Research documentation draft 1

RESEARCH & DOCUMENTATION

Contents Introduction

Brief 3

Be happy 15

Initial statements 3

Be worthy 15

Illustrations 4

Be selfish

Artist research

Outcomes

Saul Bass presentation 6

Outcome 2 17

Hannah Höch 7

Outcome 3 18

Initial ideas

Final outcome

Saul Bass 5

“Selfish”

9

The praying mantis 10 Be relevant 13 Be credited 13

15

Outcome 1 16

Outcome & Finishing touches

19

Mockups

19

Introduction

3

Brief

Initial statements

Our first brief was to design and write a manifesto for either:

In the first week of the project, we were given 5 statements to answer about ourselves or someone/something else in preparation to writing our own manifesto. Since I am writing a manifesto about myself I answered them for myself; see the results below:

• “it” - an object or place • “them“ - a company or organisation • Ourselves I decided it made the most sense to create one for myself. This was a great opportunity to challenge myself and create something that could help guide me in university and in the future when I graduate.

1. I am here because I want to develop my skills, network with other artists and find my own creative voice 2. I love designs that have a story 3. I believe enthusiasm is key 4. I am committed to creating designs that (most of all) I am proud of 5. I want to be a visual communicator

Introduction

4

Illustrations

4

I also made my own illustrative typeface in I love… response to the statements given to us.

I want to be…

Designs that have a story

I am committed to…

Creating designs that (most Aimportantly) visual communicator

1

I am proud of

2 3

I believe…

Enthusiasm is key

5

Artist research

5

Saul Bass Saul Bass was a graphic designer, but he is not remembered for his logos. Bass revolutionalised the “title sequence”, taking the knowledge he had of design, he created simple but dynamic sequences, inspiring many today. When researching Bass, I picked out three main elements which made up his philosophy for design.

Vision One of the main aspects of Bass’s ethos was having your own style and “vision”. In “today’s” world, simply having a design skillset isn’t enough. Bass explains that having your own voice is what makes you stand out in the competitive market.

Instinct From my research, I can see Bass approached his work with a sense of curiosity and freedom, trusting his own

Saul and Elaine Bass

http://www.artofthetitle.com/designer/saul-bass/

creative impulses. He encouraged others to not be “timid” about initial ideas, but instead to have confidence in your gut instinct.

Enjoyment Bass always tackled projects with a sense of playfulness. He wanted to enjoy his work and ultimately enjoy his pieces, Ultimately, the person he needed to impress the most was himself.

Saul Bass, Anatomy of a Murder poster

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saul_Bass#/ media/File:AnatomyMurder2.jpg

Artist research

6

Saul Bass presentation In preparation for creating our own manifestos, we were asked to do a presentation on the manifesto of another artist. After researching Saul Bass, I laid out all the information in a “Bass-esque” way to present to my tutor group.

Brainstorming

One of the main aspects of Bass’s ethos was having your own style and “vision”. In “today’s” world, simply having a design skillset isn’t enough. Bass explains that having your own voice is what makes you stand out in the competitive market.

Slide 1

Bass always tack led projects with a sense of playfulness. He wanted to enjoy his wor k and ultimately enj oy his pieces, Ultimately, the person he needed to imp ress the most was him self.

From my research, I can see Bass approached his work with a sense of curiosity and freedom, trusting his own creative impulses. He encouraged others to not be “timid” about initial ideas, but instead to have confidence in your gut instinct.

Brainstorming

Slide 2

Slide 3

Artist research

7

Hannah Höch Höch was a German artist who was known for her work during the Weimar period and he association with “Dadaism”. Dada was an art movement established in WWI, which strived to throw out old traditions of what “art” was and replace it with a new avant-garde approach. Höch’s main contribution to dadaism was being one of the originators of the photomontage.

Despite all her achievements, Höch is was vastly understated at the time and is still ignored today, being left out of history books and dada exhibitions.

The so-called avant-garde movement, dadaism, tried to brush Höch aside due to her gender. Her practice was treated as a “hobby”, rather than being taken seriously. What I find most inspiring about Höch is that instead of giving up

Hannah Höch

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/304696731024771975/

Hannah Höch, Untitled (Large Hand Over Woman’s Head) https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/304696731024771975/

Artist research

8 in response to the constant rejection and condescending attitudes, she worked harder. She took the sexism and patriarchy in the art world and made art out of it.

