COP2 - Visual exploration - typography research

In order to best understand the format of the final outcome exploring typography seemed like the most appropriate step since subcultures like punk often focused heavily on type (made evident with exhibition visit and secondary research) 

Some of the most notable bands of the seventies used a range of different typography. 

The Clash (London Calling) 

The main focus of the album is an image of bassist Paul Simonon smashing his bass, which establishes an immediate aggressive tone, The typography pays tribute to Elvis Presleys  self titles album, although informed by other work it seems out of place, it's quite a simple choice in form and colours, but the sort of sporadic nature in which the type is laid out as creates a sense of playfulness to the work alongside the aggression of the image, its effective in how it's presented as its eyecatching. 

The Sex Pistols (God Save the Queen)

One of the most notable pieces that arose from the movement was the work of Jamie Reid. Tha album combines a conservative photo of the queen alongside chaotic and 'aggressive' typography which greatly contrasts each other, which as a result creates a bold and notable effect. It's useful to take note of this work as it provides insight into the ideas and tone of the album which does this quite effectively. 

                  

The Ramones (Album)

This cover for the Ramones is overall quite simple in concept. The cover features the entire band facing the audience, all wearing leather jackets, ripped jeans etc, most of their other album covers would feature them in this manner as well. Although simple in concept the effect speaks volumes in that it sets the tone of the album, there's no gimmick to the music, there's an intense message of just focusing on the music and the members. The is bold and the use of white against the dark image is effective in that it clearly states what the album is, its straightforward no nonsense which could be seen as aggressive. 

All these works differ in how they are presented, there's a diversity that's apparent within these differences, showing that there's no one way in which punk can be expressed which is why the movement, the music and fashion have all made influences, as well as design typography is vitally important within these images, we're able to establish the band's sound just with the image and type, being so well known allows us to know this but is further established with presentation, which is noteworthy in exploring typography.

Study Task 05: Studio Brief 2 - Research

Task 1 

Design sheet outlining relevant contextual research 

this design sheet must include 4 relevant different areas of contextual research that inform the design strategy related to the cop theme. 

Contexts: branding, colour, psychology

(talk about these considerations and how they've informed knowledge and design. 

Subculture - 

When we look at what subculture is there is large range in the types there are. Its defined as being a cultural group which are influnced by a larger scale group. A lot of this comes from the influence of music. 

There are a number of considerations in which are vital to further understanding design knowledge in accordance with the research question “How Relevant is the Punk subculture within Graphic design? Addressing four different areas of contextual research to best understand this question further and the design strategy.

Subculture

This being the main consideration in context with this work and giving a better understanding of subculture is a vital part of understanding the theoretical aspect of this research question. The diversity as well the the important of other subcultures and their influence on other subcultures as well as the exploration where they come from and how they influence audience. 

Cultural aspects

Identifying and understanding culture within its diversity and importance, allows creation of work which highlights this diversity as well as an awareness of the impact and how those techniques can be considered into a practical and theoretical context.

Social media

The presence of social media has been a large part in identifying work, the access of social media allows easy and efficient communication. In this consideration specifically within design there is a large library that social media creates within showcasing design, gaining inspiration from others, networking etc. Much like this there were materials in the punk movement which allowed similar opportunities between creatives.

Politics

An understanding of politics both past and present allows an understanding of what was happening in the time of the punk movement and the motivations in which politics inspired with the tone of protest, its also important to consider politics within a current climate to apply past techniques and effectively present those ideas in the same way.

Task 2 

Outlining the target audience research and considering a range of different factors in the form of different personas.


With this range of audience, there is the hope of reaching a large and diverse an audience as possible. First and second-hand research has provided answers for these considerations. 

Identifying the age range of survey to best inform work to a certain group, or if other age groups could become more engaged with a survey of this nature around the idea of punk. There is also the idea of getting a larger range of participants in order to even better inform ideals that will be presented. 

Task 3

Identifying relevant visual examples relating to practical work with informed specified research. 

