Finalising my colour fiction leaflet

A huge issue that was worrying and confusing me was the process of making my work in to a concertina, which due to the amount of pages that had built up would be more difficult than it should be. Therefore, a way I could still make my publication different would be to have it as a fold out colouring book with one side with the information and vectors on and the other just of colours and could be stuck up as a poster. This makes it an interesting fold out that has two purposes, and will be included with crayons. I am going to make sure the stock I print on works for colouring in with crayons while still looking good enough to stick up as a poster.

I have to be careful with my folding and make sure the stock isn't too thick, which would make the leaflet not fold well. I will probably try printing in quite low gsm stocks to make sure this isn't a massive drawback. Now I have sorted my design of Colour Fiction it has become a rather nice package that works with my aims for it to be something handed out at book fairs for kids. The crayons will be the younger audiences equivalent to pantones, which would be handed out if it were a more complex adult idea but for kids there would be simply too many colours to pick from which isn't very necessary as this is rather basic. Hopefully I can print two and ask somebody to colour these in and see the results, which I think could look really interesting! This would also prove its purpose further.

Studio Brief 3 Discussions

After a few days to gather our own distinct ideas, this morning has been really useful and especially inspiring in feedback with tutors to find a core theme and combine the small and big ideas to make a memorable exhibition. When coming up with themes, we need to represent the core theme of money and not go off on tangents which I feel I may have done coming up with my ideas…

My separate ideas were

Enrichment- a possible title and purpose of theme of which as well as feedback, the centre of the room can become a large wallet feature in which people can also write what enriches their life besides money. This probably starts to be a distraction from the initial purpose of our exhibition and work.

Money Tree- I particularly love the possibility of the centre piece being a large tree which can be lit in interesting ways, and which people can interact with and leave feedback on money printed notes. Ties in with us all having our ideas of money concepts brought together in one exhibition. I am going to try and discover more to this idea in depth as a result of discussion in which we have said we will go off and try and expand on. I am also going to be exploring Dylan's idea of a 30's theme in which was very sophisticated in richer areas, in which could be a contrast to our brand new ideas although this might be weird? This gives the opportunity of a massive social event and gives people an interest in attending if there were to be music, bartenders, old style fashion to match the rich lighting and vintage framing of our bank notes.

Blocks/Gold Bars- Done in honour of the buildings structure as I want to remember throughout this to try and reference LCA, bank house and first direct.

Done a lot more minimally possibly using our idea of UV lights, or subtle lighting in general? Using the idea of currency symbols from all around the world making it less plain and obvious but using the blocks of the building itself making it feel in place?

 First direct have an ad saying black and white is the best way to show money which can be referenced and kept in mind…

Piggy bank- didn't seem of interest as it can sound quite childish but could be a feature if one is needed towards the end. For example, an old style one can be placed within the 30's setup if that works out, as it is overlooked that this is a longstanding tradition of storing money. I envisioned a huge one being in the middle that people can place feedback into, and broken fragments being part of the detailing on the wall implying these ideas had been stored and finally broken free. Also an interactive feature being a pig piñata. Safe to say if this was aimed at children this would probably be a very strong idea but goes off the mark as we want to be taken seriously as creatives and our target audience is reaching out to all types of those earning money, working with money, but creatives who will appreciate us creatives being conceptual/our art.

Finger prints/DNA/Pattern on bank cards- In discussion we snowballed on this going on to discover a new idea of microprinting. These patterns represent our individual ideas all being separate being unique to us like these codes, and patterns in notes and cards can be used on the walls celebrating the new and upcoming ideas of money in which our exhibition work is primarily about. A popular idea is to use UV lighting which can make the patterns more subtle to allow the art to speak for itself but to subconsciously communicate to the visitors about the theme, recognising the patterns as we all deal with money on a daily basis but not being overly obvious and celebrating the patterns on currencies.

