Category: AD394 – Creative Research

AD394: presentation

(notes from my presentation of work)PART 1: Activism in Fashion Communication

I initially researched into trends and forecasting using Trendtablet and Li Edelkoort’s anti-fashion manifesto. I wanted to investigate something I haven’t explored in previous projects, and a lot of my personal work outside of university, and my internship (at Hi Cacti, a cactus concept shop in Brighton) was based around botanicals, plants and wellbeing so I decided to explore this trend further, looking at the appreciation of plants in all areas of our lives and living in harmony with nature.

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F U T U R E R E S E A R C H

There are particular concepts, topics and artists I was not able to research in this module but that I definitely want to explore in my final major project:

Martha Harris’ presentation on typography in activism:

Martha Harris’ presentation on typography in political settings has inspired me to look at political/activist posters and the constructivist style of early revolution posters, continuing through to the punk era and how artists and musicians adopted these styles – limited colours (2-3), geometrics/Art Deco shapes. Also how designers such as Rodchenko and Lizzitsky had started to feature strong or working women in their imagery, which could translate well into my proposed project.

The punk era aimed to destroy bourgeois/middle class imagery and the groups such as the Sex Pistols in particular referenced Communist propaganda in their album artwork and posters.

I also intend to look at Linder Sterling and her work for Jon Savage’s Secret Public zine, which used collage, photography and type in a way that I am interested in recreating or experimenting with.

I also want to look into DIY activist merchandise e.g. handmade banners and placards as this relates to my research I’ve carried out into the issues of mass-produced merchandise, and how we could alternatively create our own, more personal and therefore powerful messages.

Barbara Kruger – Martha made an interesting point about how Kruger’s more current work is more commercial than her earlier pieces, perhaps more relevant to fashion communication – Does this blur the boundaries between political messages and capitalism? Is this intended?

Spare Rib zine 1972-1993 – After Martha mentioned this feminist zine I discovered that all issues are available to read online on the British Library – so I want to explore this further for ideas about content and self-designed/published books.

Further reading/booklist:

Andersson, Patrik; Steedman, Judith. “Inside magazines: Independent pop culture magazines.” (London: Thames & Hudson, 2002). Print.

Barnard, Malcolm. “Fashion as communication.” (London: Routledge, 2002). Print.

Duncombe, Stephen. “Notes from the underground: Zines and the politics of alternative culture.” (Bloomington, Ind.: Microcosm, 2008). Print.

Fawcett-Tang, Roger; O’Reilly, John. “Experimental formats: Books, brochures, catalogues.” (Crans-Près-Céligny; Hove: RotoVision, c2001). Print.

Fawcett-Tang, Roger. “Experimental formats 2: Books, brochures, catalogues.” (Mies; Hove: RotoVision, c2005). Print.

Glaser, Milton; Ilić, Mirko. “The design of dissent.” (Gloucester, Mass.: Rockport Publishers, c2005). Print.

Hack, Jefferson; Furniss, Jo-Ann. “Dazed and confused: Making it up as we go along: A visual history of the magazine that broke all the rules.” (New York: Rizzoli, 2011). Print.

Leslie, Jeremy. “Issues: New magazine culture.” (London: Laurence King, 2000). Print.

Leslie, Jeremy. “MagCulture: New magazine design.” (London: Laurence King, 2003). Print.

Piepmeier, Alison. “Girl zines: Making media, doing feminism.” (New York: New York University Press, 2009). Print.

Scott, Linda M. “Fresh lipstick: Redressing fashion and feminism.” (New York; Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006). Print.

STATEMENT OF INTENT

For my final major project I intend to research into one of my main areas of interest in contemporary feminist issues, to interrogate the lack or insincerity of powerful feminist messages and content in fashion imagery and communication, as I feel it is an issue that is particularly prevalent, and more individuals and collectives are trying to find new ways to use their voices. I can build upon and broaden my research into these concerns from previous projects to create work that summarises my interests in fashion and contemporary society. I want to direct this project towards art direction and graphic design, working on new or novel ideas in image-making and design, culminating in a new fashion or art publication.