Identifying different methods of visual research to better inform individual analysis of different visuals. Qualitative analysis addresses the understanding of design in terms of subjectivity, what association the viewer has to the imagery etc. Quantitative analysis is formed by the designer themselves with critical self reflection its also based on mathematical principles such as statistical methods of surveying.By generating a visual examples to test the designer is then able to put the work in context of a location to compare reactions from the target audience. This can mean doing a survey this can then be analysed to consider the moat effective outcome.

Antithesis refers to placed together. Within a design context this can be use contrasting images or text to make a dramatic effect.Irony can be Used to convey humour and be used to imply something as ironic using contradictory images and text to illustration underlying tension.

Parody refers to the production of an image for the purpose of ‘mocking’  with satirical or ironic immitation, examples of this can be seen in a protest context as well as advertising.

Pastiche is the imitation of an original piece of work, underlining intention from  the concept of parody, the work relies on the knowledge of the audience understanding the original work.

This image by Jamie Reid (1977) under the title ‘god save the queen’  relies on the use of pastiche, the image uses a well known image, in this case a royal figure which has been used to give new meaning to the image in the context its been used in, the result of this being an effective use of pastiche in that the meaning has been changed to give a tone of aggression to the work which was used within many work of the punk movement.  This work has been the main source of inspiration to the outcome created from a theoretical and practical understanding.

Although possibly not intentional this image created by Mike Joyce(2014) strong conveys irony within the outcome as the combined use of a punk band and modernist techniques. Its well known that punk was a movement that was a one of the many factors as a  ‘reaction’ against modernism and the ridgid restrictions it created. Although visually this work is aesthetically pleasing it greatly contrasts with the intention of being effective as symbolising a punk band in its minimal approach.

Although it was probably not he intent of the creator of this fashion spread (forever 21) this image uses irony in its outcome, as it appropriates the previous prominent techniques of the punk movement in order to sell merchandise which in its self is completely out of character in using these techniques as punk has been known to be heavily against consumerism, which largely motivated a lot of media around the ideals of anti-consumerism.  

Other examples of this can be seen in other instances within marketing to sell the idea of 'youth' and rebellion which has become a selling point within several marketing campaigns. 

Other examples:

Packaging used and motivated by the punk culture, the use of this technique in hair dye is effective but motivation by consumerism contradicts the core ideals so in sense its not entirely appropriate. The use of hair dye can be seen as rebellious so the use of colour and type seems to well considered in what they are trying to sell to an obvious young audience. 

This piece (creator unknown) heavily uses parody as the origin for this piece was created under a different pretence the original being inspired by Barak Obamas presidential campaign in which the poster was designed to being ‘hope’ and depicting Obama in a positive light to American people which as  a result was effective.

Antithesis is obviously apparent her as in comparison with the original work greatly contrast this depiction in the message they both attempt to convey, (image c) being a reaction of president trumps controversial political stance which greatly contradicts former president Obama’s campaign, image c Is effective in this manor as it relies on our knowledge of the original material and conveys a strong critical image to the audience.

There is also a notable prominence within meme and internet culture, inspiring art of this nature in different ways. 

Context of Practice 2 - Studio Brief 1 - Content and Ideas

Plan:

Main outcome : A 3000 word essay on either politics, society, culture, history, technology and aesthetics relating to graphic design

• Identifying an issue

• Make it relevant to practice - applying learnt skills and an opportunity to use understanding.

• Take information and apply it to practice, critical analysis of information we come across. 

• Content to include: ongoing lecture notes, responses to ideas/concepts/theories

• Include visual analysis exercise (500 words) 

• At least one review of a set academic text (500 words)

• Doesn't have to be in a linear format, chronological. As long as you stay focused on main issue.

• Has to have Harvard referencing

Establishing/finding a research question 

Idea 1: Aesthetics: Kitsch (In relation to kitsch popularity) 

Influence of kitsch on graphic design?

