Martin O’Neil 3D Typography

This brief required us to create huge letterforms out of found materials and junk from the street. Aswell as building suchhuge letterforms, we also had to cooperate as a large group when it came to sourcing materials. As a group we enlisted the help of a local council van to help us bring materials back to the university.

I wanted to expand on the brief as so I photographed my personal letterform in what i feel was an appropriate setting while using a lamp to highlight the transparency of the materials.

Martin O’Neil 3D Typography

Cooperation was essential on this brief to ensure that the letterforms came together to form a sentence at the end of the day.

Using the technique of weaving through a crate also inspired me to bring this brief into my independent practice. I therefore drew up a typeface using similar shapes to those I had seen while weaving my letterform.

the only way is up.

Martin O’Neil Collage Workshop

This brief asked us to create collages that communicated phrases using a restricted amount of components.

I chose the words ‘up’ and ‘down’. Being restricted to a certain amount of components for the collage was challenging but it was a good exercise in how to effectively communicate a clear meaning to an audience.

nowhere to go but down.

Collage Typography

The recent collage brief led me to becoming interested in how collage could be used to create typography.

Since my independent practice is focused around creative typography I created a couple of letterforms using collage. This new technique led to the letterforms I made looking colourful and almost kaleidoscopic.

Aphorism: ‘Oil and water don’t mix’

As a group we were required to create a short piece of moving image work illustrating the aphorism ‘Oil and water don’t mix’.

This brief brought challenges as we had to work hard to cooperate and create a piece that communicated the aphorism effectively and that intergrated our skills as individuals.

The work was externalised by being shown at the Epsom Play House to an audience of both the students from the university and to external visitors.

Work by:

Charlotte BryanRichard HeavenClaire GarnamJo BirdSteven Demezas Richard Tubb

Ink In Water Typography

The flowing shapes of materials in water as seen in the film we created for the aphorism brief led me to experimenting with creating a typeface using photography of ink dispersing through a jug of water.

Using a combination of a handdrawn script typeface and ink being blown across the page, I attempted to replicate the shapes of ink flowing through water.

A Manifesto For Work And Play

My personal manifesto is based around the fact that work and play often blend into one for me. I enjoy creating work and I am experimental when it comes to processes. I wanted my manifesto to communicate that fact that work and play are often interchangable.

While working on this brief it also struck me that we all have personal manifestos for everyday life. We all have rules that we abide by and also habits that we try to keep secret. I therefore created a couple of extra pieces that communicate my mantras for everyday life and the habits I cant break.

PaperCo.

This brief was by far the most challenging of the year. The prospect of pitching to a group of professionals was daunting, particularly as I found myself working alone.

However, although this was slightly intimidating, this brief was an excellent insight into the professional world and a taste of what would be expected of us after leaving university.

The challenge of this brief was creating a piece of direct mail while sticking to the specifications of the company. We also had to ensure that the direct mail carried a clear message and that it communicated to the identified audience and end user.

The following pages show the images and information I have submitted to the PaperCo competition.

Unfold big ideas

All big ideas begin with paper. Paper is perhaps the most popular platform used to unfold and develop ideas, to sell concepts and to make impressions. Paper allows us to express the rough sketches and diagrams which can often lead to the most thought provoking and effective products. Even by varying the weight, colour, and texture of paper we can change an audience’s perception of the meaning of a product or piece of work.

However, through all the advantages that paper gives us, buyers and manufacturers have to bear in mind that using paper can come at a cost to the environment and that we must work to maintain it’s sustainability. Through this brief I have aimed to reiterate PaperCo’s philosophy that paper is infact a highly sustainable resource. Customers can have the wide variety of quality finishes, colours and textures that they desire without compromising on sustainability.

I wanted to create a product that would encourage the audience to interact with it, an interactive product creates a more memorable experience. I chose the strapline of ‘unfold big ideas’ to help me do this. Relating the strapline to the way in which the product actually works through format and folding methods reinforces the message. This in turn helps the audience to engage with the direct mail and to persuade them to keep unfolding and discover more.

A product that is promoting paper as a sustainable resource should of course also be sustainable itself. The ‘Unfold big ideas’ direct mail reinforces the message of sustainability through several factors. The piece requires very little packaging to be sent out, saving money and resources. The simple design also means low ink coverage making recycling easier.

Overall, my aim has been to create a sustainable product that communicates to designers and end-users the message that paper is a highly sustainable resource, sustainability does not have to mean dull finishes or a lack of choice. The audience should be made aware of the options that are available to them while being able to keep a clear conscience when it comes to the environment.

Miss. G Brown

36 Maple StreetSouth CroydonSurreyCR5 8IJ

Unfold big ideas

What was important in designing this product was that it itself was sustainable and recycleable.

The outer sleeve acts as packaging for postage, immediately cutting down on materials and cost for dispatch of the product. The only packaging that may be neccessary would be an adhesive sticker to keep the contents from sliding out of the sleeve.

Ink coverage itself is low throughout the product with the use of simple photography and text. This in turn makes the product simple to recycle, saving both money and carbon emissions.

The product itself would be printed on Vanguard White 750 Micron

Miss. G Brown

36 Maple StreetSouth CroydonSurreyCR5 8IJ

Unfold big ideas

The booklet contained in the outside box and sleeve runs along the same theme of unfolding and revealing, encouraging the audience to interact with the product.

The information contained inside is simple and unintimidating, accompanied by simple photography it reiterates the message of choice and sustainability.

