Professional Practice Module File

Professional Practice Module File

Presentation

As a group we all wanted to look at the area of motion and decided to focus on title sequences and to look at how much of the director’s input vs. the input of the designer and looking at exactly how a title sequence is created. We then brainstormed a list of questions to ask designers. questions to ask designers When producing a title sequence for a film, how involved is the director? Are you given a brief/ strict rules and themes to stick to, or are they open to opinions and let you take charge?

Who would you consider an influence on your creative career?

Do you become involved and read through character descriptions and the script to get to know the film before creating a title sequence?

Do you watch unedited footage to gain a true insight to the plot of the film?

Do you have much interest in type, do you consider its importance when planning a title sequence?

Do you base the imagery around the text, or place the text on top of the motion afterwards?

Have you become associated with a type on genre?

What was the most extravagant idea you’ve had to use in a title sequence and how did it turn out?

In what order are the following created for a title sequence; logo design, typographic title sequence, sound and motion picture?

Do you have an old sample brief you could perhaps send us?

Do you think budget constraints fuel creativity? Do you set goals or is it more of an organic process for you?

How critical are you with your initial ideas?

What degree is your approach clinical and at what point does it become emotional?

What is your favorite part of the process?

What new technologies are you embracing?

What is it to push for something more than the audience is used to? Do you wrestle with taking creative risks?

How do you balance and/or meld doing something because it strikes you vs. something overly reflective of the body of work? When do you hold to a vision and when do you experiment?

What brings you the most satisfaction? Seeing the final piece onscreen? Or is it the process that brings you joy?

List of designers/companies Garson Yu – Yu&co carol@yuco.com roxanneandco@mac.com robinreps@yahoo.com sandy@yuco.com lisa@boardalicious.com Paul Donnellon – voodoodog paul@voodoodog.com Jamie caliri – duck jamie@jamiecaliri.com Richard Morrison – Th1ng richard@richard-morrison.co.uk Michelle Dougherty (representation) Janice Walbrink Contact – janicew@imaginaryforces.com Danny Yount – Prologue films danny@dannyyount.com Michael Riley – shine studios imais@LMPR.com

Karin Fong - Creative Designer Imaginary Forces (representation) Janice Walbrink Contact – janicew@imaginaryforces.com Daniel Kleinman – Creative Designer Rattling Stick Contact - info@rattlingstick.com Steve Viola – Creative Designer Method Design Contact – submit email on methodstudios.com/ contact Jennifer Miller – Graphic Designer (typographer) Contact - jdmstudio@yahoo.com Neil Kellerhouse – Designer Contact - neil@kellerhouse.com Eric Anderson – Creative Director Logan Contact - pr@logan.tv Florence Deygas and Oliver Kuntzel Add A Dog – Deygas and Kuntzel’s production company Contact – contact@addadog.com

Lauren Hartstone – (representation) Janice Walbrink Contact – janicew@imaginaryforces.com

Icon films info@iconfilms.co.uk

Kryistian Morgan krys@qemic.com

BDH Designs (Orla) http://www.bdh.net/contact/

Matthew Carlin hello@matthewcarlin.co.uk

Omni productions info@onmiproductions.co.uk 01179547176

Paul McDonnell hugo@hugedesigns.co.uk Michael Samuels – huge designs hugo@hugedesigns.co.uk Oscar Wright – storyboard artist http://oscarwright.com/Contact.html Edgar Wright – director greg@longstreetworks.com representation – greg longleet Richard Kenworthy – title designer Shynola Clemens Wirth welcome@clemenswirth.com

Joe Lawrence hi@makelovely.com Menno Fokma mail@mennofokmastudio.com Fredrik Ekholm info@fredrikekholm.se Benjamin Ducroz benjamin@ducroz.com Dvein contact: Blake Powell email: blake@stink.tv ph.: 020 7462 4000

Sophie Grace Holly From our research we made a list of all the designers/companies we admired and divided the list and applied specific questions when emailing them.

Not everyone got back to use but here are the emails we recieved.

Designer Company Title sequence

Paul Donnellon Voodoodog Smokin’ Aces

Do you have much interest in type? Do you consider its importance when planning a title sequence?

I studied graphic design and typography at art college so through that I broke down my disinterest and type became interesting though it is never the first point of beginning an idea for me. We do have a designer, roger Phillips, who specialises in type and certain jobs we refer to them as roger jobs ! Where it is type led.... I do have to consider type though when I storyboard the first rough draft, you are restricted to making each actors name the same point size so there are restrictions , also each title legally (for the actors requirements) must be on screen for 4 seconds.

Does the client give the designer a brief? Do they give specific requirements?

Very rarely it happened once with mike newell the director for Love in the time of cholera, he was specific but usually I get the screenplay and see what ideas come to mind after reading that. Studios don’t like to send any shots of their movies before it is cut so we rarely see any of the footage. The requirements are usually get 27 credits into a two or three minute sequence.

In what order are the following created for a title sequence; logo design, typographic title sequence, sound and motion picture?

Firstly Motion picture , secondly type main title design, thirdly logo design and sound is last.

Do you think budget constraints fuel creativity? Do you set goals, or is it more of an organic process for you?

I never think about money when designing a job it’s better to go for an idea then when the reality bites about budget see if you can pull off sixty percent of what you wanted. Sometimes low budget work can be creatively free as the financial pressure is off and you can try new things out Do you have an old sample brief you could perhaps send us?

The brief is never written, its a vague phone call to usually my producer David Obadiah with the minimum of info we never get written briefs it’s “we will send you the screenplay and can you get a pitch back to us in ten days. “ clients never tell what the budget is so you play a complex guessing game to try and pitch it in at the right money level, but what we have learnt is if clients use money costs as a reason why you didn’t get the job then they never were going to use you anyway. If people want your work they will find a way to negotiate. That’s what I think anyway.

Director/Editor Company Title sequence

Eric Anderson Digital Kitchen Dexter

Do you become involved and read through character descriptions and the script to get to know the plot before creating a title sequence?

Let me start by stating that TV titles and movie titles are 2 completely different endeavors.

When I work on a movie the script is in finished form, the story is completely established. I know the entire story, backstory, read the script, review their research, sometimes their concept art, everything. Most times we even know every detail about the first scene, what the first shot is (what we will segue into), the music, the film look, the actor’s dialogue and motivation, stuff the script many not provide. Everything has been established well before they call me. The director or producer may already have the sequence planned out, in some cases the footage may already be shot or even roughly edited. At this point, the movie has been in development and production for over a year.

When I work on a TV title, we know far less. Sometimes I will get a script, a lot of times I get a vibe from the show creators. This can be completely verbal, or it can include reference material.

