Thursday, 31 January 2019

OUGD603 - Tutorial / Crit Feedback - Offcut and Art Fund

Tutorial 

Offcut branding 

- just using type will be effective
- using the diagonal cut in the words is clear and simple 
- having the diagonal or dashed line between the two words is perhaps too obvious 
- try making the cut in the U more defined
- how much can be taken off before it becomes illegible 
- the composition of the diagonally cut words is strong combined with the layout of the words one above each other  
- cut off bits from the type and use the shapes that have been cut off as ornaments / logo. Creates the impression of utilising materials


ArtFund 

- consider the audience - perhaps coloured imagery would be more effective for students
- is the black and white related to time and history?
- will the ArtFund line be coloured? How will this work with coloured imagery? Test this before making the decision  



Wednesday, 30 January 2019

OUGD603 - Brief 3 - Internal Collaborative - YCN Competition Brief - Art Fund - Meet Up 3


Meet Up 


-        Personally, I preferred the black and white imagery with the coloured background as this had depth to them and stood out against the coloured backgrounds
-        Meg preferred the coloured imagery on the coloured backgrounds as she thought it was more colourful whilst still fitting in with the colour scheme of Student Art Pass
-        Meg would be having a crit so she is going to take them along to that to get other people’s opinions on the work so far
-        We discussed choosing 12 places to feature in each of our clock faces, with both Meg and me researching different places that have Art Fund benefits. We felt it was important to choose places that had either free entry or 50% off exhibitions with the use of the Student Art Pass rather than using places that were already free to enter. We aimed to choose a variety of places from around the country and include galleries, historic houses / castles and museums with different themed contents at each of the places to show the breadth of things to see when using the Student Art Pass.

Monday, 28 January 2019

OUGD603 - Brief 3 - Internal Collaborative - YCN Competition Brief - Art Fund - Crit Feedback

Crit Feedback 


- the use of the colours for backgrounds is best. Art is full of expression and the use of colour shows this. It also helps to categorise the different frames better.
- do the lines need to go through the circles? Could they go below the circle?
- perhaps decrease the opacity of the line if white is going to be used for the line on the designs
- try a grey or black line as this contrasts against anything
- text is best when smaller
- Try looking at Kala Festivals instagram which uses lines with imagery 

Friday, 25 January 2019

OUGD603 - Brief 3 - Internal Collaboration - YCN Competition Brief - ArtFund - Meet Up 2

Meet Up 2


- the pots could exist in black and white because of the patterns and textures if we don't use colour within the imagery  
- alternatively we focus on colour for the illustrations 
- potentially there's a bit of a clash between the geometric design and Megs more organic illustrations, this could be made better by making the sets to fit more with the layout of the lines and the imagery 
- Meg was concerned that the images were a little grey however these could be improved and made more white, through better lighting in the photography studio.
- the images in the circles with the coloured outline worked well 
- the images with the coloured backgrounds could work well with black imagery rather than colour
- I suggested that if the illustrations were only black lines the illustrations would then merge with the rest of the image and there would be no contrast between Megs illustrations and the photograph which I didn't think would do justice to her work or put the art as the main focus of the design.
- outlining the circle in the same colour as the line could be tested 
- having the circle image in a colour creates a bold graphic image
- a limited colour pallette could be used for the designs / backgrounds 
- zooming in to the illustrations works well for spot images and would look bold for a sequence of images however the context of the place which is represented with the photographs would be lost.
- Creating a animation / video of the sequence could work as the frame in After Effects can be panned to follow the line. A large image would have to be created of the whole design for Meg to then animate.
- The design would work well as a promotional video and for social media such as instagram. The amount of clocks would just have to be limited for the social media GIFs.
- Using different speeds within the video is possible which could help tell the story more and reflect a sense of people becoming more calm when the visit museums, galleries and historic houses compared to their daily lives 
- It may be possible to animate the line so that it progresses through the imagery rather than just appearing as this would better reflect the idea of going on a journey
- perhaps 9 - 12 clock faces could be used with a colour pallette of 3 - 4 colours 

