OUGD406- Design is about doing- research & development

Brief

LIVE BRIEF: SECRET 7"

About Secret 7"

Secret 7" is a project that combines music and art. Agter their success in 2012 the team are back with a new line up of artists, a new set of tracks and a new charity partner.

THE BRIEF

Secret 7" are inviting creatives from around the globe to take inspiration from one of the tracks from the artists below and design an original 7 inch vinyl sleeve.

The sleeve must not feature the name of the artists or title of the track.

ARTISTS

• Public enemy
• Elton John
• Naz
• Jessie Ware
• Hiam
• Laura Marling
• Nick Drake

Background/ considerations

You need people to see your work and the essence of graphic design as communication. There is no value producing work for it to be placed in a draw! Often the best work or best ideas are the ones that people have seen. You must get used to distributing your work at any available opportunity.

Remember, DESIGN IS ABOUT DOING.
This is an opportunity to visually and conceptually exploit every possible angle of your ideas. We are expecting a visual feast of ideas before you even consider resolving the problem.

Mandatory Requirements

Full Resolution
Examples of the sleeves you didn't select to enter.
A minimum of 30 thumbnail possible design treatments and supporting design development work.

Documentation on your blog and design sheets.

Deliverables

FIVE visual variations of the record sleeve.
Supporting work.

Studio deadline 15th February 2013
Module Deadline 3rd May 2013

------
I listened to all 7 songs, and pursued my favourites:

• Laura Marling - The beast
• Nick Drake - Rider on the Wheel
• Elton John - Bennie and the Jets
• Public Enemy - Harder than you think

Research into Laura Marling - 'The beast'

Lyrics: 

Where did our love go, you will never know 
How did you get home, you will never know 
Did you catch yourself in the mirror? 
It's a sight I understand 
You considered it all for a second 
And put it down to slight of hand 

You know I've been running 'round for hours 
Calling my egyptian(?) blood to bear me flowers 
Calling sophia, goddess of power 

Instead I got the beast 
And tonight he lies with me 
Tonight he lies with me 
Tonight he lies with me 
And here comes to beast 

You're okay now, I suppose 
You're not pulled by the rope 
I'm pulled by the pull on my throat 
I'm pulled by the rope 
I swing from the trees into the slope 
Hold my head high, just by the tip of my toes 
And he lies, he lies so sweet that I choke 

Tonight I choose the beast 
Tonight he lies with me 
Tonight he lies with me 
Tonight he lies with me 
And here comes the beast 

Put your eyes away 
If you can't bear to see your (the?) old lady 
Laying down next to the beast 
Tonight he lies with me 
Tonight he lies with me 
And here comes the beast 

Look at yourself in the mirror 
It's a sight I understand 
You consider it all for a second 
And put it down to slight of hand 
I give you the best, the best that I can 

I suggest that you be grateful 
That it's your blood on my hands? 
And assume yourself weaker, the fall of man (?) 
And look out for the beast 
Tonight he lies with me 
Tonight he lies with me 
And here comes the beast 

Put your eyes away 
If you can't bear to see your (the?) old lady 
Laying down next to the beast 
Tonight he lies with me 
Tonight he lies with me 
And here comes the beast

Brainstorming:

From assessing the lyrics of the song and the sound of the crescendo of the music, I came to the idea of it being like a fairytale or a folk tale, with talks of the woods and beasts. But I could not come to the conclusion as to whom the beast actually was, and so wanted to portray him metaphorically somehow.

Fairy tale theme research:

Researching into what a beast might look like. 

Researching into how the whimsical female character might be portrayed.

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

G.

H.

Thumbnails based on Laura Marling :- 

On this page I had a large diverse range of ideas. The first was inspired by image B (above) as a mixture of both photo and line work using an electronic bamboo tablet.  The sketch below it is inspired by image D and A, combining both curly shapes and text using Adobe Illustrator pen tool. I really like the flow of image D and is a very different approach than my other designs.  The top middle image is a plan of a digital illustration of the forest and trees surrounding a girl under a spotlight. The spotlight could maybe be beast shaped? The image below it is the light coming through the trees is the shape of the beast. To the right of that, the girl and the beast face each other, which I thought might look a bit misleading and so the thumbnail above have them facing upside to each other.

