seminar introduction- research

In this first seminar we were mimicking the creative process stages; by too first highlighting the significance of research. 

We were instructed on how to approach research in the best possible way, and in the most effective way, as to strengthen the depth of meaning to our creations. Research also leads to originality as an individual uncovers what has gone before, and what there is a lack of and what is needed now.
Key stages to ending with independence and originality lie in the foundation of research, going on to transforming what has been uncovered and finally using it loosely to demonstrate professionalism. The knowledge acquired thorough research strengths the meanings behind your works and gives a richness and depth to the definitions behind it… This is essential in effective designs.
In short RESEARCH= PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE.

In order to investigate fully, there are questions which must be answered within the research you’ve found. 

1. WHAT? what is the theme/ which subject are you studying/ what question needs a resolution.
2. WHY? why does this context need researching/ why does it have this background or literature review/ why are you doing it
3. HOW? how it going to be completed/ how are you going to approach this/ method or methodology.
4. WHAT? what is the outcome/ result/ conclusion. what have you uncovered.

To illustrate all these with examples we used real graphic case studies.
Our group had an article called “Hear the Human Story” by Al Jazeera (English)

1. (WHAT?)The theme here was  the hidden stories of real humans. In turn making people aware of what goes on behind the headlines- focus on the “real”ness from uncovering these. 
2. (WHY?) This was researched because the client wanted to produce the stories that matter of real humans. This was because people were unaware of what really went on, so something needed to be produced that wold be a campaign seen by millions.
3. (HOW?)The research completed this aim by taking trips to six different countries to ‘get’ the stories they required. After this the outputs were made in a documentary narrative for tv and film.
4. (WHAT?) The final result injected humanity back in to the news. A voice was given to those who had been forgotten about, and this was the main aim.

At the end of the seminar it was indicted that these research questions were going to used when we investigate our own project. I chose to research menu design and will hopefully be able to manipulate these brief questions to form a thorough research piece around this topic area. In following weeks we will be tailoring research questions around these "what, why, how, and what', to ensure that the professionalism of our research is harnessed and led in the right direction from the very start of the investigation. 

http://www.aljazeera.com/pressoffice/2014/11/hear-human-story-20141135433755976.html

http://www.magnumphotos-commercial.com/system/files/112014/54632747c904ff0310000d38/img_max/33009_AJE_OOH_India_Vigilantes.jpg?1415889643

Lecture week 1

This lecture commenced the Friday afternoon sessions with Spencer, in which in this first lesson he took the opportunity to introduce all the topics we would be covering academically with him. I tok particularly emphasis to note down the topics which would be covered within the first 10 weeks of the year. For this reason I can look ahead and already have predetermined what each week will be focused around- this is useful for reading ahead/ around the topic area or to have an idea of any areas which will probably be addressed within.

The week I am most intrigued about is week 3; as this one is explained to be regarding the blurring of boundaries in design, and that all disciplines bleed and incorporate one another in to forming an output. I personally like working with mixed media projects- so maybe this week would uncovered other influential artist who practice similar methods. Alongside maybe suggesting when and who started experimenting with using more than one discipline on one piece. This arguably has a sociological link as Spencer mentioned grand claims and monopolies in which certain design elements used to hold above and over others. 

We also started on week one in the second half of the lecture with a very brief explanation of a possible history of animation. Spencer explained that animation history was a lot less clear cut than a graphic design one- as there are conflicting opinions on what was the 1st animation with "is there a narrative" being a key factor in to whether this can be considered an animation if it doesn't tell a clear story. An example of this is Emilie Cohl with Fantasmagorie in 1908. This is often considered the first animation as it displayed morphing and moving characters, but this is arguably not the case. The narrative is impossible to follow and feels disjointed, with it just appearing nonsense to the general viewing audience. 

We then viewed an animation by Tim Hope, this too expressed a strange, incohesive storyline. "The wolf man" was a simple series of cartoon drawings mapped out in 3d studios for a playstation animation. The animation element doesn't appear as basic as the overall output portrays- the sound effects and voice over lessen the quality of the piece I believe. The visuals are distracted from by the stage sound effects and immature songs within. 

However on further investigation of this piece, I uncovered that Tim Hope also did work for MightyBoosh. With this being a tv program I was familiar with it gave some clarity as to why bizarre outputs are often wanted. This Tv show is recognised and enjoyed for it's 'strange' factor- so visuals must also fit this requirement. 