For Dexter I got about 5 minutes from the pilot. I had additional backstory from the book series it was based on , so that did help a lot for tone. Typically, my job as a title creator for television is to come up with the overarching, self-contained visual allegory that defines the show... or at least engages the imagination of the viewer as they’re preparing to watch. It’s character development, its a sort of plot device. This is why I find titles for TV fascinating. The job is more open ended and you get an opportunity to affect the show for whatever twists and turns the series may take over multiple years, not just one episode or season. I have done stupid titles for show creators who lack vision. Mostly they fall into the category of turn-and-look. Hey look who is in our show! See what they look like? You can tell from the clothes they wear what kind of character they play, and check out how they look right into the camera when their name appears. Do take notice of the snazzy style that’s hiding the fact that there’s really no idea whatsoever. And please try to ignore that all the footage is pulled from the pilot. Not that you can’t do something good in the category, it’s just that, most times, it lacks imagination. And the mere fact that they want a turn- and-look typically rules out redefining what a turn-and-look can be. These are people who want only to operate within a comfort zone. This is why I, as far as American TV goes, choose to work on cable dramas. American network television is a stuffy bureaucracy, and I’m pleasantly surprised when something good slips through the cracks and makes in spite of their “mediocrity for the masses” edict. Plus, unlike network shows, cable shows will be on for at least an entire season. I have made titles for shows that got canned after one episode.

In short yes, if it is at all possible I get as involved with the characters as possible, but the overall meaning, “what is this show” is what I really dive into.

In what order are the following created for a title sequence; logo design, typographic title sequence, sound and motion picture?

No specific order. I work intuitively. Some thing that some one says may trigger a memory, some experience I had, some song I heard, something I remember someone saying, sometimes I just get images in my head, most times I can’t even explain what I’m thinking. I am very good at understanding people. That moment when I lock on and convince myself that I understand, it’s an abstract thing, probably an emotional thing, like how DejaVu feels undefined and etherial, but you understand it. Try describing that to someone who has never experienced it. That’s how it is a lot for me in the early stages of the creative process. The feeling is so incredibly fragile, yet completely spot on. I choose not to put it into words right away, to protect it I guess. I think this comes from me being a musician for years and years. Musical inspiration is so incredibly etherial like a plume of smoke in a room and you’re just hoping the no one opens a door and destroys it. Maybe this is a 7th or 8th sense we aren’t fully capable of understanding. They do tell us things like, this needs to be 90 seconds and have 22 titles. They’ll say stuff like I want this to be live action or graphic, they are pretty good at telling us what they don’t want. But the nuanced discussion is what I draw upon. After that I like to research. And by that I mean look for things that define the ‘clues’ I have in my head. I love lists. One of the first things that popped into my mind for Dexter were these old Detective magazines I used to page through in my grand father’s basement when I was a kid. True Crime kind of stuff. They were just thinly veiled soft porn masquerading as investigations. Women with her bra showing as she struggles to get away from a bad guy kind of thing. The initial thing that made those pop into my mind was so stupid. This is a show about murders, oh I remember murders, I used to read about them when I was a kid... But in the end, the aesthetic of evidence photography as seen in those magazines played a strong part in how I wanted things shot, not overly romantic, just very mundane. I love great logos, and I love typography, but I don’t think in those terms, I need help there... odd that I would be known for designing titles without being a typographer, but I know what is working and what won’t and I’m good enough with adjectives to get what I want. I understand what things need to be even if I can’t make them.

Do you think budget constraints fuel creativity? Do you set goals or is it more of an organic process for you?

There’s an old adage, fast, cheap, great... pick 2, if it’s cheap and great it won’t be fast.... you get the picture.

I love constraints. I work best with them, but there is a tipping point... you can start to feel like The Black Knight (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKhEw7nD9C4). I do believe that constraints fuel innovative thinking, and I love process especially when the problem solving part makes the process mercurial, when “really, how am I going to do this” is constantly in the back of your mind. Because something odd is going to be the right answer. But I also love and embrace idiosyncrasies. Most clients don’t. And I find designers to be afraid of idiosyncrasies.

Designers can be control freaks who think too much, and who think too much about their own idea. They can be a little self indulgent, narcissistic who need to loosen up a little. They are trained to come up with answers, not to go with the flow. I am an abstract expressionist musician before I started editing.

Design is mostly about thinking, where as music and editing is all about experiencing, I’m convinced that’s where the magic is, the thing that makes you feel something, not if the type was kerned ‘properly’ or if you followed formal rules. I will excuse lack of polish for spirit any day. A lot of times this atypical process results in unplanned results. I love that.... for the same reason I love troubled rock stars on stage instead of Jennifer Lopez and her lip-synched dance numbers.

What new technologies are you embracing?

That depends. Sure, there are tools that make my job and my life easier. Shooting on digital instead of film. What a massive game changer! I love that I can shoot beautiful footage on a DSLR... footage I can actually use for real things. I think the iMac is a gift from god... or Steve Jobs... same thing. The screen is amazing, and with thunderbolt I can edit HD footage for film out in my home office. I love LightRoom, I love my Nikon D800, but I still use vintage lenses. Creatively I can be untrusting of new technology. This comes from my experience as being a music engineer. They made units to replace kick drums. Kick drums were pretty hard to make sound amazing, now this little unit made your kick drum sound amazing. Problem was, everyone started using it... and all the kick drums sounded the same. If you listen to music form the 1970s, you’ll notice that every recording sounds incredibly different. But then sometimes in the early 1990’s, all the engineers fgot on this band wagon to make everything sound “perfect”. This resulted in a period of incredibly homogenous sounding albums. Thankfully Hip Hop started sampling old sounds off vinyl and everything got groovy again. So you see, when technology is merely a tool, I love it, but if it tries to fix that short comings of something aseptically, I have a hard time embracing it. I has made people lazy in the past.

Points from email • The story is completely established when the designer starts working on the title sequence • The director often talks to the designer about what he wants and about the script, story and characters • It is important to get a sense of what the film/show is, and summarise that in the title sequence

Designer Company Title sequence

Michelle Dougherty Imaginary Forces The number 23, Boardwalk Empire

Who would you consider an influence on your creative career?

My mother introduced me to art at a very young age, bringing me to museums and talking to me about art. She had me painting with a local artist at the age of 8. So, I would say she was my greatest influence.

I would say I was influenced by Albers, the Bauhaus, Jean Arp, Robert Brownjohn, Maurice Binder, Cézanne, Joseph Cornell, Mary Cassatt, Pollock, Chagall, Degas, van Gogh, Steven Frankfurt, Frida Kahlo and Deigo Rivera, Klimt, de Kooning, Sol Le Witt, Moholy-Nagy, Mondrian, Paul Rand, Motherwell, Matisse, Gerhard Richter, Rothko, Rosenquist, Richard Serra, Egon Schiele, Antoni Tápies, Picasso, Cy Twombly, pablo Ferra, Saul Bass, Andy Warhol, Calder, Barbara Kruger, Mira Schendel, among so many more.

