D and AD Edinburgh International Festival
My Contribution

Me and the other illustrator were tasked with creating the designs for the individual app icons. Essentially this became more of a design job than illustration which resulted in my first set of images looking a to cleaner and more 'corporate' than the other illustrator's work.

This was highlighted in a group crit and so as to rectify this I then added in characters given that they were present in all of the other illustrators contributions. I also hand drew some parts to give them a more playful feel so as to further bring them in line with other images.

As stated before I think I really let this brief down by not being assertive or communicating the other illustrator as much as I should which resulted in a  set of images that weren't fully cohesive, an issue that was only rectified by a rather lazy approach from me of adding in some characters last minute.
These issues were further exaggerated by my ongoing absence during the last two weeks due to illness.

D and AD Edinburgh International Festival
Working as Part of a Group

I found the process of working within a group quite challenging given that I am naturally quite shy and un assured of myself. Although working at a design studio over the summers has helped this, there I have quite strong direction which I think I respond well to where as within college group work it required individuals to be more assertive which is something I am not very good at.

Therefore I can see how this module should have been very constructive for my over all practice and although I think our group did work well together I took something of a back seat and was just happy to complete what I was told to do.

Although others in the group definately pulled their weight more than me I definately think communication could have been improved by more regual meet up rather than simply communicating via messenger. This resulted us working mainly in solitary and only meeting up face to face to discuss what we had already done. his slowed the process of both ideas and image development down a lot. In particular I feel in hindsight I needed  to communicate better with the other illustrator so as to create a more unified set of illustrate

D and AD Edinburgh International
The Brief

The main aim of the brief was to create and app or video in conjunction with the BBC so as to better increase the awareness and participation within the Edinburgh International festivals. This is because being comprised of so many different festivals it has been hard to give the overall event a cohesive feel with festivals such as the Fringe and Military Tatoo taking centre stage.

Like a lot of the briefs this one wasn't asking for any specific visual responses but instead a general concept on how to improves participation at the event through the creation of an app. As stated before this was very outside of my usual way of working and I will admit the designer and other illustrator came up with the main ideas behind the concept.

In the end we decided to create one over arching app that would have links to all the other pages as well as maps and ticket resources so that you could view what eas on, wher eit was and how much it woul cost.

We also wanted to include a feature that would allow you to record and upload your experiences from the Edinburgh fringe so as entice other's to come. However it was pointed out in an initial crit that the logistics of this would be very hard to work out and that we would have to avoid a service which effectively live streamed the event given that this would reduce the incentive for people to actually come to the event.

D and AD
Edinburgh International Festival

Selecting a Group

Having initially struggled to find a group I managed to find one with a fellow illustrator, graphic designer and animation student. However originally I had wanted to complete the Adobe poster brief with a designer given that I felt it would best play to my strengths and interests within the creative practice. However on the day of 'speed dating' no one other than my friend, another illustrator, wanted to undertake that brief so I had to change brief so as to be working with both people I didn't know and people from different courses.

Therefore I ended up in a group carrying out the D and AD Edinburgh International Festival award. This forced me to work outside my comfort zone as it was more of a design and advertising based briefed given that it was about coming up with a new app so as to increase awareness of, and participation in the Edinburgh International Festival.

YCN Roald Dahl
Submitted Images

The Enormous Crocodile

Esio Trot

The Giraffe, The Pelly and Me

Given that in the brief it stated that all images needed to include a child hero, adult villain or anthropomorphic hero/villain I decided to make the anthropomorphic characters central to each of my three submissions so as to create a feeling of unity and cohesion between them.

I further reinforced this sense of cohesion through the use of a consistent colour scheme running between the three different images.

As I outlined in my rational I was keen to move as far away as possible from the imagery associated with Roald Dahl whilst still communicating the characters and scenes from his stories. Therefore I chose to create bold imagery composed of a variety of different simplified and graphic characters and elements usually predominately shape and very little line work to describe them.
This is due to the fact I feel it is both one of the defining features of my personal aesthetic and way of creating images and also the antithesis of Quetin Blake's work which you would immediately associate with Dalh's writing and thus I wanted to move as far away from as possible.

Effectiveness in answering the brief

I think there is a certain sense of drama and tension between all three images. However in the images for the Enormous Crocodile and Esio Trot I think this is a more restrained 'still' drama given that, rather than something dynamic happening there is more of a feel that something is about to happen. Particularly in the Esio Trot image where the claw s about to grab the tortoise. Arguably this gives them are more sophisticated, adult feel that doesn't as effectively answer the brief given that it's target audience is 5-11 year olds.

On the other had I think the The Giraffe, The Pelly and Me image is much more effect in answering the brief as by choosing to depict the moment Pelly apprehends the jewel thief I have created a more dynamic and exciting image that would appeal more directly to children.

YCN Roald Dahl

For my final individual brief I decided to complete the YCN Roald Dahl literary estate brief given that it would allow me to further develop and refine the process of creating dramatic, scenic images that I had been creating in 504 but had moved away from in my other two responsive briefs.