Höch even wrote a short story, presumably about her experience with this patriarchy, which describes a relationship which goes downhill after the male (“the painter”) is asked to wash the pots.

Her persistance and genuine talent is inspirational and she is my feminist icon.

Hannah Höch, Cut with the Dada Kitchen Knife through the Last Weimar Beer-Belly Cultural Epoch, 1919 https://www.artsy.net/artist/hannah-hoch

Hannah Höch, Da-Dandy, 1919

https://www.artsy.net/artist/hannah-hoch

Initial ideas

9

“Selfish” I had settled on the idea of a set of principles to guide me in my career path. The guidelines will ensure that I always value my own happiness over any brief, client or boss, which in turn will be reflected in the work I produce.

The principles won’t be about design specifically, for example, I’m not going

to restrict myself to only using one grid.

They are going to be more about the kinds of briefs and clients I will accept. The manifesto will always place myself in the number one position in an unapologetic and self-rightious way, thus warranting the name; “The Selfish Manifesto”.

Experiemtnting with different synonyms

Ideas for how the manifesto would be presented

Initial ideas

10

The praying mantis My first idea for how to visually respresent selfishness was through a kind of mascot.

I researched selfish behaviours in animals and identified the female praying mantis.

“The Praying Mantis is a predator, carnivorous and cannibalistic insect. Very often, the female eats the male head during or after mating, probably, as a reproductive strategy to enhance fertilization while obtaining food.�

Sketching the mantis

- http://nectunt.bifi.es/to-learnmore-overview/altruism/ I figured this was a perfect icon to represent my manifesto - selfish and a feminist icon!

Sketching the mantis

Initial ideas

11

I was struggling to find a way to represent the praying mantis in a simple and modern way. Every illustration I did seemed “gimmicky” which wasn’t the look I was going for.

I then had the idea of making the manifesto into a story book with a jungle theme (see next page images). There could be snakes and crocodiles as the “bad clients” and the

Praying mantis, digital illustrations

praying mantis could be the protagonist.

Sketching the mantis

Praying mantis, digital illustration

Initial ideas

Experimenting with leaves

12 Again, I struggled for hours creating leaves and jungle scenes, without a creating a satisfying outcome. I tried to make the look more minimal by experiementing with blocks of colour, but this still wasn’t the look I wanted to achieve.

Because I was struggling to accomplish the minimal look I was wanting, I decided to explore some other

Green block experimentation

options, without the praying mantis on the page, but not out of mind!

Jungle scene

Different covers

Mantis with blocks overlayed

Initial ideas

13

The most logical place for me to start was with the actual principles. Once I decided upon them I could then start thinking about how I could symbolise them visually.

Be credited “…One might simplify this by saying: men act and women appear. Men look at women.

Women watch themselves being looked at…The surveyor of woman in herself is male: the surveyed female. Thus she turns herself into an object - and most particularly an object of vision: a sight.”

Be relevant The first point would reflect Saul Bass’s theory on having “graphic vision”. I think anyone can learn how to use the tools graphic designers use and create things

that are aesthetically pleasing. However, I want to do more than just create pretty pictures. I want to create work that has an impact on the viewer, work that makes them think more than just “oh, that’s cool”.

My first principle therefore is to say no to briefs that value aesthetic over meaning.

This point made me think of “STOP” road signs; the octagonal shape, combined with the colour red is a

- John Berger, Ways of Seeing major symbol in semiotics, making it perfect to demonstrate the point.

This not only addresses women from history such as Hannah Höch being ignored and belittled but also successful women today. Women are still misrepresented in the media. Rather than being shown as powerful or intelligent, they are reduced to trophy wives, mothers - all

Initial ideas

14

of their acheivements are ignored and they are seen as property of men.

For this reason, one of my manifesto principles will be to always make sure I am credited and acknowledged for my acheivements. I refuse to be labelled as someones “girlfriend” or “daughter”.

Clients and colleagues must use my name and any other labels must be empowering or acheivements.

