OUGD504 - Studio Brief 2 - Offcut Experimentation

Playing with the Offcut theme

Definitions of both Offcut and Scrap were used as a way of visualising the idea of offcut within shapes. Examples of definitions used include: 
- piece, fragment, bit
- a small piece or portion; fragment 
- to make into scraps or scrap; break up
- chops, cuttings, fragments, or other small pieces of raw material, removed, cut away, flaked off, etc, in the process of making or manufacturing the item 
 - an old , discarded, or rejected item or substance for use in reprocessing or as a raw material, as old metal that can be melted and reworked 
- a detached piece of something written or printed 
- a piece of waste material that is left behind after cutting a larger piece 
- a piece of paper, plywood, fabric, etc, remaining after the main pieces have been cut; remnant 

By using the grid system (3 x 5 modular grid) that was being used for the design the boxes for the listings could be roughly worked out.

Using this shape allowed experimentation into the representation of definitions of Offcut and Scrap through cutting and tearing card whic was then scanned into the computer and manipulated.

Playing with the idea of a scrap it was explored how sections within the design could be torn to reflect  the sense that it has come from something larger or is missing a section. This torn effect could work well for drop down boxes as they are a standard width allowing text to be included within them however having a rough edge at the end. Slicing the ends creates a cleaner more geometric effect however represents the same thing and could be used in a similar way. 

Tearing long strips could allow some texture to be introduced into the category bar.

Using the designated shape for listing images, it was considered that sections could be cut out of the space. This could fragment the image or one shape could just be block colour with the listing text over the top. Cutting a shape out of the area creates the impression of a cleanly cut offcut, these would have block colour to fill the space, with a description about the listing on top, whilst the rest of the shape would be image.

It had been considered that the images could be circular within the design to reflect the cyclical process of upcycling. Tearing these rather than having a clean edge could be an interesting way of creating a more textured appearance to the design. Cutting the designs into sections it was decided would be to difficult to use when placing text at a small size.

Expanding on the idea of having a section of image and a section of block colour with a lisiting description over the top it was considered that simplifying and increasing the space for text would be necessary. Tearing the shape horizontally would allow for a strip of text to be included which would read better than trying to fit it into an awkward shape. The cleaner cut designs perhaps would be easier to place text within because of their regular shape. 

To help visualise what some of the shapes would look like as images the clipping mask tool was used. It was found that the torn effect designs could look too playful and lose that sense of structure within the design when repeated for all the listings. The design is aimed towards a creative community so the design needs to be contemporary and considered. The geometric designs are more consistent whilst still portraying the idea of an offcut or scrap.