The Brief

Illustrate iconic scenes and characters from Roald Dahl's children's stories. Any styles are welcome but they need to be adventurous and dynamic so as to appeal to the target audience of 5-11 year olds.

They need to be particularly striking so as capture the younger generations, who have grown up surrounded by technology,  love for reading

This brief particularly appealed to me given that my aesthetic and way of working is very far removed from the work of Quetin Blake which you would usually associate with Roald Dahl. I think this will work in my favour in that it will help me translate Dahl's work visually in a way that is both my own and stands out from the other submissions.

Don't Look Now
Finished Artwork

Once I had got the overall aesthetic and feel for the characters sorted it was relatively straightforward to create a unified set of images given that I had already created a way of laying out the posters that the client was happy with.

The type and the poster I feel work really well together with the figure taking the main focus as intended whilst still leaving the posters very functional in terms of delivery of information.
The client was thrilled will the level of unity present throughout the body of work given that it is very clear looking from poster to poster that, despite containing a variety of different characters they all share the same over aesthetic and feel.

I then reformatted these images so as to be viewed on a variety of different online media. This is because the client uses a variety of different platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter as well as internet radio stations UkMondo and Melodic Distraction to promote their night.

Don't Look Now
Digital Development

I then began to develop the characters I had designed in the previous set of roughs digitally so as to give me a greater degree of control over their final appearance. The client was keen for me to use bold vibrant colours so as to give the night an energetic and contemporary feel.
However I was cautious not to over do this given that during my research I had found the most effective posters to be those that were the simplest. Therefore I set myself the restraint of only using 2 colours per poster.

Don't Look Now 
Image Development

Given the previous feedback and aims set out in the brief/rational for this project I decided the best way to go about creating a dynamic and unique identity would be to construct a kind of mascot for the nights that could appear from poster to poster. Although the figure may appear very different from poster to poster the overall aesthetic would be maintained.

Roughs

With these figures I tried to effectively communicate the distorted nature of much of the music played at the night as well as referencing the idea of people dancing and contorting their bodies in time to the music. These figures are meant to appear both sluggish and manic given that the music ranges in tempo and energy level.

The client was really happy with these roughs ad wanted me to further develop and refine the characters citing that their 'wonky', disjointed appearances effectively complimented the feel of the night as well as standing out from the more restrained imagery of competing nights.

Don't Look Now
Initial ideas and Concepts

Unlike the Beezledubs brief I think the key to answering this brief is slightly ambiguous imagery that more references the feel of the music than anything in particular. With this in mind I begun creating various different potential ideas and sent them off to the client. However of this first batch they felt that they all looked a bit too 'standard' and not particularly exciting.

However they did really like the layout of the last magenta poster so i think I'm going to work at developing the actual imagery within this so as to create something more dynamic and engaging which still has retain the simplistic and sophisticated layout present with this image.

Don't Look Now
Research

For their promotional material they client was keen for the aesthetic and layout to be clean and simple yet still reflect the energy of the music/night.
These posters for divided love focus on trying to communicate the dynamic of the spaces and music of the clubs it takes place at rather than, despite being run by international DJ Daniel Avery, the DJs paying at it.
Therefore I felt a similar approach would be best when tackling this brief. When discussing these ideas with the client they were very keen for me to develop work along this line of thinking, however int terms of the specific reference they liked the simplicity of the layout but wanted me to avoid pursuing similar 'played out' electronic music cliches stating that the posters were perhaps a bit too bland and wanted something more dynamic.



Divided Love

Therefore I began looking at other contemporary poster with a similar simplicity in layout and typesetting but with more dynamic and exciting images taking centre focus.


Oval Space and Pickle Factory

Immediately I the work of classic designers such as Shigeo Fukuda and Saul bass also sprung to mind. This is because their is real considered and effective simplicity to the layouts of their posters that looks and feels very contemporary despite being created decades ago. Both also couple this with clever dynamic images which concisely communicate complex themes resulting in very memorable and rimless imagery.


Shigeo Fukuda                                  Saul Bass

Don't Look Now
Brief/Rational

Once again I was happy to receive a life brief that was within my desired area of interest. This time it is a small, left field electronic music night in Sheffield that plays techno, electro and industrial.
The client wants a complete brand identity for the night including a logo and cohesive and visually striking set of promotional material.

They were keen for the work to stand out from your typical club nights given the recent influx in competitors operating within the same niche.

Unlike they're competitors however they play a more niche and eclectic set of music and have a small loyal fan base that has grown organically due to the fact they focus on curating the night itself rather than booking big artists to draw a crowd.

Therefore they want to naturally expand their fan base by creating a unique visual identity that reflects these values.

Beezledubs
Final Images and Mock Ups

 Both myself and the client were very please with the final outcome. It is perhaps even more bold and striking that the subversive compliance record design given the simplicity of the design combined with the unusual theme/concept (you would usually associated the occult with metal and rock rather than dance music).
The only slight criticism is that the back image is perhaps a little bit too run of the mill electronic music in terms of its aesthetic and I think the client intends to print just the text on the back.
With the record labels I think the use of found imagery to recreate the same image works really well as it gives the record a more interesting finish whilst still creating a sense of unity and cohesion between the different elements.
In the end the client decided that I should give the text a more clean, un distorted aesthetic so as to keep it more functional in appearance.