An animation piece with a clearer narrative is "prometheus" By Bruce Brickton. This uses sculpture and morphology to create a clear narrative. It melds and molds the ever-changing scenes and story by the sculptures manipulation in to the next. 

Sculpture is a key source of character formation and movement in many more recognisable feature length animation films. 

e.g. Shrek, Toystory and Wallace and Gromit. It gives characters a 3d dimension even if they will be digitally manipulated to form the rest of the majority of the film.

With the example of Toystory, we were showed a piece of work Pixar had developed using zoetrope technology to form an animation. 

(Rotoscope- Max Fleischer 1915)

(zeotrope) 

While this appeared very visually fascinating and looked a clear animation on screen- we were told of all the post production treatment this would have had to go through in order for the edit to remove the flickering and strobe effect this type of animation type would produce.  This edit was essential before audience consumption. 

These above examples however prove how animation as an art form can now be linked and be considered a profitable enterprise. This has come a long way from the experimentational more basic animations such as Dip Dap (with stable objects and minor scene changes) and Stuart Blacktons laughing sketched characters. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkxZf9LvLpI

http://www.adamleary.com/The-Mighty-Boosh-series-3

http://orig10.deviantart.net/ea65/f/2010/007/8/0/shrek_prop_by_smakeupfx.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/6a/d3/ab/6ad3abc961a1556ac9a71ecedb95609e.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dsr8uXA5qE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9tMaEGgJp8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGh6maN4l2I

zine examples

Andy Rementer- "love and hats"

Alex Lucas- "RHSAL and backwards"

Barry McGee- "DFW year in review"

Piero Glina- "this is your god"

cybernetic self

Brief 1, 

Year 2 Studio Practice. 

This first project of the year is names "cybernetic self", and is a short 4 week project exploring yourself and others in a digital context. Focus is highlighted on the 'self portraiture' we have nowadays, and how this is influenced and moulded by technology, rather than the paint and canvas output typical portraits use. 

KeyIdeas;

Autopoeisis- comes from the words "self" (auto) and "creative production' (poiesis). It refers to a system capable of reproducing and maintaining itself.

The autopoeisis keywords to consider are;

• emotions
• thinking
• intertwined 
• rationality
• human vs computer
• "self making"
• "self poetry"

Sociomaterial- is the way technology and sociology interact. How people's work/ activities are shaped by the technology surrounding them.

The sociomaterial keywords to consider are;

• people
• materials
• equipment
• components
• extensions
• yourself and more

Network Self- is the "self" you possess when using social networking sites or engaging online. This can be observed as different to someone "normal self".

The network self keywords to consider are;

• self presentation
• behavioural norms
• patterns and routines
• class/ gender/ race divides
• privacy
• activism
• political impact
• online tastes
• social impact

These should be key themes to use in the research process, going on to development, the delivery of the idea and then the final outputs.

The example given as an introduction was Amalia Ulman's Excellence and Perfections art study.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/photography/what-to-see/is-this-the-first-instagram-masterpiece/

These outputs were an elaborate project in which her social accounts slowly evolved in to only displaying the lifestyle of  'LA rich girl accounts'. She acted out each image as though it was a performance to appear like these girls, including wearing different clothes, dying her hair, posing unnaturally (for her normally) and pretending to go through cosmetic surgeries as if these are the only accepted images and lifestyle choices on social media. 

The above article describes her full transformation and how each of the 175 images led to the story development of being 'becoming' the 'IT girl'. Its questionable however if this was actually all faked, (as intended) or if Amalia could've actually become her label and lifestyle in a self fulfilling prophecy.  For example dying her hair for her imagery would also leave her with that hair colour in "real life", so phsyically there is no differentiation... could that indicate that there could also not be a mental detachment from the 'part'.

http://res.cloudinary.com/thefader/image/upload/w_1440,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:best/lv20g34gsibbbuu1swl9.jpg

http://www.wearethefrontier.com/uploads/Blog/2014/November/29-11/09-AmaliaUlma-ExcellencesAndPerfections.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autopoiesis

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20140528040601AA6syq8

process and production 1 (zine)

 In this process and production lesson we were focusing on zines.

Zines are cheaply made and cheaply priced publications which are normally small and self published and distributed. The production of these publications are not usually money orientated and sit outside of the mainstream with content generally being lighthearted.

