The Design Workflow, and From Novice to Expert

(Sorry for the late posts. These have all been on Word files, or waiting for scanning.)


My design workflow - goes like this 99.9% of the time.

From novice to expert - where would I place myself?

Knowledge:
I'd say I'm competent in my illustrative knowledge. Taking a Foundation course definitely helped me with using different media and viewing illustration itself in a different light, and in doing so I developed a whole new knowledge for the subject. I keep up with illustration today with my subscription to Varoom magazine, browsing different illustration sites and blogs, and paying attention to advertisements and editorial pieces.

Standard of Work:
I would place myself between competent and proficient on this one. At A-level I received a 'B', and my Foundation course gave me a 'Pass'. During my time in Foundation and in the early stages of my degree, I have received positive feedback from tutors and peers and learnt how to use different media with skill. In my sketchbooks, I work fairly neatly (partly organisation, partly for aesthetic reasons) and develop and refine my work in there as well as on 'test dummy' pieces.

'Test dummies' of a finished piece

Looking at what works and what doesn't in my RVJ

Autonomy:
'Competent' is my rating here, as I like to have guidance from tutors and peers while developing my own ideas. How much help or 'prodding in the right direction' depends on the brief: if it is an area of illustration that I lack sufficient knowledge in, I am likely to speak more with my tutors in order to fully understand what is being asked of me before I research. Even later on in the time scale of a project, I like to have periods of discussion with the tutor or with my peers to show them my work, and to bounce ideas on where to take it next.

And finally ... perception of context:
I would place myself as being proficient here. Although early on in the brief I experiment, all of them are possibilities for the final outcome. Once I seize onto an idea, everything I do then revolves around getting that idea across in the final outcome whether it's a different execution or a different media - only very rarely do I go with something else (if I do, there's a very good reason for it). I keep the brief in mind when I draw, and my number one rule is to keep within it and to go forward - even if it means limiting my own freedom as an illustrator. Sometimes I think I 'overdo' this - especially as it was a major critique I received in my Foundation course (that I was too fixated on the end-product).

Typography (or the lack of) in Visual Communication

How would text affect an image?

Typography is a huge part in all three VisCom areas - photography, illustration and graphic design. Text can put a piece into context, and gear the viewer's mind into the right direction.

Waihnin Pwint Thon, pictured

James Mackay is a British freelance documentary photographer. His project, entitled "Even Though I'm Free, I Am Not", is a collection of photographs and interviews of former Burmese political prisoners - many of whom have had to flee their home country - to raise the awareness of the brutal conditions suffered by fellow political prisoners who are still incarcerated. Amnesty International, inspired by his work, collaborated with Mackay to turn his photography into a worldwide campaign.

The simplistic gesture of holding the right hand up to the camera is that of the Abhaya Mudra - a Buddhist symbol of peace, protection and fearlessess. In writing the name of a fellow political prisoner on that hand, it becomes a symbol of standing in solidarity with that person, and silent protest. When seeing the image, no verbal description is really needed - the image says all. I find the campaign to be extremely powerful, and strongly aided by that small use of text.


How does no text affect the context or emotion of a piece?

To see a photograph, an illustration, a graphic - really, any piece of art - without text, the first time you look at it, you'll just see what is there (obviously). There's no annotations or text applying to the image to sway you, you're left to make your own decisions. Above is a piece that has attracted some controversy and had the label of 'not real art' applied to it - Tracey Emin's My Bed. I'm not a big fan of Emin myself, but I felt this piece of work was a good example to illustrate this concept. All the viewer sees is an unmade bed with mess surrounding it - but the viewer's opinion or viewing of the piece may change once he or she knows of its background. The piece is presented as Emin's bed after several days of suicidal depression, and upon knowing this, I feel there's more of a significance to the piece rather than just an unmade bed. It's a part of Emin's history, just as a diary or sketchbook is part of mine - and although the piece may not mean anything to many who see it, it is of strong, raw personal significance regardless.


Links I found useful:
AI campaign: http://www.amnesty.org.uk/content.asp?CategoryID=11849#inspiration
James Mackay's project blog: http://enigmaimages.wordpress.com/
Enigma Images: http://www.enigmaimages.net/
Telegraph article: "Tracey Emin - dirty sheets and all": http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturereviews/3557865/Tracey-Emin-dirty-sheets-and-all.html
"My Bed" from the Saatchi Gallery: http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/imgs/artists/emin-tracey/tracey-emin-my-bed.jpg

Development of Creative Thought and Structure in Illustration and Graphic Art

Overcoming Mindsets as an Illustrator

As children, we were all bursting with imagination. With Lego, K-Nex and Meccano popular on the market, we could build anything we wanted with little plastic blocks. The piece above, by Christoph Niemann, is an illustration we can all particularly identify with - and it presents a point that with some imagination and different perspectives, we can portray any image effectively. When we owned Lego and K-Nex as children, we too thought in this way - they weren't just blocks, they were cars, flags and food.