In addition, my mentor was Kyle Cooper who taught me about film, title sequences, the importance of good story telling and evoking an emotion was very influential.

Do you become involved and read through character descriptions and the script to get to know the film before creating a title sequence?

Yes, my team generally reads the script and I usually speak to the director to understand the purpose of the title. Is there a backstory that needs to be told or a mood to be set? Is there something that needs to be included that foreshadows what is to come?

Do you base the imagery around the text, or place the text on top of the motion afterwards?

The text and picture always work hand in hand. I consider the typography as a character in the story and so it should be treated with the ultimate respect.

Have you become associated with a type of genre?

When I worked closely with Kyle Cooper, I think I was associated with dark, menacing looking work. I don’t think I am associated with any of that anymore. I try to keep my mind open when I first get a brief so that all my work doesn’t look the same and try to design each individual project with appropriate solutions.

Points from email • A title sequence can tell a back story and set the mood • Keep an open mind when approaching a brief • Emotion and storytelling are important when creating a good title sequence

Designer Company Title sequence

Krystian Morgan Freelance The Thing (unofficial)

Influences: Regarding designers and studios I would definitely list Kyle Cooper and his company ‘Prologue’. Of course Saul Bass. I also like the work of the company, ‘Onesize’. Those are the main ones I frequent regarding motion graphics, I try not to look to motion graphics for inspiration for the most part, I find it much more inspiring to look at stills and other sources and imagine them or their ideologies in-motion. It kind of gives you more of a creative brain workout too, constantly looking at new ways that you can manipulate graphics/type or whatever… if that makes sense? So in terms of bigger influences, who’s ideas and methodology I find interesting are Stanley Kubrick, David Lynch, Akira Kurosawa and also I love the whole DADA movement, Jazz ideals taken into motion (no examples, just the idea of it) and that sect of Modernism during WWII that deals with collage and the strong block fonts.

Approach to projects: My approach to projects has changed and changed throughout the years and what works for me may not necessarily work for you so it’s worth experimenting, finding your own groove(s). That being said, for ‘The Thing’, I had watched the film and got excited about personifying the monster as type. I liked the idea of the monster that’s made up of a number of creatures being represented as text that’s made up of a number of fonts, sizes and abstractions etc… so that was the idea. With that, thinking of the appropriate environment in which the font would live, a lot of which can be considered as macros of the beast itself. I got a camera and shot a ton of footage of creatures, textures and liquids. Then it was a case of experimenting with the footage, and compositing together a still, a single frame of motion that I was happy with, with the text mapped out (not animated), then looking at the still version, considering how to animate it and transition to the next title… then doing exactly that. So the big thing with that project was getting to the single frame of each title, then working out the rest of the animation from there (of course having a preconceived idea of the text in my head).

However, I have to admit, I rarely approach work this way anymore. For the majority of my projects I prefer storyboarding what I want beforehand on paper, developing those storyboards further with the client and then always being open to happy accidents or new ideas when actually creating it. Storyboards are great too as sometimes we subconsciously think in the bounds of the software we work in, think in terms of plug-ins and practices, with storyboarding it’s not the case, you think solely on the video and then try to work out how to achieve what you’ve laid out in the storyboards afterwards.

Associated with genre: Personally, I think I’m associated with two separated genres in which I get visitors and requests from each channel. I have the dark stuff like, ‘The Thing’ my new trailer for, ‘WAX’, and then I have the short indents for the likes of, ‘CSS-Tricks’ and ‘Yoast’. In actuality there’s a third too (where I work) but I don’t make this work publicly ‘mine’ so no-one knows I do it.

I’m not a freelancer, I occasionally do freelance work if it’s something that excites me or the money’s good but I mostly turn freelance projects away. For the last 5 years (i think it’s been that long) I have worked full-time for the same company… I still work there now but have reduced my hours to work on my own projects.

Whatever you’re hoping to do when you finish University, one of the best things you can do is create your own niche (genre) in which you OWN. I recently saw a great example of this: http://www.evilcorp.tv/ I think this is a relatively new company, but given that their company name and website is ironic and their work is completely fitting with that aesthetic - they have created a very strong brand for themselves. If a client needs to hire a company for a project that requires a retro feel to it or a dry, ironic sense of humour - they would be a good place in which to enquire. It also probably means that the type of clients that Evil Corp works for, are the type of people that they would want to work for, just given that they understand what they do and their sense of humour.

The big design companies like Prologue and Digital Kitchen etc… are often hired as problem solvers as well as designers. Big brands are willing to trust their taste based on previous successes. When it comes to hiring small design companies and individuals, more often than not clients are either after something along the lines of.. ‘another piece you’ve produced’ or to hire you based on something you’ve already made to create something unique, but in the same vein. Being a jack of all trades is good and all and it’s definitely worth having diversity in your work and reel, but if a company is after a certain ‘thing’, if you exemplify that ‘thing’, you will get much more work! It doesn’t mean you have to rehash the same shtick, Kubrick never made two films the same, but they’re all inherently ‘Kubrick’. It’s also good for getting hired for an established company as yeah, you can show them you can do what they already do, but they can already do that. A reason for them to hire you would be for you to add a new flavour and style to their arsenal. Most people in the design world don’t know how to be themselves, the ones that do are the ones you hear about, pretty much everything else is derivative.

If it helps, think of your design work as the music of your imaginary band, you’re fans, agents and venues don’t expect your music to be all the same for every song or album, but they want/ expect some coherent consistency in all of it.

Thank you so much for that extensive reply! It has helped incredibly with our University project and its such good advise to have when entering the design world. We cannot thank you enough for the time and effort you have put into that email! It’s very inspiring to hear from someone in the field of motion design with such positive enthusiasm for their work.

If it’s not too much trouble could you possibly answer a few more questions? Our University project is focused mainly on film titles and we are currently exploring the idea that film titles are used, to some extent as a brand for the film, such as the classic Dr.No gun barrel trademark for Bond, or perhaps the title sequence is a summary of the film? In your opinion what does a film title do for the audience? In an article in The New York Times Sarah Boxer wrote that the best title sequences are “movies within movies”, do you think it is necessary to have such complicated title sequences before the film?

There’s definitely no one purpose for a title sequence and I don’t think title sequences are necessary for every film. You’ll often find that films that want to appear more ‘real’ or documentary in feel usually don’t elaborate with them. ‘Apocalypse Now’ doesn’t have so much as a ‘Starring: Martin Sheen’, it goes straight into the movie and is better for it.

