I am now in the second year of studying Visual Communication and there are several skills which I have learnt and want to improve upon. As a visual communicator, you are encouraged not only to improve the skills and knowledge that you already posses but also to learn new practices in order to become a better designer.
I have spent my first year trying out different methodologies and practices. I found this very useful but also quite challenging. I want to focus more this year at enhancing my Graphic Design skills which includes working with Illustrator, Photoshop, Indesign and thumbnail drawings. I want to use this year to improve my personal portfolio of work and also to get work experience from a design company to build my confidence.
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
Tuesday, 27 May 2008
Seminar Presentation
I studied graphic design for two years at Barking College in London. Whilst studying there, I learnt how to develop graphical designs in a sequential and progressive manner. I also learnt how to transfer my skills onto a design software illustrator. As my confidence grew, I became more competent and therefore developed the ability to work independently.
I have always been led to other designers through my own research. Looking at their work has inspired me to come up with my own ideas.
While I was at Barking College, I visited the design Museum in London. There I learnt about a great graphic designer called Alan Fletcher. I found his work and ideas to be innovative as well as appealing to my personal taste, and this led me to wanting to become a graphic designer.
I chose Visual Communication because although I aim to become a graphic designer in the future, I also wished to explore other practices to widen my design approach and knowledge.
Since starting this course, I have been taught many disciplines;
I had to interview people in Leeds to find out what their views were on fashion. Reportage was a subject, which was new to me, but one that I really enjoyed and would like to repeat in the future. I feel that the brief has helped me develop my interpersonal skills, as it required a lot of confidence, as well good body language and a professional approach. These skills are essential for a graphic designer, as they are needed for gathering data as well as presenting and communicating ideas.
I found the hardest part of this brief was using Quark to display the information gathered into a structured and readable manner. Acquiring advice from my tutors helped me overcome these obstacles.
I had the pleasure of constructing a video narrative Scott Smith and Claire McCoughlin…
This experience was valuable because I learn to use HD cameras and Final Cut Pro. Making this video has given me a basic understanding of how films are produced. Although I found this task interesting and enjoyable, I have decided not to pursue film any further in the future.
I would however like another chance to explore web designing in the second year. It was introduced to me for the first time during the I love/hate technology brief and I found it difficult to grasp. Although I struggled with this project I realise that web design is a tool that is used worldwide and is therefore a relevant and useful skill to possess. For this reason, I hope to practice web design in the second year.
As I have used illustrator before, I found that I was able to use it more extensively than other programs. I enjoy using illustrator and feel capable and competent to develop my skills further in the second year.
In conclusion, I have found the first year a useful period, for acquiring the basic ground knowledge of a number of different disciplines, some of which I wish to pursue further.
I have also found the library and resources available, very useful in carrying out research and I’d like to thank my tutors for offering great valuable support throughout this year.
I have always been led to other designers through my own research. Looking at their work has inspired me to come up with my own ideas.
While I was at Barking College, I visited the design Museum in London. There I learnt about a great graphic designer called Alan Fletcher. I found his work and ideas to be innovative as well as appealing to my personal taste, and this led me to wanting to become a graphic designer.
I chose Visual Communication because although I aim to become a graphic designer in the future, I also wished to explore other practices to widen my design approach and knowledge.
Since starting this course, I have been taught many disciplines;
I had to interview people in Leeds to find out what their views were on fashion. Reportage was a subject, which was new to me, but one that I really enjoyed and would like to repeat in the future. I feel that the brief has helped me develop my interpersonal skills, as it required a lot of confidence, as well good body language and a professional approach. These skills are essential for a graphic designer, as they are needed for gathering data as well as presenting and communicating ideas.
I found the hardest part of this brief was using Quark to display the information gathered into a structured and readable manner. Acquiring advice from my tutors helped me overcome these obstacles.
I had the pleasure of constructing a video narrative Scott Smith and Claire McCoughlin…
This experience was valuable because I learn to use HD cameras and Final Cut Pro. Making this video has given me a basic understanding of how films are produced. Although I found this task interesting and enjoyable, I have decided not to pursue film any further in the future.
I would however like another chance to explore web designing in the second year. It was introduced to me for the first time during the I love/hate technology brief and I found it difficult to grasp. Although I struggled with this project I realise that web design is a tool that is used worldwide and is therefore a relevant and useful skill to possess. For this reason, I hope to practice web design in the second year.
As I have used illustrator before, I found that I was able to use it more extensively than other programs. I enjoy using illustrator and feel capable and competent to develop my skills further in the second year.
In conclusion, I have found the first year a useful period, for acquiring the basic ground knowledge of a number of different disciplines, some of which I wish to pursue further.