We develop mindsets throughout our education on 'how things should be', and in order to become a flexible and effective illustrator, one must learn to break them. The first step is to identify the blocks in your mindset - sometimes, these aren't always visible to us and it takes someone else, such as a peer or a lecturer, to point them out. Once we have identified the issue, we must study the rule itself and challenge it through play - a good chance to stretch our right brains! Different forms of mark-making, drawing with the opposite hand, all of these could produce that spark of inspiration. Our logical left brains can then analyse the pros and cons of the experimentation we produce, and when to take a certain idea further. Following this process, I can learn to overcome a mindset, and hopefully look at a brief with fresh eyes.

Restating Problems

When receiving a new brief, artists and designers need to avoid predictability. Predictable answers will easily run stale, and a new, imaginative perspective is needed. To do this, there are a number of ways: the most effective, for me so far, is the method of asking random questions and relating them to your brief.

The picture above shows two responses to two random questions asked in Illustration, yet I have related them to the topic of my brief ("the underbelly of Birmingham"). The left page is an answer to "How do you plan to disguise yourself in real life?" and the one to the right is "On Noah's Ark, which animal would you throw off first?" Both of them address issues personal to me (not being able to lie, and protesting against the huge increase in student fees and the cuts) and they address the brief, but in a much more imaginative way than my first thoughts were when I originally received the brief. I feel, using this method, many artists and designers can look at their brief with a new imagination, and, through this method, I formed an idea which I took further into a zine.


Links I found useful:
Christoph Niemann, personal website and portfolio - http://www.christophniemann.com/
http://visual-journals.blogspot.com/

The Testing and Methodology of an Illustrator

A large part of an illustrator's (or any creative) job is to promote themselves. Promotion ensures that their work is seen by a wide audience, and in that wide audience are potential employers as well as fellow artists who can offer valuable feedback.

A very useful tool for self-promoting is the Internet, which is what I shall focus on. With the popularity of sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Flickr, many illustrators participate in social networking as a form of promotion. The 'quick update' aspects of the former two sites are a convenient way for the illustrator to let his or her 'followers' know that, for example, a blog is updated, or that they are featured in a magazine/art exhibition. An alternative is the good old social forum, which if successful and active, can be a brilliant way to get feedback and to see the work of other artists.

Flickr has a 'community' option in which members can join and add their images to a 'group pool'. Although a nice way of sharing work with others, and a way in which I have found new artists who I follow the updates of, I have found that there isn't much constructive feedback given here as there would be in a forum.

Another way is to be promoted in an illustration blog - one example above. Pikaland features illustrators from around the world who have caught their eyes, and also offer services such as projects and their own Ning and Flickr groups. Being featured is a great way to see what others think of your work, and which pieces have worked successfully.


Also, your methodology will come into play. Part of a successful illustrator's methodology is researching popular artists/illustrators of the day. My own methodology is as follows:

I will carry out artist research relating to the brief I have been given.

I will also research into the concepts behind my (eventual) final piece.

I will also experiment with different forms of media.

If it is relevant, I will go into character development and art style based on the research and other studies I have made.

... and with this information, I shall go on to developing my final piece.

The Three Act Structure, and The Hero's Journey

When one thinks of acts, the theatre comes to mind - not necessarily artwork. However, an important aspect of visual communication is that of storytelling and effective communication with the audience.

In school, children are taught in Literacy that every good story has a beginning, a middle, and an end – or an establishment, a crisis, and a resolvement. We establish a scenario - whether this includes a backstory or not is optional, but the audience is given a 'here and now' portrayal of our protagonist. A crisis or the 'meat of the story' comes up in which the equilibrium is thrown out of balance, usually thanks to a choice that our protagonist makes. And, finally, at the end of the tale there is a form of resolve, where a new equilibrium is restored (and not necessarily a 'happily ever after').

For example, let's take Disney's UP (one of my favourite Pixar films):

The establishment is as follows:

-          Many years ago, Carl and Ellie are a normal couple.

-           They save for Paradise Falls

-          Other obligations require the money.

-          Ellie suddenly falls ill and dies in hospital before the trip can take place.

-           Carl alone, grieving and bitter.

The current scenario:

-          Carl still in a state of grief and lives alone in the old house, where building sites surround it

-          He is opposed to the construction around him

-          The court declare him a 'public menace' and he is forced to move into a residential home.

Carl makes a decision:
-   Using thousands of balloons, he lifts the house into the sky to travel to Paradise Falls
-   He accidentally takes with him a young boy named Russell (a stereotypical sidekick).
-   Arriving in Venezuela, they meet a flightless bird who Russell dubs 'Kevin', and the main antagonist, Charles F. Muntz.

The main crisis of the film is that Muntz is after Kevin.

Resolve is brought about:
- Muntz’s death trying to snatch Kevin
- Kevin is later reunited with family.
- The house lands perfectly by the side of Paradise Falls, fulfilling Carl's promise to Ellie
- Carl has turned from a bitter, crotchety old man into a kindly grandfather figure
- Carl finally accepts Ellie's death. A new equilibrium is restored.

Secondly, another form of storytelling is that of The Hero's Journey - or in the words of one Joseph Campbell, a monomyth.

For this example, I shall use the 1994 Disney film The Lion King, the story loosely based from the Shakespearean tale of Hamlet.