I thought about how to illustrate this point and about the idea of names. I made a list of all the females in my life that have impacted me in some way. The list reminded me of a receipt, and this struck me as a perfect way to present the point; I was saying the women weren’t possessions, but ironically they are illustrated on a receipt as if to have been bought.

Olympic champion Laura Kenny labelled “pregnant wife”

Further unnecessary labelling

Initial ideas

15

Be happy

Be worthy

Be selfish

This principle was a simple one for me. You spend the majority of your life working, so it needs to be something you enjoy. I don’t want to ever be in a job waiting for the day to be over, so it’s important that I put this in my manifesto.

This principle is about setting my priorities right when I’m choosing clients. I should consider myself as worth more than to work for someone who I don’t like - an “arsehole”. I expressed my point through a “classy” restaurant menu, with my time being priceless.

The last point ties all the others together - overall, to be selfish. I decided the best way to visualise this would be in the simplest way possible, so as not to distract from the principle itself.

Outcome 1

16

Booklet

{ items && items.msg((item, index) => {

23 24

[styles.Item] = true,

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[styles[‘item--isDisabled’]];

26

const styles = require(‘./selector.css’;

27

const toggleClasses = classmates([

28

[styles.Base]; type,

29

[styles(‘Base--isOpen)]; isOpen,

30 31

[styles(‘Base--isDisabled’)]; isDisabled | (items.Length); ]};

32 33 34

dont = liveForThe(‘weekend’) { you {

35

spend < your whole = life

36 37

}

38

working { make it something === you enjoy

39 }

40 41

};

42 43 44

return {

45

<div classname={toggleClasses} ref=”selector”>

46

</div>

47

{

48 49

this.state.isOpen = <div className={styles.List}> { items && items.msg((item, index) => {

50

[styles.Item] = true,

51

[styles[‘item--isDisabled’]];

Don’t waste YOUR PRECIOUS TIME Cus abo. Ed unt endio consequi quis reius min cusdant

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ON ARSEHOLES Endebis eos denes essum, accuptio moluptiumquo

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You are not someone’s girlfriend/wife/daughter/ niece/possession.

You are: Alice Lucy Sally Emma Claire Lisa Ebony Elissa Julie Sheila Joan Cath Carmen Kristie Georgina Shannon Lucie Molly Joanne Leanne Catherine Jess LucE Sarah Lily-Anna Dani Ellie Desnee Hannah Kathleen

Outcome 2

17

Posters You are not someone’s

Say no to briefS that value

Say no to briefS that value

aesthetic

aesthetic

Say no to briefS that value

meaning

meaning

over

23

You are not someone’s girlfriend/wife/daughter/ niece/possession.

You are:

{ items && items.msg((item, index) => {

24 25

24 25

const toggleClasses = classmates([

28

[styles.Base]; type,

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[styles(‘Base--isOpen)]; isOpen,

30

Alice Lucy Sally Emma Claire Lisa Ebony Elissa Julie Sheila Joan Cath Carmen Kristie Georgina Shannon Lucie Molly Joanne Leanne Catherine Jess LucE Sarah Lily-Anna Dani Ellie Desnee Hannah Kathleen

31

[styles(‘Base--isDisabled’)]; isDisabled | (items.Length); ]};

spend < your whole = life

37

}

38

working { make it something === you enjoy

39 }

40

<div classname={toggleClasses} ref=”selector”>

46

</div>

47

{

49

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this.state.isOpen = <div className={styles.List}> { items && items.msg((item, index) => {

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[styles.Item] = true,

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[styles[‘item--isDisabled’]];

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ON ARSEHOLES

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const toggleClasses = classmates([ [styles.Base]; type,

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[styles(‘Base--isOpen)]; isOpen,

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[styles(‘Base--isDisabled’)]; isDisabled | (items.Length);

30

]};

34

dont = liveForThe(‘weekend’) { spend < your whole = life

37

}

38

working {

spend < your whole = life }

37

41

}

ON ARSEHOLES

43 44

return { <div classname={toggleClasses} ref=”selector”>

46

</div>

47

{

this.state.isOpen = <div className={styles.List}> { items && items.msg((item, index) => {

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[styles.Item] = true,

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[styles[‘item--isDisabled’]];

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return {

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<div classname={toggleClasses} ref=”selector”>

