Studio Brief 2

Photo Frame Brief

I've been looking into imagery that uses warm , autumn/summer colours, mixed with either high contrasting photography or colour schemes.

I enjoyed this module a great deal and felt that working in groups with crits, and the partner typeface were really good ways of getting to know people in the class. The briefs were interesting from the get go and I was learning knew things every day.

The Alphabet Soup brief was fun. although I found it challenging being given the word 'Intervene'. This however was most likely a good thing, as it made me understand what is required from me to succeed not only on this course, but in the graphics industry.

The Illustrator workshops have been very useful in refreshing my memory of what tools are good for certain tasks, and also the keyboard shortcuts. The staff were very helpful and seemed keen to answer any questions I had, and did so thoroughly. Producing the illustrator typeface was enjoyable, especially being able to use the digital print resource for the first time; a resource which I will be using frequently in the future.

I've learnt a lot about image production already, with useful mono-print and screen print inductions, and i've also been introduced to all of the machinery in the digital print room. I've also learnt how to think more critically when giving people constructive criticism in the weekly crits, and also to think more conceptually when producing work.

I'm happy with the work that i've produced, although i'd like to have more time so that I could experiment with different production methods and try out all of the equipment in the digital print and screenprinting resources.

I looked at past students work to see how they tackled the brief. This let me understand how literal people took the briefs, or how conceptual they took it. People generally went quite literal so that the word they were given wasn't too far from what they designed, a problem which I have seen quite a lot in other students work.

The most recent oil spill disaster that has been documented and began to turn the public opinion on our current energy sources was the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster located in the gulf of mexico.
a sea-floor oil gusher flowed for 87 days, until it was capped on 15 July 2010. The total discharge has been estimated at 4.9 million barrels. 11 workers died and 17 more were injured by the explosion and in the inferno that enveloped the oil rig. Over 8000 animals were reported dead after just 6months, many of which were already on the endangered species list. 

Only 1% of animals which are soaked with the oil survive, the ones that don't die a long and painful death. The efforts that BP put into effect to clean up the wildlife was purely for good PR. 

Another coal mining disaster which has been pushed out of the publics mind. Here, when dynamite was used to loosen the coal for collection, the heat from the detonation ignited an exposed coal seam and caused a huge fire. This took place in 2004 and nobody I have spoke to knew it even took place.

Another coal mining disaster which was hardly reported, where a coal face collapsed, killing 8 workers and severely injuring another 5. For a sense of scale, the white vehicles at the bottom right are 170tonne capacity dump trucks.

I think that because of our dependancy on coal, oil and gas, the public tends to turn a blind eye to the disasters which happen. This leads to a bias and uninformed opinion of alternative energy sources which in the future could be our only feasible source of power.

Although the Senghenydd Colliery Disaster happened a century ago, it shows that accidents are inevitable in the energy business. Disasters can happen when mining for coal, fracking for gas and drilling for oil, so the small amount of nuclear disasters pail in comparison.

Hydraulic fracturing is a process used in nine out of 10 natural gas wells in the United States, where millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals are pumped underground to break apart the rock and release the gas.
Scientists are worried that the chemicals used in fracturing may pose a threat either underground or when waste fluids are handled and sometimes spilled on the surfaceThe dangers involved include but are not limited to: ground and surface water contamination with chemicals and methane (in Colorado, some folks can ignite their tap water), chemical spills, massive removal and toxification of fresh water from ecosystems, air pollution and ground-level ozone exposure (from constantly running diesel equipment) and, of course, the perpetual question of what to do with billions of gallons of toxic waste. The chemicals involved are known carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. Serious health effects have been reported by residents in drilled areas. The breakdown of communities and local economies is not far behind all this as neighbors blame each other and the land becomes unfit for farming, tourism, hunting, etc

Googling 'Nuclear Power Posters' came up with a range of different designs, many of which looked like they were produced very cheaply and not by decent designers. Many of them were anti-nuclear power, and when i followed the link back to the website, I found that the sources for these posters were very uneducated and biased. It was clear that people were ignorant to the bigger picture and were simply scared of the connotations applied to 'nuclear'. Yellow and green were used often, representing radioactivity and toxicity.

Helvetica is a sans-serif typeface which has become massively popular. It was created to compete with Akzidenz Grotesk, another massively popular typeface at the time. It was designed to be as neutral and with no denotative meaning. This enabled it to be used on a wide variety of signage, and would later become hugely successful in almost every field of design, through advertising to branding. It's extremely legible, with a tall X height making it easier to read at smaller sizes. It comes with a plethora of different weights and styles making it extremely versatile. The U.S government also use it a great deal, from NYC's subway signage to NASA using it on the Space Orbiter. Over time, it's neutrality and over-usage has caused the typeface to start to have connotations which have been applied to it purely because of it's usage. Along with feeling clean, modern and  fresh, it's also become rather corporate thanks to the extent at which it's been utilized by different brands and advertising campaigns. Helvetica's ubiquity has started to almost become it's downfall, with many designers straying away from it thanks to it being used by amateur designers a great deal, and also thanks to it's new corporate and advertising connotations. Neville Brody said it's usage is 'bland, unadventurous and unambitious.'

