In Design Spreads

Detail Art

I really enjoyed doing this. Once I started it was hard to stop - I actually wasn't concentrating on what I was drawing half the time, either. I didn't plan on what it was going to look like before hand, and I had no idea whilst I was drawing it so the finished work was a bit of a surprise. I know it's not very symmetrical (I hardly ruled any lines or used a compass) so it looks a little rough but I still like it. I think what lets this down is the fact I used three different felt tips for this so some parts are darker than others.

Theme, Variation and Tessellation

Here is the theme, variation and tessellation task in analog. This frustrated me at times because I had to erase patterns because I'd drawn them wrong after working on it for an hour or so without stopping. It looks so much better from a distance.

CUVVSP11B - Apply Techniques to Produce Digital Images

In Space...
for this image, I didn't want to overload it with spaceships and rockets and other objects, so I decided to build everything up from scratch so I could have a simple and tranquil space scene. I made the background with the stars, the planets, the commets, and the leaves of the tree all on my own. The tree itself was taken from a photo on deviantArt. The tree was something I added to make the scene subtly surreal.




A Brush with Fame...
I placed myself in this screen cap of Johnny Depp from the brilliant film Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The link to the original can be found here: http://media.elasticpop.com/images/SweeneyTdd_Still_PK_00261.jpg
I played around a lot with coloured layers and blend modes and selective colour (a personal Photoshop love of mine). It was quite difficult to begin with but once I got the hand of the tools and effects, it became very enjoyable. Unfortunately, my costume wasn't half as great as Helena Bonham-Carter's costumes in the film.


Me, Myself and I..
I'm sure I'm not the only one who found this to be the least enjoyable part of the assessment. The photography part of it was fun, but putting it together wasn't as amusing, especially when you have ten yous looking back at you. I'm disappointed with this one because the quality isn't great; it's pixelated and just blah - having a point and shoot camera doesn't give you the most desireable results.


When It Rains, It Pours..
For this part of the assessment, I wanted to explore a more fun theme. The idea behind "when it rains, it pours" is that when something (eventually) happens, be it something good or bad, it happens all at once. My thought was that, what if you were at a kissing booth and you've had no customers for a long time, then all of a sudden all these people come to line up? My other thought was that, what if all of these people came up, they were a bunch of more "undesireable" people? So for this I added people like Mr. Bean, Prince Charles, George Bush and Poida. I certainly wouldn't want them to visit a kissing booth I was working at!

Australian Graphic Design Agencies

We had to research ten graphic design agencies within Australia and then write down their web address and the services they offer.

Blue Marlin Brand Design
www.bluemarlinbranddesign.com.au
-Brand strategy, identity, design, architecture, launching and engagement
-Websites
-Launch videos
-Animation
-Brochures
-Packaging
-TVC
-Bus billboards
-Press advertising
-Portfolio architecture
-Rollout, print and production

Edward James Marketing and Design
http://www.edwardjames.com.au/
-identity
-print
-environmental
-corporate literature
-web
-packaging
-installation

Moon Design
http://www.moondesign.com.au/
-Branding
-Advertising
-Digital and motion (online, television, motion graphics, video and music.)

The Alternative Advertising and Marketing
http://www.thealternative.com.au/
-Corporate design
-Press Advertising
-Television Commercials

Staying In Touch Marketing and Design
http://www.stayingintouch.com.au/
-Branding and business stationary
-Brochures and advertising material
-Websites and e-newsletters
-Business development consultancy

Zise
http://www.zise.com.au/
-Website design
-Brand identity logo
-Advertising marketing
-Interactive media

White Rhino Branding, Design, Strategy and Web Agency
http://www.whiterhino.com.au/
-Branding: brand mark and research, corporate identity and styleguide, logo design, naming, rollout and management
-Design: annual reports, branded environment, corporate literature, display and point of sale, illustration, packaging, print and communications
-Strategy: advertising, communications, creative, CRM and CSR, marketing
-Web: content and management system, email marketing system, flash animation, interactive and digital media, online software applications, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, web and interface design and website development

Corporate Image Design and Marketing
http://www.cidesign.com.au/
-Brand and corporate identity: logo, stationary, signage, name and positioning, story and imagery
-Sales and marketing: online, print, packaging and multimedia
-Strategy: direct marketing, advertising, events