Subjectivity of visual communication 

Idea 2: Politics: Subculture -

Subcultures influence on graphic design 

Subcultures to consider: 

• Punk
• New wave
• Heavy metal
• Grunge
• Riot grrrl

From this consideration from the range of subcultures there is then an allowance of ideas to be thought about which 

Study task 08 - Pitching your ides / further developments

Pitch 

Create an effective visual result which accureltly presents the punk movment within a piece of graphic deisign, promoting the original ideals of the movement and how they've influenced graphic 

Prototype solutions 

Idea 1)

Zine showcasing stylistic and diverse work which depict the ideals in which the punk subculture present such as anarchy, expression, protest, feminism, etc.  

a) The zine has become almost a symbol for subcultures, specifically the punk subculture, using this as a 'tool' for communicating and producing ideas is relevant to the  

b) Within the design it would be printed as traditionally as possibly, using risograph printing in the production, photocoping and handrawn methods, much of which have been identified as being used at the time of the 70's during the movement. 

c) All materials would be as sustainably sourced, avoiding as much digital solutions as possible in terms of production

d) Within music and art environments where young people are most interested in, distributed and advertised within print to best gather contributors to the zine and gain interest. 

Feedback :

• A viable idea which could be really effective with the right considerations 
• Look further into target audience and where it would be the most appropriate to be showcased
• Explore what zines exist currently and what message they create.

Idea 2) 

Print / poster presenting the idea of punk with the use of the punk movements visuals making a bold statement much like prints did at the time,

a) The design would be created to show there showing that there is till a voice for punk within the modern day and within the current political climate and within a design context.  

b) The design decisions are similar to those used within the zine concept, keeping the design expressive, not sticking to rigid restrictions, be created using physical considerations rather than using digital development. 

c) Informed by research a lot of punks use of design involves using hand made methods. In terms of politics there w was a lot going on at the time, the reaction to this was through art, punks expressed their distaste with things through what they created which ranged in media, a lot was in art and music, with this in mind using purely hand made techniques seems the most appropriate in true keeping with the ideals of the ethos of the movement.

d) Distribution of this product would be fairly easy as the production would be don't so cheaply there would be an allowance to distribute a large amount of prints which, meaning the message that would be on the poster would have to stand out. In terms of a location there is no limitation to this. There would be no price to the product so there would be no need to distribute it within a 'professional' setting. 

Feedback:

• This idea seems to be the most thought out, going in this direction seems to have the most potential
• There is an opportunity to create something really bold
• Look at political and social issues which you could depict in print form as politics seems to be a big factor in creating work around that time. 
• Using traditional print could be really interesting, exploring this more would be helpful

Idea 3) 

An interface outcome which explores whether punk can be used within a modern context and be a platform for creativity.

a) An interface would allow viewers to communicate with a specific motivation in mind, in this context it would be to explore and present individual work with a variety of themes not limited by any restrictions with the accessibiltiy available.  

b) The design could be simply presented, the interface would be made with monochrome colours in highlighting the diversity. 

c) The platform this would be used in is an online interface platform. 

d) the distribution would be easily achieved with an online platform as there would be no limitation in the range and audience it would reach and optimising the use of allowing others to participate in the 'submit' option. 

Feedback

• Look into other interface designs which utilise this same concept (if there is any)
• Look at other designs which could be used to best illustrate the intended message.
• If persuing this idea further look into the target audience and who will want to use a facility like this. 

Overall feedback/considerations

The print outcome seemed to be the most responsive as an outcome. With this in mind there is the informed  insentive to look at this idea further. Also the opportunity to explore print in this way seems to be the most benefical within developing individual practice.

COP2 - Outcome response - Final feedback

Questions 

Using a survey of thirty people the results have been collected and put into the format of a pie chart to easily represent this. 

1. Do the visuals of the work create a clear message? 

2. What feelings does the work evoke?

3. Do you think the work stands out?

4. Is the colour choice effective?

5. Is the type that's been used appropriately?

These results are informative within the evaluation of the final outcome and theoretical and critical understanding of the work and main topic. 

COP2- Practical outcome / Evaluation

Development: 

This idea was developed from the previous concept of creating an effective and bold print which presents the idea of punk and remains relevant. 

The type used in this concept was chosen to convey boldness, however, in using more expressive font, the message is a lot clearer in tone and intent. The original concept is not as subtle as the outcome created but they convey the same message in the way the final outcome has been produced and inspired by.  The final outcome takes lot more subtle and considered approach in medium and content. 

