Sunday, 8 October 2017

Week 4: Graphics

Graphics

Day 1
Emotive Type

Aim:
  • To understand how emotions can be communicated through the graphic formal elements
Brief:
Using just ONE letter of the alphabet depict this letter to communicate 10 different emotions.

Emotions to explore:
  • Anger
  • Chaos
  • Confidence
  • Depression
  • Fear
  • Frustation
  • Envy
  • Joy
  • Shyness
  • Surprise

Restrictions;
Each Letter should be minimum A4 in size.

Image 1 (A different emotion)



  • Anger:
    I used crayons to show the aura  for anger because I thought that  anger's aura is red or black therefore I tried to show darkness on anger as anger is the result of darkness
I have experimented with different sorts of materials such as crayons, water color, water color pencils, oil pastels, sanguine oil pencil and charcoal. These materials are what I used to show the 10 different emotions for letter A. I have thought about not just what materials to use but also the process. With chaos emotion, I thought that since chaos is something where everything is everywhere, I have decided to repeat the capital letter A to and overlap them two together to show the concept of chaos. In addition, I also included scribbling around them to show more of how chaotic it looks like. 

Image 2 (Display)
Image 2 shows the display of my work onto mannequins. The reason why I had my work displayed on the mannequin is because while I was looking for a place to display my work, I found a row of mannequins not being used and thought that since no body is using it, i might as well take advantage and use it. Displaying my work on to a mannequins are making my work look like as though it's a wearable piece of art with the theme alphabet. 



Type Archive

Brief: 
Using a digital camera or camera phone photograph the entire alphabet including letters, punctuation, and numbers in the environment. 

Range of resources:
  • Engraved
  • Stenciled
  • Drawn
  • Printed
  • Embassed
  • Die Cut
  • Foiled
  • Painted
  • 3D
  • Vinyl/Stickers
Image 3 (Type Archive)



Using the camera on my phone, I have gone and explored the world around us and decided to look for objects forming shapes of each letter of the alphabet. Image 3 shows the evidence exploring shapes and forms and that through objects such as buildings and arrow signs, it can turn into different form such as a letter from the alphabet. To assure that what I see can be readable, I have stretched out my skills by testing out these images of objects forming the alphabet to see if it can form the word Graphic Design. As shown on image 3, I have proved that I  can show any letter from the alphabet on an objects any where and any time. 

There are certain letters that I found quite hard to find such as, B, G, K, M, Q, R, U, W and Y. Seeing that there is no possibility for me finding these letters, I have improvised by forming the letters myself. An example of my improvisation can be seen from letters G, i, J, M, Q,and R. I have actually given up looking for these letters when after I came back from class that I found a thin piece of paper in which I thought could be manipulated if I just re-shape it a little bit. The letter K and T on image 3 are found by coincidence. They are text forming the letters of what they are without the needs of moving it to form the letter that I needed.

Day 2
Found Fonts

Aim:
  • To experiment with unusual materials, objects to form a typeface
  • To explore the boundaries of legibility and readability in typography

Brief:
  • Using one 3D object create an entire alphabet (A-Z). 
  • These can be a mixture of both upper and lower case letters. 
  • Consider reusing/recycling parts for other letters
  • Photograph each character as you make/create them on a white background.
  • Make sure the letters can be read by spelling out the word Graphic Design as a test. 
Image 4 (Guide Sheet)
Image 4 shows my working guide sheet for this task. I have decided to use the graphic paper provided by my College to help me form the shape of each letters from the alphabet. My chosen 3D object is of a rubiks cube. Since rubiks cubes are already in shape of a square, the graphic paper is the best guide sheet to use. 

Image 5 (3D object to Alphabet letters)

Image 5 is my final found fonts that I have created. I have organised my work in alphabetical order so that it'll be easier to read and to look at. I have decided to place the upper and lower case letters next to each other because I thought that- that's how the alphabet should be organised- that same letters even if its upper or lower case letters should be next to each other and also just to make things look much nicer and neater. Graphic Design is the tested word that I used to make sure that my found fonts are readable.

