Studio Brief 01 - Lord Whitney studio visit

Visiting the Lord Whitney Studio was a chance to know the process of how a design studio builds a name for itself. Being based in Leeds, they champion the idea that you don't have to do everything London.  

Their relationship was formed from two different designers having the same overall aim. They work mainly within set design but also venture into editorials all the way to ad campaigns. Before their success however, they worked mainly from home as they simply could not afford a studio. This did not stop them and amazingly does not reflect in their set photos.

Their work with renowned photographer Rankin symbolizes the importance of networking and building a relationship with clientele. Through word of mouth and getting exposure at events, they have been able to reach out to clients they wouldn't be able to approach initially. And by working with these clients and producing successful work, they create positive relationships which in turn leads to future work. 

Not only does word of mouth gather clients for you, but the work done for clients can become a way clients know you by. Their work for Mock 'n' Roll at the Munro Gallery back in 2013 has led to inquires from new clientele. Lord Whitney created an exhibition and experience that clients were drawn to that wanted them to create for. 

Their initial work at a festival also led to them to success. In the 1st year they learned the value of collaborating with other designers and learning how to work with other designers. In the 2nd year they were approached to design some signs and certain aspects around the festival ground. By the third, they were designing the whole stage set. Again, this highlights the value of putting yourself out there in order to gain recognition and work.

The way they created ideas for their set designs was also interesting. Unlike most who trawl the internet such as pinterest and the like to search for ideas, Lord Whitney look at books, childhood photos, past experiences, i.e. anywhere but the internet. As a result their ideas become more original and unique to their studio. 

Overall Lord Whitney was an interesting look at the process of design studios emerge from nothing and a look the work of a design studio that I would not have related to graphic design on first instances. 

Studio Brief 01 - Daido Moriyama

Daido Moriyama is a Japanese photographer that is noted for his images depicting the breakdown of traditional values in Post-War Japan. Through a unique aesthetic technique of taking grimy but captivating urban images, Moriyama is now recognised as one of the master photographers of the 20th century, and his brutal images of Tokyo’s dark underbelly portray a whole country’s socio-political state. His style is synonymous with that of Provoke magazine, which he was involved with in 1969, namely 'are, bure, bokeh', translated as 'grainy / rough, blurry, and out-of-focus'.

Provoke magazine was an experimental Japanese photography magazine that was founded by the collective of photographers Yutaka Takanashi and Takuma Nakahira, critic Kōji Taki, and writer Takahiko Okada in 1968. Despite only having published only 3 issues, it "had a profound effect upon Japanese photography in the 1970s and 80s" and "spread a completely new idea of photography in Japan." What Provoke represented was a "a platform for a new photographic expression" and that it stood "that stood in opposition to the photography establishment". It these kinds of statements, although ambitious, I hope to achieve through my art direction in editorial design. Whats important for me is to offer readers a radical new viewing experience in whatever field I choose to explore. 

These statements were evident in Moriyama's photography. 

Stray Dog, Misawa, 1971

Daido Moriyama, Shinjuku, 2000-2004 / 2004, 100 x 150cm | © Daido Moriyama, Courtesy of Simon Lee Gallery and Taka Ishii Gallery, Tokyo

Daido Moriyama Tights, 1987-2011 / 2014 Gelatin silver print 39.4 x 59.1 in (100 x 150 cm) | © Daido Moriyama, Courtesy of Simon Lee Gallery and Taka Ishii Gallery, Tokyo

His pictures represented a style that intentionally broke away from the style that was conventionally accepted at the time by the photographic intelligentsia. In doing so, they translated their dissatisfaction or agitation with the rapid changes of Japanese society to a visual level. However, their protest was also exquisitely artistic, and questioned the conception of photography altogether. 

Moriyama's images symbolize a possible art direction I can take and achieve within the images I place in future publications. Images that go against the norm and question the subject at hand. Not only the style of the image itself but the art style within the publication. I.e. as shown below. 

Daido Moriyama, Poster (Nakano), 1990, 34.3 x 23 cm | © Daido Moriyama, Courtesy of Simon Lee Gallery and Taka Ishii Gallery, Tokyo

Therefore by merging both the photography style and construction of the publication, it creates a more cohesive art direction.

Studio Brief 01 - Nest Magazine

In efforts to get more exposure on the magazines that stray away from the mainstream construction and journalism, I recently got to know of Nest Magazine.

Nest: A Quarterly of Interiors was a magazine published from 1997 to 2004, for a total run of 26 issues. Marketed as an interior design magazine, and edited by Joseph Holtzman, Nest generally avoids the conventionally beautiful luxury interiors showcased in other magazines, and instead featured photographs of nontraditional, exceptional, and unusual environments. Famously said by Holtzman, he "believed that an igloo, a prison cell or a child's attic room (adorned with Farrah Fawcett posters) could be as compelling as a room by a famous designer." The magazine was, as described by New York Times, "a virtual jackdaw's nest of design movements, motifs, and ideas."

And this mishmash of ideas was reflected in the construction of the magazine itself which was different each issue. In an article done by 032c, in which the issue paid tribute to the magazine,

No. 9 featured a couple on the cover with scratch-off clothes, No. 10 came in a zipped plastic bag. A cross-shaped hole was burned through No. 11. No. 13 came tied with a black ribbon. In No. 17 many of the articles, including the subscription notice, were interpreted in musical notation. In many ways this relates to the design ethos of WERK magazine, where every issue is notably different. And interestingly enough, some comparisons can be seen between the die-cut pages of Nest's Scalloped Back Issue with WERK magazine's Martine Bedin issue. 

