Across the past 7 weeks since beginning the course I have improved my skills as a designer in many ways, from drawing skills to computer based design and my technical skills as well. Over the 5 studio briefs we have completed there are elements in each one that have pushed me further in both the research and practical design concepts in Graphics.
In the first brief of the module we learnt about the anatomy of typographic forms which enabled me to see and appreciate type in a different way. I really enjoyed hand-drawing and developing my letterforms for this brief as I came to know my chosen font 'garamond' a lot better than I originally thought and began to like serif fonts as much as sans serif - my former preference.
I found the Illustrator workshops really helpful in improving my ability to design on the computer as I had previously only worked on Photoshop, which although is a good piece of software for certain things it doesn't allow as much freedom to design as Illustrator. Speaking to James in the Mac suite I could gain further knowledge on the tools available in Illustrator and was then able to create my modified typeface digitally. We also learnt how to print in the digital print room which I think is very useful knowledge to have as a graphic designer especially on this course to showcase our work in a professional manner and present our growing body of work over the next three years.
When creating the typeface for my partner I studied several different existing font faces before applying what I had learnt into practice to create a distinct typeface that represented my partner's personality. This enabled us to engage with our peers and work well as a pair finding out information about one another to create a suitable typeface, testing our communication skills.
Brief 4 allowed us to develop an in-depth body of research based on an article of our interest in the news. My media-related skills have improved by recognising differences in tabloid and broadsheet newspapers as well as the tone of voice and target audience they are communicating the message to. This led me to be open to creating my own designs for three high impact posters related to the issue I had researched into. As well as learning about the concepts behind poster design I also improved my skills in layout design and practical design work including physically drawing and creating my posters rather than modifying them digitally. An aspect I could improve on is developing my design skills further on Illustrator, however I need more time to learn more about the tools I can use and how to use them effectively and quickly.
Throughout the whole module I have gained knowledge on the theory and practical side of Graphic Design, primarily focusing on typography, a topic I enjoy working on and am looking forward to learning more about.
Although Blogger is not the most ideal website to document our development process on I have enjoyed keeping up to date with my blog as it helps me to make sure I am on track with each brief and means I can refer back to previous work if necessary.
Friday 15 November 2013
Thursday 14 November 2013
Screen Print Induction
Wednesday 13 November 2013
OUGD401 - COP Lecture 5: Print
Print started off as cold communication method.
Chronology = the sequential order in which past events occur
The general consensus is that 'if it's print it is seen to be true'.
Documentation
Communication
Reproduction
Print
- year 200, began in Japan where they woodcut onto fabric
- 300 years later print started in China
- print didn't happen in Europe tip 1400s
Religion moved print forward as well
Mass Communication
Gutenberg press
- 1450 in Germany
- moveable type
- print onto paper, cheaper than fabric
Literacy developed and people began to learn to read. To succeed, need to engage and read.
Trickle down theory
- creates middle class, not fancy/posh but can read
Can print 3060 pages a day on Gutenberg press compared to 20 by hand. In under 400 years the number of books in Europe went from 0 (15th Century) to 1 billion (18th Century).
The way we formulated language changed it.
Marshall McLuhan (1911 - 1980) - "The medium is the message"
Linotype
- allowed us to produce solid lines of type
- the typewriter
In the pre 1900s newspapers would be 8 pages long - cheap and quick. The computer changed everything since it's invention in the 20th century.
Printmaking as Image
- etching, including engraving and dry point
Print was used for propaganda as it needs to be bold and iconic, so it could deliver clear, simple messages. No matter what class the audience was they would still understand the same message.
Screen printing - easy and accessible.
Chronology = the sequential order in which past events occur
The general consensus is that 'if it's print it is seen to be true'.
Documentation
Communication
Reproduction
- year 200, began in Japan where they woodcut onto fabric
- 300 years later print started in China
- print didn't happen in Europe tip 1400s
Religion moved print forward as well
Mass Communication
Gutenberg press
- 1450 in Germany
- moveable type
- print onto paper, cheaper than fabric
Literacy developed and people began to learn to read. To succeed, need to engage and read.
