Author Archives: DLangley

Assignment 1: reflections on tutor feedback

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A large pipe painted on a cream background with the words Ceci n'est pas une Pipe in script underneath

Graphic Design 1 is both a new module and a new departure for me so getting my first tutor feedback felt like an important step. I was prepared for a degree of critique, I knew it was a fairly eclectic selection, but I hoped I had made it clear why I had chosen each approach. Even with that you can never be sure what others make of your work.

I have now read through the feedback several times and am really pleased that for the most part my intentions did come across as I had hoped.  My tutor made a number of interesting observations under each postcard and has provided some really useful signposting to help build my design work going forward.

Postcard 1

My first postcard focused on my interest in still life both in terms of its form and as a richly layered genre that includes politics, economics, social and cultural commentary. My tutor is right when he highlights:

One of your challenges ahead is how to imply these meanings within your designs, so your intentions become more embedded in the visual decisions you make.

I accept that not everyone will know the history of the still life genre or the symbolism of the tulip so this is something I will consider as I develop my ideas. In his feedback my tutor mentions Magritte’s Treachery of Images (1928-29), which I did not have in mind but the ‘Ceci n’est pas une Pipe’ image is one I have used in my work presentations so perhaps it was an unconscious influence. The reference to Patrick Caulfield is also helpful and not one I would have thought of so I will follow that up. I have also since come across this book on Graphic Design and Still Life, which I will also try and get hold of.

Postcard 2

This postcard is the most minimalist of the set and I was interested to see if someone else would understand it. I had asked my family which of the minimalist designs I had sketched they thought worked and it was the books they chose. My tutor suggests that it is not a problem if the meaning is not immediately obvious.

Your abstract book jacket design works very well in drawing the viewer into your love of books. It wasn’t immediately obvious that these were book jackets, but that’s not a bad thing. It invited engagement with the reverse of the card to decipher the motifs.

I am pleased to read my Tutor’s comment that ‘an active love of books goes hand-in-hand with many aspects of graphic design.’ I am conscious of starting to look at books with more of a design eye and it is probably no surprise that my favourite books (particularly those I use for my work) have a strong design concept.

Postcard 3

I was nervous about the Johari Window, I felt the idea was good but I wasn’t sure my execution worked. My tutor’s feedback suggests it did achieve what I wanted.

Another conceptually strong idea translated successfully into visual form.

He also suggests extending the idea to use four separate cards each representing a different viewpoint on myself, something I will explore further.

Postcard 4

I am really glad the sense of playfulness comes over in the collage. I had so much fun working on this set of ideas and I’m pleased that came across. It is important to me to have this playfulness as a counterpoint to the more serious work conceptually. Perhaps my next challenge is to see how I combine the two. It is good to know that this can be part of my work.

Playfulness is often overlooked as an essential element of creative thinking, so keep this approach going in future projects.

Postcard 5

I was delighted that my tutor found this ‘the strongest of the set.’ To be honest it was the one I wrestled most with myself about including. I really wasn’t sure that it sat within a graphic design brief. I decided I would include it because I thought it did say something important about me and because it took some time and effort to make!

Your human rights card is the strongest of the set. I really like how you have approached this card, especially in how you’ve kept your playfulness going by experimenting with cut paper.

My tutor highlights that the approach I took with this card ‘makes this a rich piece of communication.’ This is an important statement for me because although it is perhaps something that should be obvious this concern with communication is something I am starting to recognise marks out GD1 from my photography courses. That is not to say my photography isn’t trying to communicate something just that I am now recognising it has a different emphasis.

Sketchbooks

I am enjoying building my sketchbook and see the interlinking of my blog, notebook and sketchbook as an important part of my development. Developing my thumbnail sketching has been a key element of the process as it helps me think through my approach visually and has served to build my confidence with starting to draw again. I will indeed ‘keep this process going’ as suggested by my tutor.

Suggested viewing/reading

My thanks to my tutor for a wealth of interesting references which I will follow up:

I have joined various OCA fora as well as the OCA FB groups (photography, visual communications and history of art) to interact with other students and to get different perspectives and feedback.

