Calendar research interim crit

Calendar research interim crit 

Had the interim crit today and asked basic questions on what the class thought of my proposal brief. The feedback received provided some good areas to look into but the one I am really interested in combining with my original proposals is Lunar calendars, crop cycle calendars and astronomy calendars. It was also said to look into elements of moving parts which links in nicely with one of the subcategories of sports calendar and mad me think i could include my interest in F1 into the project. 

After a quick discussion with John he is going to provide me with some good past examples of branding and work carried out within the F1 sector. So at current I feel looking into F1 and how it changed over different Eras ranging from the 50s to now. This is one element I could really get interested into and it does meet the concepts of calendars still because I can look into significant race events in the season calendar? or 100 significant events that changed the F1 industry and place them in a visual timeline maybe? There are many different aspects of F1 I could look into that could link to different Eras, for example car engineering, livery design and sponsorships. 

But as mentioned I am still going to look into the Lunar aspect and see if I can find anything interesting within this category  that can link with my F1 idea as this will provide a more engaging project for me personally. I will still be using the same research methods to cover primary and secondary sources and gathering other peoples opinions were possible, physical collection of research will also be important.

The 100 significant events aspect within F1 derives from some feedback that suggested I look into making a life calendar based on my life and significant events within it.

To do list

Research Lunar calendar (Research)

Research historical events in F1 (Historical research) 

Research significant events in F1 (Historical research)

Facts about F1 (Factual)

Keep with idea of weather statistics through the year and how it effects F1 (Statistics)  

Gather imagery of cars through eras ranging from the 50's to now (Image sector) 

Gather imagery of other aspects within F1 e.g. helmets. (Image sector)

Look into race event calendars (Current research)

Gather peoples thoughts on the F1 and highlight significant words produce mind maps from these maybe (Word gathering)

Edible Type

Edible Type

After discussion with my partner for this task Joe we decided to sway away from the festive theme and think more conceptually. We decided on creating an edible typeface for to represent different regions.

After some discussion we decided on the regions and there most well known typefaces:

Italy - Bodoni

Switzerland - Helvetica 

United Kingdom - Times new roman

Germany - VAG rounded

We figured that to represent each typeface the first glyph would be presented in edible form. We decided on meeting this typeface with a flavor that represents the traditional sweet foods of that country. 

Bodoni - Coffee & dark chocolate to represent the Italian expresso and the richness is strengthened through the dark chocolate.

Helvetica - Toblerone is culturally accepted as the most well known swiss chocolate in its commercial form, we used this as our flavoring to represent Helvetica and added pecans for added texture and flavor. 

Times new roman - Strawberries and cream is as traditional as you can get with British deserts we emulated this through the use of strawberries and white chocolate.

VAG rounded - German apple strudel was the influence her using flavors of fresh apple, and cinnamon to create an essence of the popular german dessert. 

Bellow is the step by step process we went through from start to finish.

Ingredients ready!

Flavorings prepared, chopped, grated and broke up. 

1 tablespoon of cinnamon for VAG.

Condensed milk added. 

Butter weighed out. 

Sugar weighed out.

Ready to mix!

Cream butter and condensed milk.

Sieve in sugar.

Mix and cream in sugar. 

Weigh out flour. 

Sieve in flower, nice and fine.

Final mix ready for addition of flavorings. 

Greased up the baking tray to stop sticking. 

Addition of apple gratings.

Addition of cinnamon.

Ready to bake!

Little bit more garnish.

Cut out from stencils bellow. 

Same process used for other 3 glyphs, placed cookies into format with a brief description of ingredients, influences and type layout and color inspired by that region. 

Hierarchy task

Hierarchy task

This task requires us to take examples of editorial Newspapers (Redtop, Metro & Broadsheets), Websites(Corporate, news & commercial) and examples of 3 different magazines. 3 of each. 

I will create a thumbnail sketch of the layout. 

Take a picture of the composition.

Record every type design decision, why has it been used etc.

I will deconstruct these compositions based on there hierarchy of type and how the information is communicated and in what order.

I will analyze the number of typefaces used in the composition. 

The number of fonts used in the layout.

Identify the balance/ratio of type and image in the composition (e.g. 25% image 75% type)

Identify the balance/ratio of adverts and editorial texts and info in the composition. 

Hierarchy session & preparatory task

Hierarchy session & preparatory task

This session saw us look into the basics of hierarchy within typographic composition within design. Our previous task of creating 4 10cm x 10cm squares was used in a group format. We all chose the strongest outcomes that read 'The quick brown fox' in logical order. 