I have also found the library and resources available, very useful in carrying out research and I’d like to thank my tutors for offering great valuable support throughout this year.
Advetising
Using the theories of Roland Barthes, discuss one image from the mass media that is, in your opinion a representation of a certain cultural ideology or ‘myth’.
Rowland Barthes was a philosopher and social critic who was born in Cherbourgh, Manche in 1915. His many original and often slightly untraditional theories on semiotics have been a subject of controversy as well as the catalyst for much further research through the twentieth century. In particular his theories and analysis on the reasons behind myth and ritual have been a major cause for further exploration into the area, as well as the basis of our understanding in the subject. His theories focus more on the symbolism behind a certain image or text rather than the actual reality of it. They can be used to explain how meanings are composed and decoded in our society and therefore have the capacity to broaden our own understanding of what is being represented to us and how it is being done.
The world today is filled with constant streams of visual advertisements trying to attract the public’s attention and persuade them to purchase particular commodities. Therefore in order to analyse an image without being influenced by the advertiser it is necessary to realise that a picture is not just a picture, but a device constructed only for one purpose and that is to sell. There is not a single aspect of an image used for advertising that is there by chance, there is always a purpose behind every feature. The models used in advertising are always appropriate to the particular commodity. They are chosen carefully so that the desired audience can identify with them enough to feel on familiar terms with them whilst still being unrealistically attractive enough to inspire the audience to wish to aspire to be more like them. For this reason the audience will unconsciously be led to the belief that the commodity advertised will actually make them a more attractive and therefore improve their quality of life. This results in them considering purchasing the particular product as a positive thing.
Ideology is the “science of ideas” and can be defined as a collective idea or perspective on a certain subject, from politics to religion and morals. Common ideologies in society therefore are rarely ever challenged as a large proportion of the population do not require any kind of proof to believe in their validity. One can say that most dominant ideologies derive from gradual persuasion from the mass media which usually tie into the particular political opinion of the time. There are other different kinds of ideologies, some which are reasonably commonly held view points, others which are less popular and may in some instances be considered radical and unrealistic to the general population.
The image at the beginning of this essay is an advertisement by a well known clothes brand called ‘Dolce and Gabbana’. Dolce and Gabbana is an expensive and very well-known designer brand and this in itself results in the general public to view it as a favourable and attractive option. This picture has been carefully constructed to appeal to a very specific audience. Barthes state that ‘a photograph is pure contingency and can be nothing else (there is always something that is represented)’ (2000). It is noticeable in this picture that all the models used are young adults and are all exceptionally beautiful. This is deliberately done to appeal to an audience of that particular age as it is much easier to relate to people of a similar age group to onesself. The stereotypical person targeted by the designers of this image is a young adult who is prepared to spend large amounts of money for something a cut above the average. It is likely that the potential audience will be young enough to be free from responsibilities of children and will therefore have more money and time to spend on their own appearance. The image itself is selling the false hope that by buying this particular brand of product you will achieve a look which oozes beauty, style, elegance and sex appeal.
In our society the mass media dictates how we should aim to look, then designers attempt to sell us the design of clothes they have influenced us to want. An issue that arises from this is the question of whether style can actually be bought or sold. Most people are under the belief that style is something personal that is created by the individual to reflect on their personality and character. However the whole principal of purchasing commodities to mimic a certain style that is considered fashionable totally contradicts this belief. This is a very obvious example of a dominant ideology not needing to be proved or even be realistic to be believed fully by the very people who are proving it incorrect. The desired audience of this advertisement is expected to be unconsciously persuaded that by wearing the brand they will be “expressing themselves visually” as well as becoming instantly more attractive to society on the whole.
It can be argued that the things we call our own are really insignificant in the scheme of things. The majority of people in western cultures spend most of their lives aiming to be able to afford certain possessions in the belief that they will somehow benefit them. This can be anything from clothes to expensive cars. However most people will admit that in reality possessions may make life a little easier but will not necessarily bring happiness, so it would appear very strange that gaining more and more commodities is one of the main priorities of people in this society. The underlying reason for this would seem to be that the ideology of our society assumes that our physical possessions are the main factor by which we are judged.
According to Barthes (2000) ‘society, it seems, mistrusts pure meaning: It wants meaning, but at the same time it wants this meaning to be surrounded by a noise which will make it less acute’. This in itself is implying that in a sense we would prefer to be under an illusion than face the reality that we are being fooled. It would appear that in a way society tries to protect us from the true meaning of the images it subjects us to. Possibly if we knew the true purpose behind the advertising we would not be so well persuaded. The cleverness in the advertising is to make the audience feel like it is their own choice because of there own personal ideas of style that has persuaded them to be attracted to the brand, not simply a strong encouragement from the advertiser. Using Barthes theories however it is possible that we are actually aware of our weakness to be influenced so the ideology that we create our own style is just an ego defence mechanism to cover up our own limitation.
