OUGD505 - Leeds Public Spaces - Leeds Tour De France Site Visit

Visited the Tour de France mural in Leeds city centre where the race started.

Type set in regular Helvetica for increased legibility and unity, however using a bold style for the title would create hierarchy and contrast. Leeds City Council have included the TDF logo however based on my research into traditional and current cycling event posters, the logo doesn't have to be included as it is more of an collectors item. There is a focus more on the aesthetics of the posters being artistic and expressive. The relationship between cycling and design is strong in the sense that the components, sportswear and views from the event compliment a dynamic yet well considered poster.

OUGD505 - Leeds Public Spaces - Robert Rauschenberg

As the final outcome must be composed through traditional print, I researched into experimental print methods from the art world to inspire new and innovative ways of printing.

Rauschenberg is renowned for his practice exploring the limits and very definition of art.

Robert Rauschenberg was an American painter and graphic artist who, in 1953, asked composer John Cage to drive his Model A Ford in a straight line over twenty sheets of paper that Rauschenberg had glued together and laid in the road. The resulting print is over 7m long and captures the grip marks from the car.

As the unpainted front tire of the car passed over the paper in advance of the painted rear tire, it left a ghostly double that runs parallel to and then is overtaken by the painted line of tread. Its presence alerts the viewer to the process used to make the piece and magnifies its durational character.

Though it has continued to be referred to as a monoprint, the work’s status as a print has fallen into the background over time, with scholarly interest instead focused on Rauschenberg’s use of the direct imprint. Rauschenberg’s use of an automobile driven by a friend to make 'a rich, juicy black line' holds to the abstract expressionist ideal of directly capturing spontaneous artistic expression while completely upending the power, status and wealth of authorship.

I have been really inspired by Rauschenberg's work because of his graphic artwork but also due to the fact he pushes materials and processes to question the role of the artist. 

Even without the context behind the artwork, it is clear that the print has originated from a car tyre due to the recognisable grip marks. Imbedding bicycle tyre prints into my final solution will make the subject of cycling immediately recognisable which will make the audience aware of the context of the poster. 

OUGD505 - Leeds Public Spaces - Immediate Responses

As a response to my initial research:

Gears

Sourced an image of bike gear cogs to bring the Leeds flower into the context of cycling. The geometric qualities of the flower compliment the circular cogs, however the stroke needs adjusting. I am conscious that the Yorkshire flower gets lost within the cogs, however changing the colour will highlight it further. 

Sketched out a potential idea for the poster:

Setting the type on curves was intended to reflect the inclines and declines that the cyclists have to tackle. This would lead the audiences eye around the entire composition making it contemporary and engaging.

Initially explored Gotham due to the fact it is a contemporary serif typeface which allows me to visualise the space available for type and image.

Explored the type on path tool using Gotham:

Traced the route of Stage 01 from Leeds - Harrogate for the type to follow:

It will be challenging to apply type to the line and make it legible.

Lines suggesting movement and rhythm of the cyclists going past:

From this immediate response, I intend to research further into the context of cycling and gain more of an understanding of the style that is associated with cycling.

OUGD503 - Module Evaluation

Project Report

I chose D&AD’s Monotype brief because it gave me an opportunity to exercise my knowledge and understanding of typography that has developed over the two years. The brief was extremely broad which made identifying an appropriate culture to take forward a frustrating process due to the fact I had so many other concepts such as surfing, farming and gardening which are all current occupations/cultures that are unrepresented in the UK. Having the opportunity to speak to Andrew Cotton about surfing culture in the UK would have been really influential in my decision making process, however after organising an interview Cotton, he realised he wasn’t in the country and therefor I had to make the decision to choose a concept that I could gain primary research from. The street market concept developed from a feedback session where it was made apparent that the farming and produce concept could be combined in order to raise awareness of street markets. This concept provided me with a range of sources and I identified small organisations that are trying to save the market, however I didn’t imbed the facts from articles because I was conscious that they were outdated and I couldn’t be certain on the legitimacy of the facts. Having Kirkgate Market to my disposal was hugely beneficial as I explored a range of material processes informed to convey the raw experience of street markets, however I think I spent too much time considering material processes and aesthetics rather than developing a concept that can be distributed consistently throughout the campaign objectively. The fact that I managed to get an interview with one of the store holders allowed me to gain views and opinions about the market signage from someone working on the front line.

