Experimenting with a vision idea:

A part of Tom is that he wears glasses to see to his best ability. 

Myself experimenting with glasses explained to me that the aid short sighted or long sighted visual impairments. 

I have generated various experiments which focus around vision, blurred vision and blurriness. 

This experiment created on photoshop revolves around layering the images and changing each of the most forward layer to a slightly lighter tone which creates an effect of the word travelling into the background. I feel to an extent this could reflect visual impairment but more so inebriation.

Here I have created multiple experiments by adjusting the spacing between the lines of a sentence. 

As each lines comes closer to the other and they merge into one, it can become quite baffling on the brain, and create a typeface of it's own, which makes use of many lines and bowls of the letters. 

I chose to use a range of adjustable levels when editing the spacing as each quantity had a more rational/irrational effect.

This is an idea that I could carry forward as it does make a very aesthetically pleasing looking typeface, and I find it quite inventive. 

These 4 different experiments are a result of using Photoshop's blur tool on a rasterized layer of Tom's name. I love how the lines curve and bend, this adds a certain personality to the font alone. Again, this result is similar to the effects of inebriation on the eye, although I do feel it looks very unique and creative.

Glyph selection:

As part of the brief, we must submit a full 26 letter alphabet and also 6 additional glyphs which must have reasoning behind the choice. 

@ I will use the At symbol which has become popular due to the use in facebook and also email to contact friends. Tom seems like a very sociable and friendly person, so I feel this glyph will represent him well.
! Looking back at Tom's handwriting, he writes very boldly and blocky, as if every sentence requires an exclamation mark at the end. I feel that is quite fitting.
< The less than symbol could represent a shark biting which Tom revealed to be one of his greatest fears.
. The full stop is a vital component in literacy, so I feel that is vital to the alphabet.
, Commas are also vital to the alphabet so they are necessary.
- The hyphen of negative sign can be used vastly in writing, and it could also represent the things that Tom wants to cut out of his life.

News article analysis and comparison:

Reading both the Daily Mirror and also the Independent's "I" about both stories which are the Ukrainian terrorist named Pavlo Lapshyn and another story about a terrorist female known as the 'White Widow'.

I chose these two stories, one because each story could be found in both newspapers, so it was interesting to see how each paper reported about them differently, and secondly due to the fact that I am interested in how the tabloids reveal the news to the public and their reactions, and I felt these two stories would be very emotive. 

I wrote many notes corresponding to the information I discovered reading each article, the red font represents my take on the quotes from the Mirror and the Blue, that of the I.

I analysed the tone of voice used in each newspaper to pick out differences between each, and give myself an idea of how each paper communicated it's stories. 

Message delivery brief:

The brief of this project instructs us to find an article from any newspaper found on Tuesdays the 22nd of October and analyse the text and story, which will then lead to us thoroughly researching the story and the way it gets reported.

I have the idea of researching the same story but in two separate newspapers to see the difference in tone of voice that certain tabloids address a situation.

Further Research into Tom: Music Interests

I believe that people's musical preference would (somewhere) represent figments of their own personality, for this reason I have chosen to research into Tom's Musical preferences. 

From conversing with Tom about the music and bands that he is interested in, I have managed to collect some typography relating to these bands. 

 From the bands Tom told me he likes, I found typographic imagery for Joy Division and also Death in vegas, Joy Division's typeface is very clean cut and legible, where as Death In Vegas' is script like, and I suspect is based around the tradition "Welcome to Vegas" Signage.
Tom claims a script font wouldn't necessarily represent him, and I agree with that.

Joy Division's typeface differs here from the example shown before due to the the use of a serif typeface, it looks a lot more clean cut.
Radiohead are represented four different times here, each the same, sans serif font, but used in different ways, such as the neon style one which appears as an electro genre, in comparison to the formal, calm and collected appearance which the other fonts portray.
Massive Attack's typography instantly signifies David Carson's work to me and specifically Ray Gun magazine, I find it a very effective form of typography, although I wouldn't initially say it represented Hip hip genre.
Finally, Arcade Fire's type face which makes different use of a font with a thicker line weight and one that contrasts that choice.

Tom's choice of music preference have given me an insight into what entertains him and the genres of music that he is interested in, this will aid me in designing a typeface for him.

Font Folio choices

I selected a range of fonts after my research was complete, the choices were based purely on the Q&A that I did with Tom.

Cooper Plate
I chose this font due to how the lines were straight and clean cut, the spacing of the type was quite wide, and I thought this in a way could represent how Tom intends to be less trusting.
This is the only font that I chose which makes use of serifs, I chose them on this font as I thought it added an example of edginess when it came down to personality.

