Project 1: Introduction to Graphics

Introductory task

Fig.1 Poster (authors own, 2013)

Initially, I found this task quite liberating as I had the creative freedom to do anything I wanted to do. This was good in theory, however in practice it left me in an indecisive state as I didn't want to create something that just demonstrated my interest within graphics. I wanted to create a piece of art work that represented me as an individual. I came to the decision to create my own response to ELLE Magazine's brief sent to advertising companies to rebrand feminism after researching on Advertising and looking at different/ current ad campaigns. I chose to design my own response as I felt this particular campaign was purpose driven as it would make the reader actually think rather than simply interacting with the magazine in a typical shallow manner. 

I am pleased with my outcome as I feel I produced an original design both conceptually and visually. Overall, the feedback I've received from members of my group have been positive. My created art work was successful mainly because it is a real brief which gives the audience a wider context. It also looks quite professional due to the use of a logo and the detail in the use of hash tags which are the same as the ones featured in ELLE and the other responses from Advertising agencies. 

Exploratory Stage: Reflective summary

Upon entering the exploratory stage, I began with an open mind, willing to try and experience new things. I think having this approach was very important as it was the only way I was truly able to enjoy myself and to be more experimental by purposely trying out things I hadn't previously done. Out of the four pathways, I was most familiar/comfortable with graphics which I why I was surprised that I enjoyed the Fashion and Textiles week the most. This was because the Fashion area was very exciting as the possibilities were endless in terms of what approach I could take in my work and it was also something i had never done before.  This experience is in contrast to the Lens Based Media area where I felt too restricted in terms of what I could create. Having limitations annoyed me but was nonetheless beneficial to the outcomes I produced. The area I think I was the weakest in was 3D because I felt I was continuously missing the point and executing ideas/designs  as successfully as I could have done.

This experience was worthwhile in my opinion because although I am choosing to pick the graphics pathway which is what I thought I would pick prior to beginning the cause, trying other things at least made me reconsider what exactly it was I wanted to do. I now know that although I may go on to do  a degree in Graphics I am still able to work/ dabble in other areas of art and design I found interesting such as fashion illustration, sound and product design. 

Overall, I enjoyed the past six weeks as I have learnt to be more experimental and less scared of making mistakes/failing. I believe trying out all the different art and design disciplines has enabled me to aspire to be more versatile as I develop as a designer. 

3D Design: 3D Triathlon (3)

Building spanning structures 

        (bridges)            

The brief was to create bridges that span from one page to another, I explored weaving and joining the paper in between the two pages. I liked the effect of this however I found that the sides were not as symmetrical as I aimed for them to be as I couldn't duplicate what I did on one side to the other. A sense of symmetry as a recurring element would've greatly improved that specific bridge in particular. I terms of the second bridge, I decided to explore doing something more continuos. I found that this worked better than the other bridge as it looked more interesting aesthetically.

Fig.1 Spanning Bridges (authors own, 2013)

Fig.2 Spanning Bridges (authors own, 2013)

Fig.3 Spanning Bridges (authors own, 2013)

Fig.4 Complete spanning bridges (authors own, 2013)

The next step of the brief was to create a bigger spanning structure made out of bamboo sticks and cardboard which the specific requirements of spanning from one table, over a folded table and unto another table. This was also a group activity therefore we all had to throw ideas around together and work together to achieve a common goal. The desired outcome was for a remote controlled car to be able to make its way over the bridge. 

After much deliberation on what approach to take as a group, we decided to attempt to create our bridge based on the concept of a see-saw. We planned for this to include a base in the centre in a prism like form for the lane which the car will drive up to balance on. The most successful aspect of our bridge in my opinion was the base made out of bamboo as it was the sturdiest. However, the most unsuccessful aspect was that the concept of the see-saw was a fail. I think It didn't work because although we thought it through we were too optimistic and didn't consider the weight of the car whilst making. 

