Alphabetype

Initially I was sceptical about doing this project as I thought that the alphabet had already been done in so many different ways. I thought that I would end up producing something mediocre. Nevertheless, I began this project by collecting visual references on how others have approached redesigning/ stylising the alphabet. This initial research was extremely beneficial as I was able to see how others have manipulated not only the objects but also the letters them self to create a specific aesthetic. I began my designing by being quite playful and designing the alphabet based on my environment. My ideas came from quite mundane everyday objects/things such as: pens, scissors, bags, flags etc. 

I made the decision not to take my alphabet in the direction of my experimentations in terms of the playfulness of it as I felt that approach has been done. In addition to this I wanted to construct something that could work both as a digital and 3D piece. I chose to make my alphabet out of simple geometric shapes (circles, squares, triangles, rectangles) because I felt that a simpler approach would enable me to have a refined finished piece as 'less is more'. This phrase grew more prominent in the later stages of my design process as I decided to limit the shapes I used to circles and triangles alone in order to gain a greater sense of consistency between each letter 

The alphabet is titled 'Shape'. In terms of the colours, I chose to use red and blue as I believe they balance each other out. Rather than leaving my alphabet as a 2D digital piece, I decided to further develop it by using foam floats to create a 3D version of the 2D image. I decided to do this as the concept behind this project in terms of my target audience are toddlers/children learning the alphabet as the shapes not only simplify this process, they can also be quite fun as the 3D cut outs are very interactive. 

Overall, I enjoyed this project as it gave me the freedom to be quite playful and to decide exactly how playful I wanted to be. However ,my main issue with this  project was time management as it was the last of the three projects I was required to do. If I had more time I would have developed the concept of designing this particular piece to be used as a learning tool for children. 

Fig.1 Upper case alphabet (authors own,2014)

Fig,2 Lower case and numbers (authors own, 2014)

Constructed Photo

I was excited to begin this project as I have not really worked with photography as a medium prior to this. I began this project by visiting the Behind The Mask exhibition by the photographer, Andy Gotts at The Somerset House. I enjoyed this exhibition because I feel as though he approached portrait photographs in new and exciting ways for each of his subjects. I addition to this, I did research on photographers: Carie Mae Weems and Carolyn Drake who both capture beautiful images which tell stories. Weems in particular dramatises her images with the use of body language, lighting etc. These factors all harmonise together to visually communicate the feelings in the images. Whilst searching for visual referencing, a collective I particularly liked was that of 'Magnum' as I found their images striking as they are real. I like the fact that their subjects are real people as the photographers often capture the feelings/things people do not want to acknowledge which I find quite interesting. 

The word/ feeling I choose to communicate was pain/sadness/depression as I feel that these are real emotions that we all come across in our lives. I also feel that we are reluctant/scared to address them as they can be quite taboo subjects. For example, depression can be classified as a mental illness therefore there is a lot of stigma attached to it. Initially, I was unsure what direction I wanted to take my photography in as I didn't want my images to look too 'scripted' nor did I want them to look fake. As I thought about what the most natural approach I could take to visually communicate the feeling of pain in a genuine way (without hurting anyone)  I remembered that the whole point was to 'construct' the photographs therefore it would be possible to create the emotion of pain. I then decided to construct this vis the use of shadows as they hide the identity of the individual as well as dramatise the image which places a greater emphasis on the subject matter. I also thought the connotations behind the use of shadows were appropriate as shadows are owned by every individual therefore each person that views the images can relate. 

The challenges I faced with this approach was manipulating the lighting to suit my vision of how I wanted the image to be as well as the 'set up' I had to work with as I didn't have access to a professional studio which affects the outcome of my images in terms of the quality. If I were to improve and build upon this project, I would develop my idea by forming my images into a story-like sequential format to make it communicate stronger visually. 

Overall, I enjoyed this project as it made me consider an alternate means of communication that I would not normally think of using. I think my final images meet the brief as they communicate not only the word 'pain' but also the feelings associated with pain (mainly depression). In order to build on this, I intend to contextualise the photographs by using them in a relevant context. 

Constructed photo (authors own, 2014)

Illustration Cover

I began this project by doing research and reading up on the two magazines I had to choose from to create an illustration cover for. Prior to this project I had only heard of 'The Economist' which i vaguely recall. As I looked at the previous visual treatments for the front covers it was evident that the 'New Scientist's front covers are lot more visually pleasing as they are consistently illustrated in exciting ways. In contrast, The Economist is a lot blander and lacks consistency and refinement in it's front covers which is one of the reasons I chose to do an illustration cover it. I thought it would be more challenging creatively as I would have to be bolder in my creative thinking and designing.