I am very happy to have completed the first assignment and am keen to explore the different avenues I feel it has opened up for me in terms of my graphic design work.

Exercise: H G Wells book cover design ideas

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Exercise (p.40 OCA Graphic Design 1): Your brief is to design a stunning and contemporary cover for one of the 20th Century’s most acclaimed authors, HG Wells.

I have probably spent more time on this exercise than I needed to but I have really enjoyed getting into the process and exploring the issues it raises. Having done lots of thinking, reading and drawing (noted in my Learning Log) I moved into Photoshop and started experimenting with one of the ideas that had stuck with me – the moth and the moon. This gave me scope to try different fonts and start bringing the design together. The above designs reflect the steps in my process:

  • I decided I wanted to achieve something contemporary but that could also be timeless
  • I used the typefaces to highlight the contemporary feel (both are in grey because white look too dominant)
  • I wanted to keep the designs clear so limited myself to a maximum of two elements each
  • I tried out a photographic approach first because I wanted to see how it would work and decided to carry on rather than do something more illustrative
  • HG Wells’s writing is very descriptive and I was struck by the nature of the light in each of the short stories. This sense of light and dark along with the gothic feel made me decide to go with a dark cover and accentuate the dramatic effect
  • That said I also tried each with a touch of colour to see what effect that had
  • I was also mindful of what might appeal or intrigue a potential reader – what might make someone pick the book up even if they didn’t know the story
  • I wanted to create a sense of coherence, to show them clearly as a set
  • Overall, I think The Beautiful Suit works best but I am quite pleased with the set

What has struck me in conducting this exercise is the number of decisions and choices to be made during the process. This should probably not be a surprise but it was interesting to become more aware of the options at each point. The course materials talk about the need for designers to be problems solvers and this experience has reinforced that, but it also feels like more than problem solving. It’s about knowing when to open out your thinking and when to narrow it down. It’s also about being open to new ideas and where they might emerge from.

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Exercise: Book cover design

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Exercise (p.40 OCA Graphic Design): Your brief is to design a stunning and contemporary cover for one of the 20th Century’s most acclaimed authors, HG Wells. When you have a range of ideas and have notes in your learning log, make some rough drawings or sketches to show your ideas.

I could sense a little hesitation when I first read through the brief, this sounds like ‘proper’ graphic design! Rather than worry about whether I could come up with an appropriate design I thought about the research process. I started with an overarching mindmap drawing out some keywords, identifying research needs, thinking about different angles on the brief and drawing out some of the decision process. This process helped me think about which books I might design the book cover for, secondary online research showed that the most common titles for this sort of exercise seem to be ‘War of the Worlds,’ ‘The Invisible Man,’ ‘The Time Machine,’ and the ‘Island of Dr.Moreau.’

When I looked at HG Wells’ bibliography I came across a number of short stories that I hadn’t read before and decided this was the direction I wanted to take, that way I could perhaps develop something more distinctive. The short stories are full of rich symbolism with a glorious sense of the Gothic; several of them reminded me of Grand Guignol plays. I then decided on the three short stories I wanted to work with and did a further mindmap drawing out keywords for each of the titles. As I did this I had a sense I was starting to visualise how the design might develop, I could see some layouts in my mind’s eye.

In parallel I looked at lots of other examples for inspiration and tried to analyse the designs in terms of what I felt worked and what I might have done differently. I am now deep into playing with typefaces and thinking about which designs I might develop.

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Research Point One

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A series of different typefaces - based on 'the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog' phrase

Research Point (pg.38 OCA Graphic Design)

What sort of items have you collected so far?

What was it that made you want to keep these items?

My research to date has been broad in terms of getting to know the field a little better, and narrow in terms of the specific exercises and assignments. A core part of my strategy involves using different Pinterest boards extensively to collect visual examples:

I am also following a number of OCA Pinterest boards as that gives me access to more examples and includes things I might not have collected myself. I have a growing pile of books that span practical guides through to theoretical and conceptual approaches. These are particularly useful for weaving into other aspects of my life as I travel!