Another factor to consider when analysing the image is that all the men are facing the woman who is in the middle of the picture. Her submissive position and the fact that she is clearly outnumbered is deceiving as she actually has a very dominant role. She is commanding authority over all the men in the picture as well as seducing the audience. Her image is holding the whole thing together, she is the central focus of the image so our attention is drawn straight to her. This strategy of using sexuality to sell a product is common within the advertisement market and it is a very successful scheme. Interestingly enough recently China has employed a policy of banning all marketing that uses sex to sell a product.
Barthes (2000) argues that photography can tell you something much more than a painted portrait. A photograph always has the agenda to inform, educate, advertise or even discourage whereas a portrait stands alone on its’ meaning. ‘Offensive to women’ is a caption that can be seen on the top of the advert. Both the brand name and the caption are written in bold san serif font. This could signify that the brand has a certain image to uphold. San serif fonts connotes the brand is modern and up to date whereas serif fonts are portrayed as old and outdated.
Using the image above, it is easy to recognise the patterns and symbols behind advertisement and the mass media. The advertisers have a goal and that is to sell their commodity in which ever way is most effective. As the audience, one might ignore all the signs that are there and pretend to be oblivious to the messages we are being given, but we still receive the intended message subliminally. In conclusion, Barthes theories explain the thought processes behind commercial marketing as well as the reason why it has the ability to sway our judgement.
Wednesday, 14 May 2008
John Berger
John Berger ‘Ways of Seeing.’
Chapter 3:
John Berger tries to explain the social presence of a woman and how different it is to that of a man. A women’s presence is judged by her voice, what she wears, her gestures, expressions and opinions. ‘A Man’s presence may be fabricated, in the sense that he pretends to be capable of what he is not. But the pretence is always towards a power which he exercises on others.’ He says the women are born into a world where they are constantly judged by their image. They appearance of a women could determine how she is treated by a man. ‘Men survey women before treating them.’ He explains that women know that they are being watched and consequently watch themselves and their behaviour in the presence of men. ‘Men act and women appear’.
I think that this statement has some truth to it. Women are constantly obsessed with their image in order to be appreciated by a man. I also think this gives them a certain sense of power and control because they determine where a relationship goes.
John Berger looks at the way in which nude European oil paintings are portrayed. He first looks at a picture of Adam and Eve during the renaissance and describes how their shame is portrayed by the couple by their stance. This changes later through the years where their shame is viewed more as confidence in an advertisement.
The meaning that we acquire from a piece of art is always different to what the artist intended. We reach so many conclusions when we are faced with a piece of art. John Berger differentiates the conventions and what a nude piece signifies. ‘To be naked is to be oneself,’ John Berger describes nudity as a disguise. This could interpret that we are all used to seeing each other with clothes on and without it, we are alien to others. He also describes nudity as a form of a dress.
Nude paintings of women are there to satisfy the audience (Man). It is often seen in these paintings that the women is not interested in her surroundings or her partner in the painting, her main focus is engaging the spectator. The audience’s relationship with the painting is limited because he can only observe the painting and would therefore realise that she is not naked for him.
This chapter basically explains the presence of women and men in our society. Women are often reduced to sexual objects and instruments to pleasure men. Women also feel the needs to look their best in order to get attention from men. They almost crave for attention from men. This message is constantly seen in the media with magazines articles and television adverts. John Berger also explains how women are viewed not just in everyday life but in paintings as well. Women are represented differently to Men and these representations and are suited to the man’s needs.
Chapter 3:
John Berger tries to explain the social presence of a woman and how different it is to that of a man. A women’s presence is judged by her voice, what she wears, her gestures, expressions and opinions. ‘A Man’s presence may be fabricated, in the sense that he pretends to be capable of what he is not. But the pretence is always towards a power which he exercises on others.’ He says the women are born into a world where they are constantly judged by their image. They appearance of a women could determine how she is treated by a man. ‘Men survey women before treating them.’ He explains that women know that they are being watched and consequently watch themselves and their behaviour in the presence of men. ‘Men act and women appear’.
I think that this statement has some truth to it. Women are constantly obsessed with their image in order to be appreciated by a man. I also think this gives them a certain sense of power and control because they determine where a relationship goes.
