OUGD503 - Studio Brief 1 - A Brief History of Time (4 Days) - Idea Generation

Mind Maps and Initial Sketches

Initial Brainstorm 

Based on the key themes that were picked out from the book and research, it was then considered how these could be visualised. 

Themes:

A book with one equation

It was considered that this could be within an extract from the book then the equation could be emphasised to show it's importance.

Humerous theories 

The story of the world being a flat plate on the back of an infinite amount of tortoises was the most memorable story within the book. It was considered that a tower of tortoises could be replicated using figurines then photographing them. Within the book both this and string theory were considered to be theories of equal weight because they both hadn't been proven. Perhaps comparisons could be drawn between these two ideas. 

The development of understanding of the universe over time 

Our understanding of the universe has been developed over a long period of time, within the book it discusses lots of theories and shows how they have informed one another. An idea could be to use either the theorists or theories that had been developed and create a universe out of these. Each name would become a 'star' and these could then be connected to link theories that had influenced one another. Having the most prominent theories or theorists as larger stars would show their importance. 

Based on the title 'A History of Time'  it was thought that a timeline could be made of all the theories that have helped develop understanding of the universe. 

Use of questions and exclamation marks within the book

Using question marks and exclamation marks to make up a 'galaxy' would reflect how there are lots of things still to answer. By having a mixture of complete punctuation and broken up glyphs this would show how some things have been solved whereas others still need putting together. Using exclamation marks would represent points of wonder/ intrigue whereas question marks would signify an unknown.  

A unified theory 

To represent string theory as a possible unified theory for the universe it was considered that the physical material could be used to create imagery. The string could be plucked and photographed to capture the movement of the string as within string theory the vibrations pf the 'string' makes up the different particles. Distorting the string on a photocopier to create movement would also reflect this. Using a singular piece and moving it across the photocopier would create a representation of the string diagrams within time space.

Use of similes

To represent 'string theory is like plumbing' photographing U - bends and plastic plumbing bits in the formations of the string theory diagrams would represent the concept. 

The idea of an astronaut being recycled could be shown through a collage or illustration which shows an astronaut being shredded or possibly just an image showing a helmet floating around in space to show the rest of him has gone.

The book reflects the idea of galaxies moving away from each other through a balloon analogy. A balloon could be photographed in a dark space to create a sense of deep space, this would be lit up and perhaps letraset transfer dots could be put onto the balloon to represent the galaxies. Keeping the balloon plain however would allow for expanding type examples to fit within the balloon shape.

Pulses of light are described as 'ripples on water' which forms a cone shape in space and time diagrams. Type could be made to mimic this shape. Photographing water ripples then overlaying diagrams would combine the physical with the technical.  

Type could 'expand' by having small then big then small line length. Changing the point size in the middle of this shape would create the sense that it was enlarging then contracting. Contrasting condensed and regular type would show a change in width. Playing on the title 'From the big bang to the black holes' this could be replicated by exploding torn paper out to reflect the big bang , then overlaying a black hole made of scrunched up paper, showing how the beginning and end of the universe are linked. Colouring the counters of the O's within the title to suggest a black hole using black and the big bang using white could be a simple reference back to the title.   

Other things that were considered or needed to be considered:

Colour

Black would represent a black hole whilst white would reflect the big bang. 

Grey  or using gradients may be needed to allow for contrast within the design. The light spectrum is made up of a range of colours which would have been present in the big bang this idea could be a way of adding colour to the design rather than the obvious black and white.

Layout 

The beginning of the universe could be in one side of the book whilst the black hole is on the other allowing a narrative to form across the cover spread.

Sketches of Initial Ideas

New symbols could be made from exclamation and question marks to reflect wonder and curiosity within the universe.

The title 'from the big bang to the black holes' could be represented through simple shapes. linking circles with a line would show the journey from one to the other. Colouring one in black would represent a black hole whilst a black outline would show the big bang. Scaling the 'big bang' circle up would create contrasting sizes as with the real things.

Before the big bang and after the end of the universe it is not know what there was or will be. Adding the curved part of a question mark to the simple representation of the title at the beginning and end would suggests the uncertainty around these parts. 

Torn paper could be used to reflect the big bang whilst a screwed up ball of paper would reflect the black hole.

String theory could be represented through the material only. Based on diagrams within the book a 'string' shape could be recreated with a piece of string then photographed. Close up images that capture the texture of the string could abstract the idea. Distorting string on the scanner / photocopier would reflect the movement found within the strings. Joining dots that represent the big bang and black holes with a curved arch reflects the diagrams of the big bang and big crunch. Enlarging the first circle better reflects the big bang which is larger than a black hole. A black hole breaking through dimensions could be shown through a side view of paper / material with a hole all the way through.

Playing with the ripple idea it was considered that considering it from different perspectives would make the image visually different and less obvious. Perspectives from above are too abstract and could reflect a number of things, however the tilted perspectives create a better sense of depth and dimensionality. Simplifying the cone diagram to the different ripples creates a simple and abstract variation of the diagram, the curved shapes rather then straight edges of a cone make it look like something new. A black hole is said to tear through different dimensions, this could be reflected by tearing a hole through papers allowing the under-layers to be revealed slightly. Linking names and theories together by arranging the text both horizontally and vertically would reflect the connections between them.  

The idea of the tortoise with the world on its back could be interesting as an illustration. Different perspectives perhaps describe the analogy better than others e.g. the stacking of the tortoises is the clearest link. Contrasting string theory and the tortoise theory by letting the tortoises walk along the string could be a playful reflection of this idea.

Combining shapes representing both the big bang and black holes complement and emphasis one another. Placing a circle centrally with radiating circles and lines expanding out also allows for a sense of a black hole tunnel in which things would be pulled into. This could be made to reflect both these concepts within one image. 

Letters within the title could be used to reflect the big bang and a black hole. Colouring in O's either white with a heavy black stroke or a black fill would represent these two things simply within a typographic design. Joining the two O's with a line would reinforce the narrative suggested within the title. Using I's in some of the words to emphasise a shining or exploding O emphasises the big bang.

Lines of type could be adapted to create a curved expanding and contracting shape reflecting the expansion and decline of the universe. Making the type get larger in the centre of the design reinforces the idea that it is growing the shrinking.