I have begun my research by looking into ‘feminist’ mainstream fashion campaigns and imagery, for example H&M’s new Like a Lady advertorial film, and the backlash that often comes with this, to question whether the fashion industry can ever really be feminist, unless it disregards trends or becomes a parody of itself, for example the fashion house Vetements, known for its satirical use of logos and simplistic design. I also explored the Riot Grrrl movement to collect visual examples of self-published zines as well as contemporary zines from the current DIY movement, a form of underground communication to rebel against societal norms. I think the concept of this could easily be translated into an anti-fashion publication. I also began to think about graphic and editorial design, format and printing methods, to carry my research forward by looking into alternative graphic design that ‘breaks the rules’, to explore how this can be translated into fashion communication. I’ve looked into mainstream current feminist publications such as Bitch and Lenny Letter, as well as Bay Garnett’s Cheap Date magazine of the 1990s, to examine the topics and debates they discuss, to begin thinking of the possible audience and content of my outcome.

My contextual and visual research so far has informed my early experimentation as I begin to process and test ideas. I began experimenting with collage, using imagery and text from vintage publications as well as contemporary fashion images to display, and make a mockery of, how issues of sex and gender have been presented in fashion and advertising. Using the language of Riot Grrrl zines as well as contemporary media as a starting point, I have thought about ‘trigger words’ that have connotations that could link to feminist concerns, to begin thinking about the title and tone of my work. This thought process allowed me to also experiment with typography ideas, which I hope will progress further into my final major project as I work on the visual identity of my work.

I feel that through investigating these issues and existing work relating to this I can deepen my knowledge and create work to provoke change and conversation, while using creative fashion imagery. A publication such as a new magazine will be a successful outcome as I can showcase and improve on my existing knowledge and experience with typography, design and layout, critical writing and image-making. This will also allow me to produce outcomes alongside the publication if the direction of my project takes me there, for example promotional material like a film or online graphics. At this point I am particularly interested in creating satirical or light-hearted, playful work in response to my chosen theme, to encourage me to experiment and push boundaries to communicate my topic in an innovative and perhaps shocking way.

With this project I hope to gain a deeper understanding of new and innovative fashion imagery and promotion, especially when tackling contemporary societal issues. I hope to improve my graphic design and image-making skills to a professional standard while also gaining greater understanding of the production and marketing of art publications. To achieve my desired outcome I will need to carry forward my initial research and experimentation to repeatedly test and polish my ideas to a professional standard, as well as managing my time well through a work plan or Gantt chart, and keeping motivated and inspired through constantly revisiting my research.

I feel my initial research into my interests and the questions I want to answer have given me a strong idea of the themes, visuals and work I will need to produce over the course of my final major project. Alongside this statement I have designed and produced an initial media pack for my magazine, which highlights and displays the research and experimentation I have produced so far. This will be helpful to refer back to, alter and add to throughout my project as my ideas develop and change. I now have a more solid idea of how I want to progress with further research in regards to design and image-making, as well as intended experimentation in printing methods, layout and book arts.

F I L L E R magazine: media pack

As part of my outcome for part 2 of this module, as well as my statement of intent for my final major project I wanted to create an initial media pack for my intended publication, bringing together my research and ideas to create a document that can form the basis of my work next semester. This media pack for FILLER magazine demonstrates the outcome of my research and experimentation and how it has informed my ideas around my potential outcome. Although these ideas may change, this has allowed me to move forward with a clearer idea of where I want my FMP to go, with an outline of design, content and readership and what I will need to do to make this a reality.

Creating this media pack also allowed me to experiment with InDesign and layout more which I really enjoyed, as I want my work to focus more on creative typography and design, and ‘breaking the rules’ of graphic design.

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WEEK 4: tutorial and development of ideas

My tutorial with Martha Harris yesterday was particularly helpful in giving me confidence with my ideas and research so far. We discussed my in depth research into ‘feminist’ fashion brands/campaigns and the issues that arise with these, and my research into the characteristics and aesthetics of feminist zines, both of the Riot Grrrl era and contemporary DIY movement, including Bay Garnett’s Cheap Date magazine and its satirical content.

We also discussed how I am looking at ‘trigger’ words to create a strong title for the magazine and how this will help inform my typography and general design/aesthetics. For example the word ‘Filler’ could have sexual or surgical connotations as well as food or even design and speech meanings. I said I am particularly interested in exploring other methods of printing to give a contemporary take on the early Xerox photocopied zines, and as I have used risograph printing before in personal work I hope to explore methods such as these further in my FMP.

Martha helped me think about ideas for content, and having themed issues but also regular features, and how I want to ask for submissions or collaborate to ensure a range of content.

We also discussed the idea of tear-out/pull-out elements and ‘treats’, such as a centrefold poster or other perforated pages, which will add to the experimental and fun visual identity I want the magazine to have.

She suggested I look at Linder Sterling and Jon Savage’s Secret Public fanzine as well as album artwork by Nirvana and the Vaselines to inform my image-making.

