Japanese stitch which I learnt wouldn't suit the style I'm trying to achieve.  

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Studio Brief 02
Further style inspiration

After I sketched some initial ideas, I started to gather visuals of what my publication could possibly look like. Further inspirations came after initial ideas that changed my overall style. In my sketches I had the idea of using impact type on some pages to communicate the content in a stronger sense, I looked at other examples of this, and how it is best applied in editorial design. The spread below uses contrasting colours to help the impact type even more, so this was a consideration. The 'City by landscape' cover by Hort is another example of typography subtly used to create impact, and the final example is so simple yet effective due to positioning of the type I think.

 

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Studio Brief 02
Grid

Before I started digitalising ideas in Indesign I needed to consider grids i'd follow, a grid effects readability, legibility along with figure / ground. I needed a consistent grid that enabled each page to have distinct differences yet remain persistent.

The spread size is A3. This grid has eight columns, I wanted a lot of columns on each page so I had a variation of ways to position the imagery and the use of columns helps. Eight rows makes the grid consistent and will let the content flow down the page.

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Studio Brief 02
Layout ideas

At this stage I did numerous sketches to see how each spread could possibly look and get a rough idea of the style I was trying to achieve.

In sketch form I represented how the text and images would be presented on each page, even in sketch I started to bring together a consistent editorial layout, with the use of two typefaces. I chose Helvetica and Times New Roman because the two in my opinion give a representation of how a basic sans or sans serif would work in a spread or working together. The sketches of the editorial layout are aiming to achieve a minimal and clean style which is commonly found in fashion publications but also I want the design to have a basic set of pages to resemble a book, so the use of justified rags the size of each spread will achieve this.

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Studio Brief 02
Content finalisation

I gathered all the content for my publication including the text and imagery, and discussed ways in which the content could affect the style of the publication but at this stage before idea generation. I needed to finalise which format the content would be presented in, a music magazine, a publication focusing in on music labels or a one off interview book / publication. The content is solely about the label so the option of focusing it on Innervisions as an insight publication, with it having a book / look book style to it. If the publication was to be developed more in future, it could be based on other electronic music labels such as Kompakt, Dystopian or Magazine to give an alternative view on music labels.

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Studio Brief 02
Further content development

In a small crit I discussed ways in which my content could influence my ideas even more, I told peers about the content I'll be presenting through the publication, informing them about Innervisions as a label and Dixon and Ame as artists so they had a rough idea of what I'm doing. The obvious response was that maybe I should let the labels music and aesthetic style influence my publication. So for example showcasing various pieces of album artwork on spreads, but I wanted to delve more into the content to see how it could further influence the ideas. I then brought stock and size into consideration and thought about how Innvervisions is strongly associated with vinyl records, my publication could be a twelve inch record publication or even seven inch. This was a helpful feedback session as it helped my idea generation even more, but brought more context into my ideas.

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Studio Brief 02
Influences

When taking into consideration my influences and inspiration for developing ideas for this publication, I wanted to look at clean and distinct editorial that was mainly linked with the fashion and lifestyle sector of editorial. My personal opinion of these styles of publications is that they aim to expose as much white space as possible to make the the image or text the key aspect of the spread, the majority of these publications have similar styles which has made them common in my opinion and not being realised for the niche content thats on offer. For a part of feedback I asked my peers on what they think of stereotypical fashion / lifestyle publications and the responses were all similar, 'full bleed covers' and 'white space'. The reason I asked for this feedback is because I'm aiming to achieve this style with my publication, seen as my content is music influenced I want to produce something that isn't the norm in music publications which are normally overcrowded with adverts, lists and small justified rags.

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Studio Brief 01
Evaluation

To conclude on this studio brief that I've really enjoyed, when it was first briefed I knew I'd enjoy it and be more interested in researching and developing unlike some past briefs. With it being my first live brief on the course it also gave me confidence and made me think more about the process and what is actually being communicated through the use of graphic design, and not just something that looks aesthetically pleasing. At the start of the brief I set the aim of sticking to a timetable of work to help me progress throughout the brief, I feel like I've achieved this aim as I've documented all research, ideas and development even though half way through the brief my macbook broke, for one week I was unable to use any adobe software but this hiccup enabled me to use pen and paper more to sketch some initial ideas and plan my project, so I don't necessarily count this as a problem in my brief, if anything it made me realise to step away from the screen at times to sketch and make notes. I also set the aim of further enhancing my knowledge of the album artwork in graphic design, as it is a interest of mine. I researched into certain artists and designers that specialise in the music industry within graphic design, delving into what inspires them and what processes they take when designing for albums or tracks.I'm happy with my final design I submitted to Secret 7, I believe it communicates The Jam's 'Art School' like I intended to, with the it having connections to the track yet remaining ambiguous.

