Studio Brief 2 - Object Printed Document - Non - Format

Non- Format – Posters for The Nordic Archive

Non- Format designed a series of posters combining their love for Japanese Typography and David Bowie’s music, for the Nordic Archive, who showcase Nordic artists. The use of colours, particularly black, white and red, are frequently used in Japanese writing allowing the work to have an obvious connection with the culture. The use of a light sandy brown colour for the poster backgrounds also seems to make reference to the script that the Japanese use for their calligraphy creating a further link to oriental typography. The use of tapered lines creates the appearance of brush strokes reflecting the traditional writing technique of using a brush and ink. The use of varying stroke forms creates a sense of different elements even when they are just lines, as different qualities are created by different forms. Contrasting strokes and shapes look layered in some areas but on the same plain in others creating a sense of uncertainty as to which bits are above or below one another. The designs as a whole are reminiscent of musical scores creating a rhythmic feeling to the work which ties well with the musical lyrics from David Bowies songs.

Things to explore in my own work:

-        Adding block colour to rounded objects to create areas rather than outlines

-        Experiment with stroke form and width to better represent the different elements of the Dandelion seed head

-        Use background colour to complement colours and make the design more visually cohesive