Trickle down theory
- creates middle class, not fancy/posh but can read
Can print 3060 pages a day on Gutenberg press compared to 20 by hand. In under 400 years the number of books in Europe went from 0 (15th Century) to 1 billion (18th Century).
The way we formulated language changed it.
Marshall McLuhan (1911 - 1980) - "The medium is the message"
Linotype
- allowed us to produce solid lines of type
- the typewriter
In the pre 1900s newspapers would be 8 pages long - cheap and quick. The computer changed everything since it's invention in the 20th century.
Printmaking as Image
- etching, including engraving and dry point
Print was used for propaganda as it needs to be bold and iconic, so it could deliver clear, simple messages. No matter what class the audience was they would still understand the same message.
Screen printing - easy and accessible.
Monday 11 November 2013
OUGD401 - Study Task 5 (analysis of typeface)
An analysis of an interesting typeface
One of my favourite typefaces is Helvetica, particularly Helvetica Neue Light.
This is Helvetica Neue Light 48pt:
Helvetica is widely used by by the US government and across the USA as well as Canada in designs for such things as the US television rating system, NASA's space shuttle orbiter and NYC Metropolitan Transportation Authority
uses Helvetica for many of its subway signs now, though it was not adopted as the official font for signage until 1989.
Neue Helvetica is a reworking of the typeface with a more structurally unified set of heights and widths. It was developed at a linotype subsidiary, (Linotype's daughter company), D. Stempel AG. Erik Spiekermann was the design consultant and designed the literature for the launch in 1983. Other changes made to the typeface include improved legibility, heavier punctuation marks and increased spacing in the numbers. Neue Helvetica also uses a numerical design classification scheme, like Univers.
Since Helvetica's original launch it has been worked on by a variety of designers to adapt it from hot metal to photocomposition to digital. As technologies improved, these limitations were removed, allowing total design freedom. In 1983 the complete Helvetica font family was carefully redrawn and expanded to create Neue Helvetica, a synthesis of aesthetic and technical refinements and modifications that resulted in improved appearance, legibility and usefulness.
There are both subtle and more obvious changes made to the original Helvetica design. This includes widened crossbars on the lowercase f and t to increase character recognition in text and to be more consistent with the overall design characteristics. Some of the punctuation has been reworked for better balance and the entire font family has additional weights - eight plus italics for the regular and obliques for the expanded versions. There are 51 weights in total, many more than the original family. New x-heights compensate for the illusion that the type looks shorter as it gets heavier in weight whereas in the previous version all x-heights were the same.
Uses of Helvetica Neue Expanded Ultra Light - another variation of Helvetica Neue - include the logo of The Ellen DeGeneres Show and the iOS 7 typeface on the iPhone.
http://www.fonts.com/content/learning/fyti/typefaces/helvetica-old-and-neue?siteId=2c670c80-4121-4446-893f-d7fe9690be92
http://www.overnightprints.com/helvetica
One of my favourite typefaces is Helvetica, particularly Helvetica Neue Light.
This is Helvetica Neue Light 48pt:
Helvetica was created in 1957 by Eduard Hoffmann and Max Miendinger and is a widely used sans-serif typeface. It was designed as a simple, smooth, straight font that differed from the overly complicated fonts of that time in America. Some characteristics of the typeface include a tall x-height, which makes it easier to read in smaller point sizes, a narrow t and f, a square-looking s and a rounded off square tail of the uppercase R. Helvetica Light was designed by Stempel's artistic director Erich Schultz-Anker, in conjunction with Arthur Ritzel.
Some uses of the typeface Helvetica include many signs around the world for trains, shops, and other signs and messages that need to be clearly communicated. Examples of the commercial use of Helvetica includes American Apparel, Jeep, Panasonic, BMW and Kawasaki. Apple has used Helvetica widely in iOS products including the iPod, iPhone and iMacs. More recently the company have used Neue Helvetica on products such as the iPhone 4.
