fruity!

I've finally got myself into gear and started to put together some images for Philipa's Patch which I can turn into my own tomorrow and start to put together something like a logo. I think it's going to be something very organic, and I'm going to draw influence from some art nouveau artists, such as Aubrey Beardsley, wit flowing lines, keeping shapes organic, as i'm taking my starting point from fruit.

Also, just a little more research to do on this new brief, and then hopefully I can start putting together some layout designs. So excited!

CR.

Today, I was reading an article in the December issue of Creative Review, and it was about the two new partners in Pentagram, a leading design firm. I came across a really interesting quote from Eddie Opara. He talks about the place he lives, called Bedford Stuyvesant, in Brooklyn, NY. He talks about the place positively, saying it's an intriguing place, but that the education in design was lacking. He says: "There's a strip [of shops] really close to me - with just a bit of graphic design it would look like something out of a really high class neighbourhood which would change the way people think about where they live - it's all about perception in America, not class." It really got me thinking about just how big an impact design can have on an area. If we, as designers are doing our job properly and can create beautiful shop design and advertising and identities for companies, then the image of an area can be completely changed. As graphic designers, we are in such a powerful position to change people's perceptions and alter the way they view things.

bookmaking bug!

I've most definitely caught the book-making bug! I love it. Today I finished making a little book about Friday, with some of my train tickets, just to have a little go and start making something. It's really diddy and cute (really don't think they are very artistic adjectives)! I really wanna continue to make more, and can't wait to get into uni and start messing around cutting sections out and making some really cool designs.

Today I've been concentrating on trying to get my essay finished, all is going well, just one last paragraph to sort out! Just a short and sweet one tonight, getting some more research from Liverpool tomorrow!! 

book making workshop.

Yesterday, I went to a book making workshop at Salford, it was absolutely brilliant, I loved it. At first, we made our own books, and this was very helpful. We learnt how to make all different types of books:

- "Beak" book

- "Trouser" book

- Concettina book

- 3 or 5 hole stitched book

- Book "jacket"

We learnt about the different types of grain in the paper and how this defined how the paper would work and how it might 'sit' and what effects printing against the grain has on the paper (all sounds very tedious, but really quite interesting - well, I thought it was anyway!)

We were also told that whatever style of book we did, we'd have to maybe make a mock up and put some page numbers on the pages, in order to draw in the guides on InDesign and be able to print each page to the correct size.

This was all very useful, but what really made me open my eyes to the possibility of different books was the examples the artist was able to show us, some of her own work, some of different artists' work. Some of these examples are listed below, but the reason why I liked these so much is they looked professional, yet experimental, which I really loved.

Bound with a map, form reflects content

Books cut out, could be interesting

"Triangular" book, interesting design

Also, there were bits cut out of the books to create some really interesting designs. I've started to try some of my own, and even bought a bone folder and some nice card yesterday to make some books this weekend. It got me so excited! I love it!! It also got me thinking about making some of my own paper and experimenting using this. I think this might work quite well.

fanzines.

Today we had our exhibition to show our shrines, it was very successful and I as a bit nervous about talking about my work, but all practice is good, as I've never had to do something like this before, and I know I will when it comes to final show.

However! Still need to crack on with this latest project! So I've done my research on Music, Architecture and The Arts in Liverpool, and I think I'm going to go with Architecture in Liverpool. I've been doing some internet research today on fanzines, and found a very anarchic fanzine dating from the 1970s, in the height of the punk era called "Sniffin' Glue and other rock 'n' roll habits, for a bunch of bleedin' idiots".

Sniffin' Glue...

I really like the examples I found on the internet, it has a very make-shift feel to it, like no - one really cares and it was just knocked up in about 5 minutes. The quality of fanzines can vary widely, and considering my subject matter, Architecture, an approach like this would possibly be inappropriate. Possibly something with cleaner lines might be better. Still more research is needed! And hopefully I'll be able to go into Liverpool tomorrow and get some photographs!

a lot of research.

i've done so much research today! i definitely think i've found what my layout design is going to be on: liverpool and archiecture, particularly focusing on the two main cathedrals in liverpool. now all i need to do this weekend is try and visit these places and to see whether i can get some interesting information about them and build up my knowledge of architecture in liverpool.

i've also been really trying my hardest to research philipa's patch project, and i'm going to start putting together some ideas and taking some photographs to start me off, so hopefully my folder for the website will soon start to build up, although we have the year to complete this project, i realised today there is an awful lot to do, so i'm trying my best to get into shape and get the ball rolling. 

new brief, finally...

We got our new brief today, which I am super excited about. It's an editorial brief, that will enable me to build on my skills on In Design, which we had a computer session on yesterday. We learnt how to set paragraph styles in order to keep consistency in a magazine or newspaper, or a publication of some kind. I'm really excited to start this brief, and although it's a lot of work, and we've also got two other projects to be getting on with, I think even from the last project which was handed in on Friday has taught me to write down every single thought to do with the project, so as to show clearly where my choices have come from to go in any particular direction.