‘Se7en’ was the title sequence that got me hooked on them. It is one of the most perfect examples of a title sequence that yes, looks great, but it also serves a higher purpose in both informing the viewer on the antagonist and putting them in the appropriate emotional state to continue to tell the story. The reason there is a title sequence for, ‘Se7en’ is that the director, ‘David Fincher’ felt that the movie needed to show the antagonist ‘John Doe’ to the audience early in the picture, inform them just what the two protagonists are up against… a really, really sick individual, who has cut all his fingers, defaces images of children, storing hair mementos amongst his depraved notebooks that are in themselves his own creation, he sews the pages together to create them. As an audience we needed to be aware of this guy, and in the sequence the frame is flickering, scratches appear over the text as if Doe is penetrating the celluloid of the very film your watching, he’s bigger than this, he transcends even the bounds of the movie to audience relationship. Even little things like the placing of the titles is perfect.

We’ve already seen Mills and Somerset interact with each other, but the title sequence comes after Somerset is in bed going to sleep to the sound of a metronome. This suggests further how different Doe is, he’s up all night doing this while everyone else is asleep, he’s a different animal.

Alien is another great example of a title sequence as a mood setter. It’s purpose is to purely show the vast isolation of space and in it’s vastness you have this small crew who are completely alone, it suggests if and when something goes wrong, they are on their own, no-one is going to come for them.

Title sequences are often used for exposition and montage too, to bring the audience up to date quickly. You often see these at work on non-fiction political films, though this technique was even employed for the ‘Watchmen’ titles where it goes through history (if i remember correctly) but shows the history we recognise, but based in the context of this other world where there are superheroes. It sort of grounds that film in more of a reality, and suggests more depth to it, also suggests that at where the movie takes off is past the prime of these main character. All their greatest achievements are behind them - all important things to know, all summed up in the title sequence . Blade 2 too kinda sums up the first film in the flashy title sequence so that the audience who perhaps haven’t seen the first, or can’t remember it are not lost, that’s a completely valid use too.

With the Bond films and I think a lot of Bond titles are kinda looked past by most people - for the most part are just eye-candy and tradition. Bond films all have the same formula of Action upfront (get the audience immediately in) but suggest that this action is a piece of a much larger pie (so to speak). The titles come in and remind us of how we all want to be Bond, how all the girls want to be with him, how sexy and great it is to live in his world for 2 hours at a time. I think their just a great excuse to show a heighten a better world than ours, you know a fantasy. Most of them are the same, or at least have the same elements of Bond, pretty nude girls silhouetted amongst icons of the nation in which this movie centres around, China, Russia etc… Even the Casino Royale title sequence, which I love has all these trademarks. The purpose of that film and indeed the titles from the very beginning was to show, right, this is new, bond is real, this is serious and the sequence has an older feeling to it to show that it’s going back to the source material, this is where it really begins. There is a branding as you say, there’s certain things that people need for a Bond film, and the title sequence is one of them. You almost have to consider the Bond films like a tv show too, in that they are a series of a spy saving the world, they all need consistency with each other. Mostly all are the same, there are some standouts, I like ‘From Russia with Love’, ‘Goldfinger’ and ‘Casino Royale’ the best.

Going back to Fincher. He’s pretty good at knowing if a title sequence is necessary, ‘Zodiac’ and ‘Social Network’ are very minimal, whilst ‘Fight Club’ and ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ have very elaborate ones. Consider why he made the decision to have more elaborate sequences for some films and not others. My focus at the moment is working on my own feature film, in the script I wrote for, ‘Minimalist titles, simple white text on black with sparse acoustic score’ because although I love title sequences, I don’t want to force it when it really isn’t necessary and it isn’t in my case.

It’s fun though, thinking about sequences as a movies within movies, the options of them and artist’s thinking behind existing ones. It’s just important to consider when choosing a film to work from, ‘Is a title sequence necessary here’, is what you create going to add to the experience or detract from it. Solid reasoning + beatiful design = great title sequence.

Points from email • Think of yourself as a band, your work has a similar flavour but different songs • Solid reasoning + beautiful design = great title sequence • Not every film needs a title sequence

Designer Company Motion

Daniel Britt Freelance Thousand Reasons Advert

Who would you consider an influence on your creative career?

Probably the biggest influence on me were the first animations I saw that I thought that I could make something similar too, work that allowed you to see the making in the final thing. Work

by Michel Gondry, Robert Breer and Jan Svankmajer were huge influences on me at that time, and made me want to do animation myself.

When producing a piece of motion for a client, how involved is that client? Are you given a brief/strict rules and themes to stick to, or are they open to opinions and let you take charge?

This depends, on commercial work you are often there are a lot of restrictions creatively, but this can depend on the client. Things like music videos and idents tend to have more creative freedom but are paid less well. The freelance life is often a case of balancing the two so you don’t go mad from frustration, and also have enough money to not starve.

Do you have an old sample brief from a previous client you could perhaps send us?

Here is the brief for the Thousand Reasons film: How do you balance doing something because it strikes you vs. something overly reflective of the client’s work? When do you hold to an idea and when do you experiment?

This entirely depends on the brief, and what you want from the project. Often the best time to experiment and develop your own ideas is in downtime between projects when you can get one with stuff without client input In what order are the following created for a title sequence; logo design, typographic title sequence, sound and motion picture?

The order you have them, normally with sound last.

Points from email • Elements to consider when designing; background, objectives, audience and tone, budget.

Initial Script Combining our research from various sources and the information we recieved in the emails, we created an initial script of all the points we wanted to cover and created very simple presentation slides, using one or two images per slide so that the audience will get a sense of what we are talking about, and not have bulks of text to distract them to avoid them reading off the screen instead of listening to us.

1st Draft of Presentation

Final Script After writing the script in detail I highlighted the main points we wanted to put across and edited it down to the essential parts, to make notes for the presentation. and looked at rearrangeing to make more sense of it and an easier flow of information for the audience.

This was then our final script and we divded it between the three of us and then practiced until the information was passed seamlessly between us

What the title sequence does – It is important to consider if a title sequence is necessary in every film, Fincher is excellent at knowing when it is required, ‘Social Network’ skipped the title sequence just flashing the logo and the film started however he also created ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ a 4 minute title sequence that introduced the film tone perfectly.

(Seven protag )The title sequence often grasps at the opportunity to introduce characters before the film begins. It also puts them in the appropriate emotional state to continue to tell the story. Typography is used a mood setter along side the imagery.

Watchmen – brings the audience up to date, Zack Snyder Brief HistoryBefore image typography set the mood for the film through the ‘dressage’ of its main title, black letter fonts for horror, ribbons and flowery lettering to suggest love and typography that resembled ‘wanted’ poster connotes a western theme.

However as sound was introduced into films the relationship between typography and music in film titles flourished.

Icons such as; Saul Bass (North by NorthWest) and Maurice Binder (Dr. No James Bond) created pieces that evolved timing and typography to create its own world, title sequence was born.

Bass approached the lettering of a main title as he would a logo, making it function as the core element in a full marketing campaign using the typography as a branding for the style and overall feel of the film.

Who does what?

Often when a title sequence is created for a film, the film is in its final stages, the script is in its final form, the story is completely established. In some cases even the first scene of the film is revealed to the designer, and often the idea of the film titles is set in the directors head, the designer works to create something ultimately the director will approve of.

