OUGD104 Evaluation

1. What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?

Since the start of this module I have learned to create a much more direct, and impactive message delivery when using image. 

Although my work may not be as firmly focused as it should be, I think that the early stages of this module have taught me a great deal, by crafting my imagery, I was made to make informed decisions. In effect, how the actual meaning of my image would come across to a wider audience.
On another note, I do greatly enjoy the handcrafting side of design, and with my new work ethic, my new skills had paid off. (I got recognized! - competition)

I have been getting to grips with a more formal way of thinking in terms of material usage and composition, which was evident when developing an understanding of symbolism, and iconography. I have come to grips with aesthetics of type, how it can be applied to themes, feels, or tone of voice in accordance to briefs/decision making, and have burning hate for impact.

I now know I am obssessive compulsive when it comes to researching and I think by my recognizing this, I have become more independent in my decisions as a designer, also I think I have not taken advantage as much as I would of liked in workshops, and weekends, as alot of what happens out of college affects my work. But I hope to continually better myself with the new challenges ahead.

2. What approaches to/methods of research have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?

My methods of research always include many cross-referencing, to ensure maximum efficiency of knowledge, as to not get caught off guard in questions, as I learnt early in on the course that you must be well-informed! I have now, tried to implement such facts into fiction, or rather pictoral myths, within my development, as I soon realised that the research process ALWAYS influences the end target audience/viewer, and design process.

The development of research along with design becomes evident when ideas join 'hand-in-hand' with each other, and the once sticky, unresolved idea that was functionless, combined with the correct research, be it a quote, some statistics, or even something pre-existing which proves to suit a purpose, can bring a project off the ground.

I believe that I have also gained some knowledge that by researching too much and not making directive, formalized decisions it can have epic repurcussions on my work.

3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?

I believe that I have gained alot from not being able to be in access to suitable programs of design all the time, as it has given me time to get to grips with more functional layout considering type, and the basics of handcrafted design. I say this in confidence, as along with some of my other fellow peers, I was a runner-up in the Recognitionday competition.

But despite this, I would seriously like to expand on this aspect of design, as I have been itching to use more cardboard and mixed media into my design work (where appropriate) and I think with the easter holidays, I will begin to experiment with my own ideas, and create something that I can happily call my own.

I would also say that in conjunction with question 2, I feel as if another major strong point in my work would be the research element, as a keen reader, and enthusiastic when considering book design. I do think that by making more informed desicions earlier on based on a medium quanity of research rather than maximum quantity, I could achieve alot more, by doing a lot less.

4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these more fully?

I would say the digital aspect of design, I really feel as if by almost dismissing the digital tools available, I am becoming more and more distanced from the basic elements of contemporary design methods.

I think that to improve on this, - as I said previously - is to spend time over easter getting to grips with the relevant software more, and to read up on some basic tutorials, as to make sure I dont go through great lengths to achieve something when it shouldnt.
I would say, focus, and direction. 

I have a habit of 'going-off-on-one' or being disjointed and erratic in my method of delivery. However, in admitting this, I feel that although I have had a turbulent year so far, I am confident that I can prove myself better by keeping a focus, drive and designer mentality that should steady my work.







5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?

1. TIME MANAGEMENT - I know you hate it, but its true for me, the travelling thing exhausts me, and the fact I work too much, but have recently cut down my hours has given me more breathing space. I would also start things when we get set them to avoid great stress and worry on my part.


2. KEEP A FOLDER - on me at all times to ensure that i keep all briefs on me and am aware and reminded of deadlines constantly.

3. READ THE BRIEF, AGAIN, AGAIN, AND AGAIN - To fully comprehend my directive and my awareness towards a target audience, I must always refer back to the brief. This is apparent with the what is a line brief as I spent alot of my time in sketchbooks, researching, and not knowing what I was doing, simply as I forgot to look at and find the brief.

4. PRESENT MORE CLEARLY AND EFFECTIVELY - As to make sure that other people know what I am on about, and to boost my professional practice performance.

5. SPEND MORE TIME FINDING REFERENCE TO MY WORK - This will greatly impact my visual impact/aesthetic/style and will also keep my blog from looking like a jumble sale of disjointed and loosely connected threads. By spending more time researching visual references to my work such as artists/designers, it will benefit my knowledge of the design world.


