Reid Miles

Reid Miles 

An American Graphic designer, Reid miles was the cover designer of the Blue Note Records Book. 

I have recently looked at the book "The Cover Art Of Blue Note Records" that has lots of inspiring pages of album layouts that he was going to produce.

This image for example has the background photograph as blue, linking this with the image. The whole layout of text is arranged in a unusual flow and it completely works. A strong colour of green of the name that needs to be bold; a strange place to arrange it but it really works with this concept piece. 

The whole theme is around the jazz, as this is Blue Train he needed something to flow with it; in the photograph the man looks lost maybe? Blue suggests a sad feeling and also with the colour blue its grabs the viewers attention before reading what it is. Relating towards the green text layout, the name is printed in lower case. Maybe it was chosen in lower case as it has more of a flow than with the formal approach ; it could be to do with a cool aspect as its jazz it can be unpredictable.  

                                     

Typographic Grid

Typographic Grid

"A typographic grid is a two-dimensional structure made up of a series of intersecting vertical and horizontal axes used to structure content. The grid serves as an armature on which a designer can organize text and images in a rational, easy to absorb manner." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grid_(page_layout)

About The A Page 

Headings , Sub headlines, Columns, Captions, Spine, Margin , Gutter, Pull Quotes , Dates , Type Of Font , Bold, Size , Alligment , Drop-Caps.

I have looked at magazines such as Advanced Photoshop , Grafik, Creative Review, The Observer and ImagineFX. I have copied out the Grid references from each of these magazines and newspapers, and they all have a different type of grid layout. I have used coloured pencils and markers to outline the different context of how the page is laid out. 

In "The Observer" newspaper there are lots of different page layouts. There are lots of page gutters, Pull Quotes, Bold Type and picture gaps. 

In "Grafik" as this is a slick graphics magazine the pages are laid out as fairly similar on each page. This also shows more images and less text on some of the pages.

M.C Escher reference

M.C Escher

Tessellation's are a mystery to being with, there is a dynamic art to deal with in creating the perfect one. 

Take for example M.C Escher's picture above with the fish and birds, he has created a perfect link to how they can fit inbetween each other; also known as negative space potentially.The picture looks as if its created with both pencils and charcoal to get a rich colour of black. It doesn't look that interesting as there isn't any colours other than the paper and the charcoal. The background is very interesting as the there are fine marks neatly bordering the general picture. 

Another very creative thing to take on board is that the top and bottom show a fish and bird in great detail and gradually he has decreased the detail to just a line drawing. I really like this idea as its definitely something that be easily replicated or recreated to suit a different artist.

Millennium Square Pavement

The real reason I decided to research M.C Escher was because patterns are among us in our daily lives. Like for example during my time on the Bs1 project, I made my journey involving different types of pavement. I have uncovered 10 different types of pavement around this one area of BS1, as I was looking for something that was everyday I noticed that there was a difference in the pathways and areas. This picture I took around millennium square next to the IMAX theatre, the path way as you can see is very modern and has a dynamic look to the area.

Ferry Station Pathway

This path however is from Ferry station; a few metres away from millennium square this pathway gives an audience this is a old historic area. I have realised these paths already give an audience a sense of whether its old or modern. This path suggests that its old as the pattern design would take a while to complete and you can tell that the stone has eroded away through out the years. With this design it is very unique and the person to have designed this must have been influenced by tessellation's and patterns. This looks like a water ripple outcome and as it's close to the river, it would seem relevant.

Water Ripple 

Almost the same as this picture to the left, however in the path above this person has made a grid like structure to his outcome.

From looking in depth to M.C Echer's work, I have seen through these everyday life patterns and how it creates design for everyone. I now understand that these design or new ones will change our perceptions of understanding what is old and what is modern.

Graphic Design (in Cardboard)

Creating the cardboard letters

The start of todays lesson was on creating a huge letter. My letter was P and as the class were assigned different letters we all eventually made "Graphic Design".

This whole lesson was a real indication of how I could incorporate this within my project work. Oli basically inspired me, as I really enjoyed making a huge letter I decided to make small individual letters and setting them around the area of Bristol.

Graphic artists references

Monday 28th November 2011

Artists Research 

Noma Bar



Norma Bar an amazing Graphic artist. His work mainly consists with creative negative space effects, like for example this picture shown above. This image shows interest for the viewer and of a well known image thats slightly twisted, there is so much to see in the image and what it was meant to be. The smiley is shooting its eyes and the funny thing is that its the last one, the way how the slingshot has been made into the smile gives you the negative space and completely works with the whole image.


The work has obviously been created using digital media such as illustrator. The outcome is very clean and has a meaningful message.


The impression of Noma's work completely gets my mind going and I start asking myself how he has managed to make it so simple. The smiley with the slingshot is such a professional looking piece and the way how negative space in this image and many others have been very inspiring. The things i have picked up on looking through his work is by making the outcome very simple but with a dynamic element of graphical elements.


