Evaluation of Personal Project

For this project we were able to choose what we were going to do but it must tie into the CD packaging project. We then created are very own brief for how we wanted to go about the project in any medium we wanted.

I started off by creating 3 unique initial ideas as a starting point before developing them as mood boards  and putting elements of them all into a mindmap. After all the planning I decided to act upon making a authentic tour poster and t shirt for the tour as promotional products for the tour. I then proceeded to analyse Nikki Pilkington and Johnny Cheuk as these were artists that enjoyed mixing materials and different types of media to produce different outcomes. I also analysed two posters that J Cole, my artist  had used previously and through analysis of the posters I used them as inspiration for my own work. I then started the experimentation phase, experimenting with different tutorials found on Youtube and handmade work inspired directly by Nikki Pilkington, I found this stage the best in terms of development of ideas and general progression especially in terms of thinking towards my final.

 I finally started my final outcome and I felt extremely confident about starting as I knew exactly how I was going to do it and was eager to turn my thoughts into reality. I started by creating a base photo I could use for my idea but this would mean merging three completely different images together to create a whole new independent photograph which i had learnt earlier this year. This was already difficult as because of the resolution from the poor camera combined with the mirror having noticeable streaks on it meant as well as working through several layers of masking I also had to use the mixer brush tool on specific setting to disguise the streaks not to spoil the entire piece.

After creating the photo I added the effects starting on the evil side, I added the flames masking and texturing them so they looked as authentic and genuine as possible on the body, I turned up the levels and hue saturation layers and masked it to the left side and the light would be most noticeable on that sideI also added and extra glow layer and masked it over the body to add an effect of heat coming off from the flames.

I then advanced on to the good side of the image, I used an energy ball photoshop tutorial I had found in independent study and experimented with it to create the aura effect I was looking for, I also applied it in different ways with different strength layering them to show the power radiating from the model. After initially completing the aura through assistance from the tutorial I decided that it was still not exactly the effect I desired and changed some of the layer setting to make the lighting more radiant and shimmering adding the star tool effect I had created to the aura as well.

I created the title using the same effects that I had used for there associating parts of the image, and fonts that correspond with the affect that it is supposed to represent before masking them in to the original image. The image was then put into traditional poster format using the analysis of J Coles previously used posters that had inspired me.

I am very pleased with how my outcomes have come out altogether as a whole because I feel that they have come out exactly how I envisioned which is always the goal when you start out. I also feel that the poster is very realistic and something that could potentially be used for real in the real world.

First Edits to Initial Photos

3D Poster Experimentation

This is my 3D experimentation which I think I will add on to my final outcome poster because I think that it adds another dimension to any image. This 3D effect is made by duplicating the original image and then changing those images into red and blue variants and angled them in specific angles to get them on both sides of the image.

Analysis of Typography based J Cole Poster

The artwork makes me feel very calm and collected with a smooth edge is necessary when making a poster that it has some flair and an edge which can keep a passer by interested in the poster long enough to want to know what it is about. This is a typography poster for J Cole which is promoting the album coming out. The music is hip hop and a calm and smooth style and this is reflected in the type through the shapes, styles and colours used. The audience being targeted are not only people that are fans of the artist but general hip hop fans because J Cole is one of the most higher followed hip hop artist of this generation which means all hip hop fans will listen to his album. The poster has to reflect that fact so it will try to cater to all.
The typography is very reflective of the genre it is representing, and has been designed to be easily representative of the hip hop culture especially as J Cole is a highly respected hip hop artist the feel of his posters should feel very authentic.
The styles used are very aesthetically pleasing, using a spirograph technique which is in a clipping mask for bold typography. The spirograph creates a calm mood through the curves and smooth edges used. The techniques used are clipping mask and spirograph which have been merged together and work well together. The spirograph is designed and created and then placed underneath the shape that is going to use the image in this case it is J Cole typography extreme bolded to allow for a better view of the spirograph underneath. Underneath the spirograph clipping mask there is additional typography in a west coast style which is another hip hop style which is relational to the genre that J Cole delves into.
The J Cole typography is easily the largest and most poignant part of entire piece and this makes sense as it is the name of the artist the poster is promoting and is therefore the important thing on the poster. It is laid out in this way purposely to make the artist name the focal point for obvious reasons. This poster also includes the record label clearly at the bottom which is in a stand out colour and is used to represent the artists affiliation to the group as a whole. Altogether I do really like this poster, i like it because as well as covering the main concepts of a merchandising poster, it adds something new through the spirograph element which is original and interesting aesthetically. This will influence my ideas in terms of typography very much as I will know try and incorporate an abstract and different element to my typography and remember the importance when designing.

Analysis of J Cole Tour Poster

This is a very conservative piece compared to tour posters by other rap artists especially artists of the same genre which are usually very loud and have a lot of layering of images to add depth to the image.