The last spread contains contains touchable samples of paper, making the product more tactile and engaging, as well as displaying a prompt to visit the PaperCo website.

The PaperCo logo is present both on the inner booklet and outer sleeve.

Unfold big ideas

In terms of where the product could go in the future, the images created based around the process of unfolding paper could easily be transformed into motion graphics.

This could be used as an animated advertisment which could be placed on both PaperCo’s own website and also on design blogs etc. to raise awareness of PaperCo’s philosophy and ethos.

This advertisment could also act as a direct click-through link if used on other websites so that user’s are taken directly to the source of the information on the PaperCo website.

‘The Girls’ Alternative Portraits

This brief asked us to create our own tribute to ‘The Girls’ by creating a series of alternative portraits.

We created a series that showcased us from an alternative viewpoint both as a group and as individuals. The fact that our clothes are on backwards and the lack of faces shown lends a sense of the bizarre to the images.

Making Do

As a group we were required to reinvent an issue of Making Do magazine using whatever means we liked.

We decided to censor all the text in the magazine so the meaning was left to be interpreted purely from the colours and images seen in the magazine.

Work By:

Claire GarnamJo BirdRuth PageJessica Opoku Amoah

Mark Pawson Badge Workshop

This workshop was focused on creating a collection of four badges that ran along a theme.

Taking part in this workshop also encouraged me to experiment with packaging design. I created matching photographic pillow boxes for both of my collections.

It was also great to meet Mark on the day, look through his work and to also get some great advice on how to start selling collections of work such as handmade zines and booklets.

Printmaking: Drypoint and Collagraph

This semester was a a great oppotunity to expand on my personal knowledge of printmaking and to experiment with some new processes.

I had never heard of drypoint of collagraph printing and so I was very happy to learn some new skills.

Design Investigation

I have felt that Design Investigation has been one of the most important parts of the semester. It has allowed me to idenify where I see myself in the future.

Although I did not obtain a work placement, I was glad to be given the oppotunity to visit Creative Review which has given a great insight to the professional world.

Shows such as Pick Me Up and the Iggesund Black Box exhibition have proved invaluable in helping me to discover new artists and designers that I admire.

I collected the information from my original ‘Design Investigation A-Z’ presentation and developed it into a handmade booklet that I can use for personal reference whenever I need to find inspiration.

The Lab: Make Me Think

This show has been one of the most enjoyable parts of the semester for me, it was great to work alongside the first years and to be able to see everyones work in such a physical and tangible way.

The focus for my work in the exhibition was based around my manifesto of work as play and has blended into my independent practice. I used symbols such as a children’s spirograph toy to illustrate that designers should never lose their childlike curiosity.

This exhibition also allowed me to create my first successful letterpress print; a mantra about living life through play.

The Rag Factory

Taking part in this exhibition was a great way to externalise work. The work that was chosen by the curators was not the work that I would have chosen for myself as it was just a slide from a recent presentation, I don’t feel that it showed my style as a designer. However, I am very grateful to have had work in the show.

This was a great experience as it was a good chance to gain exposure from people in the industry.

Evaluation

During this last semester I have felt like I am beginning to develop more of a personal style which is something I have been lacking in previous semesters. Previous portfolios of my work have felt very eclectic with quite a random mixture of styles and without a fixed direction. This year however I feel that I am settling down into more of a niche, particularly with creative typography, and that I am beginning to find what I am good at. Studio Practice and Independent Practice are starting to become more similar as I feel that this years briefs have been more open to interpretation and do not ask for such a fixed outcome, this means that work can blend together easily. Design Investigation has also helped me to feel like I am gaining more direction in my work instead of feeling so much like a ‘jack of all trades’.

Printmaking is starting to feel more familiar and I have gained confidence working with a number of different processes and I have developed a particular fondness for letterpress, which was something I had never attempted before this semester.

This semester has also offered a valuable insight into the professional world, particularly through the PaperCo brief. Although the prospect of pitching and developing work for a professional company was daunting, I feel that it was a very valuable experience. Since we have now had a taste of what it will be like working as professionals, leaving university doesn’t seem like such a daunting prospect and I feel more prepared. Being given the opportunity to visit Creative Review has been one of my highlights of the semester, and I was more than a little bit starstruck meeting Patrick Burgoyne. I have found the chance to meet so many creative professionals invaluable and I have gained great amounts of advice by listening to them throughout the year.

This year’s opportunities to externalise work have also been very useful. I particularly enjoyed taking part in the Lab and only wish that uni could be like that constantly. The whole working process felt easier and more relaxed, yet I felt more productive than I have in a while. I have found that ideas come quicker and easier when other peoples work is available to view in such a direct way. The Rag Factory was also a great experience to take part in, even if the work I was asked to submit wasn’t quite what I expected. It was great to have the chance to show work in an external gallery.

Bibliography

Books:

“Exploring Package Design” Groth, C; Thomson, 2006“Script Lettering” Meijer, M; Blandford Press, 1956“The Art Of Looking Sideways” Fletcher, A, Phaidon, 2001“Printmaking: A Complete Guide To Materials And Processes”, Grabowski, B, Fick, B; Laurence King, 2009

Magazines:

“Creative Review” - The Type Annual 2011“Grafik” No. 188 - 189

Websites and blogs:

www.itsnicethat.comwww.dtail.com

Exhibitions and Shows:

“Pick Me Up”, Somerset House“The Black Box Project” , Stationers House“Shadow Catchers”, V&A“How Can I Help You?” The Hayward Gallery