John Berger looks at the way in which nude European oil paintings are portrayed. He first looks at a picture of Adam and Eve during the renaissance and describes how their shame is portrayed by the couple by their stance. This changes later through the years where their shame is viewed more as confidence in an advertisement.
The meaning that we acquire from a piece of art is always different to what the artist intended. We reach so many conclusions when we are faced with a piece of art. John Berger differentiates the conventions and what a nude piece signifies. ‘To be naked is to be oneself,’ John Berger describes nudity as a disguise. This could interpret that we are all used to seeing each other with clothes on and without it, we are alien to others. He also describes nudity as a form of a dress.
Nude paintings of women are there to satisfy the audience (Man). It is often seen in these paintings that the women is not interested in her surroundings or her partner in the painting, her main focus is engaging the spectator. The audience’s relationship with the painting is limited because he can only observe the painting and would therefore realise that she is not naked for him.
This chapter basically explains the presence of women and men in our society. Women are often reduced to sexual objects and instruments to pleasure men. Women also feel the needs to look their best in order to get attention from men. They almost crave for attention from men. This message is constantly seen in the media with magazines articles and television adverts. John Berger also explains how women are viewed not just in everyday life but in paintings as well. Women are represented differently to Men and these representations and are suited to the man’s needs.
Edward Armitage
Retribution 1858
Oil on Canvas
‘Retribution’ commemorates the events of the Indian rebellion of 1857 – 1858. The Sepoy troops who were working for the British rebelled which consequently resulted to great acts of cruelty from both sides. The British soldiers unable to protect their women and children surrendered hoping to gain safe passage and boats to take survivors to Allahabed. The Europeans put their guard down in order to bored the boats where there were attacked. The boats were set on fire while they were being ambushed. Roughly two hundred men, women and children were killed in and around the boats. The men who survived the initial attack were shot at the riverbank. About two hundred women and children were taken back and imprisoned in a building called Bibighur. There were no actual survivors from the captivated. This incident was known as the Massacre of Cawpore.
The British public through photography and the telegraph saw these events and were shocked and horrified.
This painting represents the end of the conflict. The strong figure of the woman represents Britannia and all it’s strength and courage. The Bengal Tiger of India is being slain which signifies India’s strengths and weaknesses. I think that the artist deliberately chooses a tiger because of its strength and therefore portrays that man is stronger than any beast.
It also suggests that India as a country portray similar characteristic to the tiger.
The title ‘Retribution’ is very interesting because it represents Britannia getting its revenge on India. The artist deliberately chose this as a title to demonstrate the cruelty of the action displayed by the Serpoys.
The painting itself is bias because it wants us as the audience to sympathise and choose sides. It is very easy to notice the mother and the two babies laying down presumably dead and I think the artist plays with emotions. It is easy to provoke an audience if you deliberately include and subject or and issue which is inhumane. This content was not fabricated and is actually a true event, which makes the audience participate emotionally with this image.
This painting reminds me of the war propaganda posters that were produce during the first and second world war. These advertisements were deliberately designed to persuade and force the audience who were well and able men to go to war for their country. These posters basically played with the audiences’ emotions and made them feel like cowards if the didn’t go to war. This particular painting has a similar agenda but in a different context. There are always to sides to a story but in this painting, the artist only wants you to immediately side with the British.
I think that the use of the women in this picture is very strange because men are really seen as a protector, or more powerful. The image of the women though is slightly exaggerated. She can almost be seen as a man because of her powerful stance and structure. I also think that Edward Armitage chose to use a woman because she almost seems like the mother of our country taking revenge.
There are the buildings in the background that suggests that this is set in India. The sky in the painting looks quite blue but there are loads of grey clouds covering the blue sky. I think the artist tries represent the anger and fury felt by Britannia. The painting itself is quite colourful in itself, which grabs the audience’s attention.
I decided to pick this particular image because of the history it carried and I was also inquisitive about what the painting was all about. I like this painting because it grabbed my attention straight away and the composition of the actual image is really good. Everything is positioned for a purpose and the message and meaning is very clear.
Monday, 7 April 2008
Tuesday, 18 March 2008
Drugs
I hand rendered this image with a marker and felt tips. My audience liked the message and understood the image but advised that I should use illustrator to enhance the image.
Drugs
This image was illustrated with a marker pen. I decided to use this image for my final piece because it engages my audience. It asks them a question which they have to seriously think about. I decided to pick drugs and my subject because it is something that I have never tried before and I'm therefore interested in others personal experiences. I interviewed some of my close friends who were students to find out why they do drugs and what they gain from doing it. I got lots of interesting responses which helped me with the project. I also decided not to reveal their identities because of the sensitivity of the subject matter.
