Secert 7 1.5

RATIONALE

Needs to be 140 characters so I need to summarise my concept in a very short amount of characters. This will force me to condense my concept and give the judges some context to judge from. 

'Inspired by the ‘lock and key’ concept for enzymes as they only produce a product if the particles match the active site of the enzyme.'

'The activity of enzymes is similar to...'

'The relationship between enzymes and molecules is similar to the relationship issues narrated through the track.' 

'Inspired by the natural ‘lock and key’ concept for enzymes as their behaviour is similar to the relationship issues narrated in the track.'

The rational will help put my concept into context and make the composition easier for the audience to interpret. 

CRIT

Unfortunately I wasn't able to explain my concepts that I had no original imagery for because of the style of crit. If I was in a personal crit in groups I would be able to discuss concepts such as the phone cord. 

The concepts I presented:

Gained a lot of feedback because I clearly presented each concept and provided the rational:

Asking the right questions in a crit can make a huge difference for the quality of feedback. If I didn't ask any questions I wouldn't get as much feedback and it wouldn't be relevant to the problems I have. 

1- Which composition do you think is best appropriate for a record cover?

The reason I asked this question was because I was interested to see if one style was stronger than the other, even though the concept is the same. I gained a lot of positive feedback for all of my compositions, especially the monoprinted outcomes as people liked the colour combinations and texture. I was surprised by how many people liked the second monoprint publication because it was based on a very early composition and wasn't developed. People felt the monoprints were more engaging due to the abstract shapes and textures.


2- Which song do you think the compositions are for?

Surprisingly, not one person said Tame Impala which was a shock to me, however I can understand this because of the colour scheme and how geometric they are. Most people said 'Clearest Blue', 'Art School' and 'Worry'. This feedback suggests that I haven't approached the brief as conceptually as other people, however I wanted to stay away from Podjaski's style as he is already recognised as Tame Impala's style. Being given the freedom to be as ambiguous and conceptual as I like has influenced my practice as I am more confident to produce an outcome that's totally different to the expected. 

3- Should I add type to explain enzyme concept?

Every single person who left a reply said no because it's not necessary and the outcomes are effective enough as they are. I am pleased with how clear and concise the feedback was for this question as I can now make an informed decision based on conclusive feedback. 

4- Are concepts 3 and 4 too minimalist or should I add more content?

A lot of people commented on how much they liked the enzyme concept, however visually some people preferred the monoprints because of how expressive and visually rich they are. It is a strong concept that has allowed me to think about different techniques and processes. I gained some really useful information on how I can potentially improve my enzyme concept as people thought it was very flat and can see potential for more. I need to think about how the sleeve is going to stand out from the rest of the submissions by experimenting with more engaging colour schemes or multiple layers. I don't have to be strictly geometric so could try natural and rounded shapes as well. I am pleased that people like the enzyme concept because it's nice to know that people agree with what you believe in. Some people thought the simplicity and minimal content was in fact appropriate 

5 - Any Comments..

Someone suggested that I mix the monoprint concept with the geometric enzymes so that the composition had texture and wasn't too flat. I will consider this and may even print some originals. 

RESPONSE TO CRIT

The crit was useful because it provided me with the confidence to stick to certain concepts and compositions. However I received a lot of contradicting feedback which is always going to happen but it makes my decision making very hard. I could change my questions to force conclusive feedback.

A lot of people thought my compositions were flat so I decided to make them 3D which will make the audience perceive the shape is going to slot into the available space in the cube:

Grid system on Illustrator was really useful for getting accurate shapes and perspective. I used three tones of grey to make the composition look even more 3D. I chose grey because it's a tonal colour that I can use to inspire more colour schemes. Changing the size of the forms create more perspective.

Relating back to the enzyme concept, the composition below consists of 4 enzymes and 4 molecules, however one of the cubes (enzyme) is filled in so the other part of the puzzle (molecule) can not fit in - Emphasising the story in the song. 

The colour scheme was inspired by Sue Doeksin:

Triadic colour scheme is friendly and reminds me of a children's toy because they're primary coloured and bold. This contrasts with the morbid, monochromatic forms around them. 

Expanded on the repeat pattern composition by filling the square template:

There's a lot of opportunity to play around with colour schemes that are pleasing or conflicting.

Started rotating the composition because I like the way the perspective lines create completely new angles. This is aided by geometric and concise the composition is. This may not be appropriate for Tame Impala because they are an expressive band, however I think this would be appropriate for another song. 

More layout concepts:

To make my composition more expressive, like Tame Impala, I cut the shapes out of my monoprints, transferring ideas from both of my concepts:

The tones are very muted and I tried editing them on Photoshop but the different surface textures are expressive but not consistent enough. 

Potentially card print this because there are only three tones and I create a texture that is more consistent. I can print onto different coloured stock using coloured inks too. 

