OUGD402 Studio Brief 02 - Self Branding - Research

The Brief:
Within this brief we have to design, develop and produce self branding that effectively communicates and promotes me as an individual, designer and learner. To inform my design decisions I should reflect upon my learning aspirations and design direction. I should aim to communicate the context of your interests by referencing specific designers, studios, principles and audiences where necessary.

I should use this brief as an opportunity to explore, develop and demonstrate content, processes and areas of design that interest me at this point in time and may indicate my emerging creative concerns in Graphic Design.

Considerations:

• Representation of ME.
• Who am I now?
• What have I learned?
• What skills do I have?
• What do I know?
• What do I believe?
• Informed by - social, ethical, creative and professional concerns.
• What information do I need to include?
• What formats can I use to effectively communicate or promote this information?
• What tone of voice best reflects me, my practice and my ambitions?
• What experiences have shaped my opinions and views both in and outside of the programme?
• What are my creative concerns, opinions and beliefs and do I communicate these practically or conceptually? 
• What has informed these decisions and who are the contextual references that reflect my individual focus?
• What is 'Brand You'? My visual identity will help tie the information together. 
• What fonts, format, colours and production methods will help communicate and enhance my content.

Targets:

• Select or modify a typeface to used to display your name. 

• Colour swatch.

• Typeface (display and body copy)

• Presentation template (grid)

Research:

I began by brainstorming things about myself to try and give me a bit more insight into what I can do. I found this extremely challenging as I am not one to talk about who I am as a person.

I have the initial idea of 'packaging' myself, as packaging design is an area of design I have a keen interest in. I love minimalist design but I also like to come up with some creative conceptual ideas, so I would like to try and combine the two. Recently I have become interested in collage design such as David Hales work this could also be something I experiment with. I also really love illustration something simple could also be incorporated. 

Inspiring Examples:

A Hundred Monkeys - Ticket roll business cards

These business cards are designed for the branding naming agency A Hundred Monkeys. This is a strong concept, completely different from the bog standard business card, it entices people to read on. The process to make these would also be extremely cheap as it is coloured card with black ink. This business card is iconic and enhances the creativity of the company. Concepts like this is something I would be interested in doing to make myself stand out from the crowd.

Risha Kariwal - Cut out business cards

This design is really structurally sophisticated with its intricate design, highlighting the attention to detail. Possibly done by using laser cut, this proves to be a dynamic piece of design that again engages with the receiver. However not much information would be able to go on the card but this could work to an advantage as people want to find out more about you.

Hot Popsicle - Business cards

Collaborative branding of a fictional graphic design firm. Bright coloured business card set off against the white of the holder makes the colours pop. Another conceptual idea that works cohesively with the brand. Presenting a business card in a new captivating way. 

Megan Sheerin - Self promotion

Simple play on words allows that to be the focus of the design, making it very memorable. It is clean and bespoke.

OUGD402 Photography Workshop

We were given a brief introduction to photography and the basics on camera function. We then had the task of experimenting with shutter speed, exposure and aperture. 

Aperture 'the opening in the lens':
The larger the opening, or wider the aperture, the more light you let in with each exposure. The smaller the opening, or narrower the aperture, the less light you let in. Aperture is measured in f-stops. A lower number represents a wider aperture and a higher number represents a narrower aperture.

Depth of Field:
Referring how much of the shot will be in focus. A wide aperture lets in more light and produces a shallow depth of field. A narrow aperture reduces the amount of light and produces a deeper focus.

Shutter Speed:
When you press the button to take a picture the aperture blades take a specific amount of time to close, known as the shutter speed. Typically measured in fractions of a second. Shutter speed is the length of time where the sensor is exposed to light. As well as controlling the amount of light that enters the camera, shutter speed has another interesting effect – slow shutter speeds show motion and blur, while fast shutter speeds can “freeze” motion. Choosing a shutter speed that’s too slow can mean that pictures lose their sharpness due to camera shake. It's very hard to hold the camera perfectly still while shooting a picture unless you use a tripod. 

ISO:
A measure of how sensitive it is to light. Lower numbers represent lower sensitivity to available light, while higher numbers mean more sensitivity. ISO introduces noise (on digital cameras) or grain (when using film) so a higher ISO produces this.

Testing:

Fast shutter speed with low aperture

Slow shutter speed with low aperture

Good balance of aperture and shutter speed

I found this workshop quite challenging as it was a very basic overview, so initially it took a fair few try's to work out how the settings work. I haven't done any manual photography before so this was all new to me, but I did notice that it could produce a more interesting effect and quality of image than on auto. Learning about a cameras manual settings is really important because I know within graphic design photography can become a big part so it is good to know at least the basics. I think this will also help me to take more considered photos during my projects. I am eager to learn more in depth about photography as I do have a strong appreciation for it.

OUGD402 Source of Inspiration - Adam Hale (The Daily Splice)

A few weeks ago as I was browsing my instagram feed I came across an artist called David Hale who uses free London weekly magazines to create really interesting collages. As I browsed his work further I found that he has a website called 'The Daily Splice' (http://thedailysplice.com) which showcases all his handmade collages. I find his work really compelling as original images are cut down and fit together so seamlessly to create a whole new context. I think this is something that I would really enjoy experimenting with myself and something that I could possibly incorporate into my self-branding project. Hales collages are quite minimal in design and work really well on the plain background to really give a high impact visual.