OUGD406Studio Brief 01
Final idea & submission to Secret 7

Following on from the critique on ideas it gave me an indication on which idea to submit to Secret 7, I believe the 'Say what you want' idea received the most positive feedback and personally I think it communicates the track in a way I set out to, it has content yet remains ambiguous. Feedback comments to describe it were 'contemporary, engaging and appropriate' aspects the judges of Secret 7 will be looking out for I believe. As a part of the submission you need to describe your cover design in roughly 150 characters, I wanted to include inspiration for the idea along with what is being communicated in the design.

'Don't need permission for everything that you want' 'young words are mumbled' Freedom and chaos working in a combination to communicate this track.

I wanted to resemble my inspiration by using the lyrics that informed this idea, the two sets of lyrics link with the ideas of freedom and chaos which are communicated through the type 'say what you want' and the technicolored lines which interchange between each other.

I went ahead and submitted this design to Secret 7 and hopefully stand a chance of it being exhibited.

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Studio Brief 01
Feedback

As a part of a critique session we had to present our ideas to the class to gain more feedback on them and see which one communicates the track the best. The feedback session was very helpful to me as it gave me an indication on which idea to submit but the comments also gave me inspiration for the 150 character description of the sleeve design I also have to submit with the album artwork.

The feedback I received was encouraging, even the negative points that occurred more than once helped me single out problems with some of my designs that I could address before submitting for example 'need to work on photograph maybe as I'm not sure it fits an art school' and 'I like the colour combination for the say what you want design and the broken up design for the second , i just don't see the relevance' So maybe if the image of the art school was more obvious then it would communicate the idea better but then again I wanted this idea to be more ambiguous. I'm pleased that people seen the link with discipline in the grid idea with the use of grids and type such as 'permission' and 'rules'.

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Studio Brief 02
Research

At this point I've taken research into the development of banknotes along with the cultural history behind currency so at this stage its appropriate to choose a nation to pick for my proposed banknote. When I first considered which nation to pick, I considered which nation I'm solely interested in, and where i'd like to visit along with the culture. Currently I find Japan inspiring, it boasts a culture that prides itself on harmony, balance and exquisite design. Im interested in how after world war two the country experienced western influences and how eastern and western styles worked together not only in graphic design but also fashion.

A Japanese graphic designer has the problem of retaining national pride while incorporating new ideas from outside Japan. Japan has a strong legacy of design from when western influence first arrived, designers such as Ryuichi Yamashiro, Yusaku Kamekura and Tadanori Yokoo managed to achieve a balance between tradition and modernity which set a benchmark for graphic design and has went on to influence many Japanese designers in this field today. Japanese graphic design today is unique in that it unites traditional and modern aspects of design, the design contradicts itself but this is what makes it so unique. The ancient and modern, simplicity and splendour, eastern and western, handcrafted and mass produced, print and pixel. Past, present and future come together to create an exciting visual mix that I find inspiring. I believe that by redesigning currency for Japan that I have more freedom to experiment and mix styles.

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Studio Brief 02
Research

For this brief my proposed outcome has to be traditionally printed, so that could either be screen print, mono print or letterpress. At this stage I believe the best outcome would be to screen print my design, for its unique visual result it creates, have the choice of printing special inks and being able to print onto various materials / stock. I decided to research into screenprinting more but in particular artists and studios who specialise in this printing method.

French Fourch

French Fourch is a studio along with independent publishing house in Paris. The studio has a main project called 'Bastonnade' which simply means 'beating', the project aims to showcase talent by exhibiting their work, the directors at French Fourch have spent the last year travelling through seven countries collecting 50 exclusive prints to exhibit. This was helpful research as it was good to see other screen prints in exhibition, seen as my final outcome will be exhibited itself as a show.

Heretic

Heretic is a screenprinting and illustration studio based in London. Their work usually involves blending elements of collage and drawing which maybe an option to consider for my designs. I checked the studios website out and was instantly inspired by the combination of lines and experimental drawings they commonly do within the designs.

