OUGD404
Evaluation
At the start of the module it was my aim to further my understanding and interest in publications, in particular editorial design as it is what I want to focus more on in second year. Learning from numerous study tasks has made me aware of graphic design rules that need to be considered when producing editorial pieces of work, and I felt the study tasks were a crucial part of this module as they introduced me to new rules that I can replicate or adapt to my own style, plus this module let me experiment with potential styles, that could single out my own possible style. This was definitely another aim for this module, to try various styles and it was achievable as the briefs were both very self led, in which it was upto you how the final piece would turn out. The module introduced me to new softwares such as Indesign, before this module I'd never used it before so I was eager to learn the ins and outs of the software, and thanks to workshops in Indesign I was able to grasp the basics and use them to produce both books. I believe I've gained more from this module then any other because before this course I was unaware of any graphic design terminology / rules, but being introduced to them early on in tasks has made me more confident in graphic design, another valuable skill I've learnt is just consideration. This may be consideration of stock, binding, type, colour or alignment but I feel before this module I would skip past considering such things as a type alignment.
In the first studio brief I had to produce a small book about a design principle I'd learnt about, I decided to pick contrast but then specifically chose contrasting shapes. The reasoning behind picking contrast was that I thought about what effect I commonly use in my own design work, and I tend to like using contrast to communicate a message. With contrast being a rather broad design principle I decided to base the book on contrasting shapes. When designing I considered the skills I'd learnt in study tasks and how I could use contrast with them, for example contrasting colours and type sizes that affect legibility and readability. The book has a consistent style but contrasts on each page with important information underlined or in larger columns, the use of white space helps the content contrast I believe, in the middle page I use a narrow flush left rag so that the eye is drawn to the contrasting illustration on the page opposite. The stock choice was informed by contrast, I chose to have the cover as acetate with a small circle outline which the viewers eye is drawn to, this is all about how the eye differentiates contrast. The majority of the content informs contrast working within graphic design then I give examples which are illustrated shapes. Overall I feel I did a good job of informing my chosen design principle, I did it in a formal and playful style which I had fun doing.
Producing the second brief was all influenced by my interests and potential style of editorial. I decided to base the publication on one of my favourite music labels but produce a publication that you wouldn't normally associate with music, current music magazines are very 'in your face', with compact content and a mix of styles in one publication. I wanted to produce a publication influenced by lifestyle / fashion publications, I asked my peers what they would commonly associate with fashion publications, and the answers were all rather similar 'full bleed imagery' 'serif typeface titles' 'white space'. So from this feedback I intended to produce the stereotypical response. I collected the content and began to design in Indesign, and especially in this studio brief i considered text alignment more as I had a lot more content, I enjoyed this part of the brief as I experimented with different styles such as justified which worked with the white space, considering legibility and readability was key due to the large amount of content. I feel the end result resembled a fashion publication but also communicated the music labels style too, I think achieved this with two different typefaces, Helvetica and Times new roman. At first i was wary of using Times new roman but I think if applied to the right situation it can work.
Overall Ive enjoyed this module because firstly Ive gained more of an understanding of graphic design due to study tasks, these study tasks have helped me in other modules but also influenced how I critique my own work and others work. Ive learnt new skills, processes and techniques, not just digitally but learning more traditional techniques like bookbinding has helped my practice and made me consider other factors that inform a piece of graphic design. At the start of the module I wanted experiment with styles and I've achieved this with both books I designed, by mixing styles its made me more interested in editorial as i don't have to stick to one style, and can produce varied work which this module has encouraged.
Showing posts with label OUGD404. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OUGD404. Show all posts
Sunday, 17 April 2016
OUGD404
Studio Brief 02
Final
I was pleased with the final outcome of the publication once printed, the only problem that occurred was that I was unable to print the lookbook in A1 double sided, as the resources weren't available to me but even though I didn't get the desired look I was after the final lookbook works well as a smaller insert in the publication, as most lookbooks are smaller anyway. When printing for this brief I was made more aware of printing in general, the sizes and settings needed to print booklets, which will help me in future briefs as I'm interested in editorial design. When it came to binding the booklet I decided to stable because a saddle stitch would make the lookbook to loose in the centre of the publication.