I now feel confident to progress with solidifying my ideas for my intended publication and how I can experiment and push boundaries with my design and image-making as I move into my FMP and writing my statement of intent. I also took a lot away from her presentation on political poster typography and design, and graphics from the punk era, which will help to broaden my research.

FMP RESEARCH: WEEK 3

This week I began experimenting with initial image-making fed by my research into feminist matters in fashion and fashion publications. Using images and text from vintage publications as well as contemporary magazines I created simple collages that provoked thought around debates of sex, gender and equality. This sparked ideas around the concept of creating fake advertisements in my proposed magazine, as a playful but thoughtful way of interrogating issues in the fashion media industry.
This made me start thinking about the identity of my publication. I started thinking about ‘trigger words’ that appear in advertisements or women’s/fashion magazine that could have connotations that fit with a feminist theme. Taking inspiration from Riot Grrrl zines and the way they reclaim aggressive or misogynistic words in their publications, I wanted to put a contemporary twist on this. I brainstormed words that popped up in adverts or articles that suggested concerns around women’s bodies, beauty or sexuality, as well as researching into other offensive terms for women to find a catchy, meaningful title.

BROAD – old-fashioned, offensive term for a woman. also think about stature or build. sounds aggressive and stern (could also mean something to do with print? ‘broadsheet’)

SILICONE – cosmetic surgery, implants, artificiality but also smoothness and perfection

FILLER – surgery and beauty standards, but also could sound sexual? also a term for a sound or word to fill a pause. (type meanings – filler text.) could also have food connotations?


After this experimentation I was motivated to look further into contemporary design of small-press or artistic publications, to get ideas for visual identity and alternative printing methods – to take a contemporary approach to the older, photocopied zine. I looked briefly into Bay Garnett’s Cheap Date magazine (which I want to look into further during my FMP – content ideas, design and written tone) which was mainly black and white but with creative, childlike graphic design. This made me start looking at graphic designers that create work that isn’t traditionally clean or professional, such as Lennarts and de Bruijn, whose work features bright colours, wild combinations of typography and shapes. I also looked at People of Print’s poster zines, which look risograph or screen printed, a method I am very interested in exploring further as I have used risograph printing in my personal work and love the vibrant colours and overlapping of layers. The fold-out design of these zines also helped me start thinking about the formatting of my publication, as I want to explore more creative ways of working with ‘the book’ as an art piece, rather than creating a conventional magazine.

FMP RESEARCH: W E E K 1/2

I began my research for Part 2 of this brief by thinking about issues or activism I am interested in. My dissertation topic is querying the revival of 1950s lingerie/corsetry and how this relates to the eroticism of this time period as well as the present day. Through my research and writing for my dissertation I became interested in the matter of lingerie, erotic imagery and fetishism as a feminist issue and the debates around it, so I particularly want to investigate feminist issues or imagery for my FMP.

I began my research for this brief by looking initially at feminism in fashion – for example the rising trend of feminist slogan t-shirts and campaigns, and the issues that arise with this in a capitalist society – asking the question, can fashion ever really be feminist? I think this is an interesting area to research and interrogate as there is a huge rise of feminist discourse particularly online and in art collectives, but there is a feeling that feminist acts in the fashion industry are quite superficial or meaningless, due to design, production and marketing methods.

I progressed my research into feminist discussion through image-making, by looking into Riot Grrrl zines and the aesthetics, characteristics and topics they adopted. I am particularly interested in self-published zines as a form of rebellion, and the fact that they can defy all norms or expected qualities of  because of this. I began to question whether it is possible to create a subversive fashion publication, going against the expectations of how one should be designed, the content inside it and how it generally talks about fashion and style, and addresses the reader.

I want to continue my research into alternative graphic design, image-making and aesthetics for publications, to begin thinking of ideas for my own publication, and the identity, tone and discussion it will provide.

AD394: P A R T 1 evaluation

C R I T I C A L  R E F L E C T I O N 

For this brief into activism in fashion, I wanted to explore an area different to what I would usually look at. My work often focuses on themes of feminism or mental health, but I wanted to push myself to focus on concepts and ideas I don’t usually feel I have the knowledge to pursue. A lot of my personal image-making work outside of university has focused on plant life and botanicals and so I wanted to bring this interest into this project brief.

As an avid social media user, I was seeing the growing trend in plants and nature, particularly on Instagram and through others’ artwork, so I used this as initial inspiration to kick-start my ideas process, as well as researching into visual artists, designers and fashion brands that are focusing more and more on the concept of natural living that harmonises with the contemporary world around us. The brief was quite open, to focus on either ‘anarchism and revolution’ or ‘peace and prosperity’ – I therefore took my work in the direction of peace and prosperity, to demonstrate the changing attitudes to how we treat our planet and the appreciation we should show towards it.

