Study Task 2 - Objective symbols for subjective words

Making the subjective onjective

The task was to create objective pictograms of subjective concepts using a variety of processes, materials and ideas. The aim was to create as many variations as possible through the exploration of ideas in a quick and experimental way.

Anxiety

Definitions

-        A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome

-        A strong desire or concern to do something or for something to happen

Mark making experiments using tight movements and sharp harsh lines to reflect an anxious feeling. The use of tightly bundled, continuous lines create an ‘asterisk’ like glyph. The process of creating the mark meant the pen had to be grasped quite hard and moved in quite sharp and short movements creating quite a tense action which is reflected in the mark. Many of the marks explore the idea of overlapping lines which create the impression of scribbling things out like something has been done wrong. This reflects possible worries people may have of not getting things right or not being good enough. The use of sharp angles and jagged lines across the marks create an uncomfortable feeling. Many of the marks create a representation of ‘impact’ which signify a particular point in this case a worry that may smoking away?

By overlapping cuts so they cross over this creates a three dimensional representation of the scribble marks. The repetitiveness of the action reflects the process of going over something in your mind.

Tearing card creates jagged edges which feel more harsh and aggressive, whilst retaining an organic form which represents a morphing thought. Layering the different elements creates a sense of things mounting up, whilst visually creates an element of depth, which can be ‘flattened’ when converted to line drawings.

By overlapping circles so they look like intertwined forms this plays on the concept of being ‘wound up’. This is more effective with fewer circles which allows the interlocking forms to be more noticeable, however the circles must be arranged in a slightly uniform way  to create a more organic symbol that is not perfect. The bundling of circles creates a close and tense feeling that creates a sense of claustrophobia and things closing in.

Experimenting with the concept of things falling and therefore creating anxiety, different shapes can be used in different ways to further the feeling. All the shapes are ‘falling’ the ‘ground’ which is represented by a line. By tipping the triangle on its point it looks like its weight will tip it over whilst also creating a sense of alarm through its association with a limitation and not being able to do something as seen in road signs (Frutiger). A square on its apex indicates an intention, in this case falling, which is alarming to the viewer (Frutiger). As with arrows with less than 20 degree angles, by using sharp pointed triangles I have tried to create a feeling of danger (Frutiger).

For me ‘x’ is an anxious letter which is similar to a cross. The cross symbolises deletion and suggests something is wrong during marking (Frutiger). This works well with the concept of worrying about things and doing things wrong. By scrunching the paper this reflects the concept of frustration, whilst exploring the effect of external sources on the letterform, much like how people get anxious over things they cannot control. The process of scrunching the paper more and more gradually broke the letterform down and creating a distressed look. For me it takes on an organic transformation which is even reminiscent of the idea of your ‘stomach churning’ with fear. This could be interesting as an animation showing the morphing of the different forms.

By moving the paper quickly in one direction on the photocopier this created a fluid appearance to the work which evokes the sense of shakiness and the feeling of nervousness. It also becomes quite jagged in some places and loses all sense of typographic meaning.

By using scrap paper in conjunction with the letterforms on the photocopier, the new elements have begun to break up the letters creating a sense that they are falling apart, evoking a feeling of nervousness and fragility.

By overlapping fragmented ‘X’s’ to create asterisks, this has created disjointed and harsh edged shapes which further emphasise the initial jagged movement of creating the asterisk marks, whilst reflecting the effect process has had on the overall form.

By rolling up an elastic band this recreates some of the initial mark making which explored using continuous line. The use of this material has created more organic imagery whilst also bringing it into three dimensions giving the ‘shape’ a tangible quality.

By layering ‘X’s’ this has created asterisks which are fairly symmetrical but not completely consistent. The angled edges give the symbols a much harsher look. 

    

The combination of the crossed, scored effect with the ‘x’ further emphasises the anxious feeling.

The use of a triangle in combination with a circular element emphasises the direction of movement, which enforces the ‘falling’ feeling. When a triangle is standing on its apex it has an active personality, in this case falling, and a sense of limitation (Frutiger), this I think creates a sense of danger. By elongating the designs on the photocopier this creates a sense of the movement taking longer and being more drawn out. When the designs are compressed, this physically creates a sense of the shape being squashed against the line, whilst also creating a sense of slow movement as the round object prepares to bounce back up.

Distortion using the photocopier creates a wobbly feeling to the letter ‘X’ creating a nervous feeling.

Sharp angled triangles create an explosive effect which has a lot of impact, whilst also being harsh evoking a sense of uncomfort. Frutiger said that arrows below 20 degrees are sharper which create a sense of danger, this I think can also be applied to triangle angles.