This makes the viewer feel very mellow and calm as most of J Coles music does, so in that way it suites   him and his audience perfectly. J Cole is a rapper from North Carolina he has very lyrical and laid back, skippy flow which is attractive to the ear and has gained him a very large following. The target audience for this tour and in turn this piece is core hip hop fans that enjoy hip hop music. The imageries' biggest relation to the music is the colours used, yellow ochre which is the only actual colour used and is very mellifluous the black and white image of the artist which represents him in a calm way along with the very quiescent emotion on his face which relates to the motion and flow of his music.

The artist has been photographed in an almost film noir style, using the shadows to cover half the face of the artist but highlighting the front profile. This photographic style gives an almost angelic look to the  artist which suites him. The position and pose of the artist is quite a powerful one and could be interpreted as inspirational which I think was deliberate as there is no other objects or imagery to distract away from the artist as the main attraction for the piece. This made sure that the powerful pose is enough to make the poster still stand out and other things do not consume the artist on the page; this also leads back to the colour usage which is very basic and bland to allow the image of the artist to stand out.

This poster was most likely created in Photoshop using a photograph taken in a film noir style and the levels of the image have been adjusted to make the light aspects lighter and the darker section darker creating this impressive and immersive image. The typography aspects are all fairly basic and conventional except the artist name which is quite large and is the only type which is in colour, which makes sense that it is the artist name which is in colour and largest as it is the most important part as it most important that viewers know who the tour is for. The poster is laid out in a basic way but in an intelligent way, keeping the artist name, location, time and date at the top of the image as the first point of contact for the passing viewer. Lower down, but larger than location, time and date is the presenters and the price which are are also very important to the success of the poster.

I do really like the poster and choose it out of a selection specifically as i like the direction in photography and design that it took. This will probably effect the way I approach my own poster and I will definitely take inspiration from it for my own pieces especially the photographic style and I will take into account the style and sizes of the typography elements.

Flame Editing Experiments

This piece of experimentation was to test and element of editing that I will bring into the the final piece and I used a tutorial that I found from my personal study to create because I already knew what I wanted to create but not how to develop some of the elements needed to make it as best as possible. I had looked through many different tutorials on flame techniques and decided besides the amount of time it took to get this quality that it was worth it to get the best quality outcome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgTJ-lfKmMU

Potential Tour Names

Watercolour Editing Experiments

This experimental piece is a piece which I thought I could use in my earlier ideas for my outcome and I used and tutorial for the basis of the experiment but once I got the hang of it I tried out other ways of producing a similar effect. This was made using different texturing layers and and a photo using the dark parts of the image as a canvas to edit on top of.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSMSTcq2a8A

Positive and Negative Vignette Experimentation

In Depth Analysis of Niki Pilkington

Niki Pilkington is a illustrator from the Uk that specialises in mixed media images usually using incredible pencil drawings as a base and using more unconventional objects and materials on top of the pencil drawn image to make what seemed like just a person posing into a colourful vibrant composition

Niki Pilkington graduated from Ravensbourne Academy of Design & Communication with a First Class Honours Degree in 2009. She's been promoting interest in the fashion industry working with companies such as of Elle, Ugg and Topshop and no doubt there will be more offers from other companies in the near future

Niki uses pencils, pens, fluorescent markers & collage to make amazing compositions that are unique to her style and easily identifiable as her style. The mix of all these elements creates images with such life and humour, combining humour with seriousness and creating fun images that hard not to like. The 3D element to her work is a quirky way of adding depth to the piece because it almost makes you want to reach out and touch. She uses materials and objects that make her illustrations as effective as pop out images because the quite literally lift up off the page.  Perhaps this is why Niki's work is so sought after by fashion houses & stores; that ability to bring design to life is an amazing skill that Niki exudes

In Depth Analysis of Johnny Cheuk

Johnny Cheuk is a graphic designer and illustrator based in Hong Kong, China. With a background in digital media, Johnny experiments with a mix of traditional and cutting edge media materials to create his art that is easily recognised as his work. Blending computer graphics with watercolour and pen and ink to explore avenues of creativity that others wouldn't dare challenge and express his own unique style that hes so well known for.

Johnny's work is now being widely recognised as the place Johnny’s work has been published in numerous magazines, books, websites and exhibitions. His previous commissions include music album cover art direction and illustrations for Hong Kong pop singers G.E.M., covers for Computer Arts Magazine (UK), and illustrations for Adobe and Readers’ Digest and Movmnt magazine. His illustration was selected for 1,000 Works from 100 Young Designers by ooogo a respectable chinese branding website well recognised by the chinese public and 30 Fashion Illustrators You Can't Miss by fashionary.org. He was picked as one of the 200 Best Illustrators Worldwide 2009/10 by Lurzer International a worldwide respected advertising archive website.