I gained a considerable amount of knowledge from the research stage, however the sheer amount of influences and diversity from the markets overwhelmed me and I struggled to develop an angle to which my campaign could work. Eventually my concept developed into a campaign spread across print, social media and promotional products with the aim to raise an awareness of street markets and encourage consumers to use markets as apposed to the big supermarket chains. The fact that I spent so long in the research stage made the design process slightly rushed, particularly for the social media video however I used the limited time wisely to draw all components of the submission together. Balancing the workload with numerous competition briefs and other modules was challenging however it allowed me to organise my time well enough to book print slots and photography shoots which made my work look a lot more professional on my design boards. Managed my time enough to get high quality images of the poster in context which was really beneficial for my design boards.

The brief made me more aware of the importance of language within design which is really important for reaching a specific target audience. The use of language within markets helped to inform this, particularly within the verbs and adjectives displayed on the posters. Moving forward, I intend to imbed my research more objectively which will help me to create a well rounded concept. I can achieve this by regular feedback and crit sessions as well as looking at more professional examples from the industry.

Working collaboratively was a great opportunity to experience working within a creative team. I really enjoyed the process because it allowed a range of styles and inspiration to come together. The group that I was involved with was extremely productive and we were lucky that we all shared a style which made transforming our concepts into outcomes an enjoyable process. The outcome is definitely the most developed and well executed project so far because working as a group allowed us to share responsibilities and ultimately get more done. The concept has transferred well over the numerous deliverables which shows how informed our concept was. My time management throughout this particular project was good, however balancing and struggling with the workload with other competition briefs made it hard for me to mock up my ideas so it is fair enough that some of my designs weren't considered. In the future, I intend to be more practical to avoid this. I would like to work for a cultural context again in the future because their is room for a lot of influence to be taken on the art form and imbedded into the outcome.

Chose to do the Penguin Student Design Award brief because it was an opportunity to create a conceptual outcome and potentially gain feedback from creative professionals. I enjoyed creating a solution that brings a new perception of the book which was very ambiguous but well informed by the themes and concerns within the book and also material from the 1930s. I used The Tab brief to experience branding within a commercial context. I haven't pursued a lot of branding this year so I took it as an opportunity to exercise what I've learnt through first and second year. Regular feedback from a range of peers informed my decision making process which was really useful when moving from the initial mockups stage. I believe my solution is appropriate for the tab because it's minimal style creates a bold identity that is flexible over a range of products and works over a range of scales. My main consideration for the solution was for it to work successfully over print and screen and the bold, rounded sans-serif achieves this. The brief was an opportunity to work with limitations of which I had to sacrifice aesthetics for function.

I had hoped to complete the MEPC artwork brief because it was an open opportunity to explore more of an artistic approach away from commercial briefs. However, I didn’t have enough time considering the amount of work I had on. I also believe that I need to take more influences from visual examples from professionals as I often take too much time researching into the context and subject, rather than visual solutions to solve the problem. This will also benefit my critical understanding of graphic design principles that I can use to built my knowledge and awareness as a designer. I have identified that I look to work within a cultural context because it provides more creative opportunities.

OUGD503 - Penguin Student Design Award - Evaluation

Researching into previous winning entries and looking at the profiles of the judges allowed me to identify what they are looking for in a winning design. I focused a lot of my concept on the fact that the judges are looking for a fresh perspective and to avoid repeating the obvious iconography from the many previous editions in print. This gave me the confidence to explore more ambiguous compositions using typography as the main focus. Having created the typographic weavings I still had unexplored concepts that had potential, however considering the amount of competition briefs I was tackling, I made the decision to go forward and explore material processes such as screen printing.