(from left to right) In the first panel I am showing the idea of the girl and the beast going face to face. The girl is tearful and the beast is merciless. I thought that if they were upside down to each other, that it wouldn't appear as taboo as the same way up... I have also included some lyrics. The next image is inspired by image E (from research, above) and is actually for another song in the secret 7" list: Public Enemy - Harder than you think, because the song features brass instruments. The next image is of the girl free falling, symbolising loss of control surrounded by lyrics inspired by image F above. The next image is the same image of the girl free falling, but seen through the text as if it were a window. The next image on the left bottom row is a collection of hand-drawn eyes of all emotions, reflecting on the idea that the beast is her alter ego, not another person. The image to the right of that is a collage of images in the style of this piece called Cosmos by Coco and is image G above. It would feature hand drawn images of the woods, girl and tree branches with water colour. The next image is upward leaning typography surrounded by a pattern made up of the beast and the girl like in image H. The last image is an indie style hand drawn illustration of the girl and beast back to back with scribbly hand drawn lettering. 

(From left to right) The page is split in half with the girl and beast's faces as one. Next thumbnail is in the style of an eery victorian style portrait of the girl and the beast behind her with his hand on her shoulder. The next image is the girl's tearful eye with the reflection of the beast in her eye. Next image is a collection of beastly eyes looking out from the page. (second row, from left to right) the girl is leaning over the bathroom sink looking up at her beastly reflection in the mirror. The next image is another victorian style portrait but this time set in the forest. The next image is an overlay of two photos of the girl and the beast. The next thumbnail is my favourite on this page, and is of the girl suspended in the air in the foetus position like the beast when transforming in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. (bottom row, left to right) The girl is leaning over the sink again, but this time looking in the mirror at the beast behind her at the back of the room. The last image on this page is a closeup of the girl, expressionless with the beast in the background between the trees.

I decided to pursue the idea of combining both image D and A, and starting by quickly sketching out the image of the girl:

I then I traced over this sketch, turning the sketch into the curls like in image D:

I then took this into the computer and traced over in Adobe Illustrator:

But I did not pursue this idea any further, as I was running out of time and didn't feel that I could make it work any further.

Research for Nick Drake - 'Rider on the Wheel'

Lyrics:

And now you know my name
But I don't feel the same
But I ain't gonna blame
The rider on the wheel.

You know my song is new
You know it's new for you
I tell you how it's true
For the rider on the wheel.

And round and round we go
We take it fast and slow
I must keep up a show
For the rider on the wheel
For the rider on the wheel.

And now you know my name
But I don't feel the same
But I ain't gonna blame
The rider on the wheel
The rider on the wheel.

From reading the lyrics and listening to the peaceful acoustic guitar I envisioned a carefree being riding the outstretching roads of America. (it could be the steering wheel of a car, or the front wheel of a motorcycle)

After watching this time lapse video of a road trip (presumably Route 66, if not something like it) I realised how different the scenery/ seasons can look when driving along. 

Drivelapse USA - 5 Minute Roadtrip Timelapse Tour Around America

From that, I then looked further into landscapes of road trips:

All of which were very beautiful but I wanted to do something that would blend them all together, and show all the different seasons, to represent the lack of clockwork borders a liberal personality feels - 'and round and round we go'.

And so my only idea for this song was a photomontage of different images that would represent all the different seasons/ scenery.

--------

Research into Elton John ' Bennie and the Jets'

Lyrics:

Hey kids, shake it loose together
The spotlight's hitting something
That's been known to change the weather
We'll kill the fatted calf tonight
So stick around
You're gonna hear electric music
Solid walls of sound

Say, Candy and Ronnie, have you seen them yet
But they're so spaced out, Bennie and the Jets
Oh but they're weird and they're wonderful
Oh Bennie she's really keen
She's got electric boots a mohair suit
You know I read it in a magazine
Bennie and the Jets

Hey kids, plug into the faithless
Maybe they're blinded
But Bennie makes them ageless
We shall survive, let us take ourselves along
Where we fight our parents out in the streets
To find who's right and who's wrong

From reading the lyrics and listening to the song, I envisioned a jazzy idealistic yet generic pop band that is amazing one minute, but disposable the next. I researched into the visuals of 'mohair suit' 'electric boots' 'spaced out' and 'electric music':

A Mohair jumper is a lot more garish and 'Elton John like' than a grey mohair suit in my opinion...