6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas:

5= excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor

Attendance = 4

Punctuality = 3

Motivation = 4

Commitment = 3

Quantity of work produced = 1

Quality of work produced = 3

Contribution to the group = 3

Movement

A series of events portrayed by Huntley Muir. By demonstrating this he shows motion, a passage of time, and done in an expressive way, it reminds me of my old expressive drawing classes and also displays skills shown in figure drawing. This I am not so good at.

I found this at debutart.com a great website full of illustrators and artists situated in an agency in London.
He also has a great website with some other lovely illustrations. They are prime, just prime.

I Know Lego Has Been Done, But...

Michel Gondry is still worth a mention for this display of stop-frame mastery, never have I seen lego put to a better use. He has worked on many a film, including Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind.

The next one is just for laughs, as it seems like a near impossible task.

Some alternative approaches to a line

After a gig in Carpe Diem on Saturday night, Craig and I found ourselves in a strange place, and no it was not Craig's flat. After being approached by a similar denizen of the night, with exchanges of what could most probably be described as words, we met Rose. 

We talked briefly about our interests and how we were both in the Art and Design world, we commented on a lovely design of a beermat, then exchanged details via the medium of drink-based comforts. (beermat)

Anyway I checked out her website and it turns out her work has some relation to the What is a line? brief, she had some installation work based on 'Timeline' and 'Archive' which is a collection of what looks like the contents of my bedroom but organised.

I particuarly liked her interactive installation using post it notes, doing something a

long the lines of word association.

On a final note, her website is so well laid out and looks very professional! I feel inspired to do so much more! Cheers Rose!

History CAN be fun... Sort of

I found this a while back but just found the files on photobucket, just some snapshots from the BBC history website, which includes arather good interactive timeline that summarizes key points in Britains turbulent and somewhat bloody history.

Mechanical Development.

Many technological advances have happened throughout time, and would be nearly impossible to list in detail every one that has happened and the knock on effect of the invention and how these things constantly shape, re-create and influence us still now.

From the first steam locomotive, boiler, boats, canisters, almost anything that can contain, change, manipulate, or develop, in man made progression through the production of metals in factory production, taking away manual labour. But instead his artwork is very much relative to our own affinity with living with machines in an aesthetic harmony... Or he just makes a point on the human beings ability to grow, develop and produce.

After searching inventions and a long browsing on google I happened to come across Stephen Halleux, who works with a variety of media, but mainly metal, putty and plastic.
The handcraft of his work is really techy but it looks like something that would be great to have a go at.


The development/concept sketches are rather good too. Really easy to visualize what the end sculpture would be.


Heres some he made earlier.

Mapping

I found this really awesome blog with so many mapping processes on it, all working within the handmade graphics that I think is really something special.

The personal feel to the work is great, and using other people to make your exhibition makes it easier, if not alot more interactive with your audience and helps your work to be spread.

Plus its a great practice to try to connect peoples thoughts, memories and object association from such a wide selection of subjects, and it makes the subject matter interesting.

3 Golden Rules, and Intending to make a statement

Right, well basically, being far too over-indulgent made me lose the plot abit, in terms of going overboard on research, as I always tend to do.
However after my much needed crit, the feedback in form of 5 questions made it far easier to find specific points as to broaden, or rather narrow down to a final resolution.

Since I was looking at "A connected series of events, actions, or developments" but somehow got tangled in my own web of mass confusion, stress and poor time managment, that made me unclear as to what I was really doing.
My previous posts/statement was only focussed on one area of development that I am unfamiliar with: timelimes, data collection/mapping.

On the other hand, oor Asken, or rather Willhelm, gave me what I wanted; something to roll with. He suggested that I look at the Bayeaux tapestry, and use it to further my work. So I got out books on medieval art, and am currently looking into how all these factors will be in my final piece.

I intend to condense British history from the Anglo-Saxon - Present/2000 into either a series of hanging tapestries, or one continious piece. I will be most probably creating it digitally from my own drawings, and designs, but it will be dependant on how it sits in context to my area of enquiry.


Rule 1

I will restrict myself to only 6 colours to my final piece as the Bayeaux is quite limited in its palette.