This idea is transferable and can pretty much work with all of our core themes in a way, particularly a theme that Anna will explore further is the combination of using Warhol's pop art work which is 60's the same as the buildings beginnings, and laying the exhibition out like an office but using the bright colours of the pop art work. Old and new contrast, which I am pondering on a couple of themes, which can be bizarrely fascinating to attend or people won't get it/appreciate it and find it too weird.

Rather than currencies we know, this represents the future. This could also be a basis we display the work around or how people walk around the exhibition? Perhaps too complex for that but still a possibility if stuck.

Money printing press- A way to display the work in a scroll like manner which is a unique way of showing the work. Have to consider wear and tear issue though.

Mashup- Leeds college of art logo shape with currencies/pin pattern with elements of buildings shape done in black and white to represent first directs ad campaign.

Separating up ideas to develop individually, I chose to develop the money tree theme with the 30's style. I have had many ideas which include relating the two like the interior of a 1930's style Ritz interior

The money tree can relate to the painting on the walls of this style and be in the middle, or a fountain/chandelier/cocktail glass fountain/money spin machine. In no way would it be this extravagant and I feel I haven't come up with much that is useful for the way our groups ideas are stemming towards but this concept can be like 'Rich in Ideas' as this whole theme would be very high society. However this might completely overshadow our work and our sponsors.

So trying to think of other ideas, the money tree can be the standing theme and from the feedback tree in the middle the roots can run up on to the walls where the work is shown.

Zine Adjustments

               

It has been pointed out that Bodoni for the publication style of a zine may look too editorial, and I want to explore a range of typefaces that fit the content together well. 

'Unicorn'

                   

This type is thicker but probably not more legible than the last. Despite having more of a glamourous theme to it because of the thick flicks that would work for each artist the smaller body of text is quite hard to read and I don't want to use over 3 different types of type as the publication is content heavy and I want to keep it to a simplistic arrangement.

'Mermaid'

Trying a more traditional serif style font to try and lift the poetry in meanings behind the artists words, dreams and illustrations, Still has a cosmopolitan feel to it but appears more meaningful of what the artist is saying and is extremely easy to read. However this may be too plain to celebrate the style opportunity of this type of illustrative themed publication, as zines are celebrated for their DIY self published handwrendered look.

Combinations of classic text giving genuine feel to the words and inspiration for the illustrator lovers who would be most likely to pick up the zine, but the big quote in a more quirky style to match the artists.

Feedback will be the best way to decide this as it is a really important part of making the zine, especially with having part of the quotation emphasized in size the style of the type impacts the whole look.

Other layouts I also considered were focusing on placing the images square shaped in honour to instagrams format but having it exactly like that would mean putting more of their work in when i am trying to get the readers to visit their social medias and explore their work for themselves. I also thought it would be important to include a photograph of the artists themselves but for one or two I can't really find an image of them as they just represent their art online so this idea was set aside, aswell as including an instagram icon as I don't want to add too many other pieces to keep the layout simple and balanced. Looking back to my chosen research images to blog, I loved the double image effect but that would be more suited for photography purposes as not all the illustrations fill the entirety of the space and such and don't have the alluring detail and textures that make this effect particularly succesful and I want to keep some white space like many zines do.With overlapping squares of their work, this also becomes a consistency issue due to the varied placings of detail from each artist. I am glad I experimented with variations of my first layout and that I was eager to try some of the effects I enjoyed in other publications, but with this zine I need to make sure their work is showcased well and not overcomplicate. With this layout I am aiming at spurring the young creatives/students/art admirers to go and check the artists work out and promote their shops so by not showing too much of their work this does that.

Velvet Zine Development

I began by visiting the pages of the top 5 illustrators out of my favourites I felt worked together to give the zine a specific kind of look, and for the first time properly used a grid system which I can't believe I haven't used before! This made it a lot easier to keep the pages consistent and make the content compose throughout and is a direct consequence of our learning about gridding systems, and also using white space to allow content to breathe although overlapped for effect in some places. 

