Yesterday I went down to Joan Cornella's first exhibition in the UK at The Gallery at Munro House. I first saw his work on the internet and was immediately drawn to his illustrative style and dark sense of humour. The Gallery showcased a range of his work and had his prints and book for purchase.
I wanted to study in the UK because of the art scene. I feel that there is great exposure for the creative industry in the UK as compared to Singapore. More of it is encouraged and celebrated as a professional career. What drew me to Leeds College of Art was the wide range of facilities offered and the exclusivity of the college. The range of facilities would allow me to learn new skills that I haven't yet been exposed to for example screen printing. And with the course relatively small, I felt that I wouldn't be another number if you will.
With Leeds being in the north of England, it gives me the opportunity to be part of the emerging art scene as mentioned during my interview. I think studying in London would have been good but there were comments on it being saturated with creatives and it might be harder to get your name out there in the already established industry. The choice to study in the field of Graphic Design was because of the future. There are debates on whether print is dying and the emergence of artists going back to tactile production however there is no dismissing the fact that we are growing ever more digital in today's age. Therefore I wanted to enter a field of art which had longevity and versatility for myself to be a creative. Furthermore, I like to have direction with my work, so my initial interest in becoming a freelance fine artist may not have been ideal.
What I want to learn during this course are the skills necessary to become a professional creative and the various outlets associated with Graphic Design. I want to learn effective layout design used in publications. I want to learn about the process of screen printing. This could help me with my poster design, editorials and just learning a new skill altogether. I want to learn about the details in working in a design studio. I would be beneficial to have a general idea before heading out into the real world.
As a strength, I think my unique illustrative style is something that I'm proud of. I haven't yet to see anyone with a similar style and hope to have it as something that identifies me. Also it would be good if I could incorporate into my own style of graphic design. My style also relates to how I am with my work. I think by being meticulous makes me more attentive to the finer details and it polishes my work. My other strength is that I am good with colour choices. I am especially fond of pastel colours that offer a softer look as compared to the bold and bright. I think having a strength with keeping up in current trends/affairs also serves well in adapting to the current times and thus appealing to the correct audience.
I hope to increase my proficiency with design programs, namely illustrator and indesign. By doing so it will allow me to create better work at a more efficient rate. To be more aware of the world of graphic design would be more helpful too. It will allow me to draw from more sources and create work that's more informed with its design decisions. I would like to improve my articulation as well in communicating my ideas. I feel that despite having a plan of what to say in my head, in reality I find it difficult in piece it together coherently. I keep stumbling on my ideas and don't elaborate as much as I want to. I think the weekly feedback sessions will help in getting me more confident in projecting my ideas.
Daniel Arsham is my main source of inspiration today. I find his work to be refreshing and relatable amongst the historical and contemporary pieces of art. Mainly because he incorporates everyday items and mass consumer goods within his art pieces. He was the artist that inspired my interest and illustrations of renaissance and classical statues. He is also an artist that collaborates with people within the fashion industry such as Ronnie Fieg of KITH NYC. Which is another one of my sources of inspiration. I like to read up on what's happening within the fashion world, particularly in streetwear. Another source of inspiration would be Aaron Draplin. He drastically changed the way I work. Telling his audience to embrace every idea, to value quick sketches and to save every design decision in case there was potential in previous iterations. Instagram is also another one of my sources as it exposes me to so many of the artists I follow today. With Instagram I'm able to follow what my followed artists are doing and keep up with their exhibition schedule. Its a great platform for their work to be spread across a global level.
My inspirations in the design industry include, Japanese graphic design, Leif Podhajsky and his influence on music, Muji and Geoff Mcfetridge. Japanese graphic design is one of my influences because I'm interested in its ability to work with unorthodox colour palettes and layouts. What this creates are pieces of design that are so different from the usual swiss influenced west. I wish to further research into this and hopefully incorporate its design cues into my work. Leif Podhajsky is an inspiration mainly because of his influence on the music industry. I didn't realise that a designer could have an effect on something so big. He was creating album covers for some of the artists I was listening to. This sparked my interest in venturing into this field of work. Muji is an inspiration to me because of their product design and design principles. They have principles of simplicity, modesty and being free of excess to name a few. This can definitely be seen within their product design which can be related to principles of Dieter Rams. Their collaboration with creative agency PARTY to re-design Narita International Airport Terminal 3 also demonstrated how their products can work seamlessly with clean, effective graphic design. Geoff McFetridge is a graphic designer in LA that is recognised for his design work in the movie Her and his paintings. He inspires me that graphic design doesn't have to be limited to digital or printed platforms but can be replicated in fine art. Also, by getting onto the big screen its let me know the possibilities of working in the field.