Wednesday, 23 January 2019

OUGD603 - Brief 4 - Offcut Visual Identity - Research - Definitions

Definitions

Offcut definition







- offcut, offcuts, off - cut, off - cuts

- a piece of waste material that is left behind after cutting a larger piece 
- something that is cut off 
- a piece of paper, plywood, fabric etc remaining after the main pieces have been cut; remnant
- to cut off
- a piece that has been cut off a larger piece when not needed; surplus
- cut off
- excess; surplus

Synonyms: excess, surplus, remnant, bit, fragment, piece, shred, scrap, remainder, end piece, odds and ends, leftovers, leftover part, tiny bit of something, chunk 

Scrap Definition





- a small piece or amount of something, especially one that is left over after the greater part has been used
- discarded metal for reprocessing
- discard or remove from service (a redundant, old, or inoperative vehicle, vessel, or machine), especially so as to convert it to scrap metal
- throw away 
- to get rid of something that is no longer useful or wanted, often using its parts in new ways
- a small piece of something or a small amount of information 
- old or used material, esp. metal, that has been collected in one place, often in order to be treated so that it can be used again
- a small and often irregular piece of something, or a small amount of something
- old material, especially metal, that can be sold and used again
- to decide not to continue with an activity or plan  

Remnant Definition 





- a small piece or amount of something that is left from a larger original piece or amount
- a part or quantity that is left after the greater part has been used, removed, or destroyed 
- a piece of cloth left when the greater part has been used or sold 
- a usually small part, member, or trace remaining 
- an unsold or unused end of piece goods

Piece Definition





- a portion of an object or of material, produced by cutting, tearing, or breaking the whole
- assemble something from parts or pieces 
- extend something 
- a part of something 
- come / fall to pieces - to break apart into smaller parts


Surplus Definition






- an amount of something left over when requirements have been met, an excess of production or supply
- more than what is needed or used; excess
- (an amount that is) more than is needed


https://www.google.com/search?q=offcut+define&rlz=1C1CHZL_enGB734GB734&oq=offcut+define&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l3.3316j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/offcut
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/offcut
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/offcut
https://www.yourdictionary.com/offcut
https://www.google.com/search?q=define+scrap&rlz=1C1CHZL_enGB734GB734&oq=define+scrap&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i65j0l4.11261j1j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/scrap
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/remnant
https://www.google.com/search?q=define+remnant&rlz=1C1CHZL_enGB734GB734&oq=define+remnant&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.6182j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/remnant
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHZL_enGB734GB734&ei=JXhIXNvYKp-a1fAPs-SP2Ac&q=define+piece&oq=define+piece&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0l5j0i10j0l2j0i10j0.10758.12434..12667...0.0..0.77.669.12....2..0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71j0i67j0i131i67j0i131.EJ-7JQOYE5w
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/piece
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHZL_enGB734GB734&ei=6XhIXNr_M-ez1fAP856qYA&q=define+leftover&oq=define+leftover&gs_l=psy-ab.3.0.0j0i22i30l9.220127.223334..223544...3.0..0.69.662.12....2..0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71j0i67j0i131j0i10j0i22i10i30.n6rDcIe2wvw#dobs=surplus
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/surplus

Tuesday, 22 January 2019

OUGD603 - Brief 1 - Souvenir Penny Designs - Development of Designs

Development of Designs 


Celebrating 130 Years Design 






- To represent the building as a whole the architecture of the front of the building was used to represent the place as this would be the first thing visitors would see before entering the building. This would have also been the same through its history so best reflected the building across its time as an Art Gallery.
- Making the line thicknesses bolder better reflected the thickness of the stonework on the doorway






- Using the pathfinder tool meant that after finding the correct line thickness outlining the paths allowed the strokes to become shapes and meant that the line width would remain the same when increased and reduced in size. However because each of the strokes was difficult to edit the sections between the lines, so uniting the strokes into one whole shape was more effective. 