Helvetica is widely used by by the US government and across the USA as well as Canada in designs for such things as the US television rating system, NASA's space shuttle orbiter and NYC Metropolitan Transportation Authority
uses Helvetica for many of its subway signs now, though it was not adopted as the official font for signage until 1989.
http://www.fonts.com/content/learning/fyti/typefaces/helvetica-old-and-neue?siteId=2c670c80-4121-4446-893f-d7fe9690be92
http://www.overnightprints.com/helvetica
Wednesday 6 November 2013
OUGD401 - COP Lecture 4: Illustration
Illustration is strategic image making, used within the context of visual communication to convey meaning or concept. For example: Frosties cereal box illustration image - concept is the happy, muscular tiger that loves frosties. The context is promoting the cereal for purchase.
The earliest systems of visual communication began with image. The aesthetic of an image communicates as much as the semiotics - the signs and symbols.
The earliest systems of visual communication began with image. The aesthetic of an image communicates as much as the semiotics - the signs and symbols.
Tuesday 5 November 2013
OUGD401 - Typography & Art vs. GD
How far back does type go?
- stone carvings in Roman era
- Gutenberg press (1450s) began mass dissemination of knowledge.
Stages of type:
- script/blackletter
- classical oldstyle
- transitional
- modern
- swiss modern
- contemporary
Everyone interacts with typography every day of their lives.
Walter Gropius - form vs. function - the latter should come first.
If you've done something right then it shouldn't be noticed that you've done anything at all.
_______________
What are the differences between Fine Art and Graphic Design?
- Fine Art doesn't have to have a function - it is aesthetic
- Graphics has more rules and principles
- In Graphics you have to make the message clear for it to work
- communication is straight forward in Graphic Design
- it's pretentious in both Graphics and Fine Art
- myth surrounds the production of Fine Art
- Graphic Design educates and persuades
- Fine Art is based on own interpretations as well
Arisman M. (2003) - "Is there a fine art to illustration?"
- Fine Art is pure
- Illustration is the beginning of selling out
- Graphic Design is commercial art
- Advertising is selling
political - culture of higher class
Not everyone visits galleries but everyone encounters Graphic Design
- stone carvings in Roman era
- Gutenberg press (1450s) began mass dissemination of knowledge.
Stages of type:
- script/blackletter
- classical oldstyle
- transitional
- modern
- swiss modern
- contemporary
Everyone interacts with typography every day of their lives.
Walter Gropius - form vs. function - the latter should come first.
If you've done something right then it shouldn't be noticed that you've done anything at all.
_______________
What are the differences between Fine Art and Graphic Design?
- Fine Art doesn't have to have a function - it is aesthetic
- Graphics has more rules and principles
- In Graphics you have to make the message clear for it to work
- communication is straight forward in Graphic Design
- it's pretentious in both Graphics and Fine Art
- myth surrounds the production of Fine Art
- Graphic Design educates and persuades
- Fine Art is based on own interpretations as well
Arisman M. (2003) - "Is there a fine art to illustration?"
- Fine Art is pure
- Illustration is the beginning of selling out
- Graphic Design is commercial art
- Advertising is selling
political - culture of higher class
Not everyone visits galleries but everyone encounters Graphic Design
Monday 4 November 2013
OUGD401 - COP Lecture 3: Type Production and Distribution
Chronologies 1: Type Production and Distribution
Importance of chronologies
- Type is a modernist obsession
- The written word endures while the spoken word disappears
- Type is what language looks like
Nobody can agree when language actually began, but was near to 3200 BC? In Mesopotamia people came up with phonetic sounds which led to the creation of the Greek alphabet (symbols).
Johannes Gutenberg started work on the printing press in 1436, and went into production in 1450.
In 1870 William Foster changed education. Up until this date, no one was taught to read, so he introduced schooling for children aged 5-12. Before this, only the rich and wealthy could read.
Walter Gropius recognised 2 conflicting typefaces and set up the Bauhaus (1919-1933). This formed the basis of modernist thinking and was the birthplace of modern design education.
- Max Miedinger (1957) created Helvetica
- 25 years after Helvetica was released, Arial came out which basically ripped off Helvetica's design.
Steve Jobs created the first Apple Macintosh in 1990 which was the beginning of the transformation to digital type and was sold at affordable prices.