Rule 2

To make things easier for myself I will use a template for my characters so all I have to do is design the elements of the characters, similar to dolls.

Rule 3

I will not do any more reasearch, or refining, as this would greatly
slow me down, as it has in previous projects.

The significance of balance.

Sorry to go all fine arty on the reader, but my affection towards current fine art trends are somewhat jaded. However, for the artists of the Renaissance, beauty was a consequence of harmonic proportion.
The aesthetic appeal of any entity, - be is man made, or natural - could, they believed, be traced to the perfect balance among its structure.
These men also believed that the ancients has possessed the secrets of true proportional harmony, and since the rules were specifically mathematical, they sought to draw out some truth concerning the many thoeries. By studying, measuring, and analysing the surviving buildings of ancient Rome, and combing the works of the roman writer Vitruvius.
Also new trends were being set about this time, as instead of anonymous craftsmen offering their services to the glory of God, as like in the Middle Ages, instead we had artists now with a sensse of individualists with their own beliefs and skills to use in practice.

Francesco is remembered chiefly as an architect and an architectural theorist. He translated Vitruvius and wrote an original work on architecture, Trattato di architettura civile e militare, which discusses city planning and military architecture, anticipating some of the theories of the high Renaissance. By 1477 he was in the service of Duke Federico da Montefeltro, in Urbino, where he may have participated in the design and decoration of parts of the palace of Urbino, and built 136 military fortresses.

His architectural masterpiece is Santa Maria del Calcinaio, Cortona (commissioned 1484), which, however, is now greatly altered. As a sculptor he is best known for four bronze figures for the high altar of Siena Cathedral (1489–97) He also designed fortifications, battle machinery, and weapons and is thought to have originated the land mine.
Which can be linked with the domino effect catastrophe theory. Geometry and mathematical precision has always been the fundamentals in which deeper human consciousness and elevated sense of higher communication, sharing one message, or perspective of compositional elements that they knew pre-existed.

Peoples perception changed forever.

Luke Insect

This guy's work is actually great. taking the "crafty-collage" aspect of visuals to a new high. His pieces are everywhere ranging from collabs with The Prodigy, to the new CD with the independent, Mongrel. Which is amazing by the way!
His website is well designed too, a heavily endowed myspace site is part of his folio also.
Here is some of his work...

Maria.

One of my arty mother's mates, Maria Slovakova, has some lovely line illustrations. Not only this but one of my most fondest memories is going down the pub with my mother and her boyfriend to hear some of Maria's poetry, alongside David's(my mums BF LOL!) music and enjoying the fact that the age old pub is plastered with Maria's pieces and experiments.

I like her work as it is abstract visual language in a way and it also looks great. Her approach to the "work ethic" is brilliant. From what I've seen of her, she has gotten known quite quickly and her freelance work ranges from vans to plates.

...Anyway, here is her work, she recently had a show in London, she is also on twitter

I do History, I do

Well after some fruitless labour and some successful dead ends, I thought I had Reached some sort of cul-de-sac regarding the line brief, but after what seemed like a doomed crit, Willhelm Asken once again pulled a great idea from the charred remains of the Middle Ages.
Using my foolish self-indulgent research into historic values of our country, he said I should use the Beveaux Tapestry as a format for my resolve to the brief.
Anyway, this is what I did prior to the brief, which is when I was considering using stopframe to bring history to life, these are some of my concepts for the viking era. Enjoy.

Henson Henson! and no its not the muppeteer

I have been a long standing admirer of Keaton and his amazing line drawings, prints, and design work. He mainly works in the music industry, designing t-shirts, album artwork, posters and most other things that fall under music products.
His way of utilizing lines in his drawings gives them a unique feel, and generally almost all his work is great to look at.
His simple way of making the macabre acceptable really makes me smile. He has alsorts of cool stuff to look at on his online portfolio, and hes quite a funny guy.

Mars Volta

Here is a little bit on the Mars VOlta artwork.
STORM THORGERSON.

Whats linear composition? Its Papergraphic, thats what.