- The  shape of the outside signage was drawn around to get an outline. Within the design text was going to be placed vertically within each of the sections in a similar way to the signage. The outline was perhaps not refined enough.
- Using parallelograms to reflect the shape of the signage whilst creating more consistency and regularity within the design worked well. 






- To create the pennies using the photosensitive etching technique all black areas within a design will be raised whilst the white areas will be etched away.
- Filling the doorway stonework so it was black rather than outlined would create a more defined design and allow the stonework to be raised like the real thing. Having outlines would create extremely fine lines which perhaps would not work within the etching process and would also not be bold at a  small scale.
- Landscape designs allowed for more space and better positioning of text alongside imagery.
- Using the arch stonework from the front entrance and lines to represent stairs, with the text positioned between perhaps gets rid of too much of the general form of the entrance, making it less recognisable as the entrance to Leeds Art Gallery. 
- Expanding the entrance design so that it goes outside the shape of the penny allows space for some text within the doorway, however because of the curve of the arch and small spaces within the rest of the design this doesn't leave a lot of room for other text to be included and still be legible. The combination of text and imagery within these designs looked cluttered whilst the similar line weights meant there was no hierarchy within the design.
- The designs reflecting the shape of the outside signage place text across each of the three sections. The text is laid out in a similar way to the existing signage and is read vertically from top to bottom. It was considered that two lines of text could be used within each of the sections and reflect the wording of some of the signage, however having two lines of text meant the text would have to be very small making it less legible.  
- It was considered 'Leeds Art Gallery' could be placed within the arch in the same format as the branding, with each of the words on a different line and left aligned. This would allow the name of the place to fit within the design, whilst also reflecting the positioning of the branding on the actual entrance to the building.
- A similar typeface to the typography used on the outside signage was used to create a consistency from the branding to the penny designs. 
- In some of the designs '130 years' was set in a typeface similar to the one used on the outside of the building, this created a link with the branding of the place, reflected the outside of the building and created contrast between the different pieces of information allowing it to stand out more. 
- Key information such as 'Leeds Art Gallery', 'Celebrating 130 years', '1888 to 2018' and 'The Collections' were also considered as some of these were already in existing signage, whilst others clearly link the design to the place and age of the gallery in a clear and simple way.
- Making the 130 years bold highlighted this within the hierarchy.
- Placing the top of the arch from the entrance to the bottom of the design made it less clear what the imagery was of.
- Placing the imagery central made it clearer that it was of the entrance to the building. This also allowed for negative space, above and to the sides of the design allowing text to be placed in these spaces. Placing the dates either side of the entrance created symmetry and balance within the design. 

Ziff Gallery Design 






- To reflect the differing shapes of the frames within the Ziff Gallery, boxes were used to match the key contours / elements within the frames.
- Using the imagery as a guide would also allow the design to reflect the positioning of the artworks on the wall within the gallery.







- Different thicknesses of lines were used to reflect the widths of aspects and intricacies within the frames. Similar line weights were used across different elements to create some consistency within the design.
- Using fills allowed for balance in negative space to be created and broke up the lines within the design.







- Having just outlines from the different elements within the frames looked to similar an had no contrast. Also the intricacy and thin quality of the lines may not work effectively at such a small scale.
- Using a combination of line weights, simplified the designs by creating areas of fill and created more contrast within the design, whilst highlighting the differences in the frames.
- Using the fills in the centers of picture reflected whether the paintings were light or dark in colour.
- Placement and scale of the paintings reflects the frames in real life, through the use of the photograph as a basis for the design.







- Simplifying the designs further to minimal shapes and line widths would make the design stand out at a small scale, whilst also creating balance in negative space within the design.






