6.1

Today there was no lecture, just straight to class to work on our brochures. We briefly discussed the rationale and what was expected from that.

It was really good to get feedback on my brochure today, as there are lots of little tweaks that need to be made. I am continuing to print different versions and annotating directly onto them changes that need to be made. Today I also did some proof reading and started checking details.

For independent study I will continue to work on my final brochure, particularly refining the details. I will also need to revisit the assessment criteria and brief requirements. 

4.2

Today we had a lecture on maps, mapping and map making.

We started the studio pairing up and drawing directions to our 3 locations in 1 minute on a napkin.

We then spent some time working on our maps, which we had a sharing session/critique of.

The rest of the studio was spent working on our brochures and getting/implementing feedback.

For independent study I will continue to work and develop my brochure as a whole and continue to work on developing from feedback

3.1

Today we had a lecture on grids and composition, which was useful for considering how our brochure will go together and how it will be structured.

In studio time we drew up some quick thumbnails of potential brochure layouts, marking out key information (title, blocks of text, images etc.) within the grid space provided. This will make it easy for collating my information together in my InDesign file now that I have considered how it should fit within the space.

We then looked at the collages we'd created so far to get feedback/critique. The feedback I received was that I should begin to find my set style and keep this similar across all my collages, as at the moment they all look very different. It should be obvious what each collage says yet they should all relate, too, and be a cohesive set. I should also consider having a strong single focal point instead of lots of things drawing the eye. We also then looked at how the collage creations could fit within the brochure layout plans we'd sketched, eg. a picture of someone lying down could work nicely with a horizontal brochure instead of vertical.

For independent study I will continue to create my visual compositions. I will also look into visual precedents, influential graphic styles, and artist models, particularly those that involve type and image. I will also need to begin writing the content for my brochure. I will also need to set up my InDesign file (12 page, A5 document) and begin to place my text and imagery.

2.1

Today in the lecture we were introduced to visual cues - semiotics, icons and symbols, and the importance of context. 

In studio we synthesised our visual research, sorting collected material into the different destinations/activities and then into relevant groupings (colours, textures, etc.) and began to think about any semiotics/icons/symbols that could fit in with these. We shared some of our findings in our small group, especially our found objects. I brought in some beads from Village Beads (pictured below).

We then did a drawing exercise focusing on line, shape and tone. We did a series of different observational drawings to explore qualities associated with different techniques (continual line, negative space, contour, etc.), different media (pen, pencil, charcoal, ink, etc.), and marks conveying emotive nature (excitement, speed, rhythm etc.). We also spent different amounts of time on each drawing, and it was fascinating to compare our 3 minute drawings to our 3 second ones. It was a good exercise to see how many drawings we could produce in such a short amount of time. Although I do not consider myself to be a strong observational drawer, I really enjoyed this exercise as it allowed me to produce some quick basic sketches that were a little bit crazy and free.

We then spent 20 minutes collaging some of our found materials. Afterwards, we shared one collage with the class by pinning them up on the wall, and picked out some of the most effective and eye catching pieces.

For independent study I will continue to collect and make material for my topic and add/compile them into my matrix. I need to collect a range of semiotic signs (icons, indexs, and symbols). I will also generate some words to sit alongside the matrix in order to try and create a sense of what to include in my work. 

Set-up