Type and image: promote, educate, persuade
Type as image: decorative, illustrations
Type on things: skin, pear, mug
Type as object: light, sculpture, spatially interactive
Since 1995 when the globally adopted browser Internet Explorer was introduced to the web, longer documents began to decrease as they don't work as well on the internet. The short documents we are reading instead poison our ability to read long documents.
We navigate our whole lives using words. Change and improve words, change and improve life.
Importance of chronologies
- Type is a modernist obsession
- The written word endures while the spoken word disappears
- Type is what language looks like
Nobody can agree when language actually began, but was near to 3200 BC? In Mesopotamia people came up with phonetic sounds which led to the creation of the Greek alphabet (symbols).
Johannes Gutenberg started work on the printing press in 1436, and went into production in 1450.
In 1870 William Foster changed education. Up until this date, no one was taught to read, so he introduced schooling for children aged 5-12. Before this, only the rich and wealthy could read.
Walter Gropius recognised 2 conflicting typefaces and set up the Bauhaus (1919-1933). This formed the basis of modernist thinking and was the birthplace of modern design education.
- Max Miedinger (1957) created Helvetica
- 25 years after Helvetica was released, Arial came out which basically ripped off Helvetica's design.
Steve Jobs created the first Apple Macintosh in 1990 which was the beginning of the transformation to digital type and was sold at affordable prices.
Type and image: promote, educate, persuade
Type as image: decorative, illustrations
Type on things: skin, pear, mug
Type as object: light, sculpture, spatially interactive
Since 1995 when the globally adopted browser Internet Explorer was introduced to the web, longer documents began to decrease as they don't work as well on the internet. The short documents we are reading instead poison our ability to read long documents.
We navigate our whole lives using words. Change and improve words, change and improve life.
Saturday 2 November 2013
OUGD403 (Brief 5) - Message and Delivery: Delivery
The first thing I did when starting this brief was to draw out the 2:1 format in my sketchbook. It was much thinner than I expected it to be, so perhaps I could use vertical type or linked illustrations for 2 of the poster ideas.
I then went on to brainstorm my ideas about energy saving, key words that struck me as being related to energy.
I have considered colour choice and stock choice in my research for this brief by researching certain symbolic colours and what they can relate to. I have also decided what tone of voice I should use and what I am trying to communicate.
When looking on a design blog http://uniteditions.com/blog/type-only-is-here/ I came across this image of boxes containing a new publication inside which is soon to be released.
Without intention this gave me the idea of using only black type on the 'type' poster on brown paper background.
This could inform a powerful message as it is unusual design compared with other posters so may catch the audience's attention which is what posters are intended to do.
I recently found a webpage with typography poster designs showcased and as it relates to this project here is one of the examples I liked the most:
Using only type (as we have to for one of the posters) this poster shows a powerful message by using type as image. It uses only one colour but different shades of grey to give the image more depth.
As far as I can tell, it has used a news story from 9/11 as the text in the image. I could try this technique out for one of my poster designs.
Some other type posters I found in Thinking with Type show use of typography only in poster format:
_____
In class I asked everyone what they first thought of when I said 'energy'. The responses included words such as food, movement, power, liveliness, electricity, and energy drink. These are mixed between words that relate to the topic I am researching and another type of energy - our own energy levels i.e. we need food/drink so that we have energy to live.
In a way, this still links to energy levels of the world - to live we need electricity and heating (for basic living requirements that are necessary) as well as needing energy in ourselves to sustain a healthy diet and to accomplish things.
From this I then brainstormed the word 'electricity' which led to words such as circuit, wires, voltage, current, flow, shock. This gave me the idea to show the flow of energy/electricity being broken when our resources run out (coal/oil etc), which is why we need the nuclear plant to begin with. The aim of my poster is to encourage people to re-use and recycle more efficiently, not to turn them against the idea of nuclear power, because I believe that although dangerous, we have no other option to maintain power and energy in the UK in future years.
I then researched into effects of nuclear power on the environment.
Another image I found which informs a powerful message about environmental risks is this:
When someone walks underneath the 3D lightbulb it lights up, and goes off again when they are no longer underneath it. "The Economist" written in the bottom right corner alongside the person walking underneath portrays the actions of a typical economist, by using members of the public as part of their advert. This is a very clever way to promote economical actions in anyone who sees this advertisement.