Already having in depth knowledge of the story put me at an advantage as the themes and concerns throughout the book provided useful inspiration for an original concepts. I based my cover on the fact that the book is narrated from Jem's point of view, the youngest of the Finch family, and how her idealistic view of the world just isn't true. By weaving the names of the mockingbirds that are uncovered throughout the story not only creates a visually engaging outcome but also communicates the blurred perceptions of society throughout 1930s America. Through feedback I was recommended Cecil Toochan, a fine artist who deconstructs type through weaving which meant that I was able to research into methods of applying type over the top of the chaotic contrast of shape and negative space.

I struggled with the blurb because I wanted the cover to be cohesive from back to front. However my research into previous editions gave me an insight into the artistic and expressive methods of typesetting encouraged me to break the grid. This research, combined with my knowledge on the events of the book, helped me to develop the half drop typesetting. I found having a definitive concept to work with allowed me to work effectively.

I feel the overall outcome is successful due to the fact it is well informed by the themes and concerns within the book and also material from the 1930s.

OUGD503 - Responsive - The Tab - Submission

Even though The Tab's brief doesn't require design boards for submission, I displayed my concept in positive and negative whilst clearly presenting the outcomes in context. The professional consideration of my design boards will hopefully increase my chances of winning. 

The brief requires a short rationale for the outcome:

Evaluation

I used the brief to experience branding within a commercial context. I haven't pursued a lot of branding this year so I took it as an opportunity to exercise what I've learnt through first and second year. Regular feedback from a range of peers informed my decision making process which was really useful when moving from the initial mockups stage. I believe my solution is appropriate for the tab because it's minimal style creates a bold identity that is flexible over a range of products and works over a range of scales. My main consideration for the solution was for it to work successfully over print and screen and the bold, rounded sans-serif achieves this. The brief was an opportunity to work with limitations of which I had to sacrifice aesthetics for function.

OUGD503 - Responsive - The Tab - Finalising

Site Favicon

A favicon is a small, 16x16 image that is shown inside the browser's location bar and bookmark menu when your site is called up. It is a good way to brand your site and increase it's prominence in your visitor's bookmark menu.:

Adding city:

OUGD503 - Responsive - The Tab - Context & Distribution

The brief requires me to present the logo in context - 

Facebook Page

Produced a range of outcomes as a response to my research. The square format of the social media platform meant the logo didn't take up all of the available space therefore it doesn't create a big enough impact. Seeing the logo in context definitely aided my decision making process and allowed me to design the logo specifically for screen. 

Here are a variety of examples from my previous experimentation:

Tab Icon


Need something bold and recognisable for the favicon due to the fact it is such a small scale. Typography becomes illegible at this stage therefor a symbol would work more effectively.

Website:

Facebook Thumbnail

Final Solution:

The final solution was chosen due to its simplicity. Although I explored a range of bold and geometric outcomes inspired by the arrow, I settled for a subtle design that focuses on the tab icon and word. Sitting 'the' on top of the arrow creates unity between the two components. The fact that the arrow is pointing toward 'tab' also focuses the audiences attention on the word. Settling for an all lower case outcome is current and contemporary which aims to revalue the face of the Tab as being young, bold and contemporary. 

An important justification for choosing this design was the fact that it transfers well onto a local site as the light style doesn't overshadow the main focal point, 'tab'. The decision to choose a basic simple outcome was informed by my research into the Logotype publication as the majority of the logos were simple in order to get a direct message. 

Promotional Material:

Demonstrated how the logo can be applied onto tshirts and tote bags:

The outcomes are intended to be smart and contemporary, making them desirable for people to wear which will distribute the brand and encourage more students to get involved. 

OUGD503 - Responsive - The Tab - Further Development

Feedback:

Like the concept
Kerning needs adjusting
Make 'the' smaller to make 'TAB' more prominent.