I've started to research different aspects of Music, Architecture and The Arts in Liverpool. Hopefully then I can make a decision to move in a particular direction. At the moment, although I've not researched fully, I think I'd like to do research.

I've also been trying to think about my "Phillipa's Patch" project, and hopefully I'll be able to start some logo designs tomorrow. 

essay times.

I've been trying to get on with my essay, making a real effort to get it all finished for the end of this week, and hopefully I can get a draft checked before the weekend. It's been so busy recently it's hard to keep track of the different projects going on. I can't wait to start the next one! The brief hasn't come in yet, but I'm sure we'll get to know by tomorrow and I'm so excited! 

I've not been giving my Phillipa's patch project a lot of thought recently and I need to start organising my time much better, maybe I need to sit down and make myself a timetable for work that includes time outside of uni, like, real set times. I know there is a book on my reading list that could help me do this, so this is probably going to be my next loan from the library. 

excitement.

I'm just too excited to get the new brief tomorrow! I'm so looking forward to starting on something new. We handed all our work in on Friday, and I'm so happy with the project, I think it was a very quick, learning experience for me, I definitely think I think about things a lot differently after the first project. Especially compared to last year. I'm also a lot more comfortable with talking to other people about my ideas, even when I do think they're abit crap, because I understand now that they're only there to help me, and sometimes talking to other people about your ideas, they see things with fresh eyes and have a really good input which can create some whole new ideas!! Hopefully I'll have loads of ideas for this next project, and it can give me the chance to maybe broaden my skills on programmes such as Dreamweaver and Illustrator, which are programmes I've barely ever used. Such exciting times! Can't wait to find out the brief tomorrow.

dreamweaver sesh.

Today we had a session on how to use Dreamweaver, which will help me so much as I don't have a clue when it comes to web design. Dreamweaver seems pretty easy to use, as I don't have to learn all the coding, you can just edit straight onto the page. We learnt today how to save all the files to the same route files, so the website, when it goes live, the files all have to be in the same place so they can all load properly. We also learnt how to change the text colours and background colours and to link and navigate round the webpage. It was really good and I can't wait to learn some more! 

phillipa's patch.

I've started thinking a little more about the another part of the proffesional contexts 1 project, and I think I'm going to choose the website for Phillipa's Patch. I've had a few ideas already, trying to keep the feel of the website quite organic and very natural. Maybe a logo something like this one by the 'Happy Egg Co.' 

Happy Egg Co. Logo

However, the only problem I can see with trying to do something like this is it might start to look a little bit childish, and I want it to still look "grown-up". I really like the Echo Falls ads, with a slight illustrative element, with the ribbons of colour starting round the bottle of wine.

Echo Falls Advert still

I really like these colours, and I'd like to incorporate them into some designs or photos. Seems as the business is called 'Phillipa's Patch', it makes me think of harvest festivals in school when all the lovely colourful vegetables were displayed all nicely, arranged with flowers and fruits. I'd like to possibly do something like this, and have the wine in the middle, so for a red, I'd choose red apples, red grapes, pumpkins and some autumnal leaves and conkers. Very warm and almost a little festive. For white wines, I'd like to use green apples, very light pears, white grapes. I'm really excited, and I'm going to start putting together some mood boards and do some research, as I've got a year to complete the project, I can be quite thorough.

further flyer experimentation

Today I've been further experimenting with my flyer design, keeping in touch with the Swiss Graphic design I'd already started on on Friday. Below is an example of a piece of work I have put together today. At the moment I'm struggling most with how I am to display the instructions for the origami flower. I've tried to make it look as neat and 'Swiss' as possible, however I'm struggling a little as all the icons I made are different shapes, and although I've tried my best to keep them the same sizes in terms of height and width, some of the shapes are difficult to order.

Flyer Experimentation with instruction

Today I've also been trying to figure out a name for my exhibition, and I think the word feuerstelle, which is German for fireplace is really nice, and looks apt for my choice of Swiss design. There were lots of interesting words in Latin, Spanish and Italian which I think I might try out, however, time is rapidly running out and I need to start finalising my designs by the end of this week. Eeep! 

Tonight I'm also going to buy this months Vogue. Although I don't buy it regularly, this issue will be the one I saw in the making when we went to London to Vogue headquarters. I'm really excited to have a look at it, and think about how that magazine is put together in a very different way than how I first anticipated. I remember Robin Derrick saying how most people think magazines are put together by models in a nightclub, and this is so true! However now I've been to the studios and the work bases, I know that the magazine is put together by 'normal' people. I think it'll be fun to look at this iconic magazine in a different way.

beautiful handmade signage.