Jim O'Raw

A print maker, contributor and in-house artist of People of Print, Jim O’Raw has a distinct style of using fluro colours in a CMYK process, Jim’s artwork promises to be original and provides the feel of looking at faded film-developed photos. 

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Studio Brief 02
Research

I decided to research into currency redesigns to see processes and influences they followed. Not all the redesigns I looked at were actually picked to be used but it was interesting to see some paths designers chose to use as a subject matter for money when normally you'd expect former presidents or monarchy members but some are not what you'd expect.

Melbourne based artist believed that Australian notes were relevant in the past but don't strike a chord with modern Australia. In his own words he said "Money is the foundation and fabric that holds society and civilisation together. If someone's face is stamped on that money, it's a pretty big deal, right? So why don't we know who's on ours?" So he took it upon himself to reimagine the Australian note and firstly came up with a list of 100 famous Australians that had a connection with modern Australia and when researching he realised that not many people actually knew who it was on the notes, not only young people but also old didn't know who the faces on the notes were. This is a big consideration for designs as picking traditional names from notes could prove a step back for money as it'll just be repeating the same thing once again. 

This was a competition entry for the redesign of US banknotes by Michael Tyznik. His proposed designs kept the important green colour of the US Dollar but introduces a brightly coloured strip to each denomination to make it easier to tell the difference between each. A subtle change but a change that solves a problem the US dollar currently has,as all denominations are the same, as the colour green is deeply interwoven into the nations culture. The designs rely heavily on type but what I like the most is the small anecdote on the back as it may help the owner of the note know a little bit more about the face on the banknote.

This design is all about seeing money as an educational tool, the dollar design is given a complete overhaul with usual faces of Lincoln and co gone. Purrington the designer wanted to introduce imagery that actually showed systems and not dated iconography. Each of his design has a etch esque feel to it to show scientific systems to educate. I took a lot from researching this redesign as it gave me the idea of maybe looking at a nations main sources of income to determine the designs on the notes, informing people of what funds the nation and what the money is really all about.

Lastly is actually a proposal that was accepted, the brief was to design submit designs for a sea themed Krone. The standout proposal was by Snohetta design who used abstracted language and pixels to depict the Norwegian coast. The pixelated banknotes are an example of how exciting future money can be with the use of subtle design. The notes are to be released in 2017 and will surely be most aesthetically pleasing bank note not only in Scandinavia but the world in my opinion.

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Studio Brief 02
Research

For this part of research I looked into the future of money, new ways in which we can pay and is there a future for real money. Contactless payment is becoming more and more popular today with the ease of just waving a fob, card or handheld device over a reader at the point of sale, this is made possible by radio frequency identification and near field communication. Suppliers claim that contactless payment is making transactions twice as fast as no pin or signature is needed, even research shows that consumers are more likely to spend more using contactless payment. When looking into this I considered how this research could benefit me, and came to the conclusion that if contactless payment is to become ever more popular, the use of the note will decrease, so in my designs I need to consider ways in which I could persuade people to still use bank notes, this could be achieved through aesthetically pleasing elements but also making a easy to use note, as contactless payment is proving to be efficient.

Another popular option for the future of money is Apple pay, Apple has removed the wasted moments trying find your wallet or card by having your cards, store cards and reward cards just a touch away. I allows you to have all your cards on one device and the details aren't even stored on the device so its a safer and more private way to pay. Only recently I got a new iPhone and was eager to use Apple pay for quick transactions, its so simple and useful to have. One benefit for me is that it saves pocket space as it serves as a wallet. One current downside of Apple pay though is the limited shops you can use it in but that problem will only last for a certain time I'm sure.

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Studio Brief 01
Idea development

This development started from this initial sketch which focused on lyrics and communicating freedom. The idea quickly developed into something different with the zig zag design turning into a technicolored lines. The type remained the same, but later in development the type influenced the lines. 'Say what you want' communicates freedom so the idea of chaos influences the design too.

At first I used the initial idea of the zig zag lines as seen above but I believed they don't resemble chaos, the design needed to combine 'freedom' and 'chaos' to communicate the track.

I made the lines appear like a scribble to show chaos, I think the technicolour lines also link with 'wear bright clothes' lyric so a majority of my ideas link together. The type is a Monotype typeface named 'Scene', I thought it was appropriate to use one of the judges typefaces but I think the type works well especially in lowercase. I wanted to use a serif typeface as I thought a sans serif would be too bold and distract from the lines.