I am making use of my sketchbook to collect examples of the work of a range of Graphic Designers. This has been very helpful in terms of the HG Wells book cover design exercise. I have also been collecting magazines and online pages to get a feel for different design and layout approaches.

A series of different typefaces - based on 'the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog' phrase

Collecting

The current collecting focus for me is typefaces. I have learnt how to add new typefaces to my apps on the desktop and am making use of lots of free resources. It has been interesting exploring a number of websites that talk about trending typefaces. The Google fonts site is also helpful in that it suggests typeface combinations (this is helping me gain confidence in thinking about what I would use). Typography is the area I probably feel least comfortable with and although it comes later in the course I feel it is something I need to be thinking about as soon as possible.

The reasons for collecting these different materials vary. With some it was purely because I had some form of immediate response to them, approaches I really liked and disliked. Some surprised me or showed an idea I would never have thought of. Some of the illustration based examples made me full of awe – a case of illustration envy! In many cases it is an aesthetic response, something beautiful, ugly, funny or sad. In this process I have also found myself particularly drawn to work with a socio-political message. I am more interested in this field than the commercial ‘selling’ aspects of graphic design although I accept that there can be complex messages in those too and the dividing lines can be fuzzy.

I love research and as such this all feels quite natural to me. I think the thing I need watch is the never-ending data collection syndrome. The collecting bit is easy, it is knowing when to stop and make decisions that is the challenge!

 

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Assignment One: Introducing Myself

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Introducing myself – the final set

Introducing Myself – the process

Initially, on tackling this assignment I was thinking in terms of a coherent series but as I began developing different ideas I decided to use it as an opportunity to experiment with a range of techniques and approaches. I started with a mindmap and developed the ideas from there. After the minimalist sketches I worked on lots of little thumbnail sketches to develop more ideas.  I have created a set of five postcards that introduce different aspects of my personality, my interests and my life.

 Minimalist Books

As a starting point for the set I knew I wanted to try something very stripped back and quite minimalist. It is not a style I am very familiar with so I thought this would help me start to think in graphic design terms. I did some research online and started a Pinterest board for my postcard inspiration. During the research I found the work of Genis Carreras and that really helped me think about how I might communicate the essence of something important to me (particularly his Values and Philographics series).

Using a mindmap as a starting point I made four small sketches based on a notional ‘work, rest & play theme,’ these then developed into four postcard size ideas, of these it was Work and Books that I preferred. It wasn’t until I had worked on some of the other postcards that I then came back to this set and decided to go with books. I also felt it was something I might be able to try in Illustrator.

Johari Window

The brief made me think a lot about how best to introduce myself. Whether I should represent my work, my home life, my personality traits or preferences and so on. This led me to question how much it is ever possible to share anything that might go beyond the superficial. How can I introduce what I might not even know about myself?

I do a lot of personal development work and use a variety of models and was reminded of the ‘Johari Window’. I decided I wanted to include this as one of the postcards and quickly sketched the two by two matrix.  I did an internet search and found that almost all the diagrams used for the model are four boxes with text in each but I wanted something more visual and very simple.

I did an initial sketch using circles (like ‘minimalist books’ it was in part inspired by the work of Genis Carreras) and decided to go with that approach, I didn’t do any alternative versions as this felt right very quickly. I then decided that the simplicity leant itself to my first tentative steps to learning Illustrator.  I used the full circle for those aspects of me known to myself and to others, half circles for those elements known only to me or only to others and then a black rectangle for those hidden aspects. Where I did try alternative versions was with the colours but given the infinite variety available this felt a bit like falling down the rabbit hole! I’m not sure I got the colours quite right but I was really pleased to get as far as I did in Illustrator!