Monday, 18 February 2008
Evaluation
The Communication Technology project I have been working on over the past few weeks has been a thoroughly challenging although enjoyable experience. I feel that after a considerable amount of hard work through each of the processes involved, I have made a valuable and significant improvement on my skills and understanding of communication technology.
The task set was to create a website and short DVD, both displaying our personal loves and hates of technology. For the website we were required to use an adobe software called Dreamweaver which is a program designed to assist in creating websites by providing a basic structure to map your website design onto. When making the DVD I used a program called Final Cut to edit the video clips we had recorded. Although there were introductory workshops provided for each of these programs I feel I did struggle at times. I feel I would have probably coped better if I had been given the chance to familiarize myself with each program at a time rather than being introduced to both at once. As both the programs were new to me and the pace was fairly rapid I did find it quite difficult to get my head around them, but after spending time experimenting with each program by myself I began to become more competent.
Most of the problems I encountered were with Dreamweaver which is a particularly intricate program. After designing my website layout on paper I found that transferring it onto Dreamweaver was more difficult than I had imagined. The first problem I came up against was the home screen design. My plan was to use a photograph of my own bedroom, containing a number of different technological devices. The idea was to create the page so that different objects would light up after the mouse scrolled over them, indicating something was there. By clicking on the objects the plan was that they would take the user to a different page explaining that particular object. In order to achieve this it was essential to follow a complicated and specific procedure. Firstly it was necessary to slice the picture up into different layers. Each layer had to be saved twice, changing the colour of the object on the second time so it would appear to be high-lighted. Then in theory by linking both together, the desired affect would be accomplished. The process was very time consuming and I found it hard to grasp. On a positive note, I feel I have gained valuable experience through this task. If I had the chance to do it again I believe I would be more competent with the procedure and therefore more confident to work independently. Also by being more familiar with the program I would be able to work much more time effectively, allowing me to spend more time gathering information from a wider range of resources.
The other task we were given was to make a video of our thoughts on technology and also a narrative. This was a group task involving myself and two other students on my course. Firstly we planned a short video clip about the improvement technology can have on your life. To create a video there are certain rules and techniques which need to be followed. Also it was quite time consuming because each action sequence needed to be shot a number of times from a variety of different angles. I was really pleased with the final outcome because it portrays exactly what we wanted it to. I also made a short video by myself with my digital camera showing the technology in my room. This was my first time using video as a media and I feel I have come away with a deeper understanding of the fundamental elements of creating a video clip as well as finding a media that I thoroughly enjoyed working with. I found this project really interesting and I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge on it.
On completion of this project I can look back and see there are things I would have changed if I had the opportunity to do it again. I found that experimentation with the programs was a way of developing my personal understanding and therefore improving the outcome of my projects. I feel that if I had had the opportunity to spend more time working with Dreamweaver in particular I would have been able to develop my skills using it.
Altogether I have enjoyed learning how to use all the technologies and the different processes required to achieve the desired outcome. I have also realised that that technology can be very difficult to understand. I had decided beforehand to have all five of my technologies as loves because they all help make my life a little easier, however after doing this project I have realised there are technologies which I could happily live without.
The task set was to create a website and short DVD, both displaying our personal loves and hates of technology. For the website we were required to use an adobe software called Dreamweaver which is a program designed to assist in creating websites by providing a basic structure to map your website design onto. When making the DVD I used a program called Final Cut to edit the video clips we had recorded. Although there were introductory workshops provided for each of these programs I feel I did struggle at times. I feel I would have probably coped better if I had been given the chance to familiarize myself with each program at a time rather than being introduced to both at once. As both the programs were new to me and the pace was fairly rapid I did find it quite difficult to get my head around them, but after spending time experimenting with each program by myself I began to become more competent.
Most of the problems I encountered were with Dreamweaver which is a particularly intricate program. After designing my website layout on paper I found that transferring it onto Dreamweaver was more difficult than I had imagined. The first problem I came up against was the home screen design. My plan was to use a photograph of my own bedroom, containing a number of different technological devices. The idea was to create the page so that different objects would light up after the mouse scrolled over them, indicating something was there. By clicking on the objects the plan was that they would take the user to a different page explaining that particular object. In order to achieve this it was essential to follow a complicated and specific procedure. Firstly it was necessary to slice the picture up into different layers. Each layer had to be saved twice, changing the colour of the object on the second time so it would appear to be high-lighted. Then in theory by linking both together, the desired affect would be accomplished. The process was very time consuming and I found it hard to grasp. On a positive note, I feel I have gained valuable experience through this task. If I had the chance to do it again I believe I would be more competent with the procedure and therefore more confident to work independently. Also by being more familiar with the program I would be able to work much more time effectively, allowing me to spend more time gathering information from a wider range of resources.
