Portfolio Summary and Response

Portfolio Summary & Response:

A few questions to answer:

What was fun to work with?

What did I most enjoy?

What was most challenging?

What would I go away and improve on?

Did I achieve the necessary targets of demonstrating the basic rules of Graphic Design, typography and design theory?

Yes, why: Use different forms of type in varying ways and to varying affects for example bigger fonts to emphasise important, more compact fonts to emphasise the theme or even type in different axis and disciplines; meaning not using text type as just a standard one way, one height, and one dimension. Thinking outside the box, by utilising type in ways such as angled type to fit an image like with the ‘Love Calculations’ Image.

I looked outside of the design for inspiration and simplified my design’s where possible, even tending to choose the option to not complicated or over compensate with images or crazy colours in the finished product, allowing the user to work their way through the production pieces. I brainstormed on the Logo project before working on the actual design itself, knowing that sketches would produce a better structure to the design especially with Illustrator being a bit difficult for me to master.

While, in comparison, giving myself the creative freedom to let all the ideas flow as I worked on the CD Cover because I wanted to test how far I could push the limits of the design and create something I was truly happy with and inspired by. A design, that I could look at, and feel happy with it, being up to industry standards.

My poster was the piece with the least creative boundaries. I was really working with a blank canvas unlike the CD cover and the Logo. The logo had to feel like it was a logo that would be used, the same feeling I had with the CD cover. However undertaking a similar project in my Sixth Form media course, I did again what I did for that poster. Worked with a design that I felt was good as a basis and then see how I could do something I hadn’t done before, in this case, it was fusing the images with the shield logo.

I have seen how it had been done before but since I didn’t know how myself I had to go away and learn through a manual tutorial on a ‘Photoshop for beginners’ (http://www.photoshopessentials.com/basics/clipping-masks-essentials/) style website. I learned how to use a clipping mask to press down the images onto the image below almost an identical process to shirt printing techniques in real life. In truth, when I had completed that element I was the most fulfilled out of all the project pieces.

The most challenging however was the logo design because I had never previously worked with illustrator unlike Photoshop. Given that with the logo I had to have a friend walk me through every step of the way in order just to complete the actual project piece, I would say it was the least fulfilling and I learnt the least using illustrator for this task.

Though I do recognise as a graphic designer, the capabilities for such design’s i.e. t-shirts, logos, emblems are far more superior to that of Photoshop with the right amount of skill and knowledge applied. In conclusion to that, Illustrator I would definitely learn more about outside of this course, in order to gain more knowledge and improve my abilities.

Movie Poster -

Task:

"For this portfolio piece, you will bring together entities from Photoshop and Illustrator to create an original film poster for an existing film, or for an imagined sequel or prequel. You are free to use Adobe In Design, Photoshop or Illustrator to bring your ideas together."

The Poster should include:

• A title - this could be a standard font, or you may choose to create a typeface (like Star Wars)
• A byline - this is the line that ‘sells’ the film – e.g “In space, no-one can hear you scream.”
• The main image - this can be a mix of different images, styles and content.
• A quote - your poster should include a review quote. You can make this up, or get something from IMDB if the film exists already.

Research, Influence & Rationale – 

What influenced me was seeing original movie posters for the original film, and fan art for the upcoming film title: The age of Ultron. I was also influenced by the comic book covers, that convey action and narrative on each and every cove. I tried to use these example as inspiration for my magazine cover. So as research i looked at many different cover of comic books and movie posters for the film itself made by fans and Marvel Studios. For instance i really appreciate the element of unity involved with all the main cast of characters, all fighting for one banner and one cause. I feel that is part of the avengers theme.So in my poster i used that same style element.

Again for my own design, i love the title element, so to replicate the same feel as the posters and comic books, i wanted to use the same font style. I went to a website called www.dafont.com and managed to find a font called 'Avengeance' made by a man called Fontry. which was a font that was exactly the same as that used by Marvel Studios. It allowed me to add that professional and familiar style to my own poster.

Another element I have loved about the posters and comic books, is the way that the characters are positioned. I strongly believe that the way your actors or characters in the comic sense, are depicted, can completely change the way the movie is received. For example, if a character like spiderman is seen as he is here, jumping out at the audience, ready for action, then it signifies, that he is going to play a very active and important role in the movie and that the audience can expect a lively character portrayal from him.