Franklin Gothic
I feel this font reflects Tom due to how simple it comes across, simple and also easy to read. I see Tom as a person who it open and honest, and the connotations attached to this font represent those things in my eyes.
The descender in the G is very flowing and elegant in comparison to other fonts such as Ayuthaya. The subtle twist in personality makes this font exciting to look at.

Ayuthaya
The font Ayuthaya jumps out to me because of the mixture of straight, traditional type which works injunction with the italic looking shapes such as the curves in the M. To an extent, it appears as if the M's Width has been adjusted for effect.

Britannic Bold
This font has a very thick and heavy line weight, I see this as a trait which shows groundedness and person who knows their own mind. All of the characters in this font shoot up vertically which shows strength of character and dominance.
The tail on the G has a different personality to the rest of the font, and the line weights also varies throughout the type which, in a way, shows indecisiveness.

Consolas
I see Consolas as a mixture between Franklin Gothic and also Ayuthaya due to the style of the lowercase M and also the descender on the G. It is very similar to Franklin Gothic, in the thickness of the line weight etc.

I now must come to a conclusion of which font/fonts are most fitting of Tom's personality and find a way to make it further reflect his traits.

Notes surrounding Tom's Personality

During the Q&A, I took many notes which I felt relevant in learning about Tom's personality. I also asked him many more questions than the initial ones found on the Guardian's questionnaire. 

I came up with a list of adjectives which I felt described Tom, I had Tom write his name so I could evaluate his hand writing, I got Tom to answer the question of "How do you think you come across?", His favourite fonts, and also his taste in music. 

After all of this information was collected I named a few fonts which I thought (at this stage) would reflect him, for future use. 

Research: Q&A With Tom Houghton

We were given a Q&A (originally found in the Guardian magazine) of which we were to interview our partners to get an insight into their personality.

When are you happiest?
After good food (Lasagne, Garlic bread & Rocket)
What is your greatest fear?
Shark attack [Jaws, decapitated]
Where is your favourite place in the world? 
Amsterdam
What is your earliest memory?
Batman costume at age 5
What makes you unhappy?
Working in customer services
Who would play you in the film of your life?
Wesley Snipes
What's your favourite smell?
Roast dinner
What's your favourite word?
Elephant
Guilty Pleasure?
Candles
What would be your fancy dress costume of choice? 
Blues Brothers
How do you relax?
Trash tv
If you could edit your past what would you change?
Less trusting
What's your dream job?
Musician, Band or singer

Given these outcomes I decided Tom would be a Sans serif font due to his playfulness and how I didn't see him as formal or to have those traits that Serif fonts are known for. 

Introduction to Semiotics - Context of Practice Lecture - OUGD401

A day before the lecture with Fred Bates, we had a Richard Miles which thoroughly explained the language of design semiotics, it was explained how an image can be a signifier to the brain stimuluses which signify the meaning of the image. 

A symbol is an image that shows an object.

A sign identifies an image as an object.

A signifier gives information about the object via the use of image.

We were informed of the origins of how New York was to be re-modelled as 'The Big Apple', which in it's self is a signifier for something great. It first began in the 1920's, but became popular in the 1970s. 

|The lecture went into detail of how an image isn't necessarily an image, and how it plays on the taught group instincts that we all hold, such of how a photo of an apple isn't an apple but how it acts as a signifier and makes our brain relate to the actual object of an apple. 

"Todays seminar was more about semiotics, more specifically about Signs, Myth, Codes and Text.

Sign - Something that communicates a message
Signifier - Something that gives meaning
Signified - Denotation - A literal understanding of the message
               - Connotation - A cultural understanding of the message

By recycling and re-using signifiers we understand what things mean and stand for automatically through their connotations. When something has lots of connotations the sign can turn into a signifier, this is called a Myth.

Signs
Icon - Resembles what the sign is referring too from the perspective of the drawer
Index - A sign that infers a relationship to something else
Symbol - A sign is obviously and literally standing for something else.

Codes are organisational systems, grids and rules that are culturally applicable and give us an understanding of signifiers.

Texts are groups of codes and signifiers that make sense within a cultural context which together communicate a broader message than any single signifier could."

I felt I learnt a lot from the lecture and seminar combined, and the skills and vocabulary that I learnt will aid me in the field of Graphic Design.

Working on the product: Researching into existing maps

Liberty Park's map of the local area, clean, minimal and to the point, we wanted ours to have even less detail, and just be a straight route from Liberty Park to LCA. 

Leeds City Council have created  a "Welcome to Leeds" map, I personally found this very complex and not at all minimalist such as the design we wanted for our own map.