I will continue to look at the latest work from Noma bar and using him as an influence on my work will strive me to design in the write direction.


Tang Yau Hoong  


http://tangyauhoong.com/negative-space/


Tang Yau Hoog a graphic designer . Tang uses a range of different scenarios with his input of negative space creations such as this piece above. The image is of a night skyline shows many various skyscrapers in the background, and in the foreground we have blinds overlooking the over exaggerated moon. The picture is very good with the space it was created on Tang's graphical knowledge has deliberately made the moon too big so that the full image comes together and creates an eye. 


The balance of colour is very subtule to the viewer as the only colour used is a soft blue and mainly black. As the image is digitally produce it also has a rustic effect to the black parts; bottom left corner and right shows a grunge look.


Creating this image as an eye is brilliant, the whole message comes across as almost a first person view by making this type of shape. It almost creates a chill out type of mood to the audience and is very pleasing to look at.


All of Tang's work has got a message inside, whether it'll be the message that the audience interprets or the work of our minds. He truly is a great artist's and has lots more designs to look at on his website.

Bitmap vs Vector

Bitmap Vs Vector

Bitmap

A bitmap image is a range of different pixels, to build up an image. They are essentially known as rastered images and use a multiply of selected colours to become a image. The outcome of these photos are very good in quality. They look smooth as the pixels are small and together they use a gradient of the same patterned colours with the help of anti-initialise.

While using Photoshop you must be very careful on resizing the image because it will eventually lose focus and quality to how it originally was. 

Take for example this image of the rose, you can definitely see that the computer has tried its best to arrange colours to build it back up. The way how this picture is zoomed means that the image was considerably smaller. once making a bitmap image is to change the resolutions on either the image you are using or the page you are going to create it on. 

Vector

A vector image uses a series of different polygons to ensure that the image stays the same and doesn't lose quality. All the areas a circle for example will be very smooth based on a mathematical equation in the computer application that deals with vector; in this case it's Adobe Illustrator. Vectors are used in a lot of graphic design like for example t-shirt designs posters to get the message as clear as possible. 

Today I made a vector image of the yin and yang logo and then I created my own version. Using the technique that Oli taught the class; the negative space idea of tricking the mind of what is or is whats not.

Negative space

Monday 7th November 2011

Negative Space 

Today's lesson was about negative space. Negative space is almost a method used in graphic design, its almost like subliminal messages where in some cases there is more than one message.

An example that was shown in class of one of the greatest logo designs. The federal express has a played a very big part in relation to the graphics history. The logo was created by Richard Runyon, his intentions of the logo was to make it as simple as possible, so that other people could instantly know what it was about. He has definitely succeeded in this design as it will forever be the same because the design is solid. It stands strong against other companies as it is successfully iconic to everyone.

        

The adidas logo, great use of negative space to indicate a trainer and definitely iconic. The first designer was Adi Dassler in 1967 of the simple 3 striped logo. with good use of his name he basically put himself completely on this franchise which is associated with lots of games, sports, clothes and even deodorants; so a lot to give into the wide market. The lastest update towards the logo (from the left) shows now a clear indication towards the brand that they are marketing, which is just a more stable outcome. I really like the design its clean and its so simple. Making something with your name must be the greatest achievement and feeling; as a layout method I could have my layouts with my name laided out.

Created in 1972 Paul Rand which is almost like how it may have came out on the page once it was printed back in those days. It could also be how the screens displayed text in a horizontal line effect. This is a very popular design as your mind tells u that its a computer brand. It will look good in a layout as I could create so many different mock ups like changing the colour and the text. It really strikes you when you see the lines as your mind creates the image.

The Worldwide Federal Foundation Logo shows a Flawless final outcome of great sense of negative space. Using the image of a panda is reference to the most endangered animal of the planet and in the risk of being extinct. To just think how Sir Peter Scott designed this master piece, this shows just raw talent and a timeless logo that will be in the history book throughout the future. 













  The adobe logo is another great example of negative space, this is widely know in the computer industry as being the most successful department in editing using different type of programmes such as illustrator, photoshop etc. Using the bold red colour this give the viewer a chance to stop and look at this piece and also admire how there programmes have maybe effected there lives day to day. The design was created by  Marva Warnock.











Being a car fan the F1 logo is one of the greatest. I started to notice how the F was a little rounded at the top and that is was on a type of diagonal slant; it was then to my knowledge that the 1 was on the space between. From that day I always will admire this logo as it shows pure strength into the design as well as the red streak marks showing its moving at a fast pace.




As I'm a influenced by alot of music, I reguarly listen to the 1xtra music station. I have also found out on there logo that it has some use of negative space with just the one character "X". I believe this works really well in terms with there audience of black or white and combines there USP. A very unique and simple design of logo.