In the title sequence for “Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World” the director Edgar Wright gave Richard Kenworthy the following brief “It should be like 2001 meets Sesame Street; a marriage of the mindfuck of the Stargate sequence with the early childlike animation of the Children’s Television Workshop.”

So often the director will throw influences at the designer and it’s his or her job to translate it.

Eric Anderson – ‘Creators know the idea and the trajectory of the film/series, so it’s smart to defer to their better judgement.’

Breakdown of brief We emailed a motion designer called Daniel Britt and he forwarded us a brief from a previous client that was divided into these sections. These things are always considered when designing motion for a client.

Design Process A case study we have been focusing on is Eric Anderson’s title sequence for the tv series ‘Dexter’, we asked Anderson what his design process was and he got back to us claiming he has no specific order just working intuitively. Using memory and abstract thoughts. Almost like trying to describe to someone a memory that they had not experienced, its lost. Specifics within the briefs can be seen as constraints and opportunities. For Dextor the idea evolved from old detective magaxines to evidence photography to link in with the theme of death with a dull mundane edge.

Anderson made a list of each idea of dexter’s morning routine being considered as a violent act and then took photographs of the ideas and edited them down into a storyboard before coming to set and shooting the film Sophie Grace Holly

Research

Concept

Organisation

Pitch

Typography

Shooting

Editing

Music

We wanted to create a handout for the class showing the design process when creating a film title. We wanted to show that the process was different each time and changes with designers and projects so we designed something that was interchangeable and that the viewer could put in an order that they prefered, to have a handout that served this purpose we created an envelope containing seperate pieces of paper with the words that summaried an element of the design process on them and asked the audience to rearrange it how they would create a title sequence. We wanted audience participation and for them to question how they go about designing things not just in a motion context.

Peer feedback on final presentation Beautiful layout Clear info.

Interacting with the audience even though you were reading a script.

Split screen is good effort.

Simple but effective layout.

Engages attention Using own opinions.

Good use of quotes, minimal on screen but then explained.

Very informative Liked the slide with the grid picture Really interesting information gathered.

Good contacts Nice use of comparison Smooth transition between the three of you Nice slides and handouts were good.

More handouts?

Good slides Good use of text on pages Envelope looks awesome.

Well executed, you work well as a team Good use of linking with emails

The visuals of the presentation were effective and I think our delivery was well received but we could have included more information about how to enter the industry as a student and what it’s like starting out.

Bibliography Alexander Ulloa. (2010). Interview with Edgar Wright and Richard Kenworthy. Available: http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/scott-pilgrim-vs-the-world/. Last accessed 20.10.2012.

Alexander Ulloa. (2010). Interview with Eric Anderson. Available: http://www.artofthetitle. com/title/dexter/. Last accessed 24.10.2012.

Alexander Ulloa. (2010). Interview with Krystian Morgan. Available: http://www.artofthetitle. com/title/the-thing-unofficial/. Last accessed 20.10.2012.

Clemens Wirth. 2012. Clemens Wirth. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.clemenswirth.com/.

[Accessed 24 October 12].

Clemens Wirth. welcome@clemenswirth.com. Design Students With Enquiries. 12.10.2012.

Daniel Britt. 2012. Daniel Britt. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.danielbritt.co.uk/.

[Accessed 24 October 12].

Daniel Britt. ddebritt@gmail.com. Design Students With Enquiries. 12.10.2012.

Danny Yount. 2012. Danny Yount. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.dannyyount.com/.

[Accessed 24 October 12].

Eric Anderson. pr@logan.tv. Design Students With Enquiries. 12.10.2012.ÂŹ Flickr. 2011. Clementh Wirth Flickr Page. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.flickr.com/ photos/63602883@N04/6583422769/. [Accessed 24 October 12].

Forget The Film, Watch the Title. (2012). Karin Fong Interview. Available: http://www. watchthetitles.com/articles/00135-Terminator_Salvation. Last accessed 24.10.2012.

Forget The Film, Watch The Titles. (2010). Interview with Karin Fong and Michelle Dougherty.

Available: http://www.watchthetitles.com/designers/Michelle_Dougherty. Last accessed 24.10.2012.

Imaginary Forces. 2012. Imaginary Forces Contact. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www. imaginaryforces.com/contact/offices/. [Accessed 24 October 12].

Jonathan Dube. (2010). Interview with Paul Donnellon. Available: http://www.artofthetitle. com/title/smokin-aces/. Last accessed 24.10.2012.

Julia May. (2010). The Art of Film Title Design Throughout Cinema History. Available: http:// www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/10/04/the-art-of-the-film-title-throughout-cinema-history/.

Last accessed 20.10.2012.

Katharine Miller. (2011). Maurice Binder. Available: http://www.ultraswank.net/film/mauricebinder-title-designer/. Last accessed 20.10.2012.

Krystian Morgan. krys@kmogvideo.net. Design Students With Enquiries. 12.10.2012.

Michelle Dougherty. janicew@imaginaryforces.com. Design Students With Enquiries.

12.10.2012.

Paul Donnellon. paul@voodoodog.com. Design Students With Enquiries. 12.10.2012.

Rattling Stick. 2012. Contact. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.rattlingstick.com/contact. html. [Accessed 24 October 12].

Sarah Boxer. (2000). Making a Fuss Over Opening Credits; Film Titles Offer a Peek at the Future in More Ways Than One. Available: http://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/22/ movies/making-fuss-over-opening-credits-film-titles-offer-peek-future-more-ways-than. html?pagewanted=all&src=pm. Last accessed 20.10.2012.

TED. (2012). Great Presentation Design. Available: http://www.ted.com/pages/tedx_ presentation_design. Last accessed 24.10.2012.

Thiago Maia. hello@thiago.tv. Design Students With Enquiries. 12.10.2012.

Voo Doo Dog. 2012. Voo Doo Dog. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.voodoodog.com/ about. [Accessed 24 October 12].

Will Perkins. (2010). Interview with Karin Fong and Michelle Dougherty. Available: http:// www.artofthetitle.com/title/boardwalk-empire/. Last accessed 24.10.2012.

Youtube. (2010). Kyle Cooper Interview on Title Design. [Online Video]. 31 March. Available from: http://youtu.be/Y6kE0FccYkM. [Accessed: 24 October 2012].

Logo + Curriculum Vitae

My initial logo was inspired by the shutter on a camera, but decided it was too decorative.

H o l l y D e n n i s

Education

Contact www.hollydennis.facebook.com hollydennis@live.com twitter.com/hollycdennis hollydennis.tumblr.com

I started developing the layout and design of the CV using symbols for the different methods of contact.

Embelishments such as the welsh dragon, dots to symbolise a film reel and the portrait photo all initially felt like a nice ease into my design but now they seem crass. So I developed my information in a more sophisticated simple way.