The other task we were given was to make a video of our thoughts on technology and also a narrative. This was a group task involving myself and two other students on my course. Firstly we planned a short video clip about the improvement technology can have on your life. To create a video there are certain rules and techniques which need to be followed. Also it was quite time consuming because each action sequence needed to be shot a number of times from a variety of different angles. I was really pleased with the final outcome because it portrays exactly what we wanted it to. I also made a short video by myself with my digital camera showing the technology in my room. This was my first time using video as a media and I feel I have come away with a deeper understanding of the fundamental elements of creating a video clip as well as finding a media that I thoroughly enjoyed working with. I found this project really interesting and I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge on it.
On completion of this project I can look back and see there are things I would have changed if I had the opportunity to do it again. I found that experimentation with the programs was a way of developing my personal understanding and therefore improving the outcome of my projects. I feel that if I had had the opportunity to spend more time working with Dreamweaver in particular I would have been able to develop my skills using it.
Altogether I have enjoyed learning how to use all the technologies and the different processes required to achieve the desired outcome. I have also realised that that technology can be very difficult to understand. I had decided beforehand to have all five of my technologies as loves because they all help make my life a little easier, however after doing this project I have realised there are technologies which I could happily live without.
Friday, 15 February 2008
Narrative
This video was created by Scott Smith, Claire Mcloughlin and Chinobi Okereafor. We were in groups of three and was giving a task. We decided to make a short video about technology. We basically wanted to create a narrative which that technology is a good thing. I really like the final outcome of this video and I liked working with both Claire and Scott. I had never made a video before this so there was a lot of rules that we had to follow. This gave me an idea of how hard it is to make a video work.
Sound System
My sound system is very important because it enables me to play music from my Ipod. It also connects to my plasma so that I can use it when watching a dvd. I think that I could live without this piece of technology if I had to. It's really easy to become addicted to technology but doing this project has made me more aware of what I have and I therefore appreciate them more.
Saturday, 9 February 2008
My Plasma TV
My plasma television is central to all the other technologies found in my room. I use my television to play my games console and watch my dvds. I particularly like my plasma because it is flat screen and therefore does not take up much room. It is easy to take that for granted but my television at home takes up half of my room.
My Ps3 Games Console
I particularly like this piece of technology because it helps me deal with the stresses of everyday life. It is something that I like doing by myself and with my friends. It is a very good distraction. Some might argue that I stops our social enhancement but I disagree. The games console has advance dramatically since it was firsts introduced in 1971. The best feature that I love about my Ps3 is the fact that there are no wires on the control pad. I think that wires are really messy and should be eradicated from all technology.
Monday, 4 February 2008
Ipod
My Ipod is one of my most valued piece of technology. I love music and with my Ipod, I am able to use it everywhere. I haven't alway had an Ipod which is why I love it so much. I remember when I used to carry a walkman which played tapes. I could only manage to get one album on it. Now I am able to upload 1500 songs on Itunes. I haven't had any major problems with my Ipod so I think it's a reliable piece of technology.
My mobile phone is a piece of technology that I love. It helps me keep in touch with my family and friends at just a touch of a button. This is very useful because I don't live at home anymore and the only way of communicating is through my phone. I can also take picture and listen to music whenever I want. There also some other useful features that are not evercised so much such as the internet and navigational system. The first ever telephone was invented by a man called Graham Bell and we have come a long way from then. It is questionable whether the mobile phone is actually harming the human body but this is overlooked because of it's usefulness.
Communication Technology
I decided to use my room as the theme for this project. I picked my room because it is filled with technology that we are all used to taking for granted. There were five main instruments which are crucial to my evryday life and these are; My tv, My Games Console, My Speakers/Sub, My Ipod and my Mobile Phone. I have become quite dependent on these gadgets and they all somehow make my life a little easier.
Tuesday, 22 January 2008
I really enjoyed this project and was really happy with my end product. If I had a chance to do this project again, there are certain things that I would do differently to get an accurate account of what my audience said. I found it really hard to write everything down whilst interveiwing. It would've been really helpfull to have had a dictaphone in order to record what they said. I would like a chance to tackle the reportage brief again, it was my first time doing this sort of project and I really enjoyed it.
I went out and interviewed the public about their views on what people wear. I got a really good response from most people. I tried to ask specific questions in order to get the answers that I needed. After getting all the information, I had to think about the layout and how I wanted my audience to read my book.