The appeal of this output is its portable, tactile and is a strong display of DIY culture.

Below shows the process of folding this small booklet. An a4 piece of paper was used, and was folded precisely in to 8 equal rectangles. When folded in half width-ways, a cut is then made on the folded edge in to the centre fold. This allows for the folds to pull and shape the paper in to a functional zine with pages.

We were then instructed to add the content to each page. It was important to number and plan out each page of the design as some pages would be upside down when assembled. The content was partially given as we were told to illustrate the word;

• share
• live
• like
• minimize
• update
• off
• and use an emoticon

Below shows my designs. I chose to explore typography options and use these words within quotes. It therefore kind of acts as an inspirational booklet with uplifting messages. 

Above shows the assembled booklet using a fine liner and marker pen to add depth and interest to the quotes.  This was quite a tedious process, especially when filling in background colour- however the effect of contrasting pages next to each other looks much more effective. Even more so as zines are normally just printed in black ink.

Above shows the page scanned in before editing. I felt it would be easier to scan this in and work at creating a digital copy from it, as to keep the dimensions the same, so the right content fits in to the right places.

To create my digital version, I used adobe illustrator firstly to outline and create the shapes I would need. This was the case for the sinking bubble, the background outline shape, and then the phone outline.

These were then copied on to Adobe indesign so I could control the layout more precisely. With using type, grid use was essential to make sure everything looked in relation and in line with one another. To create the variety of typefaces i had designed, I had to download fonts. But I think these look effective, as the overall look is smart with the same fonts being able to be used on different pages to create consistency.

Below is the finished page ready for print. With this just being a zine publication, print is easy as the standard print on a normal printer still maintains all the detail needed and fits to the characteristics typical zine booklets have. Another idea to reproduce the "DIY effect" could included photocopying the pages multiple times and harnessing the imperfections this produces to create a distressed, home finished output. 

4p's of business

P- Price

= Is the cost of the item plus the cost the item accumulates in regards to; manufacturing, delivery, packaging, administer, or manage.
=the profit element involved is the mark up the item has.
=price can also include loss leaders for example car sales. Where a price loss is acceptable as the money is made up in other areas. Such as with a car dealership offering services, repairs, accessories etc.

P- Product

=core explanation is what the product does.
=the secondary explanation is why the consumer buys it.

P- Promotion

=is how the product is received by the consumer, what makes them want to buy it,
=this could be adverts or packaging or persuasion.

P=Place

=is where the item is available
=the platform it is available from e.g. shop or internet or catalogue.
=also can include the place of consumption; like home, office, school.

Other factors in the creating of designs revolve around global situations.
Designs have to relate to current affairs, or not contrast with striking world issues. For this reason it is essential that an individual has to be up to date with national and global news as well as their economies.

Designs should reflect more importantly what the economy needs and therefore what the business needs. Affects on the economy include; technology, social change, politics, war/turmoil and natural disasters. Whether theses have a MACRO effect or MICRO effect depend on whether they affect the firm only, or escalate upwards to the market, the national economy or then the global economy.

(NATIONAL ECONOMY= geographic entity-country, =private sector- firms etc, =public sector- schools and nhs, =government/laws.)

(GLOBAL ECONOMY =world trade, =economic blocks.)

https://wcs.smartdraw.com/cmsstorage/exampleimages/174c8b70-c80a-42ae-8468-b481bb0a012c.png?bn=1510011061