Smile

Two postcard size collages with people laughing, cats, cupcakes, pencils and a beach

Alternative Smile Collages

Smile was prompted by my enthusiasm to do something playful and built on some earlier collage work I had done for a previous module. I could have made it a Photoshop composite but I wanted to keep it as tactile as possible and preserve the cut edges. I simply thought of things that made me smile, collected some images from my archives and royalty free sites and played on the page. I created three collages and chose the bicycle version for the final selection.

I really enjoyed making these and was surprised how quickly they came together. It was a good reminder to play and not be too caught up with ideas of ‘perfection.’ The sunflower was printed just as my printer was playing up but I decided to keep it because I quite liked the effect. I’m not sure whether ‘Smile’ fits a graphic design label but it certainly says something about me!

 

 

Still life

An early idea in the formstorming was based on some of my recent still life work. I have spent some time researching the history of still life and particularly the Vanitas tradition. The Tulip for me has now become loaded with meaning – connoting beauty, wealth, capitalism, economics, life and death. I experimented with framing the the tulip in different ways and decided on the less cropped version. I wanted to show an almost ethereal tulip and to include the text ‘still life’. The words are arranged for the reader to read them in different ways – stillness, life, still life the genre, and still living!

 Universal Declaration of Human Rights

This was the last of the ideas to emerge and came out of a desire to create something different in format. As the others were evolving I was trying to think of something that might have a more sculptural or ‘off the page’ feel to it. This was in part influenced by some recent photographic work on still life where I was trying to break the conventional frame of the image.  As I was continuing with collecting for my Pinterest Board I came across the book cover by Nina Jua Klein.

This was just the inspiration I needed and it got me thinking about what text I would use by way of introducing myself. I went through favourite books, articles and so on but nothing quite landed. A lot was happening around current affairs at the time in terms of Brexit, migration, horrendous atrocities and complex national conflicts and so on. It was also the time of the Olympics and Paralympics. I was reminded of the 2012 Paralympic opening ceremony (I have a connection to one of the two Artistic Directors) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) presented itself. I felt it was a perfect text to use in terms of my concerns for social justice, equality and human rights in general.

The UDHR also felt right because Article 27 enshrines the right to participate in the cultural life of the community and I know how privileged I am to be able to do so.

Article 27.

 (1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.

(2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

I experimented with a range of layouts, and after many hours of cutting up and re-positioning the strips I produced a sculptural version, I then photographed the final result.

All the postcard backs were produced using Publisher, I didn’t feel I was ready to tackle InDesign but that is next on the list. With hindsight it was probably a mistake to do it this way as I then needed to make some convoluted format changes to get them to a suitable state to upload. I should have been brave and done them all in Illustrator, which I think I would do in future.

 

 

 

Part Two: Problem solving. Exercise – Working to a brief

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An open file with highlighted text

Working to a brief (pp34-35)

These are extracts from briefs set as part of a student competition. Read and analyse each brief.

 

 

Ask yourself:

  • What are you being asked to do?
  • How will the client judge a successful outcome to the brief?
  • What are the keywords?

Log any other questions you would wish to ask the client.

Brief 1

The brief is to design product packaging to appeal to a particular market segment.

The client will judge success by sales of ‘Chilled Creamy Oats’ to young women.

The keywords/phrases I identified are:

  • Packaging
  • Product name
  • Young women
  • Truly delicious snack
  • Juggling jobs & priorities
  • Love treats
  • Hate feeling hungry
  • Natural goodness
  • Bland and unappealing

In terms of additional information I would like to know if the client has sold to this target market before, what their other packaging was like (did they want something to match or very different from previous packaging), if they had views on size and shape, what compliance information was needed if any (nutritional information etc.), logo and company information, and what lifestyle data they have for the demographic they are targeting.

Brief 2

Design a metaphorical journey on the theme of connectedness. Define the market and how it will be targeted.

The client will judge success on an imaginative and surprising response to the brief and it’s clarity in communicating ‘connectedness’ to the viewer.