What's Your Fashion
Our first project for this Visual Communication was the reportage brief. I decided to go and find out what people wear in Leeds and see if I could find some conventional stereotypes. I illustrated this image for my front page because that was my representation of fashion. There are many ways in which this image could be portrayed. I used this image because there is so much pressure in our society to wear certain thing or to look a certain way which should not be the case.
Monday, 7 January 2008
Where Do I Fit?
It is hard to determine the true definition of visual communication. Some might conclude that the main purpose of visual communication is to project a thought, message or meaning onto your audience in order to convey your intention. I think that every individual is unique and therefore will interpret images and texts differently. This can result in the audience not always recognising the intended meaning. As a designer, it is our responsibility to insure that we communicate our ideas clearly and effectively. In order to achieve this goal, there are steps which we have to follow. This is called the communication process. Every designer has his own individual way of following this process. We follow this process in order to achieve a quality end product.
The start of this process is being given a brief which we have to follow. This is like the rules and regulations of the set task. The research process gives you an added knowledge of how to communicate your ideas as well as giving you an idea of potential disasters and how other designers have tackled the problems. Thumbnails are the next step of the communication process because they help generate ideas through rough and quick sketches. This gives you the opportunity to compare the ideas and select which you think are better than others. Trial and error is the next key stage. This determines which idea best fits the brief. “Form follows function”, this is a quote which I think that all designers should abide by. It is a wasted effort to design objects which are pleasing to the eye but do not satisfy the required function. After this stage, you are left with your final idea, which can be critiqued by your target audience to see if your product serves its function.
There are many factors involved with effective communication that a designer needs to be aware of. Problem solving, Reportage, Persuasion and Narrative are all practices of visual communication which we explored in the studio.
Problem solving is something that we are all faced with as designers. An example of this that we covered was the problems involved when designing a bin. The main problem was the fact that food was getting on the bin lid. Our idea was to invent a bin which had a lid that disappeared completely, therefore preventing this from happening. This was an adequate solution but there were further complications with the construction and the costs. These are also problems that we have to deal with when we are giving a task to do. This exercise was valuable to me because it gave me a good understanding of what to expect in the future. Another task we were set was the task of inventing a device that could be useful to a stranger. Our group decided that the most frustrating thing that we are faced with at university is writing essays. We therefore decided in invent a device called the ‘X-Tractor which is able to extract information from your brain onto a computer in a logical order, meaning you no longer have to write essays. Although this idea is desirable, in practice it would actually be impossible to make.
Reportage is a process which I find very rewarding. It involves going out into the world and gathering information which later is used to form a book or a film. The information required ca e gathered using a variety of means, from sketching to taking photographs or using a Dictaphone. I was faced with reportage during my first project and having not done this ever before, the task seemed daunting. I imagined that collecting the information was going to prove the most difficult part of the project because in some cases it requires the cooperation of the general public. However I found that on the whole people were willing to participate. After collecting the data I was faced with organising and presenting it in a logical order so that my audience would be able to read and understand what I was trying to purvey. Reportage is something that I have never done before but after doing my first project, it has become a process that I am very interested in. I particularly enjoyed collecting the information. I have also gained valuable experience which has led me to develop my style of recording information. For example it is difficult to record everything a person being interviewed is saying using pen and paper so I have decided to use a Dictaphone next time to improve the accuracy of my information
Narrative is a process which I am interested in but have not actively participated in yet. This is a way of presenting an idea in the form of a story in order to present an order of events in a compressible way for the audience. We were given a task in the studio to create a character that we ourselves know well. We gave them a name, personality, sexuality, physicality, emotional drives and even a special power. We were also instructed to sketch out our character to bring it to life. After doing this, we made up a short incident which disrupts the characters life then illustrate the events on a story-board. I found the later part hard to achieve. This was because I did not have any experience on how to structure a story-board. I found that I have learnt a lot from this exercise which included how to sketch out and narrate a story-board.
Persuasion is probably the hardest process to grasp. We were asked to illustrate a piece of memory from our past. It had to be presented in an attractive and eye catching way so that we were able to catch the attention of our audience. After this, our piers came into the room for a few minutes and tried to remember as many pictures as possible. We then set out a survey to find out which images stood out the most. We used different strategies in order to determine which of those images were most memorable. It took four attempts in order to actually get the sort of information that we required. This task gave me an understanding of what is needed when you are in need of other opinions and suggestions. It also gave me an understanding of what I needed to include in my picture to make it stand out to my audience.