Studio Brief 02
Final
I was pleased with the final outcome of the publication once printed, the only problem that occurred was that I was unable to print the lookbook in A1 double sided, as the resources weren't available to me but even though I didn't get the desired look I was after the final lookbook works well as a smaller insert in the publication, as most lookbooks are smaller anyway. When printing for this brief I was made more aware of printing in general, the sizes and settings needed to print booklets, which will help me in future briefs as I'm interested in editorial design. When it came to binding the booklet I decided to stable because a saddle stitch would make the lookbook to loose in the centre of the publication.
OUGD404
Studio Brief 01
Feedback
Following on from my final piece I wanted feedback on whether or not my book informed contrasting shapes as a design principle. The first question I asked my peers was, does the type alone create contrast? 'Yes, by using varied type sizes and two different colours this instantly creates contrast, by having larger type size rags for something creates importance as well' 'You've used a rounded typeface that I think creates contrast'. This feedback on the question was helpful as it proved my choice of using varied type sizes alone creates the desired contrast. The next question was, does the strict colour palette work or would you add more colours? 'I like the colours chosen, firstly because the pink is bold but works well with the stock choice, for example the grey stock. 'Pink, Grey and black has worked really well in your book, using a simple palette has created contrast too'
Studio Brief 01
Feedback
Following on from my final piece I wanted feedback on whether or not my book informed contrasting shapes as a design principle. The first question I asked my peers was, does the type alone create contrast? 'Yes, by using varied type sizes and two different colours this instantly creates contrast, by having larger type size rags for something creates importance as well' 'You've used a rounded typeface that I think creates contrast'. This feedback on the question was helpful as it proved my choice of using varied type sizes alone creates the desired contrast. The next question was, does the strict colour palette work or would you add more colours? 'I like the colours chosen, firstly because the pink is bold but works well with the stock choice, for example the grey stock. 'Pink, Grey and black has worked really well in your book, using a simple palette has created contrast too'
Saturday, 16 April 2016
OUGD404
Study Task 09
Bookbinding
For this study task we had to photograph the books we made in our bookbinding induction, each book having a different binding method. Firstly the orange booklet is a saddle stitch then the green one is a Japanese 4 hole bind and lastly the grey is a concertina fold. Each bind being completely different and useful for particular styles, for example a concertina be useful for a lookbook but the saddle would work best for a simple notebook.
In the lighting induction, I was informed of the basics on how to use the lights and equipment available to me and encouraged to experiment with different settings with the camera and studio lights to achieve the best outcome. The picture below was captured using only one light, and with the backdrop being black, I couldn't produce shadows so the aim was to use the light to highlight the work and contrast with the black backdrop.
Study Task 09
Bookbinding
For this study task we had to photograph the books we made in our bookbinding induction, each book having a different binding method. Firstly the orange booklet is a saddle stitch then the green one is a Japanese 4 hole bind and lastly the grey is a concertina fold. Each bind being completely different and useful for particular styles, for example a concertina be useful for a lookbook but the saddle would work best for a simple notebook.
In the lighting induction, I was informed of the basics on how to use the lights and equipment available to me and encouraged to experiment with different settings with the camera and studio lights to achieve the best outcome. The picture below was captured using only one light, and with the backdrop being black, I couldn't produce shadows so the aim was to use the light to highlight the work and contrast with the black backdrop.