In the beginning of my process of making these alphabets, I found it not difficult but not easy either doing this because I thought to myself that this is taking long to finish the whole alphabet forming letters then braking it then forming letters again. Then, I was given a feedback that instead of doing what I am doing from letter a to e, why not have the squares touching each other? this then created a much nicer look and doing so made my life much easier. Now that I thought about it, I started questioning myself, why didn't I think of this? I could have easily done that in the beginning? So why didn't I? The idea did not cross my mind at all and now that I was given this feedback, my mind decided to start working and I've thought of another way to form letters. And it's by making it like a tower as shown from letter I and U. I thought that letters doesn't have to be all flat down, it could form back into 3D. I wasn't able to do more of this to the other letters because it wasn't secure enough to hold it up like a tower therefore the chosen letters of turning it into 3D is very limited.

Brief:

  • We are to make series of initial sketches based on idea of demonstration that experiment with the process of mark making.
  • We are to produce artwork that uses type of image to create a graphic demonstration.
How to begin:

  • A slogan, quote, or sentence that I will visualise
  • Initial ideas, brainstorm to support my group crits
  • A minimum of 4 initial ideas drawn out in the correct format grid.
  • Research on extensive selection of type experiments/designers and graphic campaigns. 

Slogan:
  • recycling
  • smoking
  • choice education
  • rights
  • terrorism
Image 6 (Four initial ideas)





Image 6 shows my four initial ideas that I thought about. I have decided to use the idea of saving mother earth as my theme. I have my own personal reason to why I have chosen this theme. I decided that since it is something I am passionate about, I should do it. On the way to Lakeside on a 370 bus, I saw a field of grass and behind it is the city and thought that Earth is really beautiful in terms of nature. However, it's sad to imagine that places like this are being taken over to be replaced as a land for architecture. While thinking about this, I thought that why can't we do something to preserve places like this? Like for example, have a land where only nature can rule and a land where architecture can be build. We don't need that many land to build our dream companies, we can change instead of taking away. If we continue to take everything from mother nature, nothing will be left and when disasters such as flooding occur, no soil, no roots, no trees will be there to drink all those water up making our cities stay flooded for a very long time. therefore, I have decided to use this theme as a subject to wake people up before it's too late. 

Image 7 
Image 7 is my finished book cover with two different version. The first one is the no filtered version in which I have kept simple because if I add filters around the text that I have provided won't be readable. The second one is my development to see if a filtered version would look any better than the first one. It made the illustration look much better however, the text on the left hand side cannot be read as much as you can with the first one. As you have noticed, I did not include a sub story at the back of the book because creating a story from a book is my weakest point and I will only end up ruining it therefore, I kept it as it is without including anything else.

Wednesday, 4 October 2017

Week 3: 3DCP

3D Design and Contemporary Practice

Day 1
All Birthdays Rolled Into One
Concept: Memory

Aim:

  • To explore the boundaries of visual making
  • To examine how concepts are used in visual practice
  • To encourage and extend a personal approach to creating work
  • To develop contextual knowledge relevant to the students own interest. 
Outcomes:
  • To be open to broader approaches to research and application
  • To be able to define and explore ideas laterally
  • To explore a wider definition of visual practice. 


How does visual practice use memory? How we recall an event. Is it by location? A single image? Or is it more complex involving a number of fragments forming the whole? Does a photograph tell a whole story or is it just trigger or signifier? How does contemporary visual practice tap into this?

There are a number of start points from which we can examine this idea including tapping into the Zeitgeist, personal narrative, shared event, collective consciousness and trauma. 

Our starting point is every single Birthday (or equivalent ) present you have ever had. We will travel through 2D/3D media, group work, installation and photographic documentation.

'Recall/Record'

Our first task was to write down in text every 'birthday' present I have ever had. This task is allowing us to think and travel back through our memories.

Image 1 (Birthday present list)


Image 1 shows the list of birthday present I ever had, those that are listed are the only ones I could think of at that time. I probably had more than that but that's all I had for now. I should have probably made a list of every presents I will receive each year that way I won't ever forget about them.