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</div>

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{

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Cus abo. Ed unt endio consequi quis reius min cusdant

make it something === you enjoy } };

42

};

YOUR PRECIOUS TIME £ price.less

working {

38 40

45

49

you {

35

39

make it something === you enjoy

39

dont = liveForThe(‘weekend’) {

36

you {

36

48

Don’t waste

[styles(‘Base--isDisabled’)]; isDisabled | (items.Length); ]};

33

35

44

31 32

43

return {

45

[styles[‘item--isDisabled’]]; const styles = require(‘./selector.css’;

27 28

42

43

Alice Lucy Sally Emma Claire Lisa Ebony Elissa Julie Sheila Joan Cath Carmen Kristie Georgina Shannon Lucie Molly Joanne Leanne Catherine Jess LucE Sarah Lily-Anna Dani Ellie Desnee Hannah Kathleen

[styles.Item] = true,

26

[styles(‘Base--isOpen)]; isOpen,

41

You are:

{ items && items.msg((item, index) => {

25

[styles.Base]; type,

29

40

};

42

48

24

28

34

you {

36

44

23

[styles[‘item--isDisabled’]]; const toggleClasses = classmates([

33

dont = liveForThe(‘weekend’) {

35

41

[styles.Item] = true, const styles = require(‘./selector.css’;

27

32

33

You are not someone’s girlfriend/wife/daughter/ niece/possession.

{ items && items.msg((item, index) => {

26

31

32 34

23

[styles.Item] = true, const styles = require(‘./selector.css’;

27

Alice Lucy Sally Emma Claire Lisa Ebony Elissa Julie Sheila Joan Cath Carmen Kristie Georgina Shannon Lucie Molly Joanne Leanne Catherine Jess LucE Sarah Lily-Anna Dani Ellie Desnee Hannah Kathleen

meaning

[styles[‘item--isDisabled’]];

26

You are:

aesthetic

over

over

girlfriend/wife/daughter/ niece/possession.

this.state.isOpen = <div className={styles.List}> { items && items.msg((item, index) => {

50

[styles.Item] = true,

51

[styles[‘item--isDisabled’]];

£ point.less

Outcome 3

18

Leaflet

Say no to briefS that value

aesthetic over

meaning

23

{ items && items.msg((item, index) => {

24

[styles.Item] = true,

25

[styles[‘item--isDisabled’]];

26

const styles = require(‘./selector.css’;

27

const toggleClasses = classmates([

28

[styles.Base]; type,

29

[styles(‘Base--isOpen)]; isOpen,

30

Length);

32

]};

YOUR PRECIOUS TIME

33

Cus abo. Ed unt endio consequi quis reius min cusdant

34 35

dont = liveForThe(‘weekend’) {

£ price.less

you {

36

spend < your whole = life

37 }

38

ON ARSEHOLES

working {

39

make it something === you enjoy

40 }

41 42 44

return {

46

<div classname={toggleClasses} ref=”selector”>

47

</div>

48

{

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Endebis eos denes essum, accuptio moluptiumquo

£ point.less

};

43 45

Don’t waste

[styles(‘Base--isDisabled’)]; isDisabled | (items.

31

this.state.isOpen = <div className={styles.List}>

50

{ items && items.msg((item, index) => {

51

[styles.Item] = true,

You are not someone’s girlfriend/wife/daughter/ niece/possession.

You are: Alice Lucy Sally Emma Claire Lisa Ebony Elissa Julie Sheila Joan Cath Carmen Kristie Georgina Shannon Lucie Molly Joanne Leanne Catherine Jess LucE Sarah Lily-Anna Dani Ellie Desnee Hannah Kathleen

Final outcome

19

Outcome

Finishing touches

The outcome I have chosen to perfect is the booklet. I feel the leaflet didn’t leave enough space for the work, whereas the poster gave the work too much space - separating the work meant that the overall point wasn’t as strong.

My first step in the refinement process was adjusting the kerning of my text.

I’ve shown this process below:

I feel the booklet gives the work enough space to breathe whilst also bringing the message together as one.

Say no to briefS that value

aesthetic over

meaning

Secondly, to keep the above slide consistant with the rest of the booklet, I added a pole to my “road sign” so it ran off the bottom of the page like the other pages.

Mockups

20