Project Research: Massimo Vignelli

Massimo Vignelli's designed this map of the New York subway system in 1972, I personally think it is a stunning and vibrant piece of design which not only informs, it also is eye catching and appealing to look at. 

Admittedly the design does look highly complex, but in respect, it's a map of the New york subway which spans over 656 miles, not a simple job to create a map for this goliath transport system. 

Our influence:

We took influence from Vignelli's design in the form of the line and dot method that he makes use of, the dots representing the stops in the subway. 

I particularly love the choice of colours in this map, and think it is the source of the appeal. 

Prospectus analysis:

1. Photograph alignment - Dislike

In my opinion, the photographic images found in the prospectus are located very close to the edges of the paper which looks unprofessional and also untidy.

2. Font cover - Like

I think the front cover of this handout is well designed and rather eye catching and appealing. The use of foil blocking and embossing works very well in my opinion, and sets a mise-en-scene effect to the prospectus which makes the entire book feel of a better quality, which in turn reflects well on the university.

3. Quantity of written information - Dislike

The amount of information found in the prospectus is rather baffling and comes across as quite overkill. The size of the font used could be larger to be more legible and also to fit the space in the prospectus. 

4. Back cover - Dislike

There is zero information found on the back cover of the prospectus, I find this very dull, and it serves no use to what should be a very thorough and informative document.

5. Headers - Dislike

The placement of the header in this double page spread baffles me, firstly due to the fact that it is located in the center of the page, and also due to the size and the fact it is taking up a quarter of the page. 

Project Research: London Underground Map

The map of London's tube system is famously accredited and well respected by the users of London's public transport due to the ease of use and the simplistic, minimalist design.

The design appeals baffling from a distance, but if you are in the knowledge of which direction you are in and where you are heading, it is very simple to understand.
Harry Beck:

Harry Beck is the renowned designer of the early London underground maps

Comparing 2 historical Propaganda posters:

The two pieces of historical design we were given to compare were:
The Uncle Sam Range (1876) & A Pre WW1 Poster 'Daddy, what did you do in the Great War?':

Evaluating both images gave me a much detailed insight into what these posters/pieces of advertising were trying to represent. The Uncle Sam's Range poster isn't as clean cut as it first appears after a closer inspection, I delved into the detail of the piece and certain surprises leapt out to me such as how the advertisement goes into great lengths to show that America is a very open and equal country, as they try to stress equality, freedom and also charity, yet are in 'possession' of an African slave. This aspect seems very contradictory in my eyes, but generally in America during this time of Black oppression, it was perceived as the norm.

The pre-WW1 poster, which I feel targets a male audience, have a very clean cut, moral message, but is cleverly manipulated to make the audience [of 1917] feel guilty, if they were of age to join the army and hadn't. Rather cleverly, the poster uses a future tense image to represent modern tense, I feel that it shows an aged war veteran whom is being questioned by his offspring about his days in the war, where as if you flip the image on it's head, the alternative could be showing a coward who hadn't served his time for his country.

Both pieces of Art hold a large, emotive message but in very different aspects, I feel that the Uncle Sam's Range poster in subliminally representing all of America a the patriotic sense, and consciously 'tugging' on America's patriotic side in an attempt to sell a mere oven. I get this impression primarily due to the figure of Uncle Sam, whom back then, was a figurehead for the whole of America. Whereas the feel that the WW1 poster gives is one of "What if?" and questioning your own self and morals in a duty bound way, of which men felt bound to during the two Great wars.

In contrast, I feel the American poster holds plenty of detail including hidden messages in the art work, but not necessarily in the use of type or font, where as in an alternative view, the British poster doesn't hold masses of the message in the art, but the type does the speaking and mainly the use of "YOU" to connect to the audience and conjure up emotions.

I feel in a sense of impact or reception, that the poster by Savile Lumley will have had a greater impact (in addition to the rest of the propaganda surrounding WW1) due to the emotive language used, and the fact that this poster makes the audience feel obliged to serve their country, in comparison to purchasing a fictionally endorsed Range.

Saying that, I prefer the medias used in Schumacher & Ettlinger's work due to the depth of detail, and use of tone and colour, and I find Savile Lumley's piece rather mundane, dull and lifeless.

Introduction Group Brief: initial idea generation with the group

Having been assigned the problem "How can I find my way around Leeds?" we began to brainstorm all the ideas that came to mind and answer the questions involved with the brief.

As our sentence was to help Freshers find their way around Leeds, we narrowed the objective down to finding their way from Liberty park student accommodation to Leeds college of art, as it was something we all had in common as a group, and realised it was a journey that a high percentage of the class did everyday, making it one of the most helpful maps we could create.
The group collectively agreed a business card sized final product would be a very efficient and helpful piece of design as it would easily fit inside a wallet, and then unfold into a larger map that (hopefully) would be fit for purpose.