Chernobyl Disaster Radiation Spread

Fukushima Disaster

Pripyat, an abandoned city near Chernobyl

It's easy to see how Disasters such as Chernobyl and Fukushima have tainted the public's view on nuclear power. This being said, I feel that the problem isn't with Nuclear Power, but the hands in which it is in. People seem to have forgotten the disasters that coal, oil and gas are responsible for, and focus on the Nuclear disasters, purely because of the scary connotations the word carries, such as being related to nuclear weapons.

Here, the effect on the publics opinion of Nuclear Power is clearly displayed. 'Disaster' and 'Bad' are up a large amount thanks due to the Fukushima incident. 'Energy' is down, however 'good' is up, which is strange given the time of the survey.

Research estimates that Nuclear Power will be cheaper than it's alternatives. It is also far more efficient and produces a substantial amount less waste.

BBC NEWS 
''The government estimates that with new nuclear power - including Hinkley - the average energy bill in 2030 will be £77 lower than it would have been without the new plants.

Energy UK, the trade body for the industry, said the agreement on Hinkley was "good news".

"Building new power stations is never quick or cheap, but in the case of Hinkley development, nothing goes on the bill until 2020," it said.

About 25,000 jobs are expected to be created during construction of the power plant, as well as 900 permanent jobs during its 60-year operation.''

Researching nuclear power, all of the power plants are situated near the coast due to the massive amount of water needed for cooling and producing steam which powers turbines. The new power plant which is to be built is at Hinkley Point, and will be the 3rd located there. It will use 2 reactors.

Design Analysis - Book Cover design

This book cover designed by John Fulbrook conveys the feeling of adventure, innocence and peacefulness; or at least the quest for it. The use of light pastels shades of beige and green signify tranquility and nature. The innocence comes from the imagery of a young girl. Children usually represent the future, trust, renewal and also happiness. A simple dotted line is reminiscent of treasure maps which signify adventure and travel, which is reinforced by the girl being in a small boat. The shape of the dotted line also suggests a flowing storyline, calm with no sharp twists and turns. The calm waters suggest peacefulness and an idilic setting, which again is reinforced by the brightness around the girl and her boat, which looks like a bright sunrise. The idea of it being dawn rather than dusk suggests again peacefulness as night is usually representative of danger and darkness. The serif typeface used is very clean and traditional. This makes the book feel more prestigious in a way, as serif typefaces are synonymous with literature, which is in turn linked heavily to intelligence and wisdom.

Context of Practice: Prospectus Analysis

1. Poorly laid out photographs

 Some of the photographs seem to just be floating without any grid alignment, which makes the page look ugly regardless of the photo content. Some of them however are aligned properly, like on the course pages where an example of student work is centred above the text.

2. Overlaid Hexagon pattern is unnecessary

The design of the prospectus would have been nicer if they didn’t apply the hexagon shapes over the top. It makes it look tackier and I don’t see the reasoning behind it. I think there are many more ways colour could be applied to the book in a more creative, appealing way.

3. Custom made typeface not utilized anywhere except the front cover

LCA had a custom typeface produced which I like, but the designers of the prospectus never used it anywhere in the book, which gives the feel of a lack of continuity. Using too many typefaces unnecessarily can lead to the product feeling too discontinuous.

4. Obvious stock images used

Stock images are easy to spot, as they’re usually a dull plain representation of something. In a creative prospectus they stick out as lazy and to an extent irrelevant as they’re not of/connected to the college.

5. Interesting grid and colour scheme used

I like the pastel colours used on the headers and lines, and the continuity of its use. I also like the grids that the type is aligned to on different pages. It keeps the blocks of text to a reasonable size and also gives the pages a flow.

Context of Practice: Advertisement Comparison

My first impression of the Range Cooker advertisement was that it was some sort of food drive, showing the American as overindulging whilst the rest of the world is hungry, signified by the globe with the food list. The second image I thought was simpler; I understood that the purpose of the ad was to induce guilt into the male target audience, making them feel cowardly for not participating in the ‘great war’.

Each illustration uses different fonts for different purposes. The range cooker ad uses strong and patriotic letterforms, reminiscent of cowboy era saloons which solidifies the idea of American life and superiority. It makes the advert feel powerful, a trait which would be possessed by any buyers of the product. The British war advertisement however uses more relaxed, personal letterforms, making it seem like the daughter poses the question to the father, but also to the reader.

The style of illustration in each image has its similarities and differences. The first being highly detailed, including subtle additions such as the 100year anniversary of American independence and the children having areas of America written on their clothing. The second also uses many subtle elements, which create a patriotic feel with the fleur-de-lis on the armchair, the child playing with English army men figurines, and roses on the curtains. The father figure is looking at the reader, which suggests that the question posed by the child is both directed at him, and the audience.  Both illustrations use children which have been used in advertising a lot due to their powerful influence over adults; offspring being the most important aspect of people’s lives.

The target audience for both ads would be adult men. During the time when these adverts were published, bigotry and racist were ubiquitous, so showing the women/black people as cooks and servants was considered humorous rather than offensive. Men were the dominant figure in families back in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s, so the spending of money/decisions were made by them.

Both advertisements use the manipulation of a man’s pride to influence their decision. The Range cooker advert gives the audience an opportunity to better themselves by buying the product. It offers a better standard of life and the superiority over people who don’t have a Range cooker. The British war ad uses the fear factor that your children may not be proud of you if you didn’t fight in the war, and that you may be labelled as a coward or unpatriotic if you don’t help your country fight for what you believe in and your family’s well being.