Type workshop

We looked at each others typeface key characteristics.  The layouts were quite impressive. Good use of white space,  Be interesting to crit in 10 weeks.

Graham discussed which letters were most common for representing the key characteristics of atypeface. The ones which provide room for flourish ie with tails, the ascenders and descenders.  So J, a, `R.

Serif fonts often appear the same as a block of text however on closer inspection they have completely different shapes and form.  This was quite apparent comparing Times New Roman and Century.

First exercise

Selecting a tone of voice - How the message is communicated.

Brand names are a good example where the typeface selection can describe what a company wants to say about themselves - one word 

Think about typeface, form, case weight.

What product could it sell?

Century makes me think traditional and intelligent.  Initially though John Lewis then thought Waterstones as books traditional and intelligent.

Conversely we had to chose a Brand which was not suited to the typeface.

I chose iPhone as this is Contemporary and Modern.

Some deliberately used lowercase to indicate the unsuitability also.

Purely typeface can communicate so much.

Exercise 2

Progress crit -Top ten

Unfortunately due to working on the essay over the weekend I have not got far on with the storyboarding.  I was with James, Charlie, Marty, Yafet, Beth  

• It was recommended I narrow the audience age range down however I think perhaps by choosing BBC4 to air the programme, may actually narrow my audience for me.  Chatting with the students at collge unless they are into music they dont seem to watch BBC4.  I think as the album covers and designers are from the sixties to present day it will definately be of interest to a wide age group who are interested in music and graphics.
• I am definately aiming the programme to be more 'cultural education' than pure entertainment so dont think E4 fits.
• Useful to perhaps target the ten sec TV idents to different age ranges using the musical genres. ie Rollingstones/Led Zep together
• At this stage I still was not sure if a mash-up for the audio would be too much for sixty seconds however good to have the group re-enforce this idea.

Futura 2000, The Clash and Ben Drury

The Clash and Futura 2000 meet

Ben Drury more recent work:

Interesting iconic album and link

Andrea Klein art directed Born in the USA with Annie Leibovitz photographing.  Nice link to the butt shot on STicky finger from Andy Warhol? Possible song to use Cover me? Links to Janet Perr through RUN DMC and Annie Liebovitz. Janet Perr designed Cyndi Lauper's amazing cover Girls just wanna have fun.

More animation inspiration

Dan Flyn on Vimeo - his work is clever... particularly thinking about how Luke was talking about missing the old and the new...He uses lots of stills and also effects to create an 'old film' aesthetic I originally found his Protest Song moving image

He uses 

The use of colour animation mixed with b&w stills is really effective.

Found his website Dan Flyn and he works for Spin in London.  Like what this Graphic designer is about...

Concept Crit feedback

Open publication - Free publishing - More album art

My group was Charlotte, Max, Francesca, Sadie and Luke. Frankie joined us on the second day


the groups approach to the Top ten was quite diverse from Rocks, patterns, Film Noire, Hangover cures.  There was some synergy between Max's (top guitarist) and mine as we were aiming at similar audience and TV channel (BBC4)


I felt unprepared for the first group crit as although I have extensive research I have not though through how to animate or what the tones of voice will be.  When I actually discussed my boards and concept with the group I realised I had more of a direction than I had realised.


The learning points from the crit have been:
keep it simple
Need to think about the timing of idents
Think about legibilty 
Think about linking from one designer to next - storyboard.  Matbe use the symbols from the albums to link


When I discussed possibly using symbols from each album covers Luke shared this than Joe had shared with him:

  

This is a really simple vector based animation which works so well because of the synchronised sound effects and music.

Primary research - looking at Album covers

Open publication - Free publishing - More album covers

Looking through the Album covers, due to their tactile and interactive nature actually informed my design direction,

Further research - more albums suited to animation?

One hundred best album covers written by Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell.  I have also been considering how to animate 'symbols' of record covers and as such have approaced the research slightly differently.  Looking through this book has given me the 'visual' before the artist. 


The following albums have great potential to be animated:


Reid Miles - Blue Note links to Andy Warhol as got him to work on Kenny Burrell's 1969 Blue Lights LP.

Andy Wahol and Craig braun

Julian Opie

Album artwork and designers

Vincent Morisset designed Arcade Fires interactive website and art work and all art directed CD covers.  Also directed  Icelandic band Sigor Ros Inni.

Vincent Morisset was born in Montreal. He was one of the first 20 graduates of the new media program at UQAM ten years ago. Director, programmer, inventor, Vincent is looking for new ways to tell stories (interactive videos, Bicolorama, video-lipsync-karaoke-application, Piano animations, etc, etc) Vincent is not a geek though. He just like to develop surprising and fun projects.
His "more normal" short films have been presented worldwide. He's also been curator for a music video program at Clemont-Ferrand festival and an invited director in many festivals to do 48 hours films with the video collective KINO.
For the last three years, Vincent has been responsible for all the web projects for Arcade Fire. The interactive video "be oNline B" won a Gold Pencil at the One Show, a FWA, a Grand Prize at Grafika and was a finalist for best video at the Junos.
His work has been showcased in Creativity, Creative Review, Boards, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Q & Blender among others.
Vincent is a web friendly director.




Gerald Scarfe - Pink Floyd links to Hipgnosis


4AD

List of potential Graphic designers
Robert Brownjohn
Peter Corriston
Barney Bubbles - ELVIS COSTELLO ARMED FORCES 1979
Hipgnosis - Storm Thorgersen - Pink floyd Dark Side of the moon 
Gerald Scarfe
Peter Saville - New Order 
Malcolm Garrett - MET BB AT RADAR  - ORGASM ADDICT BUZZCOXKS

Furura 2000/Ben Dury - Mo Wax, Uncle, Money Mark
Pennie Smith/Ray Lowry
Vincent Morriset - Neon bible
Mark Farrow - Spiritualiased
Vaughan Oliver

Top ten things research/plan

Ideas for the programme:  The story behind the Top ten Album covers and their designers
or Ten Faces you should know who designed Album Covers or Top ten designers of album covers.
or Ten links between art, design and music.


The programme would be aimed at audiences of either BBC4 or Sky Arts


The audience would be music lovers, Vinyl collectors and Graphic Designers.


I already have extensive research into Album Covers and Graphic Designers from the first year brief Collection 100 which are linked here on Design context and Design practice

I also explored linking them together as a rough draft as below:

I have followed this up with some more research. I asked people if they could name a Graphic designer of Album Cover Art and also to give me their favourite Album Cover and designer if they know it.  This was not very well responded to however it has provided some more leads.