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/23bYbS/:@0pVz91F:EsIxiH9G/www.inspirefirst.com/2011/06/17/creative-billboard-ads/
I like the symbolic lightbulb idea of electricity and energy and think it is a good icon to use on one of my posters.
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/23bYbS/:@0pVz91F:EsIxiH9G/www.inspirefirst.com/2011/06/17/creative-billboard-ads/
I like the symbolic lightbulb idea of electricity and energy and think it is a good icon to use on one of my posters.
Today I saw a poster of teenage ninja turtles that had no type on it, solely image. The illustrations were quite detailed yet looked simple:
Another image I found online is an image of a graph style poster:
http://designspiration.net/image/689791283529/
This image is a screen printed poster in a 2:1 format - the same format our posters have to be for this brief.
I like the simplicity of the design and minimal colour use. The heavy block in the middle top of the poster is balanced out by the dark strip at the bottom and sides, around the white 3D block which contrasts with the darkness.
It is made to feel like a graph by the spaced out type above and below the image as well as the horizontal lines covering the page.
This image is a screen printed poster in a 2:1 format - the same format our posters have to be for this brief.
I like the simplicity of the design and minimal colour use. The heavy block in the middle top of the poster is balanced out by the dark strip at the bottom and sides, around the white 3D block which contrasts with the darkness.
It is made to feel like a graph by the spaced out type above and below the image as well as the horizontal lines covering the page.
Saturday 2nd November
Today I had a crit with a few classmates and from this I could hear back a summary of the message I am trying to communicate as well as getting feedback on my work so far.
I need to bare in mind to use shades of my colour choices that would attract 18-21year olds. I should also focus on just one aspect of Eco friendly topics, so I have decided to drop the awareness of nuclear power and try to focus on encouraging people to use less energy in the future.
http://www.behance.net/gallery/F-Gases/9511993
Here are some illustrated images I've found that I think communicate climate change, by Uli Henrik Streckenbach:
Another designer I have researched is Ian Smith from the USA, who has created posters on climate change. I really like the use of minimal design and imagery on his effective posters:
Another aspect of these posters I really like is the background textures on all of them. Though different to each other, they all show reusable surfaces (e.g. paper, wood) and it adds a more personal touch to the overall image.
The colours used for each background also connote the product it is talking about, e.g. browny colour for coffee, white/grey for milk, yellow/orange for peanut butter.
The text is all in capitals which conveys an important message. The short sentences "Save our -" at the bottom of each short fact about the product on each poster reinforces that they need to be saved and is almost a metaphor for saving the world environmentally by using products that people would not want to give up or lose. This idea works really well as it informs the audience after catching their attention as well as having a minimal design so the page isn't crammed with information which the audience will likely not read.
This goes for the coffee ring on the first poster as well - no coffee or mug is shown yet the circular coffee-colour-stained ring connotes a hot warm drink of coffee - something many people cannot go a day without.
Simple colour schemes have been used i.e. in this one - orange and browns (with black and white text). The surface (wood) is a similar colour to the empty peanut butter jar.
The minimal amount of text used gives the posters high impact by only using it where necessary.
1 - "Imagine a world without peanut butter". Asks the audience to do something - similar to a rhetorical question, gets the viewer to think about what they have suggested.
2 - "Quick Science:..." A short fact stating that everyday products are being threatened by climate change.
3 - "Rescue your ___. Get Involved. Take Action". This tripartite is effective because it has a rhythm to it and is easy to remember in short phrases.
4 - Website address. In bold the website is set spaced below to separate it from the other 4 lines of text.
All text is centred as well which draws attention to the middle grid of the page.
The three work as a set really well as they have common elements including shape, layout, and type. I should consider this when creating my final designs to keep all three of my poster designs consistent.
Another idea I have had is to create a more informative poster to educate younger people on environmental issues. To do this using text and image I could create a chart or graph to show a large amount of information in a simple and effective way.
Here are some pre-existing charts that show the rate/amount of CO2 emissions, electricity consumption, and energy use.