It was interesting to see the variety of outcomes using a range of weight, scale, rotations and positioning. The different types of compositions within the frame created different effects on how the viewer reads the text, either the standard left to right concept or more abstract compositions with rotations and contrast of point sizes were used to great effect. A common thing we all noticed though was the readability of gothic and roman words, despite them been overpowered by large point size script and block fonts due tot here extreme ease of reading they were the centre piece and it was difficult to make the viewer view these when needed and not as the first word in the sequence. Block fonts also had problems, when scale was reduced they became a solid block of tone creating very high impact elements of text and when scaled up even more impact applied so there was no winning with this origin of type. Script was always eligible regardless of point sizing due to its intended use as a header font in decorative format. It also taught us that illegibility can actually draw people in. 

This was just an intro to how text is read and control were people look within a Hierarchy and showed us how weight and scale controls what text is read and when and how the common reading style of left to right along lines can be altered by bouncing the viewers eye around the design and composition through use of different typographic manipulations. The term for this is controlled delivery of information. Our job as a designer is to draw attention to important factors of information and hide less important aspects like small print terms and conditions. 

A quick task was set were we dissected a broadsheet page and place visual elements in an order of most obvious to least obvious in terms of visual impact and drawing our attention in. 

The headers make use of heavy weight sans serif/gothic fonts to maintain good readability of text.

Use of bright colors and contrasting colors draws attention in. 

Reversing out type creates lots of contrast drawing attention in, but smaller point size places the elements further down the hierarchy. 

Combination of type edits within bodies of text like seen on the body copy texts at the bottom of the hierarchy make important information jump out to the reader.

Use of point size, type weight (light, medium, bold, regular), italic or obliques, colors, color contrasts, reversing out and type origin all aid in enhancing type elements to make them jump out to the viewer more or hide less important information away. Also as mentioned the eye can be bounced about the frame through more abstract compositions which can add a sense of movement and depth within the design if required. 

Final Crit photo backing paper

Final Crit photo backing paper

Presented this design sheets with presentations of he portrait formats in there varying dimensions, typeface used and its weights and the colors used. I asked 3 questions:

Do these visuals meet the functiolism and De Stijl Movment?
Its very over complex as i don't even know what it is.
Yes.
To an extent yes, the colours in particular remind me of Mondrian and the De Stijl movement.
Yes the colours remind me of it.

Really yes, gorgeous designs, love it.

What famous artist/architecture or artwork do these designs remind you off?
It reminds me of Bauhaus, not sure why you have chosen Bauhaus though. 

No idea.
Piet Mondrian, square layout, red, blue & yellow etc.
Unsure.
Mondrian?.

Have I created designs that have swayed away from minalism and versatility?
Yes its very minimal.

Sure.
There are elements of minimalism within the designs. 
Still aspects of minimalism id say.
Id say it is minimalist, but presents info nicely, gorgeous colour selection and composition.

The responses from these helped decide if my overall concept and visuals communicated met what I originally intended to communicate in the interim crit and the initial ideas generation and concept stage. 

Responses vary with all but one agreeing on the influences of the De Stijl movement which is a positive aspect of my design outcomes. I am happy with this as the visuals communicated an obvious artistic influence that derived from a creative discipline outside of graphic design which displays diversity in my influences and inspiration. 

Responses to the second question showed that most people understood the visual influences and it reminded them of the artist (Piet Mondrian) I based the aesthetics on through use of colour, visual grid and composition. One response said it reminded them of the Bauhaus, they were unsure why but I was happy with this because there is obvious links between architectural design aspects and design principles that inspired designers within the Bauhaus and the De Stijl Movement so this response although negative had underlying positive aspects.

The final responses were all positive with everyone agreeing on minimalism and versatility been displayed even with the use of colour and grid elements. So overall I am happy with feedback and it strengthens my own thoughts on the concept been successful. Having a fresh set of eyes that have there own styles and influences understand my designs and give me positive feedback only aids the idea of versatility which I wanted to portray in my visuals. The only negative response on understanding the visuals still linked in with the minimalism movement in the Bauhaus movement which still has obvious links with my concept especially due to the use of typeface Univers Std been made by Bauhaus alumni Adrian Frutiger. 

Photo backing paper finals & evaluation

Photo backing paper finals & evaluation 

From my idea progress post which derived from the interim crit and how I will take suggestions and combine them with original concepts and ideas and how I will combine this all with future conceptual influences.