H o l ly D e n n i s 07814620115 hollydennis@live.com hollydennis.tumblr.com Ed u c at i o n 2008 - 2010 A levels

Gorseinon College Fine Art:A*, Graphic Design:A*, Mathematics:B

2010 - 2011

Swansea Metropolitan University Foundation Diploma in Art and Design: Merit wo r k e x p e r i e n c e

2012

Branding and poster design for the Cambridge Footlights show, ‘As You Like It’ for the Edinburgh Fringe festival Poster design for Corpus Playroom play ‘Molly’ skills Proficient with Mac and PC operating systems Adobe Photoshop, Illustator, InDesign, After Effects, Dreamweaver Adept at analogue and digital photography

I didn’t want to overcomplicate the design using a lot of space to divide content and the red to seperate the dates. Dividing the page into three to give a more interesting way of opening the CV, folding it into three.

I experimented with paper stock, thinking about the folds and how the logo can translate the same when upside down and reversed. But possibly the tracing paper is too fragile.

When showing my CV to the class the feedback showed that the abreviation “HD” was the same as another student. Everyone thought it was his CV, showing that it didn’t represent my design at all.

I then reconsidered what my deisgn is and words that summarised my practice and that I wanted my logo to represent.

3D/Sculpture - Public art?

Fluid and handrendered Illustrative Natural Animals Morbid facination Ink and line work Macro creepy Fine details Symmetry Curiosity Not gothic Taxidermy

I decided not to use my initials ‘HD’ and use my mother’s maiden name ‘Elias’ as my brand because its more interesting and the name Holly Dennis is already attached to a interior designer. Holly Elias is less common and I feel represents my fluid illustrative style.

Dennis feels too corporate.

After logo development I came to the conclusion of having a very detailed image to show the illustrative nature of my work combined with a simplistic name based logo design.

HOLLY ELIAS

HOL LY E L I AS HOL LY E L I AS h o l l y e l i a s . t u m b l r. c o m

problem solver with a curiosity for the abnomal. +44[0]7814 620 115 hollyelias@live.com hollyelias.com

10 Jacobs wells road Bristol Bs8 1ea e D u c at i o n

2011 – 2014

Ba(Hons) Graphic Design university of the west of england

2010 – 2011

Foundation Diploma in art and Design swansea Metropolitan university DesiGn experience

2012

Branding and poster design for the cambridge Footlights’ show ‘as you like it’ taken to the edinburgh Fringe festival poster featured on the independent website Poster and flyer design for Corpus Playroom play ‘Molly’

2011

Fontstruction poster featured in Bower ashton exhibition ‘process’ Fonstruction ‘Badger spine’ received staff top pick and over 500 downloads on Fonstruct.com logo design for lcc student collaboration magazine e M p l oy M e n t

2012

waitress at oldwalls Gower weddings obtained knowledge of presentation and formal organisation and team work skills Proficient with Mac and PC operating systems adobe photoshop, illustator, inDesign, after effects, Dreamweaver adept at analogue and digital photography illustration and line work interests taxidermy Morbid things public art Contemporary fine art and theory Surrealist films analysing psychological thrillers the logarithmic spiral and natural forms and phenomenons references available on request

I experimented with a simple business card design, only putting essential information and leaving lots of space for emphasis. I looked into a thick ivory paper to reflect the natural inspiration in my work.

+44[0]7814 620 115 hollyelias@live.com hollyelias.com problem solver with a curiosity for the abnormal

university of the west of england swansea Metropolitan university

cambridge Footlights at edinburgh Fringe festival corpus playroom Bower ashton exhibition Fonstruct.com lcF

oldwalls Gower weddings

e D u c at i o n 2011 – 2014 Ba(Hons) Graphic Design 2010 – 2011 Foundation Diploma in art and Design

DesiGn experience 2012 Designed logo, poster, flyer and banner for play ‘As You Like It’ poster featured on the independent website Created poster and flyer for play ‘Molly’ 2011 participated in exhibition ‘process’ received staff top pick and over 500 downloads for typeface ‘Badger spine’ collaborated on student fashion magazine responsible for project logo e M p l oy M e n t 2012 waitress obtained a high level of presentation and team work skills

skills illustration and line work Proficient with Mac and PC operating systems adobe photoshop, illustator, inDesign, premier pro, Dreamweaver analogue and digital photography interests taxidermy anatomy entomology Contemporary fine art and theory Surrealist film

references available on request

I played about with elements of my CV to try and make the information flow more effectively with my name. I also simplified my logo to make it more adaptable.

However after feedback I realised that by using this logo it gives connotations of heavy metal bands and work that I do not want to be associated with. Therefore it was suggested that I experiment with colour ways and use colour as an identity system instead of something so morbid and restricted.

+44[0]7814 620 115 hollyelias@live.com hollyelias.com

2011 – 2014

2010 – 2011

2012

10 Jacobs wells road Bristol Bs8 1ea e D u c at i o n Ba(Hons) Graphic Design university of the west of england Foundation Diploma in art and Design swansea Metropolitan university DesiGn experience Designed logo, poster, flyers and banner for the Cambridge Footlights’ show ‘as you like it’ taken to the edinburgh Fringe festival poster featured on the independent website Created poster and flyer for Corpus Playroom play ‘Molly’

2011

typeface ‘Badger spine’ poster featured in Bower ashton exhibition ‘process’ received staff top pick and over 500 downloads for typeface ‘Badger spine’ on Fontstruct.com collaborated on lcF student fashion magazine responsible for project logo

2012

e M p l oy M e n t waitress at oldwalls Gower weddings obtained knowledge of presentation and formal organisation and team work skills illustration and line work Proficient with Mac and PC operating systems adobe photoshop, illustator, inDesign, premier pro, Dreamweaver analogue and digital photography interests taxidermy anatomy entomology Contemporary fine art and theory Surrealist film references available on request

+44[0]7814 620 115 hollyelias@live.com hollyelias.com

2011 – 2014

10 Jacobs wells road Bristol Bs8 1ea e D u c at i o n Ba(Hons) Graphic Design university of the west of england

2010 – 2011

2012

Foundation Diploma in art and Design swansea Metropolitan university DesiGn experience Designed logo, poster, flyers and banner for the Cambridge Footlights’ show ‘as you like it’ taken to the edinburgh Fringe festival poster featured on the independent website Created poster and flyer for Corpus Playroom play ‘Molly’

2011

typeface ‘Badger spine’ poster featured in Bower ashton exhibition ‘process’ received staff top pick and over 500 downloads for typeface ‘Badger spine’ on Fontstruct.com collaborated on lcF student fashion magazine responsible for project logo e M p l oy M e n t

2012

waitress at oldwalls Gower weddings obtained knowledge of presentation and formal organisation and team work skills illustration and line work Proficient with Mac and PC operating systems adobe photoshop, illustator, inDesign, premier pro, Dreamweaver analogue and digital photography interests taxidermy anatomy entomology Contemporary fine art and theory Surrealist film references available on request

hollyelias.com hollyelias@live.com +44[0]7814 620 115

I am really happy with my business cards from moo. com, the font size is easily readable but not too big.