This is something i learned from a blogpost by a Christophe Courtois who wrote a post about the traps that movie posters fall into that we don't even realise. A lot of the time movie posters have similar themes and so they are almost identical in the poster style also. I thought that this was actually a good thing for my own creation, as it meant that if i created the poster in a similar way to the ones done before, I would be achieving the desired result of an industry standard movie poster that is still engaging and looks original.

Finally i came to my design after all the research i did into other posters and i thought long and hard about how i could level the playing field by incorporating the colour and in your face style of the comics, with the class and professionalism of a real life movie poster. I managed to create this:

Managing to incorporate all the design specifications was difficult because space was an issue that i had to carefully work around but if i compare this to the movie posters and comic books i researched, i believe i achieved what i wanted and managed to create an engaging and fun movie poster.

Specialist techniques: Clipping mask, vector mask, Multiple layers (Allowing the characters body to appear behind and infront of the main emblem)

Fictional Company Logo: Merryweather Security Consultants.

Task:

The task is to o create a logo for a fictional company either from a TV show, book or movie.

“You are reasonably free to develop a logo unconstrained from an already existing brand identity”

Research –

The fictional company I had chosen, was not a company that featured in its own standalone movie, book or TV show, but that had been in all forms of the same kind in some smaller way. The fictional company I picked however is more commonly known from the Grand Theft Auto Series; Merryweather Security Consultants is a company that specialises in the private security of any individual with enough money. So my research began with this company.

I began with the qoutes used by one of the lead protagonists in the game, Trevor Philips. A crazed man who has a short temper and a wild sense of imagination. His definition of Merryweather came from an ingame qoute:

"Private army of the New World Order? The folkes waging outsourced shadow wars in twenty countries around the globe, and recently cleared to operate on US soil?"

This is their logo:

 I went through this logo and highlighted a few different things i noticed about the elements:

• The owl, is used in the America Dollar bill. In doing research into the significance of the animal itself, i found out that it has connotations of intuition, wisdom and is the announcer of death. (http://www.spiritanimal.info/owl-spirit-animal/)
• The two lightning bolts symbolise fear. The same double lightning bolt, was used for the logo of Hitlers special forces (The SS)

• The Security, is in between two dots or full stops, symbolising a definitive statement. 

In analysing the logo in the logo this way, i thought it was important to keep the elements of the Merryweather name, Security, the owl and the two lightning bolts in any design. 

In doing so, i came up with these four designs. They each represent the four most important elements however in these designs i thought it would be best to try and push the limits of typeface and typography.

  

The design in the top left hand corner was a play on the hazardous nature of the private military. Top right, utilizes the initials of the company, trying to use this as a basis for the actual logo structure. Bottom left is a design based on simplicity and effective communication of all four elements while maintaining the integrity of the company's well recognised emblem.Bottom right is again a play on the aesthetic aspect of the logo, using the owl this time as the focal point. Again testing the use of typography, text and image placement. 

Influence – 

My influences were the different forms of fan art i had found for the actual Merryweather logo. Fan is another term for representational art done by fans or followers of the franchise, series etc. Examples: 

 

While two of the fan art representative designs were just colour remakes, they did however peak my interest. I liked the colourful element from the canadian interpretation because the logo was black and white before. I personally felt that to make the logo more commercial looking, it would have to incorporate colour in some way. Moving on to the black background of the picture furthest to the right, the reason why i was inspired by this designed is because i enjoyed seeing a darker element to the design which, i feel rightly reflects the ambitions of this company. Finally piecing together all those elements with the logo to the furthest left, i feel would be the best option because a round logo can easily become a sticker or something that needs less writing to draw attention. It could be turned into badges on a uniform or even become a company seal, life the American Presidential Seal.

Rationale – So for my final design i look at all the elements combined and chose to take them and mould them into one presidential style seal/company emblem. I researched different images of owls to find the right one with a menacing look.

OVO and OX owl notably the recognisable 

 

mascot for Drake's clothing line (October's Very Own xo)

Bing Searched Owls.

 

 

 

 With all the research done and elements analysed, i was able to produce this logo:

The exportation of the logo still left behind the crop mark area. Those marks were actually vital in the construction of this logo because Illustrator is such a technical program. As i said i would, i have in corporated colour (Blue & Gold most notable for their connotations of wealth and security. I have maintained the four elements most important, though opting for only initials as seen in one of my sketch designs, so as not to overload the surrounding space of the logo. I used the most menacing picture of an owl i could to maintain the sinister vibe and also kept the two lightning bolts and the 'Security Consultants' which reinstates their actual job...even though it may be a little misleading.

Specialized Techniques: Crop Marks, Ruler, Grid, Vector Masking.