theory welcome (business side to being successful in graphic design) placements

This introductory lesson was to initially dress how business skills are crucial in being successful as a graphic designer whether this being for an agency or as a freelance designer. It was stressed how important it is to tailor your outputs and self portrayals directly to what industry will need.
summed up key characteristics were; -independence -self thinking -analysis ability.
These features demonstrate an individual who is highly desirable due to to team working abilities, as well as being strong as a solo designer. Fundamentally it is was seen that an applicant with a well rounded character who would fit in with the existing team and work hard, was seen as much more desirable than someone who was just only good at designing. The character and the mind set of the designer plays a key part in being successful in industry.
Because of this, we all became aware of how important placements are in showing characteristics as well as design skill/ talent. Our lecturer was able to provide a series of advice in order for the placement process to be as smooth as possible, and advised promoting ourselves personally as opposed to just applying for a placement from the outset. It seems that the way in to a creative job lies in who you know and not what you know- and to achieve that you need to know the right people from the outset which only happens through interactions without direct intentions firstly.
Some guidance for looking for a placement included;
-look for design houses that interest you
-big companies such as the bc often take placement recruits early in the year as these show a keen attitude and the business are busy enough to recruit a lot of skilled people quickly.  e.g September to November jobs are given for beginners that won’t start until June.
-if you would prefer smaller agency work, IPA provides a good source of agencies to filter through.
-Digitally the site ‘LOT’ works as an online market place for talent
-as well as searches of ‘free’/ ‘index’.
It was suggested that a good head start in placement opportunities lay in applying and showing an interest from an early date. We were advices to follow the previous advice and compose a list of placement options, and the people within those corporations who communication would be required with.
-write a physical letter to the director/ head of company, which talks about them and maybe their brand. A typed letter is given more recognition and isn’t lost in the stream of emails this individual will receive on a daily basis.
-the conversations from here should be in relation to ‘you’ and ‘them’… not necessarily fishing for a job/ opportunity yet as this will seem pushy.
-the key is to display your personality, and to sell yourself through that first.
-your strengths and weaknesses say a lot about your character and whether or not you would fit in to the business/ brand. This is often their main priority as they want staff who work cooperatively together to produce the best works.
-the more conversations and people you engage with, the more knowledgeable about the field you will be and this can only be of benefit for further applications.
-in order to have the best chance with your favourite company, its important to work through your placement list from least favourite to most favourite, as by your last interactions they will be the most knowledgeable and you will be confident to portray yourself in a good light due to the previous experiences you’ve had with other companies.
-competitions can also be a way to a job/ placement. They shoot you to the top of the pile and prove your abilities, it opens so many doors as your work is recognised and credit is on you.
Placements can either be provided by the university or separately when the course is suspended for a year to complete the placement year.

business theory, why design?

Design is the creativity used to solve a problem through visual communication. There are many elements to design and it incorporates many fields within such as; engineering, architecture, product/ interior design, advertising graphics, animation, illustration and art.
The level of complexity in design decreases as this list above progresses. This is due to the specification and briefs in which each field have to respond to, some briefs leave no room for creativity or manipulation, whereas other are open to interpretation and give designers free creative rein as in the case of art professional’s (whose difference and off the wall designs are highly credited for uniqueness.) Engineers and architects on the other hand, while having creative abilities, they cannot always push these as their designs have to have functionality and have to ‘work’.
This is all down to the mental processing that each person within each speciesism is believed to have.

The two way of thinking are; convergent and divergent.  Once a definition is understood it is clear to recognise how a problem solving mindset or creativity mindset are different and produce different outcome as ‘solutions’.
Convergent thinkers focus their thoughts to problem solving through the most logical solution, all attention is directed to solving an issue scientifically and mathematically. These are the engineers and architects in the design sector.
Divergent thinkers on the other hand (like myself) work to find a solution through trial and error, by working and working on a piece, or several at once until something appears the most suitable. It seems illogical as it isn’t effective use of time initially, but these thinkers have empathy for others and others situations- and this is essential to be able to work (indirectly maybe) to produce a response that is suitable.

A key way to demonstrate this is through the characteristics a manager has in comparison to a designer.
A manager has a convergent mindset of which is problem orientated, and the designer on the other hand has a divergent one and is solution led. This is because solutions are achieved through experimentation, innovation and optimism. Holistic, free attitudes produce the more diverse visual designs which are needed.
Path a designer with divergent thinking needs;

1. Trigger
2. idea generation
3. concept
4. design concept
5. development
6. embodiment
7. detail design
8. finished article

 A way I found to highlight the differences between these two mindsets; was in relation to characters of people who are distinctly one or the other. In particular is my recent interest in the TV series 'Prison Break', and how the lead character (in this) Michael Scofield thoroughly demonstrates a convergent mindset. This is further reinforced by his attention to engineering details throughout the seasons, which are the centre of the shows focus. 

These definitions strengthen my understanding.....
"concentrates on finding out the single best o frequently, correct solution to a problem or answer to a question"... "The focus for this thinking strategy is speed, logic ad accuracy and on identifying the known, reapplying techniques, and amassing stored information. This strategy is best suited for situations characterised by a readily available answer that just has to worked out or recalled by way of decision-making strategies."

https://www.cleverism.com/idea-generation-divergent-vs-convergent-thinking/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latent_inhibition#Low_latent_inhibition