That fffffffffffffffound or whatever it is. Is actually a real find. After much scrolling and wishing more people used cardboard and paper, I came across this amazing artist called Yulia Brodskaya, who is Russian and hails from Moscow. She was at first afine artist, then headed on to study graphic communication and design. She has worked for and won many competitions and clients throughout the years. She is also a recognised member of the worlds Typgraphic Designers(2006). I love her work, as it shows a great sense of individuality and would be something I would like to explore myself, but instead use a different media to work with.
Anyway here is some of her work.

Viking Frame Invasion

Well, after doing some research on historic moments in time, and considering the sequence of events that had an effect on a country/society/culture, I first settled on our ancient ancestors, the Celts and Vikings.
I chose to "re-enact" the thought process regarding this moment in time.
It was my first time using stop frame, and I did it straight after work, and just had time to edit it today. Admittedly the quality is less than desired, however my mother thought it was great. So there. I also love cardboard.
Anyway here it is, tracks by 'Music To Make Love To Your Old Lady By - Lifeboat

Cardboard IS cool

After a quick, short search session on YouTuve, there was limited animations regarding, or rather facilitating the use of cardboard in animations. I chose this video that was on an IT blog, dont read it, its WELL boring. I found it useful and relevant, as it informs, and relates to me, i use bittorrent, and this explains how filesharing works, if you thought it was straightforward you should ask Wayne....(the guy in the vid)

Reading Week, Schmeading Week.

Excuse the bad photo. As I was looking into timelines and how historic events shifted and shaped the world we know and hate today, I looked at all my old history books that I had left. I gave most of mine to the local library, as I thought I would not need them again. Now who is laughing? So gathering what resources I had, I began to read through and pick out key moments, relics, clothing, and also the surroundings, and how to incorporate them into my work.
Reading week? Yeah I did some...
At this stage though, I still have alot to do, as with ever mounting briefs and time speeding up as it always does, I may need to find a quicker solution, but without leaving any important research factors out. I did however - and still do! - find reading up on all this quite fasinating, especially when it comes to touching up on the old history skills.

Coma-induced historic assesment

Being a major fan of the Mars Volta, and trying to find any excuse to put a post about them on my blog that relates to my work is something I can finally do now.
Due to their cryptic, well constructed lyrics, that often incrminate humankinds mistakes and constantly infringe on them,

" ...one day this chalk outline will circle this city, if it was not for the asphalt that cushioned his face, it was a room full of charlatans, that judged his pas mistakes..."

They reguarly use a narrative in their albums, which has a great effect of an epic, opera style overture in their music, combing vital elements of audio, and visual, not just in their videos, but as a whole act. I am making a particular example of the first album, De-Loused in Comatorium, was a narrative of a man who fell into a coma, and reenacting some of history's most important moments, then critical assesment of the world, and how all actions are based upon the "cause-effect" which, obviously supports the "catastrophe theory" element, I was aiming to address.

Anyway, the man (Cerpin Taxt) flows along this albums phantasmal thread, the movements make you squirm, excited, scared, and even in some cases, feel reflective, however alot of the time, they feel unjustly powerful. The particular song I chose has a great video, that by itself is a huge power trip, and works as a story with no music. Try it.

Our antihero is has now woke up from his coma, after scrutinising the horrors of the world, realised that his existence has been nothing but a pebble in the never ending ocean of the constantly evolving galaxy. He deemed himself unworthy and wishes his existence to be made "...invalid..." this seemed to be a major turning point, not just for the story, but the music takes a huge shift at this point.

Intent of linear progression.

I think that since I have been reading alot of facts, and collecting, categorising and collating data, I am going to look at timelines. This concerns religious progressions, or campaigns, or inventions that turned the way people viewed - or interpreted the world - on its head. So obviously I will be looking into data flow, and how to graphically achieve this. It is a subject I am not fully capable of, in terms that I am breaching yet another of my comfort zones: Time Management, and how the effect of time, technology and ideals have changed, and continue to shape the ever changing course of post-post-post human perception, and communication.

As a starting point, I am going to visit the library and find some books i can start my research on, including data flow, and visual timelines on a more abstract level. I also have a huge selection of history books concerning political development, murderers from different time periods (and effects on popular culture) dictatorships throughout the entirety of human consciousness and even books on inventions that helped to spark industrial revolutions, or just helped people to navigate the sea better.

This is my starting point. Let the chaos (theory) begin!