The Room Design Studio
http://www.theroom.com.au/
-Annual reports
-Corporate ID
-Branding
-Packaging
-Signage
-Art direction
-Retail
-Catalogues
-Brochures
-Print
-Advertising
-Copywriting
-Posters
-Marketing
-Naming
-Web design
-Web hosting
-Media
-Email
-Campaigns

Digital Ink
http://www.digitalink.com.au/
-Print design
-Branding
-Corporate Identity
-Brochures
-Annual reports
-Product packaging
-Product labels
-Advertising
-Event graphics
-Multimedia
-Web development and maintenance
-Flash animation
-Interface design
-Multimedia presentations
-Television commercials
-CD and DVD production ~

BSBDES305A - Source and Apply Information on the History and Theory of Design

Art Deco (1925 - 1939)

‘The Art Deco style flourished during the 1920’s, the period called by the French ‘les Années Folles’, and by the English ‘the Roaring Twenties.’ Another decade in the twentieth century which quickly won a universally accepted sobriquet was the 1960’s, ‘the Swinging Sixties’, a significant feature of which was a full blown revival of Art Deco.’ (Haslam, 1987, p.10)

Between 1925 and 1939 the world was experiencing many social, economic and political changes. After the end of the First World War in 1918 (the Great War), the losses in both men and material were staggering. France was left in ruins and Germany was experiencing severe political and social unrest. Great Britain’s “lavish expenditure in men and resources” (Kraus, 1994, p. 605) resulted in economic suffering. The United States emerged from the war as the strongest industrial and financial power in the world.

The time period in which Art Deco flourished had many titles and descriptions such as
“the Age of Jazz, the Age of Swing, the Charleston, the Age of the Flapper, of Hollywood, of Christopher Isherwood’s Goodbye to Berlin, and of course the Age of Art Deco, but also the Age of the Great Depression, the Wall Street Crash, the Age when money went mad, and the Age of Fascism.” (Van de Lemme, 1989, p.16).

It is surprising that Art Deco managed to endure and become the “style of the age” (p.19) when the 1920’s and 30’s were miserable and desperate times for all.
The style of Art Deco drew on a diverse range of art styles such as the painting styles from the Avant-garde, Cubism (originated from the works of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque in the decade preceding World War I. It reached its greatest development in the years 1911-1918. A complex movement that included painters, sculptors, musicians and poets), Constructivism (an artistic and architectural movement that first appeared in Russia from 1919 onward which rejected art for art’s sake. It lasted until about 1934 before it was replaced by Socialist Realism), Futurism (a movement that originated in the early twentieth century. Futurists practiced painting, sculpture, ceramics, graphic design, fashion, textiles, literature, industrial design, interior design, theatre, film, music and architecture. The founder of this movement was Filippo Tommaso Marinetti.), the world of high fashion, Egyptology (the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion and art), the Orient and African tribalism.

It is most commonly acknowledged that the term ‘Art Deco’ was derived from the Exposition des Arts Décoratifs et Industrials Modernes held in Paris 1925.
Characteristics of the Art Deco movement could be seen in furniture, ceramics, textiles, painting and design.

The furniture of the Age of Art Deco followed two distinct trends. One of the trends included the use of metals and plastics (which is recognised today as modern furniture) which lent itself to mass production and having a more industrial feel. The second trend included individualistic hand-carved and decorative craftsmanship. In this trend, there were many exotic materials used including macassar, ebony, mother-of-pearl, abalone, ivory, tortoiseshell, amboynas wood, burr walnut, palmwood, silver and gold. Craftspeople that created Art Deco furniture were often inspired by the Oriental techniques of Chinoiserie and lacquer work.

The ceramic, porcelain and plaster model pieces belonging to this art movement were vast and various. The basic shapes of plates, vases, bowls, cups and saucers remained unchanged and these provided a perfect canvas for decoration, painting and stencilling. Some of the pieces were highly decorative with a great assortment of patterns and colours (often up to five or so) on each piece, whilst others leant more towards subdued and simplistic with a more controlled and contained use of shape and colour.

Art Deco textiles used materials such as silk tissue, cotton and wool textile. Many of these were pastel or bold in colour with a range of either simple geometric or complex patterns printed on the fabrics. These can be seen in carpets, rugs or mats, and sometimes even the clothing, but the material in clothing tended to be plainer, which left it to be jazzed up with accessories such as furs, hats and glamorous jewellery.