Personal Project Mindmap

Initial Ideas

Tour Merchandise Moodboard

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

The Brief

Experimental Packaging

These experimental packaging examples were made with recycled materials just just to test the psychics of the materials and see what would and would not work in the final outcome

Final Outcome

Prototype Experimentation

This is my prototype much which served as a tester product to determine what changes in materials, print quality, and image editing were necessary. Examples of changes made are that on the prototype I printed my designs onto two pieces of standard paper and stuck them on to card which made it hard to bend intricately and also allowed a lot of problems with air bubbles under the paper on both sides. There were also issues with the quality of print when printed onto the paper and even when tested on the glossy paper the full detail of all components on the images was not very well represented which led to my decision to pay for professional printing straight on to A1 photo paper for the best print and image quality possible. Also, the margins that I set for folding between images on the surface design were far too small which was evident even from the scaled down version so I made the changes to the design so that there was adequate space to fold.

CD Design Experimentations

These are my CD designs that I have experimented with and one of them will be used on my final outcome. The first example of experimentation is your standard CD design, the image of the front cover presented in CD form. The second CD design is simply my self made and designed background texture used throughout all products linked with this outcome and I feel would be a fitting CD design because it is easily recognisable as part of my CD project designs. The final CD design is the actual image that would be covered by the physical CD if in place in the product, so I thought it would be clever and interesting to put the just the covered parts onto the design, camouflaging the CD into the casing.

Poster Experimentations

These are poster ideas and experimentations that I played with to create the poster I would like to include in my inlay for my final packaging. The first example is a large landscape fold out poster for walls I combined my first cover image with my logo and the Dreamville records tag keeping it relevant to the theme. The second example is another large landscape foldout designed for wall space, I designed this by cutting all my cover images into slides or slabs in a way which puts them into stages.
The final example of my poster experimentation is a horizontal image designed for a door and this was an idea that like the first example could be used for anyone of the cover images individually.

CD Packaging Project Evaluation

For this project we had to design and create our very own CD packaging for an artist of our choice making sure that the design was suited and relevant to the artist but also practical for purpose. This project has definitely been the most challenging for me in terms of workload and organisation especially as I had to outsource some of materials and resources. For my outcome I chose the artist J Cole a american Hip Hop artist, I chose him because I identify with music and I thought this would make it easier to come with ideas on the theme of the CD packaging. My idea for how I was going to design my packaging did come easily and I had several very different ideas to choose from some entailed paper cutting,  modelling and paper construction. In the end I opted for a more simple approach so that I could focus more on the visual design and surface design.
My inspirations mostly were J Coles passed projects artwork which were closely related to basketball and the style was inspired by the way I feel street ball is depicted from images that I researched independently and that was the main basis for my design direction and the way I took my pictures. Martin Stasiuk, a fellow londoner is one graphic designer I stumbled across which heavily influenced and inspired the overall composition of my surface design. His piece called 'Basketball Dream' is a concept I tried to capture in my outcome, the combination of photography, imagination and photoshop is definitely something I aimed to convey in my own outcome and I think I managed to achieve it. I used some of my own photos; the background sky image and my basketball model as did Stasiuk and then imagination to make a living scene out of these elements.

I experimented with different background textures trying to keep them as mellow as possible because J Coles music is quite calm and I wanted to find a background which was fit for purpose. In the end I decided that I didn't need to have a traditional patterned background and wanted to capture the street feel of J Coles mix tapes so I used photos I took myself of the sky and combined them with my photo shoot pictures to make it look as if the model was playing street ball.
I am very happy with the way my outcome has turned out because I think it looks extremely professional which was not easy to accomplish at all and it took a lot of trial and error to achieve because of problems with printing settings in college and outside of college. using several different types of paper and card and different sizes to achieve the best result even using my own money to pay for professional printing. I think the thing that I feel was the biggest achievement is the actual application of effects on my images, the huge transformation from standard photos to a a new powerful image. Each picture took me approximately 2 hours all together to edit by the time it was ready I to print this was very time consuming as there were 5 images some of them presenting challenges that I had to be innovative to deal with.
There were a few things that I feel could have gone better mostly I am disappointed I did not get the opportunity to put all the effects I wanted to use on the photos because of time constraints. I had originally planned to add an dispersion or disintegration effect on to the model in my images and had prepared and practiced the technique ready to use it. I also did want to improve the finish of my product by paying for it to be professionally laminated for it to be more of a smooth finish.
To conclude, the project was something I enjoyed because it was a change, and creatively something that people can relate to because everyone can relate to music but also is an easy medium to be creative with. I really do enjoy making packaging because of the sense of freedom to do what you want with it. The personal project is something I think I could find interesting and something I am looking forward to because there are several stand out things about me I could put into it making this project all that much easier to tackle.