Studio Brief: Message and Delivary Research

In Groups, we were asked to come up with as many news stories as we could think of that have happened in the last 12 months:

• Olympics/ Para-Olympics
• Jubilee
• Batman Colorado Shooting
• Jimmy Savile
• Young Girl Shot in Newsagents
• Teacher & Student going abroad
• Skydive that broke the sound barrier
• Hydron Collider producing 'God' Particle
• Hillsborough Enquiry
• Wimbledon
• Euro Football
• Magician Dynamo walks across the Thames
• Politician who called a Policeman a 'Pleb'
• Whitney Houston Died
• Norway Shooter Brevik Charged
• 'Talent' Shows
• Robot Spaceship sent to Mars
• Fabrice Muamba
• Lance Armstrong

Why do we remember them?

• Recent
• Was on the TV
• Big Event
• Scientific Breakthrough
• Effects our Lives
• Once in a Lifetime Happening

Once we had come up with this list, we then had to choose an article from a newspaper from Tuesday 23rd October 2012 and research around this article in order to be able to produce an informed opinion. (see Design Context Brief for Full Breadth of Research)

From this, we have been given a brief where we have to produce 3 A3 (2:1) Posters using Type/ Image/ Type & Image to show an informed opinion on an aspect of the research we have done. We are only permitted 2 colours plus the stock colour and it has to be recognizable in regards to what it is talking about.

Statement of Intent for Posters

From this, we had to produce 20 ideas for each poster in order to have produced enough initial ideas.

Type & Image 20 Initial Ideas

Image Initial Ideas

Type Initial Ideas

From these ideas, I had to produce what would work as a series therefore I chose these ideas (see pictures)

Selected 3 Designs

I decided on these ideas to work as a series because they have the same running font and imagery within the ideas. I may change and develop the layout of the images as they are quite squashed in and not as considered as I would like. This way, I can put more thought into my poster designs in regards to form, composition and placement.

I started by using Illustrator to see if I could produce something that would be aesthetically good looking.

Initial Image Poster Attempt

My first attempt at an Image poster didn't look very convincing and is pretty dreadful in regards to quality of imagery and skill.

Second Attempt With Colour

I tried again using colour and by adding a few extra details, it has managed to look slightly better and has a bit more context behind it so it is easier to recognise yet still doesn't have any aesthetic quality or visual quality to it.

Type & Image Poster Attempt

I followed this up by trying to make a mock up of the type and image poster using the image that I had previously made. I like how the typeface is given context by flowing from the image itself yet the type is quite stiff and angular which isn't like the consistancy of blood.

Type & Image Attempt with Colour

Then I mocked up a colour version of the previous poster which makes it easier to understand and makes it more succinct as a poster. It still doesn't look professional or full of quality but there is a distinct improvement in the quality of the work from the previous attempts.

Type Image Attempt with Colour

From the type I used from the Type & Image posters, I then went onto trying to produce a type poster in the same vein. To me, it seems a little bit crowded and squashed in in regards to the linework so it might be ideal to work on this to make it simpler.

Type & Image Attempt with Colour without Extra Lines

Taking the image I used for the previous type, I then developed it by getting rid of the tube lines I was using, leaving just the blood line which looks a lot more cleaner and professional. It keeps it simple and makes more sense. I made the 'o' black so that I could make them look more like wheels so that I could contextualize the poster and the reason behind it, making it more obvious to the audience.

Attempt at Image Poster

I made another attempt to produce a different image poster to see whether it would be any more successful than my previous attempts. The only downside is that, due to the fact that we are limited by only having 2 colours plus stock, I cannot put colour in the trophy thereby not contextualizing it very well.

I'm very disappointed with the outcome of my Illustrator attempts as they appear unprofessional and amatuerish. I think it was a good idea for me to try it out as it means that I can keep trying to build my skills and try to improve. Due to how unsuccessful my posters produced on illustrator are, I then decided to card cut my posters so that it looks a bit more natural and substantial. Also, I would have more control over the presentation and production of my overall image as I would be able to work with the actual media and get the exact image I want.

I sketched out my designs on the neccessary scale to work out the design and format layout. This meant that I could adjust the placement and layout of the poster so that it was more spacious and in proportion to the composition and scale of the required poster size.

Image Poster Design

Type & Image Poster Design

Type Poster Design

I worked from these designs by tracing over them and them cutting them out from the card.

Image Poster Tracing



Type & Image Tracing

Type Design Tracing

Final Pieces:
I produced my final pieces by card cutting the images from the tracings so that I would be able to produce a smooth application of colour and a controlled approach to line.

Final Image Poster Design

Type & Image Poster Design

Type Poster Design

I think my posters are successful in the fact that they work as a series in regards to the image and type used and the choice of colours that flow through the work. It fulfills the brief as it is a series with only 2 colours (plus stock) in an A3 (2:1) layout. I think that the type is very inventive and goes well with the overall image as it is all incorporated together and the colouration is smooth and consistant throughout. What probably makes it unsuccessful is that I'm not sure that the posters would be easily understood. I mean that if the audience didn't know about the story of Lance Armstrong and the recent highlighting on Doping then I'm not sure whether they would get the reference straight away. I think I have produced the posters to be considered and thought-provoking due to the subject matter without being offensive or too shocking for the audience thereby allowing for it to reach a large mass audience.