We managed to collect plenty of information, and also assign various tasks to each member of the group, which set us on a good start to the project.

The group decided that we should research existing maps created by graphic designers which we were recognised as being highly successful and useful to the world, such as Massimo Vignelli and also Harry Beck.

QR CODE:
As a group, we have had the idea of incorporating a QR code into our business card sized design, as a way of letting the consumer locate further necessary information, and potentially give feedback via a twitter social networking page.

Introduction Group Brief: Problems LCA Freshers may encounter

In groups, we all brainstormed the immediate problems Freshers at LCA may typically encounter, as expected, many ideas were presented, so as a class, we narrowed the problems down to the most specific few. Which include:

Moving on from that, we were randomly assigned a problem in groups from which we were to use in correlation with the induction brief.

Introduction Group Brief: "How to..." Brief analysis

From reading the brief I understand that we must create an informative piece of design that will benefit the new Leeds Freshers.

5 Pieces of design, and my contextual opinion: Chris Valentine's Illustration

I love how Chris Valentine has used multiple mediums in his illustrations, one being the graphite/smudge stick, and the other being water colour paints. The illustration he has created puts massive amounts of emphasis and attention on the male figure, showing the city scape around his shoulders, displaying that he. in a sense, is bigger/greater than the city. 

The colours used by the water colour paints set a certain mood around the design, such as the green tones to the left of the character portray nature to me and organic substances, where as the shades of red, blended with dark greys over the right shoulder appear as an explosion.

I love how the texture of the paper comes out due to the viscosity of the water colours, and how the flesh tones created by the graphite are powerful and emotive. 

5 Pieces of design, and my contextual opinion: Jeremy Kyle's Yoda painting

An artist from Auckland, New Zealand has created a painting of Yoda using various media including Water Colour, Ink, Pencils, Ink Pens, Water and Vivids.

His general style of portrays to me a power, and creativity, due to the aggressive and un-organised looking splashes with the liquid paints, but then the artist has reigned in the messy look by the use of pencils and pens, which you have more refinement when using. That aspect of this piece of design really appeals to me, how Jeremy has created a seemingly very artistic piece from what was a messy collection of colours.

5 Pieces of design, and my contextual opinion: Gold Digger Typography

I have chosen this piece of typography as I find it very effective in the way that it reflects the message of the type. The font design has been used in a Mise en scène way, in how gold has been used and the running liquid effect is prevalent.

In my opinion, this piece of typography is very effective, and it is impressive to see how the designer has mocked up the idea on paper and then processed/rendered the design on software. 

5 Pieces of design, and my contextual opinion: Frank Auerbach

I find Frank Helmut Auerbach an inspirational artist who uses mass amounts of oil paints in his own signature layering style. 

Auerbach applies that much paint to his pieces that the canvas is raised by inches, with thick partially dried oil paint. 

It has been said that his pieces can be so heavy that they fall off walls in exhibitions, and used to take excessive amounts of time to dry.

In this piece, it is amazing to see how he has created a detailed looking woman's face with hair, using just thick strokes of viscus paint. In this painting Auerbach has used bright, summer looking paints to create the woman's face, that sets a cheery mood, in adverse to if he had used dull mundane colours and she would look like a corpse. 

In contrast to Auerbach's other painting, the colours used in this piece are very monotone and not vibrant at all, using this method, he manages to set a completely different mood, and draw emotions from the viewer that are opposite to his other pieces. 

5 Pieces of design, and my contextual opinion: Clint Reid's illustration.

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Pen-Watercolor-III/8657489

I found these pieces of design, by Clint Reid, very creative, different and quirky. The way the artist has used a very finely tipped graphics pen in a collaboration with watercolour paints is not a medium I am familiar with, and it has stood out to me in new ways. I am amazed by the tones Clint has created in his pieces, using his watercolour paints, and also the detail which has been put into the outlines of his character creations.  

The unique and individual characters Clint has created intrigue me, and his work makes me feel that it greatly reflects his personality, and that he must have an unusual creative mind, but one that works to his advantage. 

5 Pieces of design, and my contextual opinion: Oscar Torres Typography

This well known quote by Confucius has been created using wood, not rendered or imposed using software. Oscar has used various typefaces in this piece, and they own serve their own individual purpose, such as how the line dedicated to "Love", where the L descends below the x height of the line as does the ascender of the letter. 

It is evident in this piece of typography how the hierarchy of type has been used to show the meaning of the quote, and to emotively appeal to the audience.