Jewellery included necklace and earring sets, brooches, bangles and rings. Pieces were most commonly bold, colourful and tended to be round, square or triangular in shape.

Paintings and designs (magazine covers and posters) were simple in colour. The colours were usually natural but bold and eye-catching. Some artworks were geometric and abstract (drawing on Constructivism and Cubism), sometimes displaying man-made motifs. One of the widely recognised forms of art from the Art Deco period was the posters:

“The Art Deco poster was the first full-blown example of a sophisticated understanding of the advantages and idiosyncrasies of the world of advertising.’ (Van de Lemme, 1989, p.108).

The posters promoted all of the new consumer items: gramophones, radio sets, automobiles, aeroplanes, ocean liners, cosmetics, household appliances and Hollywood movies. A recognisable motif used in advertisements and posters was the “modish, chic, self-possessed and highly energetic” (p.109) woman that lasted throughout the Art Deco time period.

Behind the iconic artworks and commissions of the Age of Art Deco were talented designers. These skilled contributors included:

Rose Adler (Paris – 1890-1959), bookbinder and designer. Adler’s masterpiece bindings included Calligrammes, Poèmes and Etudes pour Narcisse.

Oscar Bach (Germany, United States of America – 1884-1957), metalworker and furniture designer. Bach was commissioned to design all of the metalwork for the Berlin City Hall in 1914. He designed furniture for Raymond Hood’s office in the Daily News Building (New York), the interior metalware for the Chrysler and Empire State buildings and completed four plaques by Hildreth Mayer for the exterior of Radio City Music Hall.

Joseph Chaunet (Paris – 1854-?), jeweller. Chaunet became the director of one of the most prestigious jewellery houses in Paris, founded by Nitot in 1780. He was one of the thirty selected to exhibit his pieces in the 1925 Paris Exhibition.

Jean Dupas (Paris – 1882-1964), painter and poster artist. In the early 1920’s, he painted Jugement de Paris and les Antilopes. Dupas produced posters and catalogue covers for SAD (Société des Artistes Décorateurs) and porcelain decoration for Sèvres. He also created a mural on the subject of history of navigation in the grand salon of the ocean liner Normandie.

Waylande DeSantis Gregory (Kansas – 1905-1971), ceramist, sculptor. In 1939 Gregory was given two important commissions for the New York World’s Fair: “The Founatin of the Atom” and “American Imports and Exports,” the latter for General Motors.

Art Deco has influenced the future of graphic design by providing designers with an array of everyday items, posters, paintings, fashion, fabrics and jewellery to study and gain inspiration from. Colour schemes, patterns and shapes from ceramics and the previously mentioned object s in which the characteristics of Art Deco can be seen can also be used as design solutions and inspiration.
Poster art from the period of Art Deco is still used in a modern context because of the unique and bold nature of this particular form of art. It is such an influential movement because there are still many pieces of furniture, architecture and artworks that are still around today – in some circumstances it is still fashionable. The artists of the time explored innovative ways to use colour and shape that can help a graphic designer in the twenty-first century with design solutions.

Castle on a cloud

For this task I wanted the castle to have a "haunted house" sort of feel whilst being harmonious.
I'm not particularly happy with the magazine cover because I think it looks cluttered at the top, so I think I'll fix it by placing the castle down towards the centre of the page more.

I tried without the mountails in the background but it looked too plain so I added the mountains without the city beneath, which I liked but then I added the city beneath because I still thought it needed something else.



This is my favourite version - I removed the outline from 'Arts' in the magazine name which in my opinin, looks a lot better.