I decided to research into 50's space culture because of the name of the band- '...Jets' in particular and the mention of 'electric music' and 'spaced out'. At the time that this was written and performed (1970's) the typical stereotype of a cool band could well have been something from the 1950's. In the same way, something stereotypical now may well be based on something from the 1980's, if you catch my drift...

 Some of Elton John's garish album covers and style of fashion: (Goodbye yellow brick road was the B side to Bennie and the Jets)

 My ideas for Bennie and the Jets:

My first idea was a photograph of a dingy dressing room backstage at a venue. The venue would be dingy and old to represent the music of the past compared to Bennie and the Jets: " Where we fight our parents out in the streets
To find who's right and who's wrong". There will be a spotlight/ crepuscular sun ray shining on Bennies outfit of a mohair jumper and 'electric' glittery go go boots. The image to the right of that is a tacky-chic spray paint image of the planets, with the band playing on one of Saturns rings. Bottom left image is a photograph of (assumingly to the viewer) Elton John wearing typical sparkly glasses, and in the reflection is a Bennie and the Jets concert, as if he is in the crowd, as he appears to sing the song from a fans point of view. The image to the right of that is an equalizer with sparks flying off hence 'electric music', and a more old fashioned version on the right of that, with the arm of the vinyl player sparking on the record.

Research into Jessie Ware - 'Still love me' 

Lyrics :

(Verse)
See it in your eyes,
See it in your face
In your look, see it in you
If I make myself understood.
Will you treat me like you know you should?!
Uuuh uh

(Chorus)
Still love me, still love me
(Do you love me?)
Still love me, still love me
(Do you love me?)
Still love me, still love me.

(Verse)
See, it’s been a while
Looking through your eyes
I was taken in, taken by surprise.
Why did you want me, why’d you stayed so close?
You’re still not leaving?
Was I enough?
If I make myself understood.
Will you treat me like you know you should?!
Uuuh uh

(Chorus)
Still love me, still love me
(Do you love me?)
Still love me, still love me
(Do you love me?)
Still love me, still love me.
Still love me, still love me.
Do you love, do you
Do you love ,do you love, 
Do you still love me.

(Verse)
You’re the one that’s more easy to adore
I don’t ever have to leave if you still want me.
If I make myself understood.
Will you treat me like you know you should?!

(Chorus)
(Do you love me?)
Still love me, still love me
(Do you love me?)
Still love me, still love me.
(Do you love me?)
Still love me, still love me.
(Do you love me?)
Still love me, still love me.
Do you love me?
Still love me, still love me.
Do you, do you, do you love me?
Still love me, still love me.
(If I make myself understood.)
Still love me, still love me.
Will you treat me like you know you should?!
Still love me, still love me.
Still love me, still love me.
Still love me, still love me.
If I make myself understood.
Still love me, still love me.
Will you treat me like you know you should?!
Still love me, still love me.
Do you love me?
Still love me.

From listening to the song and reading the lyrics, I got a really electro-vibe, and a retro futuristic style of art to go with it.

I really like the style of this mercedes advert:

And had the idea I could make an image like the girls outfit;

I liked the idea of having a human heart shape representing 'still love me' in this geometric futuristic style. It would have a metallic finish and appear 3d and reflective. My second idea was the same, except the heart would be spaced out with a glow coming from within. My last idea was feminine lips in this form.

My final and most favourite idea I ended up using as my final product was for Nick Drake - Rider on the Wheel:

I created it using several different images of American road trips. I wanted to show as many different seasons/ scenery as possible to represent time passing and places travelled of the careless rider on the wheel.

Here are the images I used:

A

B

C

D

By using the eraser tool and magic wand tool, I was able to use the sunset from image B, the Mountains from image C, the trees from image D and the snowy road from image A. 