Here it shows the UK compared with the US and France showing the amount of CO2 emissions in 2009, which was 7.68 metric tons. This graph shows that the UK's CO2 emissions have dropped very gradually over the past 50 years.
It also shows that the USA's emission rates are much higher, with about 17 metric tons in 2009. France however, has a lower amount of CO2 emissions at about 5.5 metric tons released into the atmosphere in 2009.
Over the past 50 years electricity use has increased massively across the UK, Germany and France. Although the UK has increased more gradually than the other 2 countries, it has gone from just over 2,000 kWh in 1960 to just under 6,000 in 2010. Rates were slightly higher in 2000 with just above 6,000 kWh being used.
Energy use increased massively in France and Germany between the 70s and 90s, however in the UK energy use has been in between 3-4000 kg of oil equivalent for the past 50 years.
2011 results for the UK energy use are at a low of 3,011.90 kg, the same as they were in the 1960s. This is still a lot of energy consumption for such a small country in comparison to France and Germany.
How can I represent these statistics in a way that will appeal to 18-21 year olds and including eye-catching imagery?
Graph
what decreases when energy levels rise? when global warming is getting worse?
- obvious one is ice
ice levels decreasing while carbon emissions rise
greenhouse gases
Typeface
This typeface used on a recycling website is condensed making the letterforms look tall and thin. It also connotes 'reducing' which is what recycling technically does - reduces amount of waste.
Wednesday 6th November - Interim Critique
In today's crit we split the group in half and wrote feedback on each other's work using post-it-notes. This was quite helpful as I gained a few tips and ideas for what I should carry on developing and what doesn't work.
I have been quite stuck on what ideas to take forward for each poster so the feedback I received has helped me to focus on what I want to say:
- make image/text short and snappy
- need more clear designs
- look at info graphics
- light bulb idea - families will relate to it more than students
- am I criticising or supporting the nuclear power plant?
- narrow down research into strongest concept - informing energy awareness
- keep image posters simple
- deliver facts with more power in type posters
- use just one type of recyclable material e.g. cans
- use world trophy idea?
___________________________
For my type only poster I want to have a fact shown but made out of materials which relate to energy saving.
I need to use a short, snappy fact to catch people's attention using the shock factor.
http://www.homesun.com/fun-facts/
http://www.ecoworld.org.uk/eco_topics/energy/eco-facts.asp
Some facts I like and have taken from these website include:
If every UK household turned their appliances off when not in use, collectively we could save over half a billion pounds every year and as much carbon dioxide as would be saved by taking around 660,000 cars off the UK's roads
The better insulated your home is, the less money you'll spend heating it. If you have a typical house with cavity walls you could save up to £135 per year in heating bills just from insulating the walls
UK households spend £2.2 billion of electricity every year on cooling and freezing food and drink. An efficient new fridge-freezer consumes approximately only 40 per cent of the electricity of an inefficient older model.
Every household in the UK generates around six tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, enough to fill six hot air balloons 10 metres in diameter. In fact, the average home emits more harmful carbon dioxide than the average car every year.
These facts are interesting and relate to my topic but aren't short and snappy enough to catch people's attention. I want to relate it to prices of energy bills in some way because financial issues effect everyone in the UK.
I also found a news story about energy use when consumers are not at home.
http://www.uswitch.com/gas-electricity/news/2013/04/26/uk-families-spend-hundreds-on-energy-when-nobodys-home/
"According to the data, a significant proportion of the £531 that the average family pays for electricity every year is used up by items that are constantly switched on."
While reading this article I found a section about people leaving appliances on all day even when they aren't at home. For my type only poster I was going to make my phrase/word out of recyclable materials, however I realise this doesn't fit with the general consensus of my posters.
Seeing as they are more focused on electricity and energy use I thought it would be more fitting to use electrical appliances to create this poster. I plan to use cables and wires, chargers and other appliances that people use daily and often take for granted and leave them on when it's not necessary. This could include lightbulbs.
Karly Anderson's work on Greenpeace posters uses simple ideas to voice strong messages.
http://www.behance.net/gallery/Greenpeace-Initiative-Poster-Series/1099165
Here she has used representations of oil to create an image that connotes oil spillages around the world.