Culture and Art Report

1. The civilisation of the Celtic peoples from Europe is one that has been around for approximately 28,000 years and is a culture that has not disappeared or been broken since c.1000-700 BCE. This was mainly due to the fact that their customs and culture were shared and established orally and were never recorded (written). Because of this, Celtic art is still seen today in tattoos, jewellery and artworks. Another part of Celtic culture that is still very prominent today is the worldwide celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.
People that have a Celtic background, such as the Irish, Welsh or Scots, may have tattoos, which include the Celtic knot (used as illuminations for the handwritten Christian Gospels), Celtic cross (a symbol of eternity, emphasising God’s endless love as shown through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross), Celtic spiral (eternal life; life, death and rebirth), patterns or letters, to show their link to/pride in their heritage. Celtic jewellery follows the same symbols and patterns of the tattoos.
One example of Celtic jewellery includes the Claddagh Ring, which has two hands holding on to a heart, which usually has a crown atop it. The hands symbolise friendship, the heart, love, and the crown, loyalty. There are varying ways in which the ring can be worn, and with these ways, there are varying meanings. Traditionally, if one is wearing the ring on the right hand with the heart pointing outward, away from the body, the wearer isn’t attached and may be looking for a relationship. If the wearer has the ring on with the heart pointing inward, it indicates that somebody has “captured their heart”, thus in a relationship. If the wearer has the ring on the left hand, heart pointing inwards, they are married. Rings the same and similar to the Claddagh Ring are still worn today.
St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated worldwide every year on 17th March, the day it’s supposed that St. Patrick died in 460 CE. St. Patrick is a patronised saint, and one of the most renowned figures in all of Modern Christianity. For twenty years he travelled and established monasteries, schools and churches across Ireland. He was also the creator of the Celtic cross.

oO()()()Oo

2. Art is a form of expression where colour, shapes and patterns are used instead of words to communicate what the artist is feeling, thinking or seeing.
Art isn't only made just to look nice hung in a frame on somebody's wall - it can be made to tell a story and send a message to its viewers.
Art within a specific cultural group can be reflective of their customs, their beliefs and their everyday life. It may not mean a lot to an outsider, to somebody who has no understanding of that specific culture, but it may be very important to people within that culture. However, even to somebody who has no previous idea of that culture, they may be able to create their own meaning from the artwork.
Within Aboriginal art, there are many symbols that communicate specific things such as sites and people and their art can give a visual explanation to their beliefs of the dreamtime. A few symbols used include curved lines that represent flowing water or rain, small “U” shaped figures that represent people and concentric circles that show significant places, campsites or waterholes. Because of the different tribes from all around Australia, these symbols can be varied in different artworks, depending on which region the artwork came from.
Aboriginal art carries on the traditions and the stories from the past, and it can teach modern-day Australians about the culture of the people who lived here many years before the country was colonized.

oO()()()Oo

3. Most designers and lay people are highly impressed by M.C. Escher's work because of its attention to detail and depth. He used a variety of medium, and created 448 lithographs, over 2000 drawings and sketches, wood cuts and engravings. There's a piece of himself in every one of his creations; presenting his thoughts through his images.
When you look at Escher's work, you can see the dedication and the effort that has gone into every single piece to make it captivating and/or realistic, such as the wood carving Oude Kerk Delft 1939 where each brick has been carved to make it look like stone and the stained glass windows look as though they would be bright and brilliant if you saw them in colour.

oO()()()Oo

4, 5. What’s so interesting about art and culture of the past is that it gives the people today an insight into the lives of people and the world around them in the past. With art of the past, you can see the progression of technique, method, style and meaning.
The earliest art included pictures or symbols on the ground, on rock and on cave walls, sending out messages such as warnings of danger. The most modern forms of art include art movements such as surrealism and cubism, also digital compositions such as 3D animation, the boundaries being pushed further and further as technology and the world around us changes.
Culture from the past is also interesting because through studying it, you can see what’s different to society today and what’s the same. From exploring cultures of the past, you can find out about art, music, language and food, and how they have similarities and differences from the modern world.
We look backwards to our history when trying to engage in design solutions for modern society because art from the past can provide modern day artists and designers with inspiration and trends. From these, we can develop something new, exciting and ground-breaking.

oO()()()Oo

6. Ancient art has affected my life by inspiring the art that I create. Ancient art varies from both intricate and simple, and it’s always helpful to look at some examples to get colour schemes and ideas for patterns. One of my favourite things is to create tattoo-like designs which are inspired by Celtic art. Ancient Chinese and Japanese artworks also inspire these designs because of the way they used ink to create lines and shapes.

oO()()()Oo

7. Cultural influences that have occurred in my life are all around me, such as the places I visit when my family goes on holiday, the people I grew up with and the artwork that I studied in Visual Arts in school. Going to cities such as Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra, there are many different cultures within them which can be seen by restaurants which serve food from different countries (India and Japan, for example) and stalls that sell bits and pieces of art such as ceramics and jewelry. Two of my friends were Jewish and Sri-Lankan when I was growing up, so I got to learn about Jewish customs and the Sri-Lankan culture such as fashion and food. Studying Visual Arts in high school gave me an insight into art from all around the world and what it represented and the context from which the art was created.