Unsure as whether it was inspired by Nest, it does use a similar style. Despite the similarities in the two publications in going against conventions, there is a clear indication that WERK was designed. Holtzman had no training in Graphic Design, he designed every issue with clashing patterns, uninhibited by the norm. This lack in design experience however created Nest's personality and made it unique.

In relating to my own personal practice, it highlights the point that I don't necessarily have to look at contemporary designers for inspiration. In order to keep with my aim of offering unorthodox reading experiences, it may be required to look at publications that aren't in circulation today. This offers a view on how publications were designed before the trends of today. It is this difference that can be used as inspiration to offer an alternate experience. 

Studio Brief 02 - Business "card" design development

The aims of the business card is to inform the reader of my interest in editorial design as well as fashion. Therefore following on one of the ideas to make the business card, I researched the clothing tags of high fashion brands. 

It seems that high fashion brand labels choose to adopt and simple and minimal design direction in reflecting the brands professionalism and sense of exclusivity. The black and white colour scheme is throughout with the main brand being the main focus of the design. It is a less is more attitude that plays on the white space surrounding the brand name that brings the attention and makes the brand paramount to the appeal. This is a design decision that will be considered when designing the business card. However the problem about these tags is the colour scheme. Being black and white, it doesn't stand out from the rest of the selection and because business cards are usually black and white, a more engaging should be used to help stand out better in order to make my "brand" stick in the clients mind. 

A colour scheme that came to mind was that of FourTwoFour on Fairfax. They are a clothing brand that offers hip-hop-influenced clothing & in-house jewelry designs. What makes them recognisable is the bold red and black colour scheme they use on their clothing tag. It effectively stands out within the pieces of  clothing and it becomes a instant identifier for their brand. This is an aspect I want to incorporate within my "brand" to allow clients to recognise me easily. 

Based on this observation, these are some initial mock-ups of the first page of the tag. Experimenting with the size of the copy is to see what ratio of white space works best in displaying my name. The aim is to have a layout that shows a sense of character by being slightly different, hence the off centre preference of the copy. The choice for all capitals is to reflect the aesthetic of fashion labels where most have all capitals in their names. Ed Harland was chosen over Edward Harland because it is easier to say and it comes off too stiff in relation to how I am as a person. 

The final positioning of the name was chosen because of its off centre appeal that is atypical and creates a border of white space that draws the eye towards the name. Despite the choice to position the name as so, the front of the card still looks flat and uninspiring. Furthermore, it does not represent me. The black on red may be eye-catching however I feel that it is the design within the card itself that should speak louder than the superficial appearance. The card should represent the my design practice as well as be an identifier. Therefore I sought to include my past illustrations within the design to add my own personality to the card. 

The aim of these isn't to fully display the whole illustration on the cover but to focus on the details that create the illustrations unique look. However because of the variations in black and white tones, the white copy's legibility is reduced and becomes harder to read. 

After darkening the images, the legibility of the name becomes better as the white is able to stand out more. At this point the typeface still isn't appropriate.

The bleeding effect of the copy in this position makes the copy a little bit more obscure to read which relates to my reserved personality. This reserved and unassuming nature is also reflected in the all lowercase representation in my name. 

This post modern style on the type is to reflect the art direction I'm trying to incorporate into my practice, especially in editorial design. I want to design publications that break away from the typical way of how we read and interact with print having been inspired by the works of WERK magazine, DEAR magazine and Sneeze mag. However the feedback received on this design direction, suggested that the typeface composition took the attention away from the background illustration and was too playful. 

From the range of typographical choices of my name, these two are the most appropriate in representing my personality and how I want to portray myself. That specific back ground was chosen because of its visual balance and texture that is more appealing out of the selection. 

Moving on from this, some initial designs were done on the inside page of the tag which contains my details.

 
Because I am not a active professional yet, I have limited forms of contact, office address and a proper working job title. Editor was chosen as a representation of my aims to be involved in the field of editorial design. My illustrative website was added so that clients could have a chance to look at the work. The tight leading and right aligned type is to play on the limited information that I've provided. The lower case helvetica keeps consistency with the front tag. This initial design is unsuccessful in conveying an engaging visual layout and does not communicate my interest in experimenting in the field of editorial design. 

  
The enlargement of "editor" that bleeds over the edge and is flush against the bottom is meant to keep in line with the front covers type setting. The contrast between the all upper case of editor and the lower cased details is meant to increase the visual engagement with the reader. There is still a problem with the title "editor" however. Editor implies that I am a working editor in the field. What it should say is Editorial Designer. This implies the range of work I produce instead of a specific job title. 

The large and imposing type set grabs the readers attention and forcefully communicates my role. An effective contrast is established through the differentiating weights of helvetica bold and black which puts emphasis on each word. Being a similar visual style the display typeface, the contact details visually don't stand out enough to effectively communicate. 

Helvetica condensed provides a contrast to the rounded capitals of Helvetica bold and black used in the display. It is a subtle difference that allows for the copy to stand out a little bit more, this is also helped through the offset placement. 

These two are other options for the layout that will be chosen once the printing is done.