The elements I used the most out of this list were the use of simplicity and legible, De Stijl influences, experimentation within a set grid, needs to work in a variety of frame styles, produce a high end product range, stuck to Ikeas Ovraby range and stayed with the idea of minalism.

Presented here are my final 3 outcomes displaying there required dimension information. My initial concept was versatile and universal design, through word association and ideas generation ideas of aesthetics and concepts along the lines of accuracy, consistency, pastels, neutral and minimalism. There was obviously more but these formed the base of were my finals developed from.

Taking a bank of visual inspiration combined with concepts of the De Stijl movement and the Functionalism movement which derived from the term Minimalism I created a design style that emulated these concepts through use of color, typography & composition. I feel I met my initial idea of creating a design outcome that would work upon many frame styles. I feel this final outcome portrays consistency through its 3 different sizes has a neutral feel throughout with minimalist elements and contexts of De Stijl movement through the use of 3 primary colors and the use of the visual grid. Concepts of Functionalism are presented in an essence, I don't feel I met this as well as I could. The idea of Functionalism is too create outcomes specifically for the purpose of the structure or artwork, I was told to make a backing paper and this is not instantly recognizable until the image is added into the context of the photo frame. 

But apart from that I feel I met my other set targets of creating a minimalist outcome with obvious conceptual concepts within the aesthetics of the design. In the interim crit I was told to use bold colors so it was beneficial that I stumbled across the De Stijl movement and there use of the primary colors, I calmed this boldness down a little with the use of a pastel yellow/cream background to create less contrast and tie all the visual elements in together to create a more structured outcome with a consistent tonal range.

My target market was the high end market within the Ikea range. I took Ovraby a mid range line of products and added a touch of high end aspects through the use of contemporary type layouts and color additions inspired by Piet Mondrian's grid and primary color paintings which can be found in contemporary interior design stores in a format of wall mounted canvas's so this was an interesting way in incorporating a popular design into my frame backing paper to attract high end target markets. 

Overall I feel I met my initial concepts and through continuous conceptual research and additional visual inspirations I created a well developed design outcome that took influence from peer feedback, historical & conceptual influences and visual influences from aesthetic inspirations. If I was to create this outcome again I would create less clutter within the design outcome, this was a piece of advice I got in the interim crit, I removed clutter to a certain degree but it was suggested I just stick to a 2 color scheme but due to my influences from the De Stijl concept I needed the 3 primary colors in the design. Creating a design outcome with these colors also helps represent how a photo with different color ranges in it would work within the frame format.

The use of Univers std in roman and bold formats strengthens the concept of versatility. Designed by Adrian Fruitger in 1954 a neo-grotesque sans serif typeface used by many swiss and german design and architectural companies who created very structured and minimalist design outcomes I felt these past uses would subconsciously strengthen my concept of functionalism and minimalism. 

Frame in context of a frame, the color scheme works very well with the dark brown frame and the robust nature of its construction. There is a contrast within the light tonal range of the backing image and the dark tones in the frame itself but it still works, this pleases me due to me wanting to create something that is versatile and that works in context with different frame styles and colors. 

Alternative idea finals

Alternative idea finals

Bellow are examples that made it from the initial sketch stage into digital development but were cast out by the stronger visual grid design idea. 

The first idea played on extreme minimalism and basic type hierarchy with the brand name been in a bold sans serif typeface creating distinguished clarity and contrast on the light tonal range within the background. Simple left aligned typesetting creates less clutter, ease of reading and works well with the positioning of the red, yellow and blue image elements which frame up the block of typography nicely within the horizontal middle section of the composition. A simple 3 row grid is used.

This idea originates from the original sketches i made in my beginning stages of ideas generation but was modified through the use of imagery and the addition of a barcode, I like the centre aligned alignment but I feel it clashes with the space within the left hand side of the composition breaking the feeling of structure within the layout. If I had another image element structure could be regained but this would hinder the 3 primary color scheme so this is why this idea was scrapped. The addition of extra lines within the dimension frames up and creates a more structured presentation of information, stops it from feeling like its floating about the composition.

Frame backing paper development

Frame backing paper development

I chose my favored sketches and created them into a digital output with influences from visual and conceptual aspects to create a base of designs to work upon. Playing about with right alignment and left alignment of type on the first 2 designs but for ease of reading I prefer the first example. The below designs experiment with the use of bottom position headers and top positioned header with positive tracking and the reduction of clutter by taking away the cm dimensions but i seem to be drawn to the use of a line separating the inch dimension and the cm dimensions. It represents a sort of conversion symbol used in mathematics. like the use of a division line in a sum. 