However from printing from different sources such as staples and moo, the tone of gray has changed a lot and it looks unprofessional.

In the future I will print all my work at the same place to avoid this issue.

Talks

Gavin Strange Work is fun, do it just for the hell of it. take each project as far as you can. keep running with it and promote it. make art that people enjoy and that you enjoy. email people saying, you like doing this, i like doing that, lets make something! email people, if they dont like it then they probably wont reply, its not the end of the world.

Shaz Madani An ex student of LCC came into talk about stuff. try again, moto for design. dont work for free, do what you want to do otherwise youll get recognised for the wrong thing. topshop working in an office design studio. freelance work, finance. where she did internships, took a year out. advertising pays more but its less freedom. work experience is so valuable.

David Wall Conor & David’s David Wall system for design. 5x8 space. grids, circular grid. colour system circles. something that you can apply do different things, like video, print

About Scubaboy Inc Scubaboy Inc has grown over the course of 10 years into a well respected production company specialising in animation and motion design as well as music videos and various other creative projects - always with an emphasis on concept and design.

Scubaboy Inc always strives to give its clients something different from the standard.

Producing videos and films for such people and companies as Vodafone, The BBC, The National Trust, IBM, Jack Morton Worldwide, Frank Turner, UNKLE, Nick Cave, Honda, Hyundai, Brothers Cider, Love 146, Lloyds, GSK, Kingsway, Prudential and many more, our varied clients have all drawn on our skills and experience in pushing the creativity and design in every project we produce.

As the reserch project was on motion I found this company while researching it and found that their work was cute and an interesting approach. A small working studio of designers apeals to me and one working with film and motion. Although I would love to work for a company like this I think the work that they create is not necessarily like the work I produce.

Manifesto + Positioning Statement

After a talk from Shaz Madani it inspired me to look into designing for cultural institutions.

Working with objects and space appeals to me more than designing for motion clients. I would like to learn more about exhibition graphics and displaying information in an innovative way to appeal to the public.

REBECCA LYNCH ____________________________________ Rebecca has an interdisciplinary background in design, curating and history. Her previous work in the creative industries included creative direction and copywriting. She received a degree in curating from the Design Museum in 2009 and is currently writing a PhD thesis in history. Narrative and communication inform all of her creative work. Events and talks include Art & Science in Collaboration (Wellcome Collection 2007), The Art of Lost Words (German Gym, London 2009) and Word & Image (British Library, 2009). Recently Rebecca served as judge for a British Council competition in China.

ANDREAS POHANCENIK ____________________________________ Andreas is an Austrian typographic designer.

In 2003 he moved to London, and received a Masters degree with distinction in communication design at Central St Martins College. Working as an independent designer in Vienna and London for 10 years, he set up Practice + Theory in 2008 to focus on typographic projects such as identities and exhibition design. Andreas is a member of the International Society of Typographic Designers [ISTD] and Design Austria [da]. In 2012 he established PRACTICE + THEORY Designb端ro e.U. in Vienna and ran experimental typography workshops at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna/Klasse Kartak.

Practice + Theory is essentially what I want to do. They are a design company that designs for cultural institutions. They work with catalogues and often design logos and typefaces for galleries and museums. They experiment with materials and spaces in a creative way, using sugar paper and balloons to display information.

Beautiful science was a project where scientists and artist collaborated to create artwork. Practice + Theory created the catalogue for the exhibition. This is the kind of work I would love to be a part of.

LucienneRoberts+

LucienneRoberts+ created the graphic work for the Brains exhibition at the Wellcome gallery in London. The typography flowed throughout the exhibition space and the guide had an interesting gray paper stock of different levels.

Cover Letters 10 Jacobs Wells Road Bristol BS8 1EA hollyelias@live.com www.hollyelias.com +44[0]7814 620 115 31 Great Sutton Street London EC1V 0NA Dear Mrs. Roberts, I am second year Graphic Design student currently studying at the University of the West of England. I wanted to contact you with the possibility learning more about how your company works and gaining some experience in the creative industry.

I came across your work when viewing Brains The Mind as Matter exhibition at the Wellcome Collection and was immediately drawn to the distinct design of the exhibition guide. The flow of information, colour and paper stock were something that I had been waiting to appear in the context of an exhibition guide for a long time. As a child I would draw on the exhibition guides, but this particular publication felt precious and the information cared for.

I have real empathy with your design, I share this passion for science and believe that science, psychology, poetry etc. should be celebrated through design. As shown so well in many of your publications and installations.

My practice consists of a range of media such as print, film and 3D typography, I allow the nature of the project to dictate the final result. I’m interested with working with artists, designers and scientists to create inspiring work that follows concepts of psychology and anatomy.

If there were any opportunities available for me to work with you and your company I would be delighted to undertake this chance with great enthusiasm.

Thank you for your time I eagerly await your reply. If you wish to contact me via email or phone please do not hesitate.

Yours sincerely, Holly Elias

10 Jacobs Wells Road Bristol BS8 1EA hollyelias@live.com www.hollyelias.com +44[0]7814 620 115 44 Emerald Street London WC1N 3LH Dear Ms Lynch, I am second year Graphic Design student currently studying at the University of the West of England. I wanted to contact you regarding the possibility of learning more about how your company works and gaining some experience in the creative industry.

I came across your website when researching the Beautiful Science project, the project has been hugely influential to my practice as I have always had a passion for the crossover between science and art. I admire how the pieces are showcased in a natural manor that highlights their complex aesthetic.

I respect how Practice + Theory interpret the exhibition information in a three dimensional sense that flows effortlessly with the space and typography, as demonstrated in the Words Converge project.

The idea of design outweighing function in the Design Criminals catalogue was an innovative approach to getting people to engage with the information, I relish this thought process and always try to think about how people interact with my design.

I have real empathy with your design, I share this passion for science and believe that science, psychology, poetry etc. should be celebrated through design. As shown so well in many of your publications and installations.

My practice consists of a range of media such as print, film and 3D typography, I allow the nature of the project to dictate the final result. I’m interested with working with artists, designers and scientists to create inspiring work that follows concepts of psychology and anatomy.

If there were any opportunities available for me to work with you and your company I would be delighted to undertake this chance with great enthusiasm.

Thank you for your time I eagerly await your reply. If you wish to contact me via email or phone please do not hesitate.

Yours sincerely, Holly Elias

Theory of designing for cultural institutions

This book presents techniques for cultural institutions to invite visitor participation while promoting institutional goals. Community engagement is especially relevant in a world of increasing participatory opportunities on the social Web, but it is not new.

