So yeah..

11/03/11

 I will have money.

This implies I will spend it on the things I said I would, like screenprinting gear.

Expect a bigcartel/paypal store soon for tees n' junk.

Yessir. Goin' up in the world.

Production for Visual Communicators - "The Design Workflow; From Novice to Expert"

The way in which people create work is often indicative of their relative experience and seniority as designers.
For example, 'seniority' is often defined, in company terms, by the number of people who are working underneath you. As the design 'flow' is passing through you in the chain of development it is implied that, as you are assessing the work of others and evaluating their ideas and creative design process, you must have some form of experience which sets you above them. It also implies that you have shown a level of expertise which represents the fact that you are not a novice, at least in the eyes of upper management and your previous client base. This defines the relationship between one form of design workflow and the experience of the workforce - at any level.
This is an example of the general outline of my personal workflow:

During this sequence I am taking inspiration from all of my primary sources, and am attempting to amalgamate historical reference with fresh inspiration to suit the brief. I am by no means a professional but I would like to think of myself as 'Proficient' if I had to place myself somewhere between 'Novice' and 'Expert' due to my personal working standard. However, this is all relative; each practitioner is subject to the client's judgement of their credo and ability in order to stand a chance of being hired to contract work.

Text To Accompany Image - "Contextual Definition and The Passage of Time"

Images can 'speak a thousand words'. But without relevant contextual placement and definition, an image can be completely powerless. It is the additional information that text can lend which can completely redefine an audience's impression, and their subsequent response to the work in question. One such example is this forecourt.

 

Once it is known that this is Mitre Square, where Jack the Ripper famously killed Catherine Eddowes, we can begin to understand the greater context, and therefore the impetus behind the photograph itself. Without this vital contextual information, the image reveals nothing about the true nature of the photographer's intent to show the crime scene as it stands today; and, interestingly, once we know the information around such a scene, we cannot forget it - the photograph is forever tainted by our new-found historical knowledge.
 In addition to this accompaniment, the context in which the photograph is placed is also vital to our initial understanding as to the purpose of the work. For example, if this image were in the window of an estate agent, you would assume that some building of focus in the image was for sale. This assumption is derived from the overall environment in which we assess the photograph, and the pre-defined ideas we have about, for example, the marketing techniques of estate agents and their utilisation of window space.


We have these pre-defined concepts due to the overarching nature of the 'zeitgeist', or 'spirit of the time'. This 
 indicates that previously we may have made other associations which we do not consider to be 'current' simply because they are not this generation's way of thinking. 100 years ago, to socialise one would invite friends and associates to their house for lunch or for an intended purpose; Instead, now we are much more casual - we do not even consider proximity a factor in terms of connecting with someone, due to the rise of such elements as social networking via the Internet; preferring not to even have to leave the house in order to correspond with friends. This is an example of such a change in one facet of the zeitgeist we know.

Images and their meaning may also change, or be lost, over time. 

  

An example of this is Dorothea Lange's photograph 'Migrant Mother' (1936) - without this title, we would not have a clue of its' actual intended purpose.
This photograph was taken at the same time the government in America was pioneering its' Public Works of Art program, and documents a major part of American history mid-Great Depression. It is therefore interesting to see that, as with much photography from before circa. 1970 (American involvement in Vietnam, and the consequential 'Vietnamization' of US Foreign Policy) that there are so few people who are aware of the breadth of its' existence or the range of topics it documented.
It is perhaps foreboding of our own future, wherein all of our current events, our zeitgeist, will fade with time like old photographs.

The Development of Creative Thought and Structure in Illustration - "Overcoming Mindsets and Managing Creative Environments"

Habitual thinking is one of the most common stumbling blocks when attempting to fulfil a brief, and inevitably leads to a stagnation of your creative design process. This sort of thinking is dictated by whatever work you have created previously; it draws on what has been popular and what has worked before, and turns your present design process into a kind of 'cookie-cutter' scenario where nothing new can possibly be created.

The decision to overcome your pre-existing mindset is unconventional and opens your explorative work to new, unpredictable and surprising outcomes. It enables you to bend rules which are either established personally or socially; as a wider part of the design community (such as the Grid) or internally (preconception and assumption).
One such example of this reconsideration of working process is the 'Alphadeath' series by Philip Tseng. This is based around children's alphabet books, which are designed to be legible at an early age - utilising large illustrations with a limited but appealing colour palette, and easily associable objects to each letter of the alphabet.
Tseng's variation on this concept has a morbid tone - which instantly forces a re-evaluation of the intended audience, rather than working on the usual assumption that it would be suitable for children. There are also subtle adult themes present, an example being that of the letter 'x'.


This challenging of one's own creative thought and development processes is instrumental in the course of producing work which is different or 'fresh' - This can be aided by external stimuli such as the environment in which a designer chooses to create. This also directly affects the concept of the 'comfort zone' which can prove itself to be a 'double-edged sword' of sorts - many creatives claim to be best inclined to create in an environ in which they are comfortable or 'at home'; whereas, if we consider the 'comfort zone' to be a region in which we have a tendency to get into a 'rut', or to fall back on habitual thought process, it is actually detrimental to be surrounded by elements of comfort.
For example, the use of a computer, particularly one connected to the internet, provides as much distraction as it does digitally assist the creation of work. As with the previous example of advantage/disadvantage, it is completely personal as to how motivated you are, and how much willpower you have in order to maintain focus and concentration. Concentration can also be hindered by clutter and mess - for example, Francis Bacon's famous Dublin studio looked like this:



Which is probably much harder to navigate around than this:

 

Effective management, whilst maintaining your inspiration and continuing your ability not to stagnate, is vitally important to the entire concept of overcoming your own mental blockade, and to allow you the opportunity to envision new and perhaps powerful outcomes which only come with a fresh perspective. 

Production and Outcomes - 'Methodology and Interpretation'

My own working methodology and practice are often varied - I have a tendency to problem-solve when faced with a brief, which leads me to unusual outcomes which perhaps I would not come to if I had a fixed way of working.One such example is a typographic project which I embarked upon in my Foundation year, which was to create the front cover for "Baseline", which is an international typographics magazine.

So I started by researching generally into typography by watching the film 'Helvetica' by Gary Hustwit.
This kick-started my research into font variance - the design behind, and the terminology involved in, the creation of font-faces; contrast, weight, form and structure all taking crucial roles in explaining typographic emphasis, particularly when involved within illustrative or graphic work.From here I created typographic work in a range of media to further explore solutions for the front-cover design.


  I created plaster representations of lower-case Helvetica and utilised photographic studio equipment to enable me to consider its' presentation in a variety of ways. My work was also influenced by my trip to New York in the Christmas break that divided this project - I was able to gather first-hand examples of typography by Massimo Vignelli, in particular his Subway signage, which preceded a foray into 'wayfinding' - navigational graphic design. In addition to this, I was able to discover the works of Milton Glaser through research into the iconic 'I heart NY' branding which has made its' way around the world. This led me to work which I paid homage to in further assessment of the final outcome.



The final product itself was more defined by the amount of research into typography, and graphic design 'harmony' - through the utilisation of the Grid, and colour theory - than any particular element of my research itself. This resulted in the image below.

 

"Smugglers Landing in a Storm" (1791) - often used as a cover image, it hangs in a gallery in my home town of Bath.

 

This kind of development through time can be considered similar to the process of re-interpretation of older creative works; the concept of 'Zeitgeist' or 'Spirit of our time' defines the 'current' (at whatever point) societal stance towards music, art and other cultural ephemera - and when applied to modernised adaptations, such as those of older novels to film, can reveal more about our society through the associations and the changes in meaning which inevitably occur. One such example is the novel 'The Count of Monte Cristo' by Alexandre Dumas, which was completed in 1844. In this, Dumas criticises the state of affairs at that period in France's history; vehemently derogatory about Napoleon, he also criticises attempts to democratise France under the Second Republic, which is a direct precedent of the current (Fifth) Republic in modern France today. This forms a major part of the background to many of the characters, as there is a clear divide between Royalist and Bonapartist factions which is factored in as a major plot focal point, key to the main character, Edmond Dantès', imprisonment. This in itself directly contrasts the most recent film adaptation (2002) which completely alters the plot after the main plot points (imprisonment and revenge), interspersing many action scenes. Evidently telling of the priorities of film today, it manages to be an adaptation in name only - though it proves invaluable as a reference of what a modern audience expects, especially compared to the best-selling reception that the novel received over 160 years ago.

The Development of Ideas and Structure in Moving Image - "The Three-Act Structure and the Hero's Journey"

It is proposed that the underlying structure of much prominent moving-image work is based upon the twin concepts of the 'Three-Act Structure' and the 'Hero's Journey', both of which define each other through their rules-based 'relationship' within any given piece, derived originally from the theatrical origins of film and moving media.
 Each Act in this particular structure has its' own integrity and can stand alone in terms of their plot progression - This is primarily again due to the idea within theatre that the audience will require a break every so often, or an 'interval' - which may be used in order to establish the passing of time within the play, or in order to allow the audience to physically disengage with the entertainment.
Interestingly, the rise of cinema and moving-image has provided a means of escape from theatrical classicism - such as freedom from the 'Classical Unities' which form the basis of every 'conventional' production and govern the 'ground-rules' for classic works - such as, for example, the concept that every action within a production must occur within a fictional twenty-four hour span. Due to the prevalent idea that film creates intrigue through what is and is not shown to the audience, an escape from these overarching classical frameworks is possible.

Jean-Luc Godard famously said “Every movie needs to have a beginning, middle and an end, but not necessarily in that order.” This was a reference to the idea that narrative need not be 'linear', such as the aforementioned 'conventional theatre' - instead a popular thematic re-arrangement in many 'thriller-genre' films is to present the 'resolution' before the 'crisis' or even the premise of the film is established, to create a frame of reference which keeps the audience guessing as to how that conclusion is reachable and in turn create suspense.

A breakdown of this 'Three-Act Structure' is presented below in an infographic I created for the purpose of explaining how the time within media is utilised under such a scheme.

This is the basic outline of what the structure looks like. Each part is intrinsically more complex than this, but in terms of understanding this is the 'general rule' as per se.
 This however is only pertaining to the overarching story; a prerequisite of the 'Three-Act Structure' is that these external changes are matched with an internal struggle or an 'inner layer' of the story which marks character development in the protagonist - for example, physically, romantically or spiritually.
 A good example of this structure can be seen in the film 'Willow' - In which two members of a race of 'little people' accept the task of taking a human child, (which is eventually hailed as the 'chosen child') back to the human domain - which eventually leads to the overthrow of a tyranny and the development of Willow's self-confidence and magical skills.
 This combined with the monomythic elements of the 'Hero's Journey' - the two worlds, the prophecy and the 'failed hero', create a perfect example of the development of moving image technique and theory.

The Reflective Visual Journal - "Drawing by Hand" and "Developing Visual Language"

As visual artists, much emphasis is placed upon the act of 'drawing by hand' as a criteria for successfully being able to explore and convey messages. This is due to the physical connections between your senses, in this case your vision and your motor functions, enabling you to create in an entirely different way to using digital or photographic means - as we are all often prone to. Through the combination of physical mark-making and thought process, we are able to create a synergised action which fully allows our creative 'right-brain' to function - the act of drawing to describe without illustrating text previously conceived. This in combination with the RVJ [Reflective Visual Journal] allows us to develop ideas in a visual environment which is free from critical judgement from within or without, as this is drawing for raw ideas rather than for display in any sense. Within this safe environment we can problem-solve and play visually with any particular element, as well as layout and placement issues.

For example, this image is from one of James Jean's sketchbooks and represents the idea that the drawing is one which deals with the passage of time in a visually playful manner - the subject's head has two placements in the drawing. The drawing itself is rendered to a much higher degree than most personal sketchbooks but this is consistent with the rest of Jean's work, suggesting that it would originally have been a 'final' sketch.

 'Drawing' itself is a particularly ambiguous term as the root word 'draw' can mean many utensils or many techniques; for example, you can draw with pencils, pens, brushes and inks, paint - even arguably through media such as photographic collage or otherwise.
It is through this concept that people develop their own working techniques and methodologies - each artist will have their own distinct style and manner of drawing or recording information. The use of drawing as a visual language is much more effective in terms of comprehending or demonstrating ideas than simply describing the exact same thing in a textual manner - it is easier to 'think around' an idea when described visually as possible alternatives are easily envisioned and implemented - creating a faster, more creative workflow. Examples of this would be 'Mind-Mapping' or even 'Venn Diagrams' - visually coherent connectives leading from an initial word or idea which present a theoretically endless range of possibilities in regards to an outcome, or the next stepping-stone in terms of progressing your personal research. An example of a Venn Diagram is below, though these are more useful for exhibiting the progression in terms of a thematic approach.

 

Drawing by hand is vitally important both in terms of creating new ideas through the synergic link between drawing and thought process, and also in terms of identifying your personal visual language. utilising such precious techniques can and will develop your entire artistic and creative output and also make your approach to creating said works more intuitive and personal.