FMP WEEK 5 (WC: 28/12/2020)

This week started out positive for me as I received my grade for task one which I had submitted previously. Following on from this, I used my feedback from what was complimentary about my work to logically inspire my future designs. The feedback from my work was to focus further on fonts and typography, implement more research into my blog and experiment further with downloading fonts online and seeking free for commercial use fonts to experiment with. My personal selection of fonts used were adequate but could have had some more refined and detailed typography choices that were backed up by some evidence in the form of appropriate research. In the past I hadn’t placed much consideration for the type of text that I chose to use in my work and was oblivious to how different colours, dimensions or serifs can influence the communication of what the design is attempting to represent. After educating myself further, carrying out trials on typography and analysing some more design layouts relevant to the style of my FMP could enhance my design elements further for a more successful project.

Another section of my feedback was that some of my strongest work was situated towards the end of my sketchbook. The work being referred to was a selection from a small sketchbook I curated consisting of several quick collages I made focusing on shapes, layering and evoke a mood from imagery and patterns all taken my me so I had complete ownership of the design. The anticipation of working towards the deadline for the end of task one enforced my way of working which led me to creating work that wasn’t over thought, picked apart or refined too heavy. The collages were well considered in terms of placement as I went with my eye mainly and chose the layouts that suited the shapes of the design initially, rather than refining for hours to create a collage that doesn’t work.

This led me to creating a series of posters made from tactile collages similar to last weeks work but adapted to a new set of text which I found in various psychology, philosophy and fashion magazines as I found it was useful to branch out when it comes to visual and text resources for collages as this creates more interesting juxtapositions between the text and he image which has been sourced. This is a few examples, as usual all will be in the sketchbook.

All the collages were created through the same format of utilising text from various print  magazines which I then took to my scanner on my printer, to create some analogue graphic design typography trials which were then implemented in a collage. The collage in the background gains texture from the use of scrunched paper. and the text blends in well crating a harmony with the whole image as I used the photo blending tools on Adobe Photoshop to ensure the white background of the text would not be so hard against the collage and sit on top, I wanted to engrain it in the full design. The scanner adds psychedelic swirly shapes which create a movement for the whole poster, my eyes travel downwards carefully as everything is positioned on the page to read neatly in a vertical formation. The text reads fighting from afar’ which was drawn to me due to the many possible connotations and personal connections that people could take from this text to make them think about their own experiences in relation to the design, or how they design is impacting the customers mood, and poses the questions for future reference: what moods are my designs evoking to the public? Is this a good thing or not?

I’m pleased with the second collage however this took quite a few trials and tests for refinement which led to this final design. This has taught me that some of my designs and posters could take around five ,minutes and some could take five hours which is equally fine. It helps for me to create work to my own eye and what works for me at the time rathe than being to scheduled and spending the same amount of time on each piece, for me it is about adapting to each experience of the design and what message I want to convey. Sometimes one piece can take far longer than others. Once again the scanner I used has created an abstract design which elongates the shapes of the typography I chose, which lengthens the form and creates a downwards movement similar to the collage above it. The circular shape in the middle came to me by accident when playing round on Adobe Photoshop, this happens frequently with my designs and is a great way for me to create more individual looking work led by experimentation and trials although leaves me lost when searching for a way to recreate this look. On the plus side, this encourages me to explore the tabs on the software to find new solutions to common problems.

The last collage is my personal favourite from the series. Something that I had not previously placed much considering upon was utilising imagery from online resources such as UnSplash which I discovered through a LinkedIn Learning graphic design class which states a few resources to make use of copyright free imagery for no cost which is essential for a designer especially during this pandemic where the means of sourcing visual information has become limited. I also discovered the liquify tool during a TikTok tutorial graphic design video, a tool which I had seen many times yet hadn’t used before even though it is extremely simple and compliments my distorted style of working so well therefore becoming an appropriate tool for digitally manipulating my imagery for my FMP. The colour palette used compliment each other well as the main colour is the grey which is neutral, and thus allows the bright in the green and blue to pierce through and become focal points of the design.