Level 2 Design – Page 5 – Brandon Barton

February 24, 2016Brandon Barton No Comments

Workshop 6 – Picture Book Research

During the workshop this week I was working on research for the picture book brief, the brief outline is to create 12 pages or more including illustrations and a typeface which compliments the style and aesthetic of the book. The aim of the picture book is to make a serious subject matter digestible and appropriate for children, these subject matters can be current in media and the news, or could cover other topics for children to make them understand serious issues from a young age like: Global Warming, Terrorism and Online Safety.

Overall I feel as though the picture book brief is a great way of working to a project with a more unique age group compared to other modules set prior.

The research I did this week was primarily just what I found and liked the look of on Pinterest.

The general aesthetics and feel of these books is something similar to what I’d like to mirror, I like the usage of both collage and flat, but vibrant colours to illustrate themes for children. It’s my personal belief that so long as the visual representations of the themes within the book are engaging and vibrant then anything can be made digestible for children regardless of the topic.

February 22, 2016Brandon Barton No Comments

Module 2 – Semester B, Picture Book Brief

During the lecture this week (week 6) we were introduced to our new brief and given some examples of work that should inform our own product, the project is to create a picture book which tackles serious matters and explains it in an easy, effective way for children ages 6+

In the lecture we looked at a few examples of picture books which tackled serious problems but made them applicable to children. The works from authors and illustrators like: Neil Gaiman, Maurice Sendak, Davide Cali, Serge Bloch and David Mckee were all highlighted in how they illustrate or write in a way which makes complex issues digestible for a younger audience.

One thing I took away from this lecture is that just because a demographic may include only a young age group it doesn’t mean that the subject matter has to reflect that. Author Neil Gaiman made a valid point when talking to a critic about his reimagining of Hansel & Gretel, “I think if you are protected from dark things then you have no protection of, knowledge of, or understanding of dark things when they show up.” (BrainPickings, 2015). Overall I feel as though any subject matter can be explained to children and it doesn’t always need to be sugar coated.

From here I will further research the authors and illustrators that were referenced in the lecture, as well as using Pinterest to find inspirations and ideas to inform my own work.

Bibliography:

Neil Gaiman Reimagines Hansel & Gretel, With Stunning Illustrations by Italian Graphic Artist Lorenzo Mattotti. Available from:
https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/10/28/neil-gaiman-hansel-gretel-lorenzo-mattotti/ [22 February 2016].

February 19, 2016Brandon Barton No Comments

Further Logo Development

After the presentation during the week 5 workshop, the general consensus behind my current iterations and development was that more variations were needed. Before the presentation I felt as though I had reached my final stages of logo development, but after a more critical approach in evaluating my own work I felt as though I hadn’t fully scratched the surface on what it takes to create a finalized logo.

The different variations were all informed by prior iterations of the logo and were all thematically similar with slight changes in either the typeface, colour palette and composition as well as the shape of the flame.

The initial colour palette I started with felt quite harsh to look at with some variants of the logo, so I wanted to find a more subdued colour which still looked good with the flame, after experimenting with Adobe Illustrators Built in colour guide I found a new set of three complimentary colours which I applied to designs: 8, 9 and 10.

Overall I feel as though I underestimated how complex designing a good logo could be, and so I feel like more designs are needed before reaching a final conclusion. The current rendition I prefer the most is design 8, from here I’ll further explore what I can do with it and see where it takes the end conclusive design

February 19, 2016Brandon Barton No Comments

First Character Sketches

For my first character sketches I wanted to create some different types of animals, and illustrations I could later apply to a story, the very first 2 characters I made were a cobra and a bee. After thinking more about my story and what I wanted, these two sketches felt out of place and not applicable in the slightest to the story I wanted to tell. Regardless of the fact that Ithese characters wont be used I still feel as though what I’ve learnt with regards to the software will be useful for the later character illustrations.

February 17, 2016Brandon Barton No Comments

Workshop 5 – Presentation of Ideas

During week 5 we were asked to create a presentation showing our ideas thus far including research, inspirations and possible amendments. In this presentation I highlighted prior research which is already on my blog, this included: Typography, Colour Palettes, and Logo variations.

Presentations and presenting as a whole feels like a great life skill to learn, it allows you as a designer to reflect on work and possibly learn new skills. Presentations also offer the much needed life skill of pitching ideas and highlighting the development of a project to potential employers. As a designer just because you are content which a specific article of work, it doesn’t mean that your idea will be what a company is looking for, understanding this and using it to grow as a designer is therefore beneficial for both parties. Overall I feel as though presentations are not just useful in academia, but in industry comparatively.

Further amendments I would like to make upon receiving feedback would be: Developing my logo further (Explore different usage of typography, iconography), Show comparisons in prior iterations (What works better, and why), further develop output formats, and work on concept art.

Corporate Branding Presentation