With the birthday present list that I have provided, I then have to transfer those birthday presents on an A1 sheet of paper. I can either draw what it is or just record it but I have to make sure I fill the whole page up making it look exciting and interesting.

Image 2 (A1 Birthday Memories)
Image 2 is the before and after image of my A1 birthday present memories. I have included a drawing of balloons with my most remembered birthday of age 14, 16 and 18; the country's flag in where I had my 18th birthday; simple drawings of clothes and bags I received; some of my favorite birthday presents and purple and pink flowers that was used as a decoration for my 18th birthday party. As you can see from image 2 that I enjoyed putting all of my birthday present and memories on this A1 paper because I wanted to show everyone that my birthday is something that will not be forgotten and that those memories and precious for me therefore, making this A1 paper look exciting is the least possible way for me to show those feelings.

Image 3 (Cut out Birthday)

With the recording of birthday presents on an A1 sheet of paper that I have created, we then had to cut up what we just created by removing the white space. The aim of  this task is to make sure to remove the white space without having the whole piece fall apart. The cut out paper should end up looking what it looks like as shown on image 3. I have carefully took away the white spaces out making sure I don't make any mistakes of cutting the wrong one because one mistake could end up having everything fall apart.

I was disappointed that we had to destroy the list of our birthday present after I made it all nice and look exciting but what's more upsetting was that after I was so focused on removing the white spaces out, and thought that I had everything under control and that I was doing very well then  I go  and accidentally made one mistake that had my work separated. I felt so annoyed with myself after that but lucky enough it didn't separate the whole thing out therefore I was able to save it using a stapler  and stapling them together.

After I have removed the white spaces out from the drawings and text, I then went on to hang my work somewhere. I decided to display my work on a wall and on a mirror inside an elevator. I thought that it will be a good idea to show my reflection on to the mirror along with my birthday present to show that I am one with my memories.



With everyone's birthday present, we have built a structure in where we hanged everyone's work on in a style of Marcel Duchamp's 'A Mile Of String' and Cornelia Parker's 'Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View'



I have decided to rip and slash my work and turn it into a confetti as a memorial for my past birthday. Recording this process reminded me of when someone has passed away and they have their burnt ashes fly away in the most memorable place when they we're still alive.

Day 2
Building a structure using spaghetti, 3 balls and a glue gun. 

Task:
Using 3 balls, approx. 20 lengths of spaghetti and a glue gun, we are to create a structure where the balls must be suspended, the balls must not touch each other and also, balls must be removable (do not glue the balls onto the structure).


Image 4 (Planning)
Before we start preparing our structure, we have been given few minutes to make 10 different ideas to how we can plan this structure out. As shown on image 4, I only managed to make 8 out of 10 ideas. If I hadn't thought too much about how I can make the final structure, I would have been able to finish these 10 ideas. The sketches above are my rough ideas to how I am going to build my structure. I am not hoping for the final structure to look like what I had drawn but I would like it to at least look closer enough to my ideas.

Image 5 (Sketches)
As as experimentation, without giving much thought about how I am going to build my structure, I experimented by drawing with eyes closed and just go with the flow without thinking of what I am drawing. Image 5 on the left is the first experimentation I have created and the outcome is as shown on image 5. With the drawing I have produced, I am to find a way in which I can place the 3 balls in without it touching each other. On the other hand, the right hand side drawing on image 5 is an upside down drawing experimentation of sketching the person's face in front of me without looking at my drawing. I have failed this experimentation as I ended up looking at my drawing which made me feel frustrated because I know I shouldn't look but I ended up looking at my drawing anyway. Same with the drawing on the left hand side, I have to place 3 balls onto the drawing of the person's face in front of me without the balls touching each other.
These experimentation  taught me that even without thinking and looking and just by going with it could make a great structure- that mistakes and accidents do happen but it also caused us to discover new things.

Image 6 (Finished structure)

These images as shown on image 6 is my finished structure using 3 balls and spaghetti. I am really proud of my finished structure even though it didn't go the way as I planned. At first, I was using the help of a blue tack to stick the spaghetti's together and create my first idea on image 4 and I thought that this is going  rather well as others are looking like they are struggling with theirs. However, I realized that the blue tack is sticking onto the table and that even though it held the spaghetti together, once I try and lift the structure up, everything will fall and break as the blue tack will stay on the table more so than the spaghetti. Therefore, I have decided to abandon the unfinished structure that I started and start with a new one without using the blue tack and just be free and experiment as I go along using the glue gun. It was disappointing that the idea 1 that I thought would go really well as a structure and would look nice ended up just an idea made on my book. Furthermore,using the glue gun was not any better.  It  felt so frustrating using the glue gun as I try to put two spaghetti together, they just slip past each other while the glue is dripping down. However, when I finally managed to get around half way through my structure, technically, I wasn't sure if i was half way because I have no resources to look at to see how much I've done and how much I have left to do. I am guessing that I am half way done because I managed to fit 2 balls in without them touching each other. I felt happy as I was almost done. The structure does not look like any of my ideas but as long as I was able to finish it without fail, everything is good. "The most valuable thing you can make is a mistake- you can't learn anything from being perfect"- Adam Osborne



Image 7 (Everyone's Structure)
Image 7 shows the table of everyone's structure. Looking at what everyone had done, I wished I could have been  more creative and used my imagination more. If possible, I would like to have the most unbelievable structure that no one has ever made before and have the structure looking like it won't break with a simple shake or get damaged as it falls or get destroyed as something heavy fall above it. Therefore, next time, I will use my imagination more and think about what kind of outcome I would like to have.

Image 8 (Structure Dome)
As there will be a massive destruction that's about to hit us, we have to prepare our structure for that  and to do so, I have placed paper inside and outside my structure to support it for when the disaster hits us. I covered the structure with paper inside and outside because I thought that if this destruction is something heavy like for example a foot or a bag or any large object, when it hits my structure, it would more likely for it to hit the paper instead of the spaghetti and when does hit the spaghetti, the paper's there to support it so when the spaghetti breaks, it won't break fully making everything falls down the ground, it would bounce back to where it's normally placed because the paper's there to serve as the trampoline.


My hypothesis was proven wrong. As shown on the video above, everything on it's path was destroyed and only those that are well built in structure was left unharmed. The reason for this I believe is, lack of glue. This is because if I had placed an enormous large amount of glue onto my structure, every spaghetti would be holding each other tightly and much stronger.

Day 3
Bridge Structure
Image 9 (Bridge Structure)

Image 9 shows the process of the bridge that we have created as a group. We have discussed our ideas before we went on and build our bridge. There is two things that must be considered when building this bridge. A bridge where a boat, in our case a wheeled table, must be able to go through the bridge without hitting it and must be able to change direction. And the other thing that must be considered is that a remote control car will go on it and must be able to reach the other end without fail. 

While building our bridge, we started off by planning how the bridge will be able to hold up and started our process from the base.




In conclusion, above shows the proof of when we had our bridge tested out. As the car goes to cross, I can see what problems the car might have and what that problem is. The road for the bridge that we created is slanted, we can see this even before we had our bridge tested out that it wasn't straight and that we should have gone and done something about it but we didn't because we thought that it's fine even if its slanted. However, we we're wrong. As seen from the video, the remote control car had trouble maneuvering  around the bridge because the road is slanted and also because we had our road built quite narrow. We should have thought about the size of the car before we have gone and create our road, this way it won't have any problems moving. I just realized now that a bridge's road has 2 road way and not just one. If I had remembered that it has 2 roads, I could have warn the group and made our bridge bigger enough for any sort of vehicle to cross. Furthermore, the base of our structure is not secure as one point is not touching the ground it is only being held by a suspended string that is then connected on to the table. We should have had our bridge balanced out in a way when the car goes to cross, the edges of the bridge won't wobble giving the car a possibility of falling off. I thought about this while we we're making the bridge but we should have added more bamboo sticks inside or outside the edges of the bridge that way it'll be stronger even though the road was narrow. Apart from having an unbalanced base, wobbly and narrow road, I think that we produced a one magnificent structure since it was well planned out (kind of). Each every one of us from the group was able to give out ideas and say what they think about it. There was no leader in our group who directs us  what to do since we all played a role building this structure.