Whilst making these I viewed my blog post on the research I did and overlapped/had a horizontal title due to being influenced by these. This reinforces how useful research can be if it is what you love and aspire your work to look like.Also, getting the coding idea in feedback, to include, gives a consistent stamp on all pages that will give the credit due credit.

Mostly I found quotations on their instagrams and websites but I emailed a couple of the artists to see if I can get advice and feedback from them which is exciting as I really love their work and would be valuable to have their direct wording to me in my zine.

Once I have seen all the pages put together in Indesign I will see if there are any major issues. These could be that the text isn't easy to read due to overlapping or not clear enough, Could be imabalances of images placed, although this wasn't too much of an issue as their formats were the Instagram square for the most part. I am really excited to see them all put together as this is my first zine and includes some of my favourite artists. Gridding has been the most useful element to creating these these pages today and are extremely helpful when playing with different arrangements of content. These are the two I have gone for on the information pages.

These are the info pages for artist Mel Stringer. Once I had finished the first layout type I realised the image of her zines was too small, and only having one image on her introductory page, the art needed to be bigger to showcase her work a lot better and this was an opportunity to fill the space. I had initially not done this due to the problem with overlapping the text with the image, as I knew I wanted a consistent layout and some images would be particularly hard to read black over. This is something I will need feedback and to sit on for a few days as I am really enjoying the second layout design for all of them but it could be a big downfall in terms of the brief.

Pacifico matches the look of feminine, handwrendered type often hand drawn in zines seen in research, and is bold and clear enough to be read over images. My secondary font I chose to use was Bodoni as it has a sophisticated look to it and is often used in women's high end fashion publications and I wanted the contrast of illustrative to serious strong tyography. This may be changed but I am quite enjoying the balance of the two due to the feminine theme radiating from the pages. I have to remember what we have been taught about layout and composition within publications and let this be the dictator over the content itself, I have been so grateful for grids today!!

This is the first go at my front cover, with adjusting the velvet title to have softer edges to represent its name and the letters matched. I feel this image had the strength and dark boldness that would work well to be the figure with the title giving it an eye-catching front cover. The subtle colours I thought could become the secondary colour but I am struggling to pick.

Studio Brief 3 Initial Discussions

Ideas of navigation around the main room. Being in the shape of a currency sign would be difficult for accessibility but the idea was to project the cctv image from above adding a security aspect like a bank. Other was to have the cubicles to be sprouting out from the inner block in the room.

Group 3 were all bouncing off the walls with ideas and were on rolls whereas I felt I needed to research and visit exhibitions to really consider the layout and how it can be presented. Being with people I don't usually work with who are so fast at hitting great ideas I also felt my ideas were silly and too immature (such as having a piggy bank piñata to interact with in the exhibition) to match up but this will pass. I also feel we are a very strong group in terms of organisation and taking everything in to consideration such as the layout, concepts and way finding seriously.

Very interesting ways we thought of making the exhibit an experience was to add desks and monitors to play on the idea on an office but have them very bright and like a structure to the art whilst relating to money and the building alike. These colours could work with our other idea inspired by Warhols Pop Art work of money signs. These can be very bold and memorable designs for promotion. An only issue with this is taking away from the artwork itself, but if played right this could become our branding identity and is 60s like the building and can be spray painted potentially rather than printed, which works perfectly with our exhibition theme of being manually made currency.

Another amazing idea brought up was having the different symbols of money tracked together and used to become way finding or work up the walls or in a pop art image. This celebrates all different currencies and is a positive unifying light on banking and global economy.

We talked about what could be in the introductory room, being filled with our branding identity and having a free bar possibly, engaging and anticipating. Also rather than having work all on one wall, add a small amount of cubicles enough for it to be easy to navigate but be able to see work more individually. Considerations such as accessibility and being enough room incase it gets busy are important.

