Jackson Rising Layouts Task

To be able to get to grips with doing Layouts, we had to produce 2 different kinds of Layouts for an art exhibition event called Jackson Rising. We will be given the copy, images and format requirements but we have to decide how we want to present the information and include our own design flourish. We have been given a specific colour scheme of 2 black (c=0, m=0, y=0, k=100 and c=0, m=0, y=0, k=90) and 2 white (c=0, m=0, y=0, k=0 and c=3, m=0, y=8, k=0).

The first brief is a layout which will be an A5 Flyer which we have 45mins to produce and the second brief is a layout which will be a Concertina Spread (10 x A5) which we have 3hrs to produce. The difference between the two briefs is that for the second brief, we are able to edit the information given.

Jackson Rising Brief 1:

Grid for A5 Flyer

We are given a grid that we can work from to start off with.

Sponsorship Placement

I started with trying to place the sponsors at the top of the page so that they would be out of the way of the actual design but they seemed to just be in the way more than out of the way. The block black logos of the MoMA and New York Uni seemed better to the sides as they seemed overpowering when next to each other. Moving them to the bottom seemed to balance out the design a lot more and, by getting rid of the Jackson Rising logo from the middle, it instantly seemed more balanced out.

Body Copy

The next thing I wanted to do was work out where the body copy of the poster was going to be placed. People who tend to go to artist exhibitions are interested in the story behind the work and, after reading its contents, to me, it was a very important part of the poster in drawing in the necessary audience. With that, I wanted to use that sentence as its main form of advertisement so I decided to put it at the top of the poster rather than at the bottom. An important factor to determine for the poster was the typeface that I was going to select as the typeface needed to go with the actual Jackson Rising logo so that there is consistent fluidity. I knew that I would want a legible typeface which was quite thin so after trying with Gill Sans and Minion Pro, I ended up using Letter Gothic Std which gives a thin, contemporary aesthetic. I ended up using 30pt font for the content and I manipulated it so that it was mainly left-aligned so that it was aesthetically pleasing.

Contact Information

The next thing that made sense to me was to have contact information out of the way of the main information that is necessary so I felt it was a good hierarchy decision to have it at the bottom of the page. I tried it with left alignment which looked fitting but I felt that it would take up room for the rest of the information if left like that so I decided to lay it out along the bottom. I put the contacts in 8pt to again highlight the hierarchy of information but this was very small and I felt would be hard to read so I changed it to 10pt which was evenly spread and clearer to read.

Title

I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to incorporate the title of the exhibition into the flyer appropriately due to the fact that the title was an image/ logo which is very much lop-sided. I knew that the title had to be the next largest piece of information on the flyer as well as the next thing that they eye is drawn to but I was unsure as to how I would be able to display it in a way which is appropriate. I decided to put the logo left aligned like the rest of the information so that it would come across as being balanced rather than uneven like it would if I put it in the middle. I knew that I wanted to have the name of the curator underneath the title to contextualise the placement of the title yet the point size of the smaller information didn't give the information any definition so I ended up making the point size 20 (in-between the large copy and small information) and I made the text itself bold so that it had added emphasis. Having down that, I scaled up the size of the logo so that it was equal with the font size.

Location and Dates

Some key information for the flyer was the location and dates of the exhibition which I knew would be going underneath the title. I tried it in the same size font as the contact details but I felt that it didn't emphasise the information enough so I made it 12pt so that it had more of a distinction between the two different information points.

Final Design:

An A5-sized Portrait Flyer with specified copy and image.

Flyer Layout

To say that we only had a short space of time to produce the flyer (something which I tend to have a problem with doing) I am very happy with the outcome as I feel as though it is minimal and sophisticated, reflecting the contents of the exhibition. I believe that I have demonstrated hierarchy quite well which, even though some people may not have agreed with my choices, I am able to justify why I have made those choices.

Jackson Rising Brief 2:

After producing the Leaflet, we were then given the task of expanding this to a Concertina Spread (10 x A5) brochure.

Grid for Concertina

We are given a grid that we can work from to start off with.

I started with putting my flyer into the place of the front page so that I would have something to reference and work with. I wanted the flyer and the brochure to have visual consistency so that it was a coherent brand.

Introduction

The content specified that the copy was an introduction so I took it from the flyer and put in on the inside page of the front cover and had the layout so that the text was the sole content of that page. This goes with the clean aesthetic of the flyer and gives a bold statement page to read. For the boldness of the font, I did it at 38.5pt so it took up the whole page size without compromising on the content itself as well as selecting the bold option on the font itself.

Front Cover

The content specified the need for certain information to be on the front cover of the brochure so I changed the information from what was on the flyer to what needs to be on the brochure. Due to the fact that the main focal point of the front cover is gone now, I made the logo for the Jackson Rising image larger so it balances out the negative space.

Contact Information

I wanted the brochure to have a professional spark so I decided to put the contact information on the last page of the brochure at the back so it didn't take away from the actual content itself. I started with the information in the middle but, due to the left-handed alignment throughout, it didn't match so I also aligned this to the left. The point size of font is the same as for the front cover and flyer information which is 12pt.

Managing the Body Copy 

I felt that the most important thing to get done was the body copy as this would make up the main bulk of my content. I put the content into the document and found that, as i was reading through it, it had quotes with the artists talking about there work. I felt that this made a more personal response and connection therefore I decided to make these more of an element within the whole design. I reflected the design of the Introduction page and used this to structure the quotes, making the quote itself bold. With this though, I hadn't include the name of the person being quoted so I included this at the bottom with the regular weight of the font.

Concertina Backs

I felt that this was actually quite a successful aesthetic so I decided to do this so that each artist has a quote from there body copy which makes it all equal amongst the artists.

Image Placement

In regards to the artists images, I wanted the images in the actual brochure to be quite large but I soon realised that, with only 3 pages left, I wouldn't be able to do this for each artist.

Layout of Imagery and Body Copy

I decided to have the 2 artists with the smallest amount of body copy to have a smaller space for the images so that the publication itself would flow better. I made the text that I had as small as possible by editing it to the most important aspects so as to make the room for the images.

Chosen Images

Out of the images given, I selected 4 which I felt were the most interesting and conceptual. I also changed the layout of my text by putting it into columns so it would look more professional. Having decided on this as my final layout for the inner section of the concertina, the next thing I needed to do was resize my images so that I would be able to have them work

Photoshop Imagery 

Putting the images into Photoshop, I noticed that one of the images I had picked was quite blurry when being resized so I decided to change the image to a larger sized image on the actual document.

Re-sized Images

The images are now much clearer and show the artists work in a better light.

Final Design:

A Concertina Spread (10 x A5) brochure with specified content and images.

Final Brochure Layout

I felt that it was easier to produce work for the Brochure than it was for the flyer because I already had a visual identity that I had come up with. To me, the way I have laid out the information reminds me of places like Yorkshire Sculpture Park and the leaflets that they give out so, even though it does't have a lot of body copy, I believe it still fulfils the needs of a brochure.

Study Task:

We have been asked to have a printed copy of our brochure produced which shows the layouts themselves.

Concertina Layouts

I decided to take this further by getting 2 copies printed so that I could attempt to produce the concertina format itself.

Crafting of Concertina

 I had to measure out the sizes of the sides to make sure I made them all equal. From that, I then had to cut it out using a craft knife and ruler due to the scale of the concertina.

Folded Concertina Brochure

Then I folded the brochure to be able to produce the format but, to me, the folds don't seem sharp enough or seem misjudged. What is a shame to the actual concertina is that the markings I made to get the scale correctly damaged my actual concertina so I had to cut the ends off meaning that some of the words were compromised. The structure and design itself though on the format I am happy with.

Extended Study Task:

So we can go further into formats, we have been asked to extend the work we have done for Jackson Rising exhibition by trying to produce more collateral for it in the form of proposals.

Stationary Proposal

I applied the logo to a range of stationary media, including a full design for a letterhead. I felt that these could be sold in the exhibition shop as there is always a place to be able to buy novelties from at the end.

Ticket

Using the flyer design, I made an exhibition ticket in the same aesthetic style that people can use for entry as well as keep as a token of their visit. I thought that this could be sent to VIP's in an envelope so that it gives a more exclusive quality.

Photoshop Adshel Poster

I felt that a poster to advertise the event would be beneficial and by having it as an adshel, it would be able to reach people who are travelling around the city, in particular tourists and visitors, who would use public transport.  

Building Advertisement

I included a banner for the side of the MoMA building itself so that anyone who was walking past the building would be able to see what exhibition was on at the gallery and attract the interest of passers-by. 

Outdoor Banner Advert

I felt that it would be a great inclusion to have banners on lamp posts due to the crowded nature of New York that can line the street up to the MoMA. I designed the flyer design to work on an elongated format so that it would be able to be applied in this way.

Exhibition Space Way-Finding

Naturally, I felt that for an exhibition, it was important to be able to have the space ready for the viewers. I produced a large wall display for the main room/ entrance to the exhibition and then I produced a way finding list for the walls so that visitors know where each artists work is situated. This gives the space more of a professional edge without being too specific in the information given so that the visitors can explore the gallery for themselves.

Proposals for Jackson Rising:

Range of responses to Jackson Rising brief which spans a range of collateral:

Proposals for Jackson Rising Extended

From this, I produced a design board for the brief showcasing the range I have produced.

I think that I have considered a wide range of proposals that would be relevant for the context of an art exhibition, with a mixture of printed and environmental graphics. I am very happy with the consistency throughout and I feel like the design gives a contemporary flair to the exhibition, particularly with the minimal colour scheme. I feel like, if I had the time, I could push this further by considering a website design as well as posters for subway stations.