Keywords/phrases:

  • Long rail journey
  • Dramatic contrasts
  • Changing landscape
  • Interconnections
  • Embark & disembark
  • Dynamic is ever changing
  • Metaphorical journey
  • Theme of connections
  • Take us on a journey (list of connections)
  • Imagination
  • Quality of research
  • Connectedness

Other information I would like would be what the client has done before in this area, whether the design is part of a series, the brand identity of the client, existing colour palettes and media. I would probably want to test whether the brief is really as open as it seems.

Brief 3

Awareness raising and attitude change towards the risks of underage drinking.

Success would be based on young people’s awareness of the effects of drinking and making safe choices about drink.

Keywords/phrases:

  • Awareness
  • Risks
  • Underage drinking
  • Cultural change
  • Attitude towards alcohol
  • Best place to grow up
  • Children and young people happy & healthy
  • Core proposition
  • Parents to talk to their children
  • Avoid
  • Vulnerable situations
  • Think
  • Effects of drinking
  • Creative
  • Ideas
  • Why let drink decide?
  • Aged 13 – 16

I would ask the client what other awareness raising campaigns they have run, how connected they are with the target audiences (parents & young people), what mandatory information is needed (logo etc.), data they have on children/young people and alcohol, colour palette, and the range of media they already use.

In terms of the brief I would be most likely to tackle it would probably be the ‘connectedness’ brief. I like how open it is and can already picture in my mind the sort of approach I might take. I think I would be least likely to attempt the packaging probably because it feels furthest from my experience, but also because I imagine it is the one with the most constraints.

I think the connectedness brief would give more scope for experimentation, playfulness and new ideas. I think it would stretch me because I would have to determine my own parameters and it could take me into a variety of formats. It would also require some creative research, which is very appealing and has the potential for me learn something new in undertaking the brief.

The art of postcards

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Collage of lots of different postcards

The humble postcard is something I have probably paid little attention to in recent years, although I do often seem to spend time hunting for one to add a ‘thank you’ to my occasional second-hand book sales.

As with the paper exercise I had a look through my stationery stocks to see if I had any postcards and was surprised to find I actually had quite a few – some plain, some from past work projects, some from my travels in Canada and some art cards. I also found the beautiful CIA Graeae project postcards made from all the artworks in the exhibition. I then had a quick trawl online for inspiration and bought a few more including a historical set.

During my search I came across a real gem in the Marimekko set of 100 cards (50 designs) that are beautiful, fun and a riot of colour. They are a tribute to the textile design of Marimekko and have certainly given me some inspiration.

The postcard seems so well suited to its purpose it has hardly changed in 120 years. Reading some of the different accounts of the history of postcards in the UK it looks like it took about thirty years to get from the original version to its more familiar form with an image on one side and a divided back to allow for a message and address. Rather than repeat the detailed chronology that others cover well, I really wanted to note how it has been connected to social, cultural, technological and political contexts.  In summary the history of postcards follows several phases:

  • 1840 the penny postage stamp introduced
  • 1869 Austria introduces the first postcard
  • 1870 first postcards issued in the UK
  • 1894 first picture postcards produced
  • 1899 standard sizes introduced – 5.5” x 3.5”
  • 1902 the divided back postcard was introduced
  • 1902- 1914 the Golden Age – the texts of their day!
  • 1916-1930 White border era and a shift in popularity from greetings to view cards
  • 1930-1945 Linen card era. Vivid colour on linen paper. Main genres are view, comic and political humour
  • 1939 onwards Modern Chrome era. Technology allows the production of high quality photochromes

Postcards seem to come in a variety of genres which have evolved over their history, including:

  • Greetings
  • View
  • Art
  • Commemorative or historical
  • Promotional
  • Humour

In developing my postcard set I obviously have a specific brief in terms of introducing myself but researching the history of postcards has helped me explore the kinds of messages I might want to communicate.

History sources:

http://www.oldpostcards4sale.co.uk/history-of-uk-postcards

http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/photography/History-of-Postcards.html

Contemplating the history of graphic design

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Poster by Alphonse Mucha in Art Nouveau style

Setting out to look at the entire history of graphic design seems at best an act of optimism and at worst sheer folly. Even the concise published histories run to at least 200 pages. However, undeterred, I did at least want to get some sense of the field and see how others have defined it.