- Enlarging the design so that it goes outside of the penny boundary creates the sense that the room is bigger and that there is more to see than just the snippet shown within the design.
- To fit the design in the classic format of pressed pennies, with the text curved around the edges and the imagery central, it was considered that some of the frames would have to be removed to make the design less cluttered. However the design was still quite effective with all of the frames still in the design. Perhaps the bottom left hand corner frame would need to be reduced slightly to allow the text to curve around and not come to close to the frame. 

Henry Moore Sculpture Gallery 





- The circular work on the floor of the Henry Moore Sculpture Gallery was striking and difficult for visitors to miss making it a key feature of the gallery and therefore a good representation of the work within this part of Leeds Art Gallery.
- Outlining the shapes of the tops of the stone pieces within the artwork allowed the arrangement of the differing shaped pieces to be shown as if from above, reflecting the abstract layout of the piece.  








- Expanding the design of the shapes outside the penny frame allowed the design to be further abstracted without loosing a sense of the blocks that make up the artwork. 
- Outlining the blocks in a slightly thicker line width would allow the shapes to stand out more. Using a combination of line weights could create the sense that some blocks are higher than others.
- Filling the blocks would meant that these areas would be raised after the etching process making it look like the blocks are raised off the ground.
- Placing the design within a circle would create a representation of the full design without the need for all of the blocks to be shown within the design.










Tiled Hall Cafe







- Using the images of the tiles within the Tiled Hall Gallery allowed a simple version of one of the tiles seen within the Hall to be created.
- Key features of the tile, such as the flower shape in the middle and the outline around each tile were picked out as being important in representing the overall tile shape as these were the most distinct features. To create a simpler design which would be effective at a smaller side it was considered that the floral / leaf areas within the outside outline could be represented just with a curved section.






- Fill could be used to increase the height of areas, reflecting the similar raised areas and outlines within the tiles themselves.






- Arranging the tile designs in a repeat pattern, reflects the layout of the tiles on the wall within the Tiled Hall Cafe. 
- Leaving a rectangular space within the middle of the design and having an outline within this reflects the mat of the floor of the Tiled Hall Gallery which visitors see as they enter through Leeds Art Gallery.
- Placing the type on one line reflects the layout of text on the mat in the gallery, whilst the typeface used for 'Tiled Hall Gallery' is similar to the typeface used on the mat, however without the breaks in the letterforms.










- Using the Type on a Path Tool allowed text to be placed on a curved line in the same ways as seen on other Pressed Penny Designs rather than just applied in straight lines.











- Black areas within the design would be raised whilst the white sections would be etched away.
- Areas such as the outline of the tiles and the 'flower' shapes in the middle of the tiles could be raised up within the design to reflect the raised areas within the actual tiles. 
- Having all outlined shapes may not work because of the fine detail which would be needed at this small scale, which the photo etching process may not be able to create. 
-It was considered that the design may have to be simplified further because of the scale of the designs, which this in mind it was considered that just the outline of the tiles and the flower within would best represent the tiles as these are the most recognisable aspects of the tile.

Victorian Stairs / West Gallery 







- Using the lines from Lothar Gotz's geometric artwork on the Victorian Stairs this was then expanded over the penny frame. 
- One of the larger shapes within the artwork would have to be used within the design as this would then allow for text to be placed within the shape.
- The lines within the design could be raised, alternatively the whole design could be raised with the text and lines inset into the shapes. 


West Gallery 




- It was considered that the union jack artwork on the wall in the West Gallery could have a small section expanded over the penny frame which would allow the text to be placed between the pieces.
- Using some of the negative space within the union jack area would allow for text to be placed in this area.
- Outlining the shapes would be too fiddly for the photoetching process. 
- Having the objects raised would best reflect the effect of the pieces as they are hung on the room.
- The use of the different items within the design may not be very effective at such as small scale and because of the obscurity of the the things within the artwork it may be difficult for the items to be clearly recognisable to the public



Moving Forward:

- The designs with the image placed centrally would reflect the different areas within the gallery in a clear way, however the layout is perhaps to similar to other penny designs and leaves quite a lot of negative space, perhaps not using the space to its full potential 
- The designs with the imagery extending past the bounds of the penny area creates more abstract interpretations of each of the areas but are still reflective of the different areas if you have visited and seen the different things in the gallery. These designs allow more of the space to be used within the design and for better integration of text within the design creating more cohesion.