-          Simba flees Pride Rock after the death of his father Mufasa, out of fear that he was the one that caused it.

-          He meets Timon and Pumbaa, who are his mentors and helpers as he grows up.

-          Later on he meets his childhood friend Nala, who reveals to him that Pride Rock has fallen into a state of ruin, and Simba conflicts with himself over returning to take his place as king

-          ‘Gift of the Goddess’ is when Mufasa appears to Simba as a ghost in the clouds

-          He finally returns to Pride Rock and fights his uncle Scar

Useful links:
Hamlet and the Lion King, by Trey McElveen. http://www.lionking.org/ - accessed 2nd Nov, 2010
Monomyth - The Lion King. http://wiki.unknowableroom.org/ - accessed 2nd Nov, 2010

The Creative Brain, and the Importance of Working By Hand

Sketching diagrams by hand is essential for getting initial ideas down. The use of ‘mind maps’ is popular in schools and jobs alike, as they display a connection between the key word or idea, and related ideas.

Secondly, sketching by hand can help you get a feel for the composition, or general look of a piece of traditional work in a way that a digital program can not. We can see the general idea of our work in our mind’s eye, however it is not very often that we can capture those little nuances in such detail.

Drawing with the hand improves hand-eye coordination, and your relationship with basic artist tools. We can test media in sketchbooks, how it reacts with the paper and other surfaces, and not have to worry about how it looks as a final piece. Experimenting in this sense is a key part of creative play, and without it we would not develop our artistic skill nearly as much.

My own reflective visual journal (now referred to as RVJ) is full of experimenting - both ones that have worked well, and those that have failed. Through that, I believe I can see the pathway that my work has taken with each brief - aside from the occasional use of printouts (mainly images), little of the work in my RVJ is digital. I have also made small sketches for design ideas and mind maps at the start of briefs to get my brain working, and I believe they have been a benefit in my journey.

Also, evident in one's RVJ is that of the collaboration between the left and right brain. The right brain is a child at play - responsible for our creativity and love of all things chaotic, artistic and messy. When we're lost in a piece of work or experimenting with a new set of paints, our right brain is taking over. Our left brain, however, is the complete opposite - it takes control of our logic and thinking. We can use our left brains in our work by applying logic and asking questions of our work - what is this doing? Why? Where will it lead? Annotations can be applied to our experiments, and in doing that we can give our right brains a general direction or theme to play around in next.




Images I found useful:
- my own work
- http://ninespv.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/left_right_brain_xp1.jpg

Legibility, and the 'Tone of Voice'

In illustration and design, it is important to make your message as legible as possible, whether it is through text or image. First, an example:

Although this anti-smoking advert is not in English, the message can still be easily understood by those who don't speak Czech - when a nursing mother smokes, the dangerous toxins will be passed onto the child. The image is hard-hitting and controversial, but it is a very good example of a legible advert through image.The text itself is bold, and although it is small, the heading in the yellow banner draws one's attention.

This is another anti-smoking advertisement from the Department of Health, one that drew a lot of controversy in the UK over its disturbing image. The image itself, if the text was removed, would not be very legible on its own. The supporting text and the slogan 'Get unhooked' is what makes this advert so effective. The text itself is white on a dark background, which is easy to read, and is limited to a few words (which is easier for any viewers to remember and take in). In comparison, the Czech advert is quite 'wordy'.

Secondly, do text and fonts have a tone of voice?

Here, a simple phrase "Hey, you!" is reproduced in a number of different fonts. Each font lends a 'voice' to the phrase, and affects how we read it in our head. The big, bold, capitalised statements are read in a loud, commanding shout, while the lowercase and more cursive fonts are seen as friendlier and soft-spoken. The voice provided by fonts and texts are very important to the illustrator or graphic designer, as it can lend itself to the feel of the entire piece as well as appeal to a certain audience.

For example, this piece shows vibrance, the choice of colours making it a very legible image (especially the use of red text in 'live' of Alive). The words are all portrayed with boldness and energy to match the design and colour palette, and is a good example of showcasing tone of voice in fonts and legibility.

This screengrab of the Times website also has a tone of voice in its text, although a very different one. Leaning away from energy and dynamic fonts, The Times's choice in text presentation and layout portray a very simple, no-nonsense business-like approach with good legibility to match its audience (mainly adults, easier to read for those on the go and browsing using their phone, or only having five minutes in a lunch break - those in more of a rush will not want to take time out to navigate around a difficult-to-read site). In contrast, the CBBC site for Newsround is designed specifically to appeal to kids - bright colours, more interesting fonts to hold their attention.




Images used:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/ash88leigh/RwvEYsJTj9I/AAAAAAAAAFE/pU1LXCupHLw/untitled5%5B1%5D.png
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Media/Pix/pictures/2007/05/15/smokead128.jpg
http://www.kumailht.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/typography.png
http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Arts/Arts_/Pictures/2008/04/30/fishhook460.jpg

Articles used:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/may/16/advertising.uknews
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-455106/Anti-smoking-advert-frightening.html
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/ <i>[screencap taken 25/10/2010]</i>