Focused the print on the middle of the print to create boldness towards the text. This was also used for the screen printing technique. 

The collage was created from an exercise which explored the idea of appropriation and the idea of creating a piece of effective work from different media exploration. 

The design was originally created as a collage under the motivation of appropriation. Appropriation and subculture are closely linked as many subcultures like a lot of other media, were inspired by other existing subcultures either in their ideals or aesthetics. So to develop this from a handmade outcome seemed to be the most appropriate.

Production: 

Production was a fairly straightforward. There was a clear concept in mind with creating a bold outcome.

With the use of screenprint, this particular medium had relevance with the theoretical and practical understanding of the research question as well as contextual research, digital media was not prominent within the movement, presenting a modern figure in this context allows the audience to answer the research question "is punk relevant within graphic design?"

In using a popular/controversial figure within this context there is the allowance for the audience to already have an assosiation, which creates interest and attention. The type has been created with a mash of lettering, no organisation had been considered, the more sporadic and chaotic the way it was presented seemed to be the most appropriate and authentic way of presenting the message as well as it being identified within many instances of past graphic design 

The stock was from colourplan, it was a thick stock and the bright colours were relevant to presenting the message and contrasting with the image, showcasing it in the most effective way. 

Evaluate:

How successful is the outcome?

As an outcome, various aspects have been considered to make it effective. The medium has been considered in terms of its presentation and the way in which it's been created. The use of print allows there to be more 

What wasn't successful?

With better time efficiency there could have been more consideration of the range of media in which the work. The presentation of the print could of been better in the consideration and care taken to the production, there is a slight

What would you do differently?

Gather more range of opinions in terms of different subcultures which exist, as well as being more diverse within research and gaining more understanding of subcultures. 

Also take more awareness for layout consideration and the manor of production with exploring colour and type choice. 

COP2 - Study task - First hand research / target audience consideration

In order to best understand the audience which is most engaged within the punk movement as well as print media, there was an event which took place in a popular location in Leeds which showcased printed media which was created during the punk movement. 

There was a range of different media which was shown from tickets, posters, gig posters, flyers etc.It was evident that print was a huge part of what made punk. 

Bright colours were an apparent part of the prints.

Identifying techniques which were used, colour choice, typography, imagery etc was all taken into consideration when observing the range of work. 

As well as noticing the graphical techniques. The other purpose of attending was to be aware of the audience which was attending, most notably there was a lot of young people who were interested, but as well there were older people as well. There was a good range of people who attended but most prominently it was a younger audience which was interesting to note in accordance with an outcome. 

There was proof there was an interest in print and what was being presented and specificall within a prominent movement like punk al these years later.

Study task - devlelopment - target audience research

I asked these questions to a range of about 20 people overall, idea, ly a larger range of people should be talked to in order to get the best results. All the questions were relevant to the research question and were compiled into pie charts to best showcase the results. 


1. Do you know what subcultures are? 

Results:

It's apparent that most people were aware of what subcultures were, to what extent is unknown but there is a general understanding among the people that were asked.

2. How old are you? 

Results:

Results show that a younger audience were the main participants in this survey.


3. Are you familiar with specific subcultures?

Results

Within understanding subcultures these results reveal that there is maybe more than a general understanding of concept of subcultures, meaning that there is relevance within them.

4. Do you know what the punk subculture is?

Results 

There is a specific understanding of punk among those surveyed, not specific in what context, however.

5. What comes to mind when you think of the punk subculture?

Results 

Most had a strong association with music in terms of the punk movement. 

6. Would you be interested in learning more about the punk subculture?

Results 

Surprisingly there was a strong response in wanting to learn more about the movement, this result will be helpful within creating an effective outcome.


7. Do you think punk is still relevant as a subculture?

Results 

A lot answered yes but seems there is still uncertainty with this. 

8. Do you think print is a viable way of presenting information/issues

Results 

This data is relevant to consider in terms of development and the ways in which presenting the most effective outcome from a range of considered prototypes and ideas.

In summary 

All these results will be extremely informative within creating an effective and thoroughly considered outcome, each revealed key information to take into consideration. In the future completing this type of survey with a larger amount of people as well as