Likewise, this time Kayley has used a continuous line to represent an electric cord which is making up the image of the world. This image works well and is high impact because of the simplicity, yet has a clear message. 'Unplug' written next to the 'Greenpeace' logo in the bottom right corner explains the message further using only one word.
This relates a lot to my research of energy saving as well as being a high impact poster.
These are really good examples of high impact posters with little colour use, other ideas that could have been created from this include use of other non-renewable sources of energy such as coal, as well as waste/landfill materials covering/making the image of the world.
__________
I have decided not to voice my own opinion about the power plant but to raise awareness about energy saving so that people can make their own opinions about nuclear power rather than having an opinion forced upon them, which is often what the media does.
A fair amount of participants in the questionnaire didn't even know about the new power plant coming to the UK, so hopefully my posters will give people some information they may not have known about energy use so that they attempt to save it, and in turn save money.
_______
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-2164842/How-household-gadgets-cost-run-16-electricity-bills-wasted-appliances-left-standby.html
I have found a statistic that I want to use for my type poster. I still plan to use the idea of using items related to energy use and electricity, so have come away from the 'recycle' idea and using recyclable materials. instead I am going to use electrical appliances to produce a word or figure/phrase so that the viewer will relate it to electricity usage.
"16% of electricity in the UK is wasted on appliances left on standby"
I have chosen this because it is common for students to leave their appliances on standby when they go out, or even if they are in the house/flat.
Friday 8th November - Final Critique
The final crit today allowed us to showcase our work in front of the whole group - something we haven't done before. This gave us the chance to see everyone's work which I think is important to both get to know who is on my course and show working methods and ideas that my peers have used.
Feedback I received today included making my poster designs digital by scanning in and editing/re-creating on Illustrator. I also need to change the colour levels so that the yellow is vibrant throughout my set of posters.
From my feedback I thought one main weakness of my posters was that the yellow didn't work as well on two of the posters that were printed/drawn straight onto brown paper. To improve this I re-drew the yellow areas on to white card before cutting out and laying over the old.
If I had more time I would digitise all posters to change the colours accordingly. I have ended up with layered posters and ideally I would like to screen print them, although this would also mean I couldn't use brown paper because yellow ink wouldn't come out at the right colour.
I could screen print white where the yellow would be and then go over in yellow once dry, but this would require several experiments to make sure it looked professional.
The three work as a set really well as they have common elements including shape, layout, and type. I should consider this when creating my final designs to keep all three of my poster designs consistent.
Another idea I have had is to create a more informative poster to educate younger people on environmental issues. To do this using text and image I could create a chart or graph to show a large amount of information in a simple and effective way.
Here are some pre-existing charts that show the rate/amount of CO2 emissions, electricity consumption, and energy use.
It also shows that the USA's emission rates are much higher, with about 17 metric tons in 2009. France however, has a lower amount of CO2 emissions at about 5.5 metric tons released into the atmosphere in 2009.
Energy use increased massively in France and Germany between the 70s and 90s, however in the UK energy use has been in between 3-4000 kg of oil equivalent for the past 50 years.
2011 results for the UK energy use are at a low of 3,011.90 kg, the same as they were in the 1960s. This is still a lot of energy consumption for such a small country in comparison to France and Germany.
How can I represent these statistics in a way that will appeal to 18-21 year olds and including eye-catching imagery?
Graph
what decreases when energy levels rise? when global warming is getting worse?
- obvious one is ice
ice levels decreasing while carbon emissions rise
greenhouse gases
Typeface
Wednesday 6th November - Interim Critique
In today's crit we split the group in half and wrote feedback on each other's work using post-it-notes. This was quite helpful as I gained a few tips and ideas for what I should carry on developing and what doesn't work.
I have been quite stuck on what ideas to take forward for each poster so the feedback I received has helped me to focus on what I want to say:
- make image/text short and snappy
- need more clear designs
- look at info graphics
- light bulb idea - families will relate to it more than students
- am I criticising or supporting the nuclear power plant?
- narrow down research into strongest concept - informing energy awareness
- keep image posters simple
- deliver facts with more power in type posters
- use just one type of recyclable material e.g. cans
- use world trophy idea?