Thursday, 14 April 2016
OUGD404
Studio Brief 02
Final
The final printed piece went well, I was expecting the acetate to curl once printed onto to but it remained flat, the one problem I faced with the acetate cover was how to bind the book. It is a low gsm so I had to consider whether a saddle stitching would affect the acetate, in the end I stabled the booklet, the outcome was better than I expected from stabling it because the acetate almost hides the stables, using a lower gsm for my cover certainly informed me for future reference as it makes it complicated in the binding process. The mix of the grey stock and white stock works out really well on the opening page and the pink flush left rag offsets nicely with the white stock opposite.
Studio Brief 02
Final
The final printed piece went well, I was expecting the acetate to curl once printed onto to but it remained flat, the one problem I faced with the acetate cover was how to bind the book. It is a low gsm so I had to consider whether a saddle stitching would affect the acetate, in the end I stabled the booklet, the outcome was better than I expected from stabling it because the acetate almost hides the stables, using a lower gsm for my cover certainly informed me for future reference as it makes it complicated in the binding process. The mix of the grey stock and white stock works out really well on the opening page and the pink flush left rag offsets nicely with the white stock opposite.
OUGD404
Studio Brief 01
Development
Above is the book front cover, the main design aspect of the front cover is that it will have an acetate cover which draws the eye to the pink circle overlayed over the shapes. This shows how the eye is drawn to contrast when it is applied to any situation. The other cover will be a pale grey stock that helps highlight the black coloured shapes.
The opening page introduces contrast in graphic design then informs shape contrast, the two variations of type creates contrast as well as two different colours. The typeface I used is Din rounded pro, the typeface is rather playful I think but also the rounded aspects of it relate to shapes. The back page includes only the module information.
The content on page three states ways contrast works and how you could use it. I used a narrow text rag to draw the eye to the illustration on the page opposite which highlights the outlined circle as the main focus.
The final page draws the eye to the incomplete pink circle then the content informs you why you looked at the circle first. The page opposite is actually page 2 but I produced the book without pagination in Indesign.
Studio Brief 01
Development
Above is the book front cover, the main design aspect of the front cover is that it will have an acetate cover which draws the eye to the pink circle overlayed over the shapes. This shows how the eye is drawn to contrast when it is applied to any situation. The other cover will be a pale grey stock that helps highlight the black coloured shapes.
The opening page introduces contrast in graphic design then informs shape contrast, the two variations of type creates contrast as well as two different colours. The typeface I used is Din rounded pro, the typeface is rather playful I think but also the rounded aspects of it relate to shapes. The back page includes only the module information.
The content on page three states ways contrast works and how you could use it. I used a narrow text rag to draw the eye to the illustration on the page opposite which highlights the outlined circle as the main focus.
The final page draws the eye to the incomplete pink circle then the content informs you why you looked at the circle first. The page opposite is actually page 2 but I produced the book without pagination in Indesign.
Tuesday, 12 April 2016
OUGD404
Studio Brief 01
Initial ideas
For this part of initial ideas I decided to design some mockup shapes that could possibly work for my book. Having a wide range of shapes that contrast was the aim.
Above is my first initial concept for the potential style of the book, having simple line shapes that communicate contrast. This minimalist style was was my aim and as I later developed the style of the book more intricate shapes were introduced.
Studio Brief 01
Initial ideas
For this part of initial ideas I decided to design some mockup shapes that could possibly work for my book. Having a wide range of shapes that contrast was the aim.
Above is my first initial concept for the potential style of the book, having simple line shapes that communicate contrast. This minimalist style was was my aim and as I later developed the style of the book more intricate shapes were introduced.
OUGD404
Studio Brief 01
Initial ideas
As my small book is about contrast and in particular contrast in shape, I want the style of the book to be contrasting too. Subtle contrast such as different stock for each page or contrasting layout that draws the eye to the figure. I think the use of white space will help achieve contrast on each page, and this will help content stand out more and come across as contrasting.