Last night, I was in Liverpool, and I came across this gorgeous little antique shop called '69a'. It was about half ten at night so the shop was closed and the window was very dark, so I didn't get chance to see in. Although the typography above the door was a little bit awful and handmade, I absolutely loved the signpost hanging over the door (not sure what the technical term is for this). Anyway, I've included a picture below to show you how lovely it is. It definitely looks hand done but I just think it's so beautiful and simple, lovely clean lines like Swiss graphic design which I love.

69A Antique Shop, Liverpool



Speaking of Swiss, on Friday I forgot to mention that I while I was trying to work out where on my origami flowers text would show, or where I could put colour to make it more interesting, I had to draw the lines of the creases and folds that were to be made. This made a pretty ordinary design, but I thought it looked very swiss, and I began to draw over just some of the lines and shapes, which kind of made me think (although not swiss design) of the Coldplay X & Y album cover. This kind of controlled, systematic, very clean cut design I wanted to try and achieve. This, I am going to continue with tomorrow, as unfortunately, I wasn't able to take my fire photos today because of the rain! The weather is grim. Hopefully I might be able to do some tomorrow! I can only hope.



Coldplay X&Y



signage research

Today, I got loads of stuff done for my glorify part of the project. I started looking at some signage, to try and get some ideas about how to make the icons I will be using in order to make making the origami flowers alot simpler. First I looked at possibly the most famous simplification of something very complicated... the London tube map, by Henry Beck

London Tube Map by Henry Beck

And secondly, I looked at some other famous instruction sheets, that are probably famous for the wrong reasons! Ikea instructions. I wanted this very simply, clean cut style in my own work. It worked out really well today, but I maybe need to test the instructions on a few people so I can be sure that they work and people are going to be able to put these origami flowers together. 

glorify!

Just a quick post about how glorify is going for me. I've managed to come up with an idea I think is great, which I found pretty amazing, as usually it takes me about 5 million days to think of something good. Anyway, my flyers, are going to take the form of an A5 sheet of paper, which the "invitee" will cut the bottom section away, to make the paper into a square. On this scrap paper, I will write instructions on how to make the remaining bit of the flyer into an origami flower, which the "invitee" will bring to the shrine, and place as an offering. On the front of the flyer will be the time and date, and information about the shrine, and on the back, I will prompt people to write a memory, by choosing some key words that will hopefully trigger people to want to write a memory or thought on the back of the flyer, which is then folded up, and left at the shrine.

For my posters, my main images are going to be of some burning books, or a burning paper flower, or even some of my origami flowers. These will be the main images on the poster, and hopefully, each poster can represent key words, and these will also be on the posters to interlink them all.

So pleased with my ideas!

feeling better.

After fretting about my essay, and whether or not I had enough sources to complete my essay, I asked Pete for some advice, and he pointed me in a very good direction. I feel I have a lot more scope for research and I no longer feel like I need to change my essay! So I've been getting cracking with that today and have kept on sifting through all the information I have and deciding what is relevant, what I want to quote and generally furthering my knowledge on Toulouse-Lautrec.

I also got Creative Review yesterday, and the cover was absolutely beautiful, by Marian Bantjes, whose new book is in the Graphics Studio, called I Wonder, and she does the most beautiful, intricate pattern work that I envy so much! I'd absolutely love to be able to complete something as beautiful as her pattern work. I just really don't have the patience, or the talent to do something like that.



Example of work by Marian Bantjes

Whilst reading Creative Review, I also came across a designer called James Dawe who is a photocollage specialist, who works in the OPEN Studio, which is also featured in Creative Review this week. They were exploring designer's work spaces, and OPEN Studio combines a number of different designers, all with their own space, in an open plan area. After reading the article by Gavin Lucas, I discovered I'd never really thought about the workspace I'd like to work in when I've finished Uni. I'd love to work in a space like that, with lots of different influences all contributing to my work, as I never really realised how lonely it might be to work on my own, after only ever working as part of a group in college.

Anyway, I checked out James Dawe on his website www.jamesdawe.co.uk, and I absolutely love his work. It's very different from Marian Bantjes's work, which is very "girly" and "intricate", whereas Dawe's work is quite anarchic and chaotic.

An example of James Dawe's work

Dawe's online portfolio shows a wide range of different clients, such as Wallpaper magazine, Nike, Man About Town Magazine, Guardian, EMA and Financial Times. An amazing array of different clients that I would only love to be able to work for myself, each looking unique and absolutely amazing. 

essay trudge

I finally was able to get a book out to start research for my essay on Toulouse-Lautrec. However, this book is so huge! It's been a really useful read so far, but sifting through all the information is like dragging my feet through festival mud. However! I have finished my fireplace, and I am happy to say all I need to do is find a way of assembling it, and whether or not I can use some tea lights in my work which is really good because this means I can focus on getting a first draft of my essay done and dusted! As one weight off my shoulders is relieved, another one descends, but it's all part of the fun, and I am loving it (this is, until tomorrow, when I discover my fireplace looks awful to everyone else, and it needs working on!)