Arguments for audience participation in cultural institutions trace back at least a hundred years. There are three fundamental theories underpinning this book: • The idea of the audience-centered institution that is as relevant, useful, and accessible as a shopping mall or train station (with thanks to John Cotton Dana, Elaine Heumann Gurian, and Stephen Weil).

• The idea that visitors construct their own meaning from cultural experiences (with thanks to George Hein, John Falk, and Lynn Dierking).

• The idea that users’ voices can inform and invigorate both project design and public-facing programs (with thanks to Kathy McLean, Wendy Pollock, and the design firm IDEO).

C/ID: Visual Identity and Branding for the Arts

By Angus Hyland • • •

Designing for a cultural institution raises questions about it being a symbol of culture as well as appealing for the masses.

Design must function for the public.

Museums have a limited budget when it comes to design.

Manifesto Points The area of graphic design that you intend to target your career towards Designing for cultural institutions 3D typography and lighting Displaying information for exhibitions, galleries and museums Recognition of the skills needed to work effectively in this area of the industry Communication skills Managing a budget Working with curators/artits/museum owners The range of opportunities available to develop a career & typical career paths Work experience in galleries Work experience in design companies Printing experience Book design Owning a gallery Curating exhibitions Challenges that you will face trying to get into it and how you will rise to them Budget managment Pitching ideas Good working relationship with curators Reflection on your own skills and attributes, recognition of areas to focus personal development Good relationship with 3D and lighting An understanding of space and flow of information Information heirachy Developement on skills with interactive design An outline strategy/game plan for achieving your career goals Get as much work expereience as possible Work on self initiated projects such a beautiful science The rationale for your approach to the design of your self-promotional item Simple design to showcase the information Acting as if it is a catalogue for my own exhibition

The area of graphic design I want to go into is designing for cultural institutions, such as museums, charities and designing for other artists and galleries. I am interested in the learning more about utilising space to inform and interactions with design, by using sculpture, 3D typography, lighting etc.

There is an element of print in this area of graphic design, as each exhibition will have an exhibition guide, so there is a chance to experiment with paper stock and folding. I want to give a more tactile approach to the information for cultural institutions a physical feel to the information, apply the information to all the senses and create an experience not just a pamphlet.

To work effectively in this industry it is essential to have a high level of communication skills, you need to be able to work with museum and gallery curators to achieve what’s best for the museum/gallery and constantly have a dialogue with them about lighting, budget, space etc.

Many educational exhibition spaces have interactive screens; therefore an understanding of digital interactive design would be mandatory to work on these kinds of projects.

Designing for cultural institutions can lead to a range of career paths such as web design, running a blog or possibly developing a magazine for institutions/galleries. It could develop into owning your own gallery space and curator exhibitions, working with artists and scientists to create projects such as ‘Beautiful Science’ where there was a collaboration between artists and scientists to create pieces inspired by both members, the pieces were then exhibited and a catalogue was then produced by the design studio Practice + Theory. The work that Practice + Theory produce is essentially the kind of work I want to participate in. They have worked with institutions such as The Wellcome Collection. They often create customised typefaces for the institutions they work for, so there is certain element of branding in their work, creating a design system to abide by in whichever work they produce for that client. I think branding is exhausting, particularly for a museum, as you are designing for people who already “see themselves as active players in culture” and are “concerned with the aesthetic”, there will always be that fight in the balance of the logo appealing to a public audience and still containing a symbol of high culture.

“The function of designing for a commercial client is to create an audience that defines itself as a user of that product, for most cultural institutions that is still a fairly alien notion. They are public institutions and they want to be as broadly inclusive as possible. Their audience is limited purely by people who are interested in and love art, while, of course all the contemporary critique is true – that museums have to sell things in order to survive, and they have to have corporate sponsorship and so on” But I think with any struggle in creating an identity or design for a client I get a huge pleasure when I can measure how many times I’ve reworked my idea and how its come so far, by getting feedback from other designers and clients it makes it a more enjoyable experience, a design shared. You’re not just creating things for yourself.

It would be interesting to go into designing window spaces such as Shaz Madani’s work with The Wellcome Trust, she created an installation to display Henry Wellcome’s vast collection of medical artefacts, using beautiful frames to mimic how the items were stored and bright lighting combined with Thom Atkinson’s elegant photography. Working on projects like this would be so great, I think passion is so important when starting any project, if you don’t care who or what your designing for it tends to show in the work. I’ve spent a lot of my life wandering round museums and gallerys, it would be nice to give something back. I also love working with information that changes my perspective.

“I like projects where I really learn something about how the world works.” Kelli Anderson I would love to work on science exhibitions, what can be more beautiful than interpreting life and things growing, and trying to work out why it looks like that and getting inspired by it. I love in nature that something so fluid and curvaceous is made up of smaller organized systems that are so rigid. It’s like why is a hip bone shaped like that? Why does moss grow in that way?

It seems random, but it’s like that because it works and makes sense, and that’s beautiful.

Having to compromise on a budget is probably a huge hurdle that all designers will come across, design is often the last priority when it comes to planning out a budget for a project, learning to do things cheaply but make them look expensive is a skill all designers should delve into.

When designing for a client or company/museum/art gallery, the need for questioning the client is essential, great empathy creates great design, and translating the information of another person into your own visual language is a beautiful process.

We must give a creative insight and flow to the information and make it more accessible to all ages. Particularly in designing for cultural institutions, an understanding of designing for a younger audience and a broader audience must be taken into account.

I should engage in projects that find creative ways of showcasing objects in hierarchy and create a flow of information. I already have a working relationship with tactile art and photographing objects in an elegant way, these skills will help me in designing for institutions.

Personally I need to get out there and work with artists, museums, institutions, galleries, illustrators; anyone and everyone, and make beautiful things happen. Technically my skills in interactive design need to improve, but that’s just something on a checklist and will come with time.

My self-promotional item is a clean-cut portfolio book in a simplistic design to showcase the work in an effective way but with using colour as an identity and quality of paper stock and layering to give a tactile experience. Something beautifully designed that doesn’t over compensate for the work it’s presenting.

When designing I like being inspired by something so natural and fluid that becomes methodical and organized when I translate it. I love it when there is a secret system of organization but it still feels elegant. I like to have a system, creating a system is the hard part, its like following a formula in maths, if its right everything just works, obviously it’s a lot less rigid and you can bend the rules, but I think that’s the fun part, even if you feel guilty doing it, it often works out for the best.

I used the colour of my logo as a system and the dot as page furniture throughout the manifesto.

My self promotional item is a portfolio book.

I treated it as a catalogue for the exhibition of my own work, with a simple clean design, managable size, and not too much information.

Website

About | Contact | Curriculum Vitae

Dreamweaver grid

I designed my website very simply as I wanted it to be centered and minimal, using only my work to form the basic visuals of the screen. The work is on every page so that users can always scroll down to find it.