I would say my work and the direction I wanted it to take changed several times throughout the project. I initially wanted to create quite a broad publication that featured elements of lifestyle, health, fashion and visual art, for example the rising trend in veganism and house plants, visual art that takes inspiration from this, and try out some fashion editorial shoots featuring these concepts. I realised I did not have enough time to make this a reality and was perhaps setting myself too broad and time-consuming a task, so I decided my publication should be a summarised – or extract from a trend book, displaying only a couple of areas of a trend rather than a full report that would be used in the industry.

I wanted the publication to be accessible to the public, perhaps resembling an independent magazine, and providing inspiration and ideas for not only designers and makers but also individuals looking to change the way they approach fashion – this idea came from my initial research into Li Edelkoort’s viewpoint on the future of fashion, and how she states that the industry needs to change to keep the interest of this generation of outsiders (who are ‘hungry for consensus and altruism’ rather than the latest fad or repetitive trends).

I feel I allowed my skills to develop in this project, through learning to conduct in depth visual and theoretical research to feed my ideas – I became aware that when I had not done enough research my ideas came to a halt and I was unable to move forward with my creative work. For example, it took me a while to create fashion illustrations I was happy with due to not researching into existing illustrators. I also conducted more primary visual research, visiting galleries for inspiration – even if simply for colours, shapes or process ideas – and visiting Kew Gardens to obtain a rich library of photographs (and drawings) that I could experiment with and use throughout the project and beyond.

I am particularly happy with the way I developed my InDesign and layout skills, to create a cohesive publication with contemporary and experimental design, while still keeping a professional look. I particularly enjoyed working with textiles when I experimented with plant dyes, and wish I had taken this further to create tactile, multimedia work.

I regret the issues I had with time-management, and becoming demotivated when I hit a creative block or received criticism, as I would have liked to experiment more with fashion photography and include an editorial shoot in the trend book. This project has definitely taught me to keep researching and creating to reach a conclusion I am happy with, and to experiment more with different media and methods. I think I have learned a lot about the way I work and how I can constantly improve and carry this forward into my final major project.

finalising trend book concept/visuals

R E W O R K I N G  M Y  I L L U S T R A T I O N

After researching deeper into my subject matter and creatives that could inspire my imagery, I reworked my fashion illustrations to push myself more to use different processes and experiment with my drawing style. 

This was my favourite illustration; I combined and layered line drawing with marker pens, fineliners, my own photography and found images to create fashion illustrations focusing on colour, texture and contemporary design. I think this made them fit well with the clean, vibrant still life photography that I have decided to lay alongside them in my publication, to create a strong feature on plant-based dyes and textiles in fashion.

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WEEK 4: deepening my research

Our group crit on 17th October revealed that my ideas so far are perhaps too textile based and that there is not enough research to back up my ideas as a realistic “manifesto” for fashion change. As I do not want to alter my ideas completely, this has encouraged me to continue and deepen my research into areas that relate to my chosen topic, and ensure that I bring fashion/garment ideas and visuals into my work (as much as I do enjoy to work with art and lifestyle concepts). I do not want my work to focus on textiles or plant dyes necessarily but do want to use this idea in my publication, so will ensure I incorporate this somehow into other visual work – perhaps to be used in illustration or collage for fashion? Showing that I have considered textile methods such as fabrics and dyes while also illustrating finished garments in trends?

I have conducted some research in my sketchbook into fashion illustrators to strengthen my illustration work, and one in particular that I looked at interested me. Elyse Blackshaw’s fashion illustrations are expressive while also being young, fun and contemporary. They remind me of the comments I made on Basquiat’s work at the start of my research, of how I wanted to learn to be more expressive and not to confine my work too much or be too perfectionistic. Her figures focus on colour and texture rather than defined shapes, with a childlike quality.

Elyse Blackshaw fashion illustration. Instagram: @elyseblackshaw

 

I have also begun to look more thoroughly at trend reports and trend books, e.g. at Trend Union’s books, the “mode information” website (which stocks styling forecasts, trend books and colour books) and WGSN reports online, to examine the kind of imagery used and how trends are portrayed, described and analysed. This has given me a better understanding of what my publication should include, from the graphics/layout, to text, photography and illustration, and has inspired me to create a broader range of imagery to enable the book to act as a sort of “moodpboard” so that readers can really understand my concept.