I found a number of helpful infographics, particularly the one from James Cain on the history of visual communications. This was useful in terms of the starting point being prehistoric picture writing, which reinforced for me the depth of our interaction with visuals. Neuroscience suggests that at least 20% of our brain is dedicated to vision.  I’m not sure I’m up to producing my own timeline yet but maybe later in the course.

Rather than recount any particular chronology, which feels a bit overwhelming at this point, I have tried to look for themes and patterns.

  • Links between art movements and developments in graphic design: it seems to me there has been a constant interplay between art and graphic design. Interestingly, the art nouveau posters of Mucha, themselves became regarded as art over time rather than advertising billboards. Modernism, post-modernism, constructivism, pop art to name a few have influenced the designers of their day.
  • The impact of war and propaganda on design: wars appear to have had a significant impact on the nature, purpose and sheer quantity of graphic design at different points in history.

The First World War established the importance of visual design. (Hollis, 2001: 32)

By the outbreak of the Second World War graphic design had become an established element of the political landscape and an essential component in delivering messages to populations.

  • Developments within particular national boundaries which then spread further afield. A number of countries have been credited with specific developments:
    • Russia and constructivism
    • Italy and Futurism, and the Milanese style
    • The Netherlands and de Stijl
    • Switzerland and the ‘Swiss style’
    • France and the Moderne, and so on…
  • Technological development and its impact on graphic design: Technology has both enabled and influenced the history of graphic design. This includes design technology and wider technological developments that have supported graphic design solutions such as the global mail system, lithography, the typewriter, the photocopier, photography, digital technology. I’m really looking forward to Graphic Means being released as it looks like it will give insights into some of these technologies!

Another theme that has emerged is that the key figures mentioned throughout the histories appear to be men, which raises for me the question around the gendered nature of what they produce. I know it is a bit of a rabbit hole to fall down but it does highlight questions about the nature of visual communications and whether gender affects outcome.

I know this is just the tip of the iceberg but it gives me some insight into different approaches and influences on the field of graphic design. It also starts to bring out some themes I might look at in more depth. There is obviously still much to explore!

References:

Hollis, R. (2001). Graphic Design: A concise history. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd.

 

Part One Exercise: Picture Charades

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Series of drawings to represent films or books

Exercise:

Play a game of picture charades with a friend in which you try and communicate the name of a TV programme, film or book using only drawing. Think about the essential elements and don’t talk – let your drawings give all the clues.

This is a game I have played before but I’m not sure my family has always been as enthusiastic about it as I am! After a bit of cajoling I managed to get a willing volunteer and using an online random charades generator we got stuck in.

I’m not sure I completely abided by the rules of not speaking but on the whole I think it went as planned. It was a real challenge to distil each of the titles into some visual signs that were universal enough for someone else to grasp quickly. Added to that was drawing it in a way that was comprehensible and clear!

The ‘heart’ of Lovejoy was instantly recognisable but the ‘dog collar’ for Yes Minister needed the addition of the hands praying and quite a lot of gesticulation! He got Gravity, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Animal House and Mastermind really quickly and I think they were probably the simplest drawings, which is something to keep in mind for the future.

Wuthering Heights he got backwards by guessing height & then heights, which made sense of the wobbly W. Just as well because I wasn’t sure what else to do for wuthering, other than trying to draw Kate Bush.

Hook he got but couldn’t remember the name and kept saying Captain Hook, even though I had indicated it was one word.  On Golden Pond is a favourite film so once he got ‘on’ and ‘pond’ (which I had to add some little waves to) he knew what it was. The one that didn’t work was Spamalot and we ended up arguing about the shape of the tin! I suspect it was helped that my pluses look like grave markers.

What did I get out of the exercise?