Set 'the' so that the second stem of the 'h' was the same stroke width and lines up with the tab arrow. I still need to manipulate the kerning for 'the' as the 'e' is very close to the 'h':

Need to choose a logo that is adaptable for each city:

Feedback:

Got a balanced vote between the two designs, however after further deliberation people thought that the second design was better because it is a simple addition to the main logo which keeps it condensed and consistent. The first logo would be harder to apply online and in print due to its width whereas the condensed second logo can be applied on a smaller scale.

Found gathering feedback really helpful as people like my concept and provided really good advice. Based on the feedback, I changed the second design by smartening it up - adjusting the kerning, leading and adding a second arrow the the bottom section.

Added colour to highlight specific sections of the logo which makes it easier for the reader to digest. I chose red because it is the current branding colour, however this will need to change for the final outcome because the brief states specifically not to use red.

Extended the line from the arrow to meet the city label:

Considering The Tab is a tabloid dedicated to young students and their brand creates bold, contemporary and forward thinking articles, I decided to take more of an expressive approach to reflect the modern brand:

The composition is very busy which may confuse the audience and distract them from the logotype. 

Rendition of an early concept - Setting the type at a 45 degree was influenced by my research from Evamy's 'LogoType' because it suggests movement and diversity which is appropriate for The Tab. The standard typesetting has been given a modern context. The vertical strip can be used to apply the city:

Small scale suitable for social media:

Too many angles?

OUGD503 - Responsive - The Tab

Who are The Tab?

The Tab was founded by three students at Cambridge University in 2009 as an antidote to dry university newspapers. Since then it has grown into a global news network with 8 million monthly readers and offices in New York and London.

Leading universities in the US and UK deliver bold, fearless and entertaining journalism to readers on their campuses.

Changing the logo:

The Tab want the evolution of our logo to communicate what they are today and match our values as a bold media company. The existing logo was designed more than four years ago, 'we were known as an online tabloid at a small number of universities. Now we are a global news network with broader editorial and more ambition, so we want something new.'

Requirements

• Must be our full name: The Tab
• Must be more rectangular, not square.
• Must not be the colour red.
• Icons or other elements are allowed, but the full name ‘The Tab’ must still be a part of the logo.

• Work well on screen and in print
• Bold, young and original — like our news.

I haven't explored much brand identity this year so I took the opportunity to imbed my knowledge from first year and this year to practice branding.

Initial Sketches

Started off by sketching some initial ideas based on the fact that The Tab are looking for a contemporary logo to represent their fresh style of journalism. Sketching allowed me to explore the spacing and shapes of the 6 letterforms that I have to work with which will be useful when I transfer my designs into digital. I was immediately influenced by the 'tab' button on the computer because of the arrow symbols which is used to advance the cursor to the next tab stop. This reflects The Tab's forward thinking and current brand.

Other concepts were drawn by the physical button which provides a 3D effect, giving depth to the new logo.

Keyboard as a grid:

Digital:

Initially experimented with Helvetica due to its basic geometric and neutral qualities which make it easy to visualise ideas. Layering the two words creates a solid block one the kerning and tracking has been adapted. Centred the 'T' of Tab so that it sits in a central position with the H and reflects the forward movement of the organisation. Perhaps making 'The' smaller will emphasise 'TAB' more.

Added the arrow as an extension of the 'T' to unify both words. Again, the arrow suggests the forward thinking and current news published by The Tab:

Simplified the arrow to contain the letters because the logo needs to be compact in order to work on both a small and large scale. 

Inspired by the keyboard: Playful, friendly colour scheme and typesetting may be slightly patronising and won't be taken seriously. 

Added a CMYK colour scheme to the top blocks and an RGB colour scheme to the lower to represent how the brand is distributed in print and on screen. 

The blocks can be rearranged to create more of a condensed format which would work better on a small scale, particularly for the Facebook logo. The blocks can also be rearranged to spell different words which would be a successful way to show the city as an example of how your Tab logo could be customised for a local site.