The grid I designed for this small book is simple yet is designed to create contrast on each spread with white space and a variation of text blocks. On the first page it will introduce the book and what it will be informing, a page later will have the title at the bottom half of the page. Alone in the first spread it will involve three different type sizes but will remain consistent. The third page will have a text rag that makes the reader scroll down the page while the page four will have a bold image, illustrating contrast in shapes. Finally the last page will automatically make the viewer look at the contrast, which in fact is the aim for each spread but in particular the last page will have a example of contrast, then some informative text to tell the viewer why they looked at the shapes first.
Studio Brief 01
Initial ideas
As my small book is about contrast and in particular contrast in shape, I want the style of the book to be contrasting too. Subtle contrast such as different stock for each page or contrasting layout that draws the eye to the figure. I think the use of white space will help achieve contrast on each page, and this will help content stand out more and come across as contrasting.
The grid I designed for this small book is simple yet is designed to create contrast on each spread with white space and a variation of text blocks. On the first page it will introduce the book and what it will be informing, a page later will have the title at the bottom half of the page. Alone in the first spread it will involve three different type sizes but will remain consistent. The third page will have a text rag that makes the reader scroll down the page while the page four will have a bold image, illustrating contrast in shapes. Finally the last page will automatically make the viewer look at the contrast, which in fact is the aim for each spread but in particular the last page will have a example of contrast, then some informative text to tell the viewer why they looked at the shapes first.
Saturday, 9 April 2016
OUGD404
Studio Brief 02
Development
Following on from the feedback I received on the overall style of the publication I started to design each spread in Indesign with the feedback still in mind I slightly changed some of the designs and added a small lookbook in the centre of the publication.
On the opening pages the combination of Times New Roman and Helvetica is introduced, I think the bold type of Helvetica works well in the table of content as it is assertive.
Using bold large type in some spreads was a initial aim for my designs, for inspiration I looked into it and to see ways in which It could work in editorial.
The varied type sizes continue throughout the publication but the grid makes sure it is consistent.
Above is the lookbook that is placed in the centre of the publication, this double page spread aims to replicate a book but I thought the addition of a lookbook deters the large amount of text on the spread.
Studio Brief 02
Development
Following on from the feedback I received on the overall style of the publication I started to design each spread in Indesign with the feedback still in mind I slightly changed some of the designs and added a small lookbook in the centre of the publication.
On the opening pages the combination of Times New Roman and Helvetica is introduced, I think the bold type of Helvetica works well in the table of content as it is assertive.
Using bold large type in some spreads was a initial aim for my designs, for inspiration I looked into it and to see ways in which It could work in editorial.
The varied type sizes continue throughout the publication but the grid makes sure it is consistent.
OUGD404
Studio Brief 02
Feedback
At this stage I wanted feedback on how the publication worked and the similarities to a fashion/lifestyle publication it has. When I asked my peers what stands out to make this a fashion / lifestyle related publication is the layout of the images and text, 'centred text and full bleed images makes me think of high end fashion magazines' ' the white space on each spread helps achieve the style your after'. So the use of centre aligned text and white space seemed to be the most effective part of my designs, so at this stage it was helpful to know this and push on with the rest of the designs.
Studio Brief 02
Feedback
At this stage I wanted feedback on how the publication worked and the similarities to a fashion/lifestyle publication it has. When I asked my peers what stands out to make this a fashion / lifestyle related publication is the layout of the images and text, 'centred text and full bleed images makes me think of high end fashion magazines' ' the white space on each spread helps achieve the style your after'. So the use of centre aligned text and white space seemed to be the most effective part of my designs, so at this stage it was helpful to know this and push on with the rest of the designs.
Thursday, 31 March 2016
OUGD404
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.
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.
Wednesday, 30 March 2016
OUGD404
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.
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.
Saturday, 26 March 2016
OUGD404
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.
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.
Tuesday, 22 March 2016
OUGD404
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.
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.
OUGD404
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.
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.
OUGD404
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.
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.
Monday, 21 March 2016
OUGD404
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.
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.
OUGD404
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.
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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