I am using adobe illustrator for typographic elements and photoshop to construct the elements of type with my prepared imagery. Also to put the final design in context of a frame. 

Developed the 3rd design on the top row into an outcome that displays a visual grid inspired by the De Stijl movement at this point in time alignment issues and composition of type need addressing. Added lots of positive tracking and a smaller type size for the header to make use of the space of the composition a little better.

Perfecting alignment of a centre aligned block of text by adjusting tracking, type size and spacing between 6, x, 4 and " all following set spacing as show below. 

Final example works ok but isn't very legible and doesn't hold much structure. 

Fine adjustments in layout and presentation of all small increments of measurements between glyph elements. 

Tried out the use of Bauhaus typeface due to cultural relevance and connections between the Bauhaus and the minimalism movements and how the Bauhaus placed there style firmly into the minimalism movements of different eras. This doesn't work though due to the softness and roundness within the characteristics of the glyphs, it loses all sense of the structure I was after in the composition.

Settled on Univers Std in roman and bold weights to create interesting contrasts of light and heavy and the structure in the glyphs help create an overall structure and feeling of security in the positioning of the typographic elements. 

Used my settled typeface Univers Std on the favored De Stijl influenced design. Peer feedback and a quick ask around friends influenced the development of this design. Played about with alignment of the lines and the spacing between the header, the grid dimension element and the cm element. Im happy with this layout it has lots of structure and makes good use of the space within the designs composition, minimal elements work without them feeling like there just floating about the space. They feel fixed and structured. 

Working on some back up designs incase the above doesn't work when incorporated with imagery in the photoshop stages. Shortened the line so its level with the edges of 10 x 15cm to create a better feeling of structure.

Added a cap to create structure but it doesn't work at this length.

Shortened and works much better but the design appears too empty which was mentioned in its initial sketches within the interim crit so the space at the bottom of the composition needs to be used up. 

Created a rough barcode to make use of the space and works much better now. The spacing works perfect. This design would work great how it is, a very clinical and clean design. Very minimalist, functional and legible. But I wanted to create a design that could represent more than type only documents (certificates) for the context of the frame so imagery needs to be added.  

Elements of heir-achy using large point size and bold weights in the header. 

Added lines to create a more visual element of the typography to stop the design appearing too empty but it just causes confusion and hinders legibility and readability of the words and glyphs. 

Gathered a nice choice of type elements to use with my imagery. All these are ready for placing into my photoshop files. 

Opened my image document with the prepared CMYK document. I chose the manipulated image I took in the Tetley gallery as the monotone imagery would be far too heavy in terms of tonal ranges with the addition of typography it would appear too cluttered and busy. To add imagery to avoid loss of quality images are PLACED into the condiment so they retain original resolution and vector quality even with altering of sizing and positioning.

The typography almost fits perfectly into the image but the red imagery element interfered with the A glyph hindering the headers readability and losing consistency wich is is important through my compositions. 

Tried to hide the A behind the image to create a sense of abstractness but this failed the A was hard to distinguish as an A.

Altered positioning so the crossbar was visible worked a little better but I still wasn't happy. 

Altered the angle of the element to 45 degrees to make it line up better with the grid element. Works much better now don't like the grey background though it has a very cold feel and slightly industrial feel not suited for frames for home decor. 

Even worse, far too heavy in terms of tonal ranges and clashing with typography hindering legibility and drawing too much attention to the image elements when the main aspect is the dimension information and brand name. 

Perfect! Works well with the primary colors, has a very neutral feel and reverts back to initial suggestions of using pastel colors. Creates a whole different aesthetic of the whole design, feels much more neutral and softer. Much better suited to housing decor frames.

Playing about with different typographic templates.

Putting a design into context of a photo frame. Found a better angle photo of the frame to work with. Placed the image file into the A4 document that the frame sits in.

Cmd & T allows you to transform the image in terms of size. 

Advanced transform edits allow skewing and other positioning elements i used skew to allow the frame to fit into  the correct perspective of the frame. Old image was cut out using the rectangular Lasso tool and erased so this new backing design was placed below this layer to make it feel like it belonged in the frame better. 

Finals presenting there other dimensions based on the same layout creating consistency through all 3 design outcomes.