Mixing the CMYK with RGB, however some letters aren't legible:

Moving away from this concept, I looked further into the tab keyboard symbol by taking the unique arrow into the design. I moved away from Helvetica and used Gotham because it is a contemporary sans-serif that is clearly legible. This was influenced by The Royal Opera House brand guidelines as they use Gotham for the display type which is highly legible and organic. To create more of a contemporary logo, I made all of the type lower case which also increases legibility and creates rhythm with the two 't's. I developed the arrow from the original tab keyboard logo as a symbol to accompany the name:

I put the a arrow before the title to increase authority:

Used the gap inspired by the advancement of the tab key and filled it in with the arrow to create more unification between symbol and copy.

Created more cohesiveness by linking the left stem of the 'h' with the vertical section of the arrow, however I am conscious that it may not be legible.

Simplified the composition by putting the title on a pedestal inspired by the arrow:

Rotated the composition and removed the line to make the composition more dynamic:

Feedback:

I showed a group of 6 creatives these initial designs, making sure that the logo was displayed on a large and small scale. I also made sure that they were aware of the current Tab logo and asked for their opinions on it.

• Logo needs to be less brash
• Current logo looks like The Sun
• Needs to be smaller so it works better on a small scale such as an App or Facebook icon. 
• More friendly

• Make 'the' smaller and less dominant to emphasise 'TAB'. 

Logotype 
Michael Evamy
Laurence King Publishing
2012

Evamy emphasises the importance of broad experimentation and research will help to inform the outcome:

'Verbal and visual unite in logotypes. So do art and craft. The art is in the concept of a logotype; in the crystallisation of a visual idea. This can emerge from extended, educated experimentation with type and letterforms until something - a solution - appears.'

Vignelli's logo designed for JC Penney was replaced by a third year graphic design student because their logo was an example of 'flexible' or 'dynamic' identity which has multiple, interchangeable variations so it can be distributed around different touchpoints of the campaign. This is something that I intend to consider for my logo as a flexible logo will be able to transfer from print to screen yet still be recognisable and associated with that brand. This questions the value of a fixed, never changing logo in a' brand world of constant flux.'

Logotypes need to be faultless, particularly in the composition and setting of the type as it is the face of the brand. Professional consideration is essential.

Mixed Fonts

Great by Homework (Denmark)

Jack Dahl has combined both serif and sans-serif for the delicatessen Great. Using two typefaces creates a contemporary contrast andr Dahl has managed to blend the different styles together cohesively.

Super Bold
Superbold typefaces would be appropritaate for The Tab because they describe their brand as 'bold' and the style of typeface is very current and contemporary:


NCM
John and Rob Dowling logotype for an interior design company:

The condensed typesetting creates an interior due to the subtle negative space.

Eddie Opara (Pentagram) for Delle Valle Bernheimer Architects:

Visual simplicity removes the negative space from inside the letterforms to create a bold, high impact composition. It is interesting that both superbold examples from LogoType are used for an interior design/architecture company.

Alternative Arrangements

B+W Studio for Seven:

An edgy and current identity characterised by the cut off bleed on the top of the 'n' which creates the illusion of a 7.

Atelier for Nau Capital:

The circle was used to symbolise capital around the world and the upward tilt of the logotype indicates the direction of the results. Suggesting a direction using different typesetting techniques helps to identify the overarching ethics and ideals of the brand.

Cropped

Michael Bierut and Paula Scher (Pentagram) for Brooklyn Accademy of Music:

The solution appeared as the result of design experimentation described by Evamy as an 'accident'. Not only does the negative space give the word extra presence but it also provides room for other info and imagery to accompany it. As the brief requires me to demonstrate how my logo can work with further information such as the different cities, using negative space can be utilised to add further information and context.

Design Development

Imbedded my knowledge from reading Evamy's 'Logotype', specifically with using negative space.

Positive:

Negative:

Different logo:

Landscape:

Positive:

Negative:

Made the type smaller

Squared for social media icon: