Typeface Continuation

Looking at my previous work on fonts, I set out to continue some of my ideas to a higher standard. My personal goal was to complete an alphabet to a consistent standard in shape and style. I chose to do a methodical and mathematical format typeface first. Ensuring they followed rules to where they curve and where. It is important that as a set the type works well as it's required to make a type flow easily.

My next alphabet was a lot more free flowing with less restrictions. I focused on unclean lines as a stylistic choice. The use of negative space was the core concept behind this work and I would like to explore and elaborate on it more.

Typeface Exploration

 Todays task was to explore different visual cues in imagery and style to create different typefaces. The task was intentionally free-flowing to allow as much exploration as possible. The intention to this task is to consider cursive, serifs and overall layout and style not just legibility. I wanted to focus on colour, shape and negative space inspired by the reference materials we were given. The references were a variety of pre-existing type, architecture styles and imagery.

Interactive PDF files

When we are creating media we have to think about compactness and delivering method as a designer. The user experience can be a crucial part of a graphic presentation or work demonstration. Building buttons and making it interact can give the client or user a more interactive experience.

Helvetica cut up magazine

In a small team with had a short amount of time to work on a task to specifications. This session is to test our ability to work to a deadline within a team to create a piece that follows the specifications of the 'client'. Within the group the first task we chose was to allocate people to tasks based on our strengths. We then worked on a few test layout ideas on paper before doing any digital work.We also discussed themes and style types we were interested in. Things like minimalism and punk were popular within the group so we agreed to style our individual pieces around this kind of theme.

We then all split into independent working. I was tasked in turning all of the exampled type into vectors a format that would be easier for my team to edit, alter and transform in other software. Once that was distributed to everyone to work we all made individual pieces for the paper. They would all come together at the end into one big collection of pieces.

Both of these designs were created by my team-mate Eugene. He used shape and contrast to eccentuate his work. The work is chaotic as to fit to the theme of punk.

 

 Aiden created a more legible piece using bright design and jittery/corrupt text. His work would be the cover for the project book we were creating.

This design was created by team-mate Sophie. Her illustrative piece is inspired by postmodernist art and style. The vibrant colours follow in the same vein. The piece itself is of the designer of the Helvetica font.

Implimenting Sophie's work into my idea I created a layered collage of text and image. Using CMYK colour scheme as much as I could to give a early print feeling to the piece.

When designing the inside of the book we created I found that the majority of the keys on the keyboard I was using didn't work. I utilised this to my advantage as the book itself is a play on conventional type and layouts. This gives the broken type its own place within the book as its own piece.

Reflecting upon the project I think that our team co-ordination was good but ensuring the brief was properly pursued could have been better. The work we produced was to a good standard but we came across issues when it came to creating the end Indesign document.

Data Moshing

Using algorithms we can give a sense of controlled randomness to an image. The data will attempt to corrupt or alter the code of the information you give it. In this case I used .jpg format images and changed values in the algorithm to get different results.

Ikea Tactics

  


and How It Became a UK HouseHold Name

Ikea is a multinational Company  and the worlds largest furniture retailer dealing in Timeless, well priced furniture to the world. Changing peoples opinion through clever marketing and branding techniques. Ikeas marketing strategy of tailoring to the correct demographic soon got them top of the leaderboard for mass marketing starting in european countries then the rest of the world.

When Ikea hit america it used marketing more suiting to the american market and demographic mentioning "football season" and the phrase " it's a big country. Someone's got to furnish it." This same product marketing wouldn't work in the Uk as successfully due to social and cultural differences between America and the Uk consumer market however this method can soon be altered to most demographics. They altered bedding sizes, cutlery and plates and almost everything needed upscaling to fit the bigger is better lifestyle that is adopted there. The same method can be applied to most mass markets.

The main demographic for Ikea furniture before it reached the uk in the 1990's was the european market. The UK at this time was a period of Frilly curtains and kitsch wallpaper. The idea of a swedish simplistic furniture set from ikea seemed all too distant. With this in mind Ikea used clever branding techniques to change the uks consumer pallet from frills to fresh. They did this over the course of numeral years and clever marketing.

A good example of this would be the Chuck out your chintz" jingle advert. This long running propaganda was catchy and had some underlying messages. The jingle suggests to go against tradition and bring a new attitude and idea ( in the form of new 'clean' furniture. It also makes a gesture to women being more independent and how the 'flowery trimmage is spoiling our image' of the modern day woman. Suggesting a new start was relevent politically in a time of new elections and the idea of political change aswell.

This can all be taken from one advert designed not only to sell a few minimalist DIY tables but to change a nations opinion. It also shows the consumer attitude and how marketing can provoke people to feel in different ways.

Flatland

No one now needed to ``feel'' him; no one mistook his front for his back; all his movements were readily ascertained by his neighbours without the slightest strain on their powers of calculation; no one jostled him, or failed to make way for him; his voice was saved the labour of that exhausting utterance by which we colourless Squares and Pentagons are often forced to proclaim our individuality when we move amid a crowd of ignorant Isosceles. 

a Pentagon whose name is variously reported from Sophie Wales on Vimeo. 

This piece was a part of a colaboration piece from a group workshop. We were all given individual extracts from the novel 'Flatland' by Edwin Abbott to create a colaborative video. The novel revolves around the idea of a society of shapes which your worth is determined by how many sides you possess.

Flatland from Motion-go on Vimeo.