Layout Analysis

Matthew Midgley

 Matthew Midgley is a contemporary artist who works with mixed media. This piece, called Swedish Meatballs & Gravy I find really interesting, as the contrast between the lettuce and the chips and the lindon berries, really brightens up the top half of the image. He used a fineliner to create a stroke around the illustration, and watercolours to add in the colours.

This image of the converse all star trainer has some really interesting textures. I really like the denim-esque texture of the canvas, and the texture of the laces is also quite subtle but adds a lot to the image. I find his use of fine liners to create a really precise stroke really interesting. His illustrations, in contrast to the explosive, expressive work of Georgina Luck, is generally quite neat and precise

Georgina Luck

Georgina Luck is a contemporary illustrator, who works with inks and pencil drawing, to create images of everyday items, with a vibrant twist. I really like her use of fairly simple, bold colours as it makes the images almost jump out of the page. I find the way that she has used negative space to create the text on the label, in the lyle's golden syrup piece really interesting, because it gives the font a slightly abstract edge.

 I really like this HP sauce piece to the right because it is quite 'sketchy' and it really gave me an idea of the flavour of the sauce. The loose styling also reminds me of a fried breakfast, sputtering grease from a pan.

I really like this piece of the christmas pudding, because its really explosive and abstract. I really like the effect she has created on the holly leaves because as much as its abstract and not entirely within the lines, it is really fresh. The christmas cake itself is really colourful, with many different hints of flavour being suggested.

Review

1. Which materials and techniques have you experimented with during the typography project? 

I have experimented with various media such as; Watercolours, Acrylic Paint, Photography, Photoshop Design, Illustrator Design, Pencil Drawings, Food, Objects and Bleaching. I have used various different techniques so far in this project such as; Masking, Differing brush styles, Recreating Brush strokes and different inking styles using photoshop, experimenting with creating type phases using everyday objects and food, I have experimented with bleaching strips of clothing with use of stencils, I have experimented with clipping masks in photoshop, and I have used Transfers to see the way my work in photoshop would look on fabric.

2. Have you explored and developed your ideas imaginatively? How have you demonstrated this? (give examples, link to posts or include images) 

3. Have you research a diverse range of artwork and completed this on your blog? who have you analysed? is you analysis in-depth? (again give examples and link to posts) 

4. Have you explored a range of ideas around the theme of 'Sayings and Expressions' within your experiments? What are they? How have they informed your ideas?

5. Have you refined / developed your outcomes through experimentation? How? 

6. Have you annotated, in detail, your experiments and developments on your blog and used this information to help you improve? 

7. Which techniques / experiments have been most successful? Why?

8. Which techniques / experiments have been least successful? Why?

9. Which techniques / experiments will you be developing further for your final outcome? Why? 

10. What else can you do to further develop the techniques / experiments you want to use for your final outcome? 

M&M Paris Experimental Typography

M&M Paris is the business of a french pair of graphic designers and photographers, Michael Amzalag & Mathis Augustyniak. They specialise in typography made out of people. This piece to the left however, is made out of various Prada goods. Titled 'The Pradalphabet' I really like the abstract affect generated by the the curves and twirls of all of the goods. I uploaded it because I think it is a really interesting font and really caught my eye when I was looking through his work.

This piece to the right is really interesting, I like the way the artists have written 'The Alphabet' and the way it is right aligned, as it makes you stop to think what it says. Their use of positive space is quite nice and I've decided to make an experiment to try to recreate one of the letters. My favourite letter is the 'T' as it has got a very interesting shape. I also really like the 'E' because it has a really cool, snake  like shape.

My Response

To create this piece, I used a photo of myself, taken on Photobooth, and dragged it into photoshop, and Desaturated it. Once I had done this I adjusted the threshold, making it vividly black and white. I then adjusted the brightness and contrast of the image to get the right effect. After this I opened the Type tool in a layer above the desaturated black and white image, and wrote my chosen letter (an "e") in size 800pt Myriad Pro. I placed it into an appropriate position and then dragged the layer below the unlocked background. When I had done this I created a clipping mask, placed it appropriately, and softened some of the corners.

I really like the way that at the top of the e, where the hair is the bleached spots in my hair have given a really good spiky effect. Another interesting effect I like is the stubble on my chin. I think that the whole piece has a quite gritty feel. My use of negative space here was quite good so I might try and recreate it.

FOOD TYPOGRAPHY

My Food Typography Experiment

 

I created this piece of food typography by writing nutty, out of peanut butter using my fingers on A4 paper, I tried to create a smooth rounded affect with my finger, but it didn't work particularly well, and it ended up being quite uneven. One thing I really liked about the final product is the way that the moisture in the peanut butter added a stroke around the entire thing and the use of a good stroke around something can be really effective. 

Ed Ruscha

Ed Ruscha is an American born, Artist based in Culver City, California. He was born in 1937 in Omaha, Nebraska, and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma where he lived from 1941 to 1956 when he moved to Los Angeles where he studied art at university. He has worked in various different media, painting some of work while drawing other pieces. He also uses photography to depict the monotony of urban life. He has been the subject of multiple museum exhibitions.

I really like the way that he has used the texture of the strawberry seeds in this piece to the left called Ripe, and the deep colour of the strawberry juice to make it fit so well. one of the things that I find interesting about this piece is the abstract shape of the letters give it an organic and home grown feel. the greenish yellow, dull background really brings the vibrance in the word out.
http://www.edruscha.com

I think this piece on the right, named Hope is really interesting because it shows a very different side to Ed Ruscha's work, because it is very much more conservitive, and precise. I like his use of such a small-serif font, as it adds a sense of fragility to the letters which represents the fragility of our hopes. His use of colours is interesting because the beige background shows a subtle dullness, showing how we all hope for everyday things, but maybe should hope for more extraordinary things.. I included this piece because it ties in with the use of negative space with typography by Hennie Hamworth (see September 2011).

Experimental Object typography

Vladimir Koncar

I think that this experimental object typography titled typography hurts because its simple, clever and quite bold, its laid out in a very professional manner. This piece was created using a font created by Vladimir Koncar as part of his experimental cactus type, which he made by taking photos of cacti arranged into the shape of letters against a piece of paper.

'I have never found a Four Leaf Clover'
Vladmir Koncar

'I Hate Condoms'

Vladmir Koncar

My Response

I did this piece of object typography by using Jenga pieces to spell out the word Jenga, I found the fact that the pieces say Jenga on them as well quite interesting as the way I have placed the pieces, the words on the pieces are shaped to spell out Jenga.

To make this piece I took the change from my pocket and counted it and used the change to write out the exact price of the money, I attempted to create a Pound sign but did not have enough change to write out that and still create the number. The 9 is entirely made of 1 pence pieces and is 9 pence, the 8 is entirely made of 20 pence pieces, and the 4 is made of the rest of the coins. To have improved this piece I would have created the pound sign out of change as well, made it bigger, and made the pounds number out of pound coins and used a two pound coin for the decimal place.