___________________________
For my type only poster I want to have a fact shown but made out of materials which relate to energy saving.
I need to use a short, snappy fact to catch people's attention using the shock factor.
http://www.homesun.com/fun-facts/
http://www.ecoworld.org.uk/eco_topics/energy/eco-facts.asp
Some facts I like and have taken from these website include:
If every UK household turned their appliances off when not in use, collectively we could save over half a billion pounds every year and as much carbon dioxide as would be saved by taking around 660,000 cars off the UK's roads
The better insulated your home is, the less money you'll spend heating it. If you have a typical house with cavity walls you could save up to £135 per year in heating bills just from insulating the walls
UK households spend £2.2 billion of electricity every year on cooling and freezing food and drink. An efficient new fridge-freezer consumes approximately only 40 per cent of the electricity of an inefficient older model.
Every household in the UK generates around six tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, enough to fill six hot air balloons 10 metres in diameter. In fact, the average home emits more harmful carbon dioxide than the average car every year.
These facts are interesting and relate to my topic but aren't short and snappy enough to catch people's attention. I want to relate it to prices of energy bills in some way because financial issues effect everyone in the UK.
I also found a news story about energy use when consumers are not at home.
http://www.uswitch.com/gas-electricity/news/2013/04/26/uk-families-spend-hundreds-on-energy-when-nobodys-home/
"According to the data, a significant proportion of the £531 that the average family pays for electricity every year is used up by items that are constantly switched on."
While reading this article I found a section about people leaving appliances on all day even when they aren't at home. For my type only poster I was going to make my phrase/word out of recyclable materials, however I realise this doesn't fit with the general consensus of my posters.
Seeing as they are more focused on electricity and energy use I thought it would be more fitting to use electrical appliances to create this poster. I plan to use cables and wires, chargers and other appliances that people use daily and often take for granted and leave them on when it's not necessary. This could include lightbulbs.
Karly Anderson's work on Greenpeace posters uses simple ideas to voice strong messages.
http://www.behance.net/gallery/Greenpeace-Initiative-Poster-Series/1099165
This relates a lot to my research of energy saving as well as being a high impact poster.
These are really good examples of high impact posters with little colour use, other ideas that could have been created from this include use of other non-renewable sources of energy such as coal, as well as waste/landfill materials covering/making the image of the world.
__________
I have decided not to voice my own opinion about the power plant but to raise awareness about energy saving so that people can make their own opinions about nuclear power rather than having an opinion forced upon them, which is often what the media does.
A fair amount of participants in the questionnaire didn't even know about the new power plant coming to the UK, so hopefully my posters will give people some information they may not have known about energy use so that they attempt to save it, and in turn save money.
_______
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-2164842/How-household-gadgets-cost-run-16-electricity-bills-wasted-appliances-left-standby.html
I have found a statistic that I want to use for my type poster. I still plan to use the idea of using items related to energy use and electricity, so have come away from the 'recycle' idea and using recyclable materials. instead I am going to use electrical appliances to produce a word or figure/phrase so that the viewer will relate it to electricity usage.
"16% of electricity in the UK is wasted on appliances left on standby"
I have chosen this because it is common for students to leave their appliances on standby when they go out, or even if they are in the house/flat.
Friday 8th November - Final Critique
The final crit today allowed us to showcase our work in front of the whole group - something we haven't done before. This gave us the chance to see everyone's work which I think is important to both get to know who is on my course and show working methods and ideas that my peers have used.
Feedback I received today included making my poster designs digital by scanning in and editing/re-creating on Illustrator. I also need to change the colour levels so that the yellow is vibrant throughout my set of posters.
From my feedback I thought one main weakness of my posters was that the yellow didn't work as well on two of the posters that were printed/drawn straight onto brown paper. To improve this I re-drew the yellow areas on to white card before cutting out and laying over the old.
If I had more time I would digitise all posters to change the colours accordingly. I have ended up with layered posters and ideally I would like to screen print them, although this would also mean I couldn't use brown paper because yellow ink wouldn't come out at the right colour.
I could screen print white where the yellow would be and then go over in yellow once dry, but this would require several experiments to make sure it looked professional.
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