The topic I chose for the front cover was 'Cancelling poverty'. My reasoning behind this was that although it is a very important issue ethically/morally, design wise there are various interpretations and angles I could approach this from. The possibilities are endless. I began designing by referencing existing treatments on poverty in general from charities and campaigns. I then went on to look at what we as a society associate with the term 'poverty' which is people (children in particular) from third world nations/countries. When I think poverty I automatically think about the adverts that a constantly on television about starving children all over the world which is one of the biggest issues globally. This then led me to consider how this can be approached differently as society is now used to images of starving, malnourished children therefore this approach has lost it's shock factor. I got the idea to take a 'role reversal' approach in which I would put the viewers of such adverts in the situations of the people they are being asked to help. This idea would have been great- for another project as I started  straying away from the brief.

After experimenting with drawing and considering the use of photographs or illustrations on the front cover I quickly decided that photographs aren't as effective in this context as the world is already aware of the realities of poverty. Also, I feel that illustrations do not capture the seriousness of the situation therefore that wouldn't be a good treatment to use either. I then decided that a simple, yet bold typographic treatment would be the most effective as this would capture the seriousness of the matter in a bold, striking manner. Initially, I felt that the outcome i produced was to simple/plain as it features a lot of negative space. Although I received positive feedback from some of my peers, one individual criticised my choice of typeface and the size/scale of my final outcome which I attempted to refine by experimenting and playing with the possible outcomes. Nevertheless, as I thought about what it was I wanted to achieve and the reasoning behind my design I felt that I should stick to what I wanted to create as my work isn't going to be liked by everyone. I also believe my treatment of the subject was appropriate. I wanted to convey my understanding of poverty which I believe is to truly 'lack' in more than one sense of the word as you can lack not only necessities like food and money but also factors such as education which are incredibly important. This concept of poverty to me would look 'empty' visually and quite dark and simple as although it is a matter of perception it is a tragedy as it is almost factual.

Overall, I am happy with my final outcome as I feel that I considered the directions of the brief but ultimately made the project my own and took it in the direction I felt was appropriate in terms of the format and content of it. 

The Economist front cover (authors own, 2014)

Data Translation

I began this project by doing research on Data visualisation and Information design/graphics. Looking at examples such as the 'Information is Beautiful' project by David McCandless and the work of Stefanie Posavec gave me a greater insight into the possible outcomes I could produce both visually and conceptually. 

I struggled to find a topic to translate data from as I didn't want to research into anything shallow nor did I want to choose something that I didn't genuinely care about. Initially I chose to collect quantitative data on my day in terms of what I was doing at a each precise moment in time. Although I found this interesting, this would have been a very limiting topic as looking at myself alone is quite a basic treatment. After this I then went on to to looking at how things can be 'recorded'. By considering factors such as CCTV, my oyster card, debit card payments, social media, and other factors. These thoughts then led me to consider privacy which can be a controversial topic as in this day and age with technological advancements, individuals arguably have little or no privacy. 

Gathering information from a survey I conducted on 15-20 year olds gave me an insight on the opinions of privacy and whether or not we lack privacy in society. From the results, I came to the conclusion that not only do we lack privacy, people seem to think they cherish their privacy whereas their actions contradict this claim. This insight sparked the idea to approach and translate the issue of privacy in a new, fresh way. Rather than making my data translation abstract, I wanted to make it easily understandable by using symbols to visually communicate the results from the survey and what they suggest.

As the brief is to communicate data visually in a new and fresh way, I asked people from my group whether or not they understood what I was attempting to do with my project and  got positive feedback. After throwing ideas back and forth with my peer I decided rather than just creating a poster a better way to present my information would be to do it in the form of a concertina/book which makes the information a lot more interactive.

Overall, the outcome for this project was successful as I achieved all I set out to do however, my main issue was time management as it took me quite some time to figure out what data I wanted to translate. Conceptually, I think I met the brief's requirement of saying something interesting about my topic. In addition to this, visually I don't think my treatment of this was obvious in relation to the visual references I found during my research. If I was able to change anything about this project I would experiment more with the possibilities of my book in terms of how it can be presented as it could be more exciting.