Ausmuteants Album Cover

Monochromatic and minimalist colour scheme reminds me of an old instruction manual which could have originally been for the printer on the cover. A grid system has been used to create the composition because the typesetting is formal and objective. The majority of the composition consists of type and white space but I like how all of it is relevant for a record cover but is put in the context of an instruction manual. 

It would be against Secret 7's specifications if I was to include the title of the track or band but I can still be ambiguous by typesetting the purpose of an enzyme:

Placed the type at the bottom right hand corner influenced by Ausmuteants cover. I didn't place the type in the middle or at the top because I don't want all the attention to be on the text. This would distract the audience from the visual cues. Also influenced by Ausmuteants sleeve was the large amount of white space because it breaks up the content.

This places the concept of enzymes in the audiences head and make sense of the geometric puzzle. This is a very ambiguous concept for a record sleeve, especially for a track that's psychedelic, because it is very simple and geometric. The lack of curves is a shame but I think it's appropriate because it would be harder to make 3D and translate the concept. 

Bob Gill - Forget all the rules about Graphics Desgin

Gill uses colouring crayons in a very childish style as a logo for a children's toy store. This is appropriate for the problem he was given because children use crayons a lot. I would like to translate this medium into my composition because it would relate to learning science in school which is relevant for the video and adds a rough, fuzzy texture. 

The music video for 'The Less I Know The Better' is set in a school and lets the song narrate over the story:

Noticed some illustrations that use the same colouring technique as Gill:

Typeface is commonly used for sports teams and cheerleaders at schools and colleges in America. The colour is applied by hand using simple felt tip pens. This reminds the audience of school because of the texture from the pen and the font style. 

Again, there is a lot of white space and the Illustrator has highlighted certain features of the composition to emphasise the lyrics.

CRAYONS

I used these influences to add colour and also texture to my composition using wax crayons because it is monochromatic and would reflect innate colouring-in at school:

Explored the range of colours and textures that I could create with the crayons. Depending on the pressure, I can create solid blocks of colour or fuzzy, graduated tones. I experimented with different colour combinations that I could transfer into my composition. 

Found the crayons hard to control which makes my compositions look as if they've been rushed. This relates to my 'school' concept because it reminds me of children colouring in with crayons. This is appropriate to the song because psychedelic music is related to the unconscious mind which links to your childhood. I didn't colour in all of the geometric forms because I wanted some to stand out over the others, insinuating an active enzyme and molecule 

I got numerous people in my class to colour in some of the compositions without informing them on my concept. I did this in order to get a range of outcomes from other peoples drawing/colouring styles. 

Enlarged the shapes so that I could colour in accurately:

This allowed me to be a lot more expressive with my colour choices and the textures that the wax crayons create. Using the white over colours was really beneficial for creating expressive lines and blending colours to create texture.

I am glad I tried out this concept because it allowed me to be hands on with materials and make my composition more expressive. 

PRINTING

Another way to add texture and make my album sleeve more engaging is printing, specifically card printing. I have used this technique on previous courses and have become fond of the tone and texture it creates.

Drawing both elements of the design onto tracing paper provided me with the opportunity to sort out my composition before print. I want the larger shape to to look like it fits into the cube because that demonstrates my concept well. 

Process of creating the print template was made easier by the geometric shapes. Taking layers off the card creates different tones and textures when the plate is inked up: 

I know the outcome will be monochromatic but this technique allows me to simply create three tones depending on how many layers I take off. I asked the print technician what card would be the best for this technique and he gave me some useful advice that can save me money. Instead of buying purpose card, using mount-board works just as effectively and is a lot cheaper.  

Outcome:

Managed to get two solid tones and textures that make the geometric easy to recognise. I am really pleased with how accurate I was, especially when cutting the shape. I chose black ink because it contrasts with the white stock which makes the tones and textures stand out. The marble texture is created by the layers of card I took off which makes the composition a lot more engaging than the original outcome. 

Again there is opportunity to work over these using crayon or I can digital manipulate it, however I need to consider what is appropriate and avoid over working it. 

Added Times Regular type into the composition to transfer concepts and produce a combined outcome:

Tried setting the type in the white space at the top left and bottom right. I want to make the most of the space available and made sure I aligned the text in relation to the print to make my composition cohesive. 

I chose Times because of it's formality and geometric structure which relates to the visual characteristics of the imagery. It is also relevant because it reminds me of a school book - Formal type with the purpose of education.

I don't want the composition to be imbalanced and I am struggling to find an appropriate place to set the type because there will be a lot of white space on one side. Some people didn't think the type was appropriate but I think it adds context to my concept which will make the audience think about the meaning of the composition. 

Deleting the background from the scan on Photoshop creates a very flat, white background. I printed out the composition but the paper looked very yellow/creamy. I want to keep the tactility of the paper so put my composition into grey scale to be more consistent in tone and texture:

Reduced the size of the type and confined it as a block of text so that it lined up with the vertical edge of the print and the rag creates a line that is parallel to the perspective lines. This leads the eye from the text to the image. 

Exploring textures has transformed my design and I have been able to use a range of processes and techniques.