5 Principle Study (5): The Design Process

The two principles that I see as my standard approach methods when beginning the design process, out of the 5 present, would be Principle 3: Research the Practice, and Principle 5: Visual Hierarchy.

The reason for these two being picked was because I don’t particularly see myself as someone who goes massively in-depth on a certain content, at least not to the extent that it would take over all my work-related occupations. I much rather just develop the particular visual flair for the project, and then find or include the useful content that is relevant in the conveyance of the message or theme.

The reasoning for Visual Hierarchy is simple, its important to make elements of your scene/character/environment, visually attractive to the human eye so that the audience can correctly understand and follow the features and colour/design scheme of your work. This can apply to two quite different approaches and professions of visual communication; for example, the colour palette of the look and feel of an illustