Grace Gascoigne Journal

Punctuation marks - posters

2009-05-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

Some poster designs for my credit crunch punctuation marks.

Punctuation Marks

2009-05-16T19:18:00.000-07:00

These are the five final punctuation marks I had designed for my theme of the credit crunch.

Platt Hall two - The posters

2009-05-16T19:15:00.001-07:00

These are final poster designs for The second Platt Hall project - our awareness campaign. I'm really pleased with the overall look of them I think in particular the Cornerhouse one was a big achievement, we were well chuffed!

Idioms

2009-04-06T04:43:00.000-07:00

Had to put this on my blog just because it's so random and shows how crazy language is sometimes. So for the punctuation mark brief I've been looking at idioms, obviously these English sayings don't directly translate to other languages. However other languages have their own expressions that mean the same but are as completely random as ours. Apparantly idioms are one of the hardest things for a person to learn in the process of learning another language, mainly because we grow up using idioms as if their true meanings actually make sense!!

Idioms

to kick the bucket = to die

The same expression in Polish is 'kopnąć w kalendarz' (to kick the calendar)

The same expression in Dutch is 'het loodje leggen' (to lay the piece of lead)

Random, but now I really want to find some more examples!

Paul Farrington

2009-04-03T07:18:00.000-07:00

http://www.mobyhotel.com/mobyhotel/

Eyestorm Gallery.

Paul Farrington is a designer based in Brighton. There he formed 'studio tonne' around ten years ago, which consists of Paul and two other people. The studio usually works with quite open briefs with clients varying from Plymouth Hospital to Moby.

Paul studied at Liverpool where his work became focused around interactive design, especially linked to designing software for music. This lead to work for big music labels and artists such as Moby. The 'Moby Hotel' came from a very open brief simply wanting something to promote the new Moby album over a three month period, Paul and the studio developed this into an online interactive webspace where people could learn more about Moby and his music.

He also creates his own digital and electronic based music, and then visualises it using computer software. The interactive element is created by the software, as it allows the viewer to play with making their own music using the graphics on the web page or CD, therefore the work becomes responsive to the person looking at it. For this he uses programs such as flash to create what he calls interactive 'toys'.

As well as the more digital based work studio tonne are also involved with design for print. One of the really successful pieces he showed was the logo design for eyestorm gallery. The design was really simple but did exactly what it needed to do with out any fuss or frills!

Their work ethic was to step away from the norm and look at more 'random elements' that could then be transferred to the design work. They tend not to use photography as they prefer to see what can be made from text and illustration. I think this is probably much more challenging but in the end produces some really strong interesting work. Again as with Matt Pyke I really like the idea of making the design work interactive and responsive to the viewer as it instantly forms a relationship between the two.

Designing Seeds Exhibition.

2009-04-03T05:53:00.000-07:00

After the Matt Pyke talk we decided to go and see the exhibition Designing Seeds by Universal everything in Sheffield.

"Designing Seeds makes the case that through the mechanism of design, scientific advances of the last decade have opened the way to unexpected visual pleasures. We have now entered an age in which designers and architects are drawing their inspiration from hidden patterns in nature rather than from pretty leaves or snowflakes. The results reveal a new approach to design and a new kind of beauty."

The exhibition itself was smaller than I'd expected, and we didn't get chance to see the installations on the window as it was too bright outside, however the work itself was really interesting to look it. It was an extension of some of the things he had shown us in his lecture. In particular I liked the lovebytes work with the individual

monster characters. The title 'Designing Seeds' is derived from the bespoke digital design systems that are used to design the seed, this then independently develops into a suprise result everytime! I think how the i

nteraction and relationship of the work with the viewer is really successful. The work only presents itself to you if you make the your own presence in the room known.

Matt Pyke

2009-04-03T04:06:00.000-07:00

Matt Pyke is a 'creative' based in Sheffield. In 2004 he formed 'Universal Everything', a collective consisting of designers, programmers, musicians and artists. I loved this lecture! Again I really like seeing and hearing about work and people that are constantly trying to push the boundaries and change perceptions of design and its purpose.

He described his office literally as a 'shed' at the bottom of the garden, his 'electronic cottage'. The office simply consists of his mac and him, and then anyone else that is working with him at the time. The idea behind Universal Everything was to creative a 'collective' consisting of a diverse range of people with different skills. Matt explained it as a process that initially started with a strong idea. he would then find the people that could help him turn the 'idea' into a reality. By working with the relevant people the idea then turns into a final concept and 'product' for the client.

Matt chooses the people he works with depending on what he visualises for the idea, he then uses contacts he already has or simply gets in touch with people via the internet or even blogs. I think this is a really exciting way of working as not only does it mean the work is going to be constantly changing and developing as new people get involved, it also means his contact base is ever growing which will strengthen the final outcomes.

The work itself was mainly digital based. It included a lot of installation work, and particularly interesting was the interactive pieces. Matt and his team work on computer programs that are reactive to sounds or movement, creating constantly changing work dependent on the environment.

Matt also talked about his inspirations in work, what they were and where they came from. The everyone forever site is huge source of inspiration that ranges from new technologies to photography, music and even nature.

Universal Everything have worked with huge clients such as Nokia, V&A museum and were also involved in designing the logo for London Olympics 2012.

Installation for the V&A Museum, London.

Nokia 'Beautiful Connections' Art film.

Patrick Young

2009-04-01T13:10:00.001-07:00

The Patrick Young talk was particularly interesting as it gave a different perspective of working in industry compared to what we had seen before. Patrick showed how skills from being a 'designer' can be applied in many different ways to many different jobs. The work he showed us varied from skateboard designs to a promo video for Urban Splash. It was exciting to see how the role of a 'designer' can be so diverse, it is definitely something I want to learn more about, how our skills can be put to some many different uses, ones that at the moment I might not be aware of.

Patrick graduated from Liverpool University in 1986. He initially worked as a freelance designer in both London and Liverpool. His background is primarily graphic design but he has used this in other disciplines, including architecture practices. He main base is now in Belfast.

Patrick has worked for a variety of different companies and clients. His roles have included art director, senior creative and 'entrepreneur'. He sees how graphic

design is changing, and many designers are becoming involved in their own projects moving more towards the name of 'graphic artists'. This was shown in his work for East skateboards, where he was involved with all aspects

from design to production and finance.

The main things I learnt from this talk were how diverse a designer's 'talents' and 'skills' can be. There are many more options than just a 'graphic designer'. The title 'creative' in some ways seems more appropriate for a designer today.

Cavern Walks (shopping centre, Liverpool)

Patrick was involved in the branding and promotion of the quirky centre.

Jonny Hannah

2009-04-01T12:24:00.000-07:00

Jonny Hannah is a freelance illustrator who gave a talk to us on his work, and experiences as an illustrator working pretty much for himself out in industry. His work was really nice to look at, and you could really appreciate the work and effort that had gone into each illustration. Although I don't really draw myself it really made me think more about illustration as a possible solution for briefs, especially as it instantly gives a handmade, personal quality to something which is very hard to achieve just on the computer. He was also very interested in typography, and I think some of his most interesting illustrations included his hand drawn type. The work he presented showed how versatile illustration can be. The work varied from book covers (more known for their use of illustration) to his own 'Rocket Man' creation simply influenced by popular culture.

Thomas Allen

2009-04-01T11:42:00.000-07:00

We came across this work on the internet and found it particularly inspirational as Allen really creates intrigue and atmosphere with his pieces. They really become pieces of art.

Pop in, pop out!

2009-04-01T08:07:00.000-07:00

The pop up idea came from thinking of ways we could tell the narratives of the objects in a more interesting and interactive way than is usually done. From research we did most of the museums and galleries in Manchester used very traditional style leaflets and flyers as promotion. Platt Hall isn't a typical traditional gallery, so we didn't want to go with that. It needed to be something that really helped show the Hall's personality through the look and feel of the promotional material as well as the narratives of the objects. We thought the narratives of the objects were an interesting angle to look at as it gives an 'identity' to items we wouldn't otherwise know about. Also as the stories are so interesting they can be used as an 'awareness' device or tool.

The red dress, experiment.

The Punk Jacket, experiment.

The Shoes, experiment.

Punk Jacket random research

2009-03-31T05:43:00.000-07:00

With all of the chosen objects we did loads of research about the context surrounding the items. We looked at the time they were from and what was going on in 'the world' and society at this point. Our aim was to collect relevant, interesting images to possibly use in some kind of 'book' telling the story of the objects.

By artist Jamie Reid, a new twist on his 'never trust a hippy' slogan.

1977 picture of Vivienne Westwood wearing one of her infamous punk designs. Image includes upside down crucifix, swastika and a picture of the Queen.

Malcolm McLaren outside his King's Road fashion shop, Sex, in 1976

English Punk band that formed in 1976, part of the original wave of British Punk Rock.