Altogether I have found this project very interesting and also informative. It has given me an idea of what processes I fid interesting as well as finding out what my strong points are. I have always thought of myself as a graphic designer because that is what I studied previous to this course. Now I can only call myself a designer because I have now got the opportunity to experiment with different processes to see which one I am most comfortable and happy to work with.
.
It is hard to determine the true definition of visual communication. Some might conclude that the main purpose of visual communication is to project a thought, message or meaning onto your audience in order to convey your intention. I think that every individual is unique and therefore will interpret images and texts differently. This can result in the audience not always recognising the intended meaning. As a designer, it is our responsibility to insure that we communicate our ideas clearly and effectively. In order to achieve this goal, there are steps which we have to follow. This is called the communication process. Every designer has his own individual way of following this process. We follow this process in order to achieve a quality end product.
The start of this process is being given a brief which we have to follow. This is like the rules and regulations of the set task. The research process gives you an added knowledge of how to communicate your ideas as well as giving you an idea of potential disasters and how other designers have tackled the problems. Thumbnails are the next step of the communication process because they help generate ideas through rough and quick sketches. This gives you the opportunity to compare the ideas and select which you think are better than others. Trial and error is the next key stage. This determines which idea best fits the brief. “Form follows function”, this is a quote which I think that all designers should abide by. It is a wasted effort to design objects which are pleasing to the eye but do not satisfy the required function. After this stage, you are left with your final idea, which can be critiqued by your target audience to see if your product serves its function.
There are many factors involved with effective communication that a designer needs to be aware of. Problem solving, Reportage, Persuasion and Narrative are all practices of visual communication which we explored in the studio.
Problem solving is something that we are all faced with as designers. An example of this that we covered was the problems involved when designing a bin. The main problem was the fact that food was getting on the bin lid. Our idea was to invent a bin which had a lid that disappeared completely, therefore preventing this from happening. This was an adequate solution but there were further complications with the construction and the costs. These are also problems that we have to deal with when we are giving a task to do. This exercise was valuable to me because it gave me a good understanding of what to expect in the future. Another task we were set was the task of inventing a device that could be useful to a stranger. Our group decided that the most frustrating thing that we are faced with at university is writing essays. We therefore decided in invent a device called the ‘X-Tractor which is able to extract information from your brain onto a computer in a logical order, meaning you no longer have to write essays. Although this idea is desirable, in practice it would actually be impossible to make.
Reportage is a process which I find very rewarding. It involves going out into the world and gathering information which later is used to form a book or a film. The information required ca e gathered using a variety of means, from sketching to taking photographs or using a Dictaphone. I was faced with reportage during my first project and having not done this ever before, the task seemed daunting. I imagined that collecting the information was going to prove the most difficult part of the project because in some cases it requires the cooperation of the general public. However I found that on the whole people were willing to participate. After collecting the data I was faced with organising and presenting it in a logical order so that my audience would be able to read and understand what I was trying to purvey. Reportage is something that I have never done before but after doing my first project, it has become a process that I am very interested in. I particularly enjoyed collecting the information. I have also gained valuable experience which has led me to develop my style of recording information. For example it is difficult to record everything a person being interviewed is saying using pen and paper so I have decided to use a Dictaphone next time to improve the accuracy of my information
Narrative is a process which I am interested in but have not actively participated in yet. This is a way of presenting an idea in the form of a story in order to present an order of events in a compressible way for the audience. We were given a task in the studio to create a character that we ourselves know well. We gave them a name, personality, sexuality, physicality, emotional drives and even a special power. We were also instructed to sketch out our character to bring it to life. After doing this, we made up a short incident which disrupts the characters life then illustrate the events on a story-board. I found the later part hard to achieve. This was because I did not have any experience on how to structure a story-board. I found that I have learnt a lot from this exercise which included how to sketch out and narrate a story-board.
Persuasion is probably the hardest process to grasp. We were asked to illustrate a piece of memory from our past. It had to be presented in an attractive and eye catching way so that we were able to catch the attention of our audience. After this, our piers came into the room for a few minutes and tried to remember as many pictures as possible. We then set out a survey to find out which images stood out the most. We used different strategies in order to determine which of those images were most memorable. It took four attempts in order to actually get the sort of information that we required. This task gave me an understanding of what is needed when you are in need of other opinions and suggestions. It also gave me an understanding of what I needed to include in my picture to make it stand out to my audience.
Altogether I have found this project very interesting and also informative. It has given me an idea of what processes I fid interesting as well as finding out what my strong points are. I have always thought of myself as a graphic designer because that is what I studied previous to this course. Now I can only call myself a designer because I have now got the opportunity to experiment with different processes to see which one I am most comfortable and happy to work with.
.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)