  • I think it was about really trying to get to the essence of something and keeping it as simple as possible
  • Working in a visual language is like any other language in terms of needing some sense of shared meaning
  • There are some iconic symbols like the Mastermind Chair which have acquired a strong meaning, although I suspect this is culturally determined

The joy of eclecticism

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Yesterday, I was being opportunistic and with hindsight a little optimistic about getting to a number of exhibitions in between meetings while I was in London.  I have read somewhere about keeping my influences broad and staying in touch with culture in its widest sense to improve my graphic design sensibility. So, I had lined up in my head:

  • The V&A Illustration awards 2016
  • William Eggleston at the National Portrait Gallery
  • Dutch flower painting at the National Gallery
  • Georgia O’Keefe at Tate Modern

Inevitably travel across London took longer than anticipated and in the end I managed two of the four. I thought I might just squeeze in the O’Keefe but the queue for tickets was just too long. In the case of Eggleston and O’Keefe, although I didn’t get to see the work, it was interesting to see the graphic design involved in their promotion.

The Illustration awards were a bit of a disappointment, not in terms of the work but in their display and presentation. They were tucked away in front of the National Art Library in brightly lit cases with a lot of red in the background. I’m afraid I felt it just didn’t do the work justice. You get a better sense of all the work online as well as being able to see all the entries.

Display case with text a red background and a small figure in the middle of menacing shadows

V&A Illustration Awards 2016: Bill Bragg’s ‘Now I’m Afraid’

The illustration that stood out for me was Bill Bragg’s ‘Now I’m Afraid,’ I found it incredibly powerful and liked its simplicity. It worked so well with the text and completely captured the sense of menace Masuma Rahim conveyed. The quality of all the work was very high and it was interesting for me to think about how I analysed illustrations as opposed to the more familiar photography or painting. I found I was considering them in the light of not just the quality of the art but whether they fulfilled their purpose in illuminating the text or the point being made.

Of those that didn’t make the finalists I really liked Lesley Barnes, Jill & the Dragon. It is lively and engaging, and looks to me like it has some historical references in its Bayeux tapestry type form. Let’s face it what’s not to love about dragons!

 

Banner for Duth Flowers exhibition at National Gallery August 2016

Dutch Flower Exhibition banner

From the V&A I went to the National Gallery to indulge my recent preoccupation with Vanitas Still Life, I particularly wanted to see if any of the women I had researched for my last photography assignment were included.  Although these were specifically flower paintings rather than Vanitas you could see elements of the genre in a number of the paintings – the cycle of life and death.

I was interested in the graphic design incorporated in the promotion of the exhibition that not surprisingly focused on the beauty of the flowers.

It was also fascinating to see the mass of merchandising the exhibition had generated in the shop, everything from notelets to a glasses cleaning cloth. Perhaps surprisingly there wasn’t a catalogue but there was pretty much everything else. Most of the heading font was serif combined with san serif body text. I could understand the use of the serif header text because it looks in keeping with the historic nature of the work.

By this point I knew there wasn’t time to fit in both Eggleston and Georgia O’Keefe so I headed off to Tate Modern, sadly by the time I got there was not enough time left to get a ticket and do justice to the show so that will have to wait for another day.

Banne for Georgia O'Keeffe exhibition outside Tate Modern with St Pauls in the background

Georgia O’Keeffe Exhibition banner

As with the Dutch flower paintings it was interesting to see how Tate Modern was presenting the show, something I might only have shown a passing interest in before now.  Would I have used the white flower as the main image? Possibly not. It gives a sense of her fluid style but I don’t think it conveys the vibrancy of much of her work. The font used seemed to be very much in keeping with the Tate house style and very clear and clean.  Apparently the brand identity was designed by Marina Willer of Wolff Olins in the late nineties.

It was really about finding the balance between making Tate much more democratic and accessible to lots of people, without taking away any of the things that they’ve built over the years in terms of respect and authority.

Willer, 2011, Creative Review ‘Branding the Art World’

Surprisingly, during my visit to London the piece that most caught my eye was the poster showing the changing design of the London Underground Roundel – it was fascinating!

Large poster showing the change designs of the London Underground roundel

100 years of the London Underground Roundel

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