I then filled a new layer with white and turned the opacity down to around 50%, to look like a misty car window, and found a handwriting font that I liked and wrote out the lyrics: 'And round and round we go'. I selected the writing itself and went on the misty car window layer, using the delete button to delete the area of the font off the window layer. This made it look like the writing has been drawn on the misty window .

I used this image to create the idea of condensation on the window. I used the eraser tool and turned the opacity down to make it more subtle:

I made sure that This image was royalty free.

As a result, here is the final image again:

-------

OUGD403 - Message and delivery - distribution - brief and ideas with development

Brief

You have developed a message/opinion in response to the previous brief.

Produce a mail shot that distributes, disseminate and reinforces your message to an appropriate list of recipients.

Your resolution should fit within the envelope provided* and be accompanied by a visually appropriate mailing list. You should consider the relationship between the outside/inside of the envelope and it's contents.

*You can remake, modify or reproduce the envelope in any other media but the dimensions must remain the same. 

Background/ Considerations

What do you want to say and how do you want to say it? What language would be appropriate? 

What visual languages exist that relate to your message and how can you use them?

Is the content communicated primarily through type or image? If it is both what is the relationship between the two?

What does the mail shot aim to achieve? Does it direct you to a website, encourage you to attend an event, is it interactive or self-contained?

A limited colour pallet (no more than 2 colours) will allow for the reproduction of your designs across a range of media.

The tone of voice should be appropriate to your message, the context in which it's intended to be read and the audience to whom your work will be delivered. 

Mandatory Requirements

Your designs should be for 2 colour (+stock) print delivery.

Your resolution must be able to be delivered by post. One of your resolutions must be posted to the address given:

BA(hons) Graphic Design

Leeds College Of Art

Blenheim Walk

Leeds 

LS2 9AQ

Deliverables

• 5 editions of your resolution. (1 to be sent via post as directed)
• 1x graphically/visually appropriate mailing list.
• Use notebooks to document your ideas. Use design sheets to develop your visual investigation.

Studio Deadline: 

• Crit: Friday 16th November 2012
• Presentation: Monday 19th November 2012

Module Deadline : 23rd November 2012

Ideas:

Following on from the child-like/ storybook theme I immediately thought that a pop-up would be an appropriate idea. These designs here show V-fold mechanisms with several different themes. The first being a snapshot from Snow White, connecting with my poster design. 'Once upon a time' would be written along the bottom with some sort of reference to political correctness. I didn't really like this idea, only because I'm not entirely sure what the message would be from this. If unaccompanied by the poster then this mailer wouldn't make to much sense...
Again, I do not think that my Jack & the beanstalk pop up mailer has a strong enough message without an effect-ruining lengthy paragraph!
The Baa baa black sheep idea would be the sheep jumping over the fence, as if it were a childrens bedtime storybook. Along the bottom it would say baa baa black sheep, with 'black' scribbled out. I like this idea as it portrays the same themes and idea but still different to the poster designs.
And finally, a Mickey Mouse in Steamboat Willie pop up book. Through my research I found that it is quite politically incorrect, with one scene showing Minnie being craned up by her underwear onto the boat. This wouldn't need any censor bars and would still communicate the message well.

My first idea on this page would be the 'postcards from the past' mailer. It features vintage postcards/ images turned into postcards from around the 1940s/50s showing typical housewives/ 'sexist' roles from that time. On the back of the postcard it would question these roles in a politically correct manner. I quite like this idea as it reflects on times that weren't so politically correct but at the same time weren't actually offensive and making the reader think about how times have changed. 40s and 50s art is very in trend at the moment and would appeal to a large audience.
My envelope front cover design consists of a close-up of the 'most offensive' part of my image poster - Minnie's censored underwear, with big block letters reading 'THIS CONCERNS YOU". Perhaps a little odd, but this would confuse the reader and make them curious as to what is inside.
Another idea would be the interactivity surrounding a sliding mechanism. There would be an image of Minnie with the censor bar and when you pull the tab it reveals the same image but without the censor bar. This would disappoint the reader, as not much changes, but that is the point. It would prove that hypersensitivity is unnecessary because the offending article isn't actually offensive.
Another, simpler concept of this, would be a card with a tracing paper front. The image of Minnie would be printed on the inside with the censor bar covering the outside and when you open the card the bar is taken away.
My final idea on this page is the army-style recruitment leaflet for the 'battle against PC'. I do not think that this is a very strong idea because of it's loose themes and typical style of contemporary advertising.

