LCM_RESEARCH

What did I do?

The primary research I did for this brief included meetings with the marketing department at Leeds College of music, and a look into their usual print ephemera. In addition to this I looked at how music is represented in a graphic format in order to understand how the atmospheres created by sound can be put down on the printed page. I looked into other commissioned works by Leeds College of Music, and took an in depth look at the the Steinway company and the anatomy of a piano.


Why did I do it?

I thought it was fundamentally important to hold meetings with the marketing department, and keep in regular contact via email. I did this as a form of research in order to understand what was needed from me, and how I should approach the brief. I looked into other music posters, that had an appropriate high end feel, in order to understand how a problem like this is tackled. I looked at the previous submissions to gain insight about what was expected, and how to surpass it in order to answer the brief well, and above expectation.


What more could I have done?

I think that the research I did for this brief could have been improved by experiencing the some more events that were in this style. As it stood I only attended one event, and I did not really get a feel for the music straight away due to the fact it was a new environment and I did not feel comfortable.

I feel like I did sufficient research in a primary and secondary variations, and I did what was within my power. I would have loved to have visited Steinway, in order to get some more direct input.

LCM_BRIEF

BLADE_DEVELOPMENT

SHED_DEVELOPMENT

How did I develop the brief?

I developed the brief by initally doing various layouts on paper. After realising I would be taking the direction of a tool wall, I started finding inspiration and direction for my type decisions. I decided to create each letter independently. This was a lot harder than I had thought as It took patience to create letters that had some relevence to one another without looking entirely the same. Joel created illustrations that he layed out against my type and I finally inserted the last bits of type in a uniform typeface that I thought looked quite lo-fi, but legible.


What problems did I have?

Due to the brief having quite a small turn around time, the allowance for problems was quite minimal. Luckily the majority of the brief went swimmingly. A couple of difficulties were had making stock choices, however we resulted this by having a ‘f**k it’ attitude, which became a defining point of the over visual. We chose a variety of stocks that had a synergic relationship with one another. Having a free and open mind to the different stocks only added to the mashup that defined the event itself.


Was it successful?

The students we created the poster for were very happy, and their tutor expressed his thanks and appraisal.

Due to the quick turnaround of the brief and the quality of the outcome it is quite difficult to say it was unsuccessful. Even if the visual is not particularly refined, it is a success to say that it was enjoyable to produce, and a pleasure to work on at the very least.

I think that a healthy graphic design practice certainly needs these quick, but worthwhile briefs, that have a refreshingly blasé workflow.

SHED_RESEARCH/CONCEPT

Rejected Concept and Idea that I still quite like

What did I do?

At the beginning of this brief I immersed myself in primary research. I visited the venue that the event was held at and I took a walk around the surrounding area to see what there was from the surroundings. I looked into the music that was going to be played at the event and I also looked into the branding of the venue and the tone of the surroundings.


Why did I do it?

I conducted this type of research as I felt that once I had collected all of the influences that make up the event, I would have all the material I needed to put together a visual that would represent this event in the most honest way possible. The brief lasted 3 days, and during this time I immersed myself in the cause, through the quick, but in depth (for the size of the brief) research that I conducted, I was able to create my own narrative for the poster that came from making connections through it’s components.


What more could I have done?

I was very happy with the amount of research that I did. As the brief progressed and I created a narrative and feel for the event, I felt that I could start to involve more visual research. This stage happened when I fully understood what needed to be communicated.

While this brief was quite short, I feel that the amount of researched I gained impressed myself. Understanding the event allowed me to design a very appropriate visual and I felt that from this moment I started to develop a good methodology for researching briefs.


What direction did I take?

After deciding that the brief should have a DIY aesthetic. I started to think about what a DIY aesthetic actually is, literally and metaphorically. I looked into jazz posters with it’s improvised visual approach and hand printed aesthetics that found beauty through imperfection. I then decided, after drawing up some potential visual directions, that the direction should take a more literal approach, and mash the DIY SHED theme with the theme of music.


Why did I take this direction?

I took this direction because I was inspired by creating a visual reaction to the music. Not so much in the way that I would visually represent sound waves by looking at the music through a media player then rip off the shapes, or paint the typeface while listening to music. Rather I would take elements from my research and insert their nuances into my design, so that the direction would be accessible, but with meaning and reference.


What influenced me?

I was influenced by the space of a shed, and the organisation of the shed. I liked the way that these things were stuck on walls as a reference point, but I felt that their arrangement was too pristine. I liked the idea of organised confusion found in Jazz improvisation, and I felt this had a very DIY feel. I became inspired by bespoke typography, and very characterful type designs. I was also particularly inspired by the limited colour palettes of some of the examples above, and I felt these would work nicely against a more liberal layout.