Monday, 21 January 2019

OUGD603 - Brief 4 - Offcut Identity - Research - Minimal / Reusable / Environmentally Friendly Packaging

Minimal / Reusable / Environmentally Friendly Packaging


How to make your parcel packaging more Eco - Friendly






- reducing the amount of packaging that we used will better help the environment 
- biodegradable material or air pockets are better than packing peanuts. They can also be kept and reused for other parcels 
- use the right sized box for the package as this saves on shipping and reduces the amount of fuel consumption for delivery because more packages can be sent in the same shipment, meaning less pollution into the environment  
- reuse boxes and packaging from inside as this reduces the need for more boxes to be made
- don't be excessive in packaging as this does not always provide extra protection
- using less packaging reduces the amount of packaging going to landfill


https://planetsave.com/2018/05/09/how-to-make-your-parcel-packaging-more-eco-friendly/

A guide to going green with your packaging 







- Use less packaging materials 
- using smaller boxes can better protect the content of your box as they don't move around as much
- reduce the amount of tape used 
- recycle postal packaging rather than throwing it away 
- boxes can be reused two or three times before they need to be thrown away 
- getting packaging from environmentally friendly suppliers is important. 
- Boxes can come from suppliers who produce less CO2 emissions
- using less cardboard means a reduced weight for posting 
- starch packaging chips are better than polystyrene as they are fully biodegradable, compostable and not hazardous when they have decomposed
- black plastic wrapping is difficult to process through automated sorting machines creating delays   

https://www.ipostparcels.com/resources/going-green-with-your-packaging

15 Awesome Alternatives to gift wrapping paper that you already have in your home 






- stamping a design over printer paper or junk mail can create interesting gift wrap 
- newspaper and cardstock can be glued together to create gift bags  

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/wrapping-paper-alternatives_n_5983298

Environmentally friendly packaging for 'green' business






- Bubble Lined Mailers have good tear resistence and are good for smaller products as they encompass the product within protecting the item.

https://www.kitepackaging.co.uk/blog/environmentally-friendly-packaging-for-green-businesses/






- what does the customer see when they first open the package?
- unboxing experience is important 
- having easy to use packaging is important e.g. tear strip 
- make it easy to return the product so that customers are confident in their purchase







- returnable wraparound boxes mean that no extra materials are needed to return the item
- customise the packaging to increase the unboxing experience
- use responsibly sourced materials that have less of an environmental impact 
- use environmentally friendly packaging processes
- being more environmentally friendly isn't expensive and can actually reduce the shipment cost
- reducing void fill and tape is important   


https://www.rajapack.co.uk/blog-uk/
https://www.rajapack.co.uk/cardboard-boxes/postal-boxes/returnable-wraparound-media-boxes_PDT714580.html

OUGD603 - Brief 4 - Offcut Identity - Research - Further Product Photography

Further Product Photography


Present and Correct





- Present and Correct have really well balanced and considered photography of all their products on their website.






- Subtle materials and backgrounds are used to better emphasis the products.
- Plain white backgrounds are used to contrast coloured products whilst muted coloured backgrounds are used to contrast plain products or complement other colours within the products.
- The use of different materials for backgrounds creates a playful quality to the photographs and adds a layer of interest to the photographs.
- Creating a composition using multiple products within the same image creates a sense of the product in context whilst also showing other products within their range which will encourage people to buy other products alongside the product they are looking at.   






- Centrally framing products within images throughout the website creates consistency within the designs and draws the eye into the images.