A few more ideas for my direct mail piece were actually taken from my poster design ideas. Here, we have a fake (or possibly real?) order form for a golly-wog toy. It would either be readily filled out with the name of the recipient and would shock them with the association of their name with a supposedly 'racist' toy. This would make them realise that it is just a doll and perhaps part of history as being just a doll and there was no need for offence, even when it was made.
My original idea about stereotypes for my poster design could be used like a postcard, with questions on the back like 'Do you find this offensive?' and 'What is the first word that comes to mind?', hoping to challenge the readers beliefs on what is offensive. There could be other postcards of this style, such as 'baa baa black sheep', 'jack and the beanstalk' and 'merry christmas folks!' because there is room for explanation of their meanings in this format.

Although my most favourite idea was the pop-up, I considered the time scale and decided to take forward the 3x postcard idea (last idea):

Like Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck in my poster designs, I used the pen tool to trace around images I had found online, and stuck to the same colour scheme as before: red, black and white stock. I really liked the way they turned out, but at the same time, did not think that they would make as much impact as a pop-up design. 

And so, last-minute I completely changed my design and started on the pop-up design based on Mickey Mouse in steamboat willie:

Although in my design ideas I drew a V-fold mechanism, I began my investigation with a normal pop-up mechanism, as I thought that the inclusion of the skyline with smoke was necessary. I began experimenting with different sizes.

... and started thinking about how they could be applied. The problem with this sort of mechanism was that the further forward (towards the viewer) the pop-up is, the smaller it has to be, which wasn't very good when you're trying to create the illusion of perspective. I decided that my original idea of the V-fold was the best resolution to this problem.

The first trial of this practice was in fact very successful. I drew the cabin of the boat in a dramatised 3d style with a cut-out window, and the front of the ship a lot shorter with the front beam being the tallest thing.

I stuck these onto a piece of paper double the width of the correct dimensions of the required envelope. IE, this would BE the envelope. I had to trim down any parts that stuck out of the envelope when closed. I then pulled apart the design and scanned it into the mac.

This tiny v-fold was to accomodate a flying arm mechanism. Meaning that Minnie could be attached to this on an arm and appear to extend out on an angle from the page. But after testing this, I found that it was unsuccessful in that Minnie always came out a different angle or that she stuck out of the envelope when closed. So I discontinued this idea.

I used the pen tool to trace half of each design. I then highlighted it with the black arrow and copied and pasted it so that each of the two were symmetrical. I played around with gradients to give the effect of shadows. I also used a thick brush stroke to enhance the cartoon style. I also kept it black and white because they are my chosen colours. (and it's a black and white cartoon)

Again, using the pen tool I traced around images of stills from the cartoon itself and used gradients and block colours to bring the characters to life. I then used the 'live trace' tool to turn an image of a boat steering wheel into a black and white vector image. I didn't include arms or any more particular details of mickey because these would be hidden behind the steering wheel.

I didn't want the outside of the envelope to be over-complicated, but have an initially curious yet short title to invite the viewer in. I chose to write 'Do you feel OFFENDED?', which stands out from other front covers of direct mail envelopes. I kept it really simple with colours and used type to entice the reader. The writing on the back of the envelope is in fact upside down when you come to open it, and the tab is over the text when closed. This was done on purpose, as the reader would want to know what the text says, and in doing so opens the letter. 

The inside of the envelope is also very simple, so as not to distract the viewer from the pop up mechanism. I chose the same font as the Mickey Mouse trademark and a suitable script font to mock-up a scene from the cartoon. I used the same scribbly style font to highlight the political incorrectness of this scene, thus uniting the mailer with the posters.

Once completed and assembled, I think that the pop-up is a strong and interesting way of communicating to people of all ages, even if the style is mock-cartoon. The message is clear yet simple and portrayed in clear yet simple aesthetics.

Minnie mouse sits within the gap between the front of the boat and the cabin on a small V-fold of her own and stays vertical with a small piece of paper keeping her distance from the cabin.

Mickey drives the boat.