Beezledubs
Refinement and Type Layout

Although the client liked the approach he felt that the fly characters needed simplifying and refining so as to feel both more eye catching and sophisticated. I decided to base my refined character on both a house fly and a flea.

This was due to the importance of making the character firnly routed in name: Lord of the Flies whilst being constructed from the more simplistic and visually pleasing form of a flea
The client loved the image and idea but wanted the same image remaking from foudn imagery. I feel this is due to his own personal love of collage and found imagery whilst also wanted to retain some of the original aesthetic and conceptual energy and communication from the Subversive Compliance brief.

Type

For the other side of the label it was outlined that it should be much simpler with the text taking the main focus. The only thing the client was keen to have on here was a small image of a fly that would fly around as the record spun.

So as to compliment and reinforce this idea visually I decided I decided to set the type so as to wrap around the record. I chose a Gothic type face so as to reflect the Victorian era found imagery and chose to distort and rough up the type at the clients direction so as to give the record a darker more sinister feel.

Subversive Compliance
Sudden Change In Direction: Beezledubs

After the Christmas break there was a sudden and immediate change to the project. Having talked with the artists present on the record over the holidays the client decided last minute (roughly a week before print) to change the name and concept of the record label.

This meant I was left with very little time to respond to the new brief with only a few days turn around time to create some finished art work.

The main concept of the label now was, given the name, to reference the occult, in particular the Dicctionaire Infernal and the demon Beezlebub aka The Lord of the Flies.

Thankfully the client still wanted a predominately found image/collage based response although said I was free to draw out more graphic/shape based character work as well.

I initially drew out these characters as, given the feedback on the subversive compliance record, I wanted to create something more playful but that still reflected the occult themes out lined by the client. Although he actually really liked these images he now specifically asked for a flie figure so as to directly communicate the label name and concept.

Aso there were some concerns of how well they would scale down to format so when drawing out the fly characters I decided to rough to scale and format.

Mock Ups

Mock ups of final cover and label designs including my favourite imagery and those decided on mutually.

Printed at format I think from the mock ups the designs will be very effective. The simplicity and space present within the composition combined with a sense of chaos and movement within in both mock ups gives a really dynamic feel to the artwork.

Furthermore I feel both effectively communicate both feel of the music and anti fascist, rebellious concept behind the name subversive compliance. My only issue at this stage is that they are perhaps not as playful, particularly the top one as the client had originally hoped, however he was happy to go with the artwork of the bottom image.

Are also think that they work well in terms of format and context. This is because they will be able to be produced cheaply given that they are monochromatic yet also are eye catching and dynamic enough when printed at scale to entice buyers and stand out from other records.

Refined Imagery

Having hit the right aesthetic and begun to communicate the appropriate idea within the artwork I have refined my initial artwork and formatted into the way in which it would be printed on the record.
The above images are properly my favourite due to the simplicity of the compositions combined with the succinctness of the communication. The obscuring of the figures eye gives the feel of control and subversion whilst the brush strokes contrast with the solid forms giving it a more chaotic feel.
However the client wasn't too keen on this one feeling that it wasn't quite as playful as he had envisioned.

The above images were a step more in the right direction, however in terms of context and function I felt that they wouldn't be as effective as they needed to be, a sentiment shared by the client. This is due to the fact that, given the size of the inner label of a record sleeve these are perhaps too complicated with some of the smaller more intricate details, such as the main with the tiger skin getting lost when viewed at only a moderate distance.

It was mutually decided between myself and the client that these two were the strongest given that the compositions have slightly more room to brief making them more readable when viewed at size. They also still retain the initial chaos and energy needed to communicate both the name of the label as well as the feel of the music.
The client was particular happen with the inclusion of a mythological god like figure giving how it nods to the propaganda of early fascists as well as the idea of individuals being controlled by a higher power.

Initial Ideas

As set out in my previous posts I begun my initial investigation by combining found imagery with solid shapes/elements. I wanted to give the impression of individuals being controlled by an ominous present so as to reflect the concept behind the label. However, although the client felt these initial ideas were within the right ball park he had wanted something more considered and bold.

With this feedback in mind I created the above series of more considered images in which I have thought more carefully about creating as sense of balance and cohesion within the images whilst still maintaining the rebellious feel within the initial artwork through the re appropriation of found images.

I also think the of bock areas as black as well as the uniform grid and line patterns has given the work a more sophisticated and contemporary feel whilst still retaining the initial reference towards Dada art. I think this has particularly helped the artwork reflect the music in question rather than just the name of the label.


Working on a live brief

This brief feels immediately different to the self directed ones I have previously undertaken as part of the course. This is due to the fact that having an actual client you are working for means that, although I am still the main source of ideas and proponent for the project there is a 3rd party giving more specific directions that I have to follow and respond to.

I think this will be a really rewarding brief although at times I feel like it may get difficult due to the fact that at this stage most of the communication has been over email which sometimes slows down the process of ideas generation given that I have had to send responses and wait for replies clarifying what it is specifically that the client wants.