Themes then that were initially suggested are pop art, security/cctv, office setup, currency symbol link pattern, projecting video, neon lighting and security pen feedback that can only be seen through UV light, water fountain feedback, coin spinning feature to raise funds and write feedback on, money tree of feedback, prints not dead celebration. I need to begin to sketch from my own research and develop some ideas which we have arranged to bring forward at the end of the week to discuss, 3 distinct ideas.

Money Interim Crit and Feedback

Despite having a huge range of ideas I brought these forward in feedback as I felt they were quite different and more conceptual to others I was hearing about. Although an important factor of research, a lot of ideas were based on the countries themselves or security of the money itself. Mine were thought of upon the ideas and what is related to money itself and turning these in to a new design for money.

My fruit machine idea didn't get much feedback but upon hearing others I realised these could be done in a literal cross between casino chips/coin forms which I found very interesting as a concept. Also, a thought I had overlooked is that money has two sides to it so one could be the fruit and its value and the other side could be its texture. It is hard to fault this idea as fruits are very distinctive in their textures and are different colours which can be fun to work with print wise and having the potential use of embossing. This is a fun, more Vegas style take on money which on the other hand can be used to promote the healthy and prosperity of whichever country it is chosen to work in. Having a visually exciting concept is great but it also needs the other side, a purpose for where it is made for and what it can represent.

I did not really get feedback on this idea, and I involved it as it is quite different to my other ideas as it is more of a negative concept but can be uplifted by its production/design and other ideas I can put on the note such as symbols that represent hard labour which could be empowering when receiving money? Feeling it is well earnt? Promoting hard work ethics and appreciating money more itself. Could be screenprinted, the layers of blood splats/sweat and a tear drop in the corner not exactly representing sadness but a symbol of being genuine and human rather than just feeling part of the system/just a number for your earnings.

My golden ticket idea seemed to get people quite excited, which I had predicted, and it was suggested this could look like a limited edition piece that could be collected or make people feel special if they received it, although in the real world, like the film itself, people would want to keep them all for themselves representing greed. However, as this is an exhibition, this could be so enjoyable to produce and perhaps simplified in terms of colours. If on gold foil stock, embossed stars and type could be quite easy to produce but memorable within the exhibition. I need to consider wether to have the edges with the ripped off ticket edge to it to consider durability. In feedback I became confused at times when people considered mass production but these are important considerations to take notice of. I probably won't get too hung up on these issues though as this is for an art exhibition and is representing money in the most eccentric ways possible to make it an enjoyable, conceptual visit and this is what I want to primarily focus on!

Not many responses on this and having a dig at the greed of banks isn't suggested but I hadn't seen anyone delve into an idea like this, which is weird as this is a long standing tradition relating to money. With these ideas I need to develop them further to see the most succesful outcomes but the feedback was helpful and interesting in terms of considerations I had overlooked and knowing which directions people were taking, in which I feel I went quite abstract in comparison to a lot of others. What is important to me is having strong concepts and backing them up whilst having one of the most unique exhibits, not getting hung up on how they would work in the real world production wise (the semiotics ofcourse.)

Velvet Zine Title Drawings

An appropriate way to have the zines title is to be handwrendered, which I want to get better at doing and since this zine will be specifically for the purpose of top 5 Instagram artists, and inspired by my research in to existing zine styles, drawing the title myself will give it a unique look.

The theme being illusrators the title does not have to be perfectly done which I struggle at doing anyway, and makes it more unique. The 3D look will make it pop out as the main title and was inspired by zines I had added as research in previous posts. As i began to draw them the V's I realised could become exaggerated towards heart shapes matching the theme of my zine. Ofcourse I have to consider wether these will be horizontal, or vertical which seems like an interesting idea, but editing will need to be done to make these straight. Once I have put together the pages and chosen the front cover image I think this will be the best way to go to pick which stands out from furthest away and fits the zines altogether aesthetics but I am happy with the illustrative bold style and popping 3D design, and I can't think of a more fitting name and believe this is so suitable for the audiences who would pick these up who would be very alike to myself.