Platt Hall - The Objects

2009-03-31T04:08:00.000-07:00

After our first visit to Platt Hall we felt pretty overwhelmed. There was so much to look at and take in it was initially really hard to make a decision about what we wanted to look at. Eventually we decided we wanted to look at a small number of objects that had a good narrative/story behind them. We asked Rosie, one of the curators to choose items she felt had the strongest and most interesting stories behind them. As the items are all donated they each have a 'card' itemising them and giving any extra information.

Platt Hall suggested four different objects for us to use:

The Punk Jacket

1979-1980. Worn by a Punk rocker riding across from Leeds to Manchester. Gathered outside ancoats hotel deliberately starting fights with police.

The Riding Habit

1859. Two sisters were drowned in the river Calder whilst breaking in a new horse. One of them was wearing this riding habit.

The Red Dress

1945. A dress made from Nazi bunting, worn by an UNRRA worker to dances at the end of the war.

The Shoes

Late 18th Century. Shoes worn by a Thomas Worsley who actually lived at Platt Hall.

Platt Hall Gallery of Costume

2009-03-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

Platt Hall project is something I have been heavily involved with since the beginning of third year. The Brief set by Platt Hall themselves is focused on generating awareness of Platt Hall, Gallery of Costume within Manchester. When I first visited the Hall I was totally in awe of the place. It's currently closed due to refurbishment so I was lucky enough to get a sneak peak at the parts the public aren't usually able to go.

The Hall holds over 20,000 items dating from the 1600s to present day. The collection is amazing! I especially enjoyed the attic area with all the storaged clothes ranging from bathing suits to wigs! The

main problem with the Hall is that people don't know it's there, this is

something we are hoping to change.

Intersections

2009-03-30T13:22:00.000-07:00

The intersections brief was simply to take the word 'intersections' and look at different ways of interpreting it. I spent quite a lot of time looking at the word and what its exact definition was, and then any other meanings it had. This resulted in lots of ideas but I decided to have a bit of fun and go down a more hands on route.

I decided to plan, design and make a giant interactive crossword with all the words in it in some way relating to the word 'intersections'.

A 'work in progress' picture on my bedroom floor of the crossword bluetoothed from my phone!!

Artist vs Designer

2009-03-30T09:18:00.000-07:00

This was a brief that particularly interested me as it gave an opportunity to write as well as design. We simply had to write an article about the debate of Artists vs Designers and the issues involved. The article then had to be put into a double page spread, with relevant images and headings.

The writing process I actually found really interesting as I had to do lots of research on the subject, and found out a lot of information about and around the

subject. Sourcing appropriate imagery was harder, as not only did the subject matter need to be considered but also the quality of the images.

It was an interesting process as I realised how important all the components of the page are, as if one doesn't work very well neither will the rest, for example if the heading isn't very strong the viewer may not even take the time to read the rest of the article and simply skim past it. It took a lot of designing to get something that I was anywhere near happy with and even when I look at my final layout design now I can see a lot that I would want to change.

An early design mainly playing with headings and sub headings.

Experimenting with the imagery.

A more traditional style design, using serif typefaces and long amounts of text.

My final design, I still think more could be done to this. The second page in particular could be more 'interesting', in particular with the image style and placement.

mag.

2009-03-30T07:45:00.000-07:00

This is the project that started me looking much more at editorial design. It wasn't something I was fully aware of before, and I was definitely inspired during this project. The brief was actually to prepare a presentation on a subject of our choice. I actually focused on iconic magazine covers which was something I was already interested in, however I then started looking at the layout designs within the magazines, and how they helped define the strength and success of a publication.

I presented the research I had done on the topic in a mock magazine "mag." with double page spreads, contents page and cover. As the focus was more on the information than the actual visuals I simply displayed them around my presentation space as the spreads rather than making the magazine.

Editorial Design Work

2009-03-19T16:41:00.000-07:00

Editorial design and page layouts are something I started to become particularly passionate about in second year. I enjoy the process involved, maybe because I can be a bit of a perfectionist and like to see things in grid form!

This design is based on my thinking process for the contextual essay. We were asked to construct an essay plan, showing what we were proposing to look at in the essay. For the main themes I decided to look at my 'slight obsession' with magazines, and the role of the professional within the magazine industry. I broke down my thoughts, ideas and some research and then developed this into a 'contents' page for the essay showing at that point what I thought was going to be in it.

The layout itself I am actually quite pleased with, I think it gets my personality across, shows the subject I am actually looking at and also works in displaying the information effectively. Sometimes I find that I spend way too much time making decisions about how something should look, whereas this was something I produced quite quickly and it ended up looking ok!!!