Fig.4 Planning (authors own, 2013)

Fig.5 Bamboo sticks (authors own, 2013)

Fig.6 Creating base (authors own, 2013)

Fig.7 Making hexagons for base (authors own, 2013)

Fig.8 Trying to balance the base (authors own, 2013)

Fig. 9 Making the road/lane (authors own, 2013)

Fig.10 Making tunnel features (authors own, 2013)

Fig.11 Completed lane (authors own, 2013)

Fig.12 Completed base (authors own, 2013) 

Fig.13 Finished bridge (authors own, 2013)

Overall, the spanning structure was a success as it held up on it's own and the car was able to drive up and over it which met the requirements of the brief. If I was able to do this task again I would focus more on the design of the bridge by utilising the cardboard better.

3D Design: 3D Triathlon (2)

Practical design and making

The brief set was to create something out of 20 sticks of spaghetti that was capable of holding 3 balls without them touching each other. I initially began this task by doing brief sketches/ideas of what I wanted it to look like. This was helpful, however only to an extent as most of my ideas worked in theory and not in practice. 

Fig.1 Trial & error (authors own, 2013)

Fig.2 Trial & error (authors own, 2013)

Fig.3 Trial & error (authors own, 2013)

Fig.4 Trial & error (authors own, 2013)

Fig.5 Trial & error (authors own, 2013)

After several failed attempts at trying to replicate some of my sketches I decided not to restrict myself to trying to copy drawings as I already acknowledged that they work in theory and not in practice. I then decided to use them only as a guideline and just create something. I found this method easier as I still managed to achieve the objectives outlined in the brief.

Fig.6 In the process (authors own, 2013)

Fig.7 Testing with balls (authors own, 2013)

Fig.8 Testing with balls (authors own, 2013)

Fig.9 Final structure (authors own, 2013)

Fig.10 Final structure (authors own, 2013)

Fig.11 Final structure (authors own, 2013)

Fig.12 Balls placed on structure  (authors own, 2013)

Fig.13 Balls placed on structure (authors own, 2013)

Fig.14 Balls placed on structure (authors own, 2013)

Fig.15 Balls placed on structure (authors own, 2013)

Fig.16 Pens placed on structure (authors own, 2013)

Fig.17 Pens placed on structure (authors own, 2013)   

Fig.18 Pens placed on structure (authors own, 2013)

Fig.19 Pens placed on structure (authors own, 2013)

Fig.20 Pens placed on structure (authors own, 2013)

Fig.21 Structures made by rest of group (authors own, 2013)

I thought I was successful in meeting the brief as my piece held more than 3 balls, nevertheless I think it could've been improved if it had more structure to it. If I had the opportunity to to change elements of structure I would give it more of a direction and make it less abstract aesthetically. On a positive note, I liked that the piece is versatile and could be used not only to hold balls but to store pens which is more purposeful. 

The next requirement was to protect my structure from harms way as it was going to be tested- with force. Initially I was sceptical about doing this as I felt it was pointless because the spaghetti sticks are so fragile that any attempts to 'test' them wouldn't fail. Nonetheless I proceeded by using the tactic of layering scrunched up paper to intwine between the structure for added padding. In addition to this I decided to use rolled up columns of paper to place in between the spaghetti with the hope that they'll act in the same way pillars/ bases dotted around buildings act as a support mechanism. I finished these details off by using a piece of card to wrap around one side of the structure which I planned to be the side that would face the most force. 

Fig. 22 Protecting the structure (authors own, 2013)

Fig. 23 Protecting the structure (authors own, 2013)

Fig. 24 Protected structure (authors own, 2013)

Fig. 25 Protected structure (authors own, 2013)

Testing

Fig. 26 Basketball (authors own, 2013)

+

Fig. 27 Structures waiting to be tested (authors own, 2013)

=

Fig. 28 Broken spaghetti structure (authors own, 2013)

My structure was tested by the force of a basketball being bounced on top of it. As i predicted, my structure was unable to withstand the force. Nevertheless it didn't shatter as I thought it would have. I could easily have pieced it back together. Overall, this was an interesting experience as it required a lot of thought and trial and error.

3D Design: 3D Triathlon (1)

Introduction/ support

In my introduction to 3D Design, I noticed immediately that an emphasis was placed on having various ideas and starting points which don't necessarily need to look good as it is better to explore all avenues before beginning to refine a chosen idea which is a similar concept to other disciplines within Design and Media. I think the importance of this is not to allow my concepts to be too restricting/ bland. 

My day began with drawing exercises which focused on taking one thing, for example my shoe print and turning into something completely different; a piece of jewellery. I found this interesting to do as I was able to push the boundaries and not limit myself creatively. This was a relatively straight forward exercise, however, I noticed a trend forming in each drawing; my ideas are mostly conceptual and visually, the drawings don't do it justice. An example of this is my drawing of a 'phone' which visually looks like a square with squiggles in the centre of it. Conceptually however, It is a device which is embedded in your tongue and syncs in with your brain and works by interpreting your thoughts and translates my responding as a normal phone would. 

             Drawing exercise (authors own, 2013)                          

• Favourite fruit (an apple) converted into a Rabbit cage
• Random dots converted into a 2 bedroom house floor plan
• Random squiggle converted into a structure with two people and a cat

Drawing exercise (authors own, 2013)                  

• A circle, square and triangle converted into a transportation device
• Human form/ outline merged with characteristics of my favourite animal ( a swan)
• Print from the bottom of my shoe converted into a piece of jewellery ( a necklace)
• A phone ( one that doesn't already exist) 

Drawing exercise (authors own, 2013)                    

• Two similar shapes converted into a piece of footwear
• My house number (64) converted into a a bus shelter
• 2 vertical, 1 horizontal and diagonal line(s) converted into an aerial view of a shopping mall 
• My favourite piece of clothing (a jumper) converted into a light source.

                                                Practical design and making

For this task the brief was to create something that can hold a 100x200mm water bottle 200mm off the surface. (a table) Initially, I was unsure how to construct something that meets the requirements set in the brief without it being dull/boring. I decided to place the patterns/design on the inside of my structure because i felt that was less predictable and I didn't want it to be too loud.

In the process (authors own, 2013)

In the process (authors own, 2013)

                    In the process (authors own, 2013)                          

Final structure (authors own, 2013

Aerial view (authors own, 2013)

                                         

                   

  Different angles (authors own, 2013)

             

Different angles (authors own, 2013)

Different angles (authors own, 2013)

Detail on inside (authors own, 2013)

Experimenting with light (authors own, 2013)

Experimenting with light (authors own, 2013)

Experimenting with light (authors own, 2013)

Experimenting with light (authors own, 2013)

Design detail (authors own, 2013)

Design detail (authors own, 2013)

Experimenting with light (authors own, 2013)

Experimenting with light (authors own, 2013)

Overall, I was happy with my final structure in terms of the design element of it. Nonetheless, I could have taken better care and concealed the masking tape better. The added effect of using a flash light in the middle made it look a lot better/ eye-catching. The light also makes it more versatile as the structure could even be possibly considered a lampshade. 

                                                                  Testing

Testing structure (authors own, 2013)

Technically my structure passed the test as the water bottle fit in it. However, I don't think this counts as a pass because it had to be altered to hold the bottle. I designed this with the intention of the bottle being placed on top of the structure rather than inside of it. This failed because I focused too much on the design and not enough on the actual purpose of the structure. If I could improve this I would make structure a lot stronger as It can be done I just needed to do it correctly.

         Practical design and making/ Critique and testing

Stephanie testing the structure (authors own, 2013)

Stephanie testing the structure (authors own, 2013)

For the above task I was given the brief of using only 4 sheets of card board to create a structure that I can sit/ stand on. (It had to hold my weight) A well as be flat-packed. I found this task the most challenging as there were more elements to take into consideration and I had more limitations. I succeeded in meeting the brief in terms of creating something that could be sat on/ stood on as well as flat packed. However, I ignored the most important element- the design. I got so hung up on creating something that could hold someone's weight that I eventually stopped designing and just aimlessly constructed which was the very outcome I was meant to avoid achieving. This is evident in the fact that I completely forgot to take pictures of the structure on its own. Rather, I've got images of someone (Stephanie) trying to balance on it. I think I missed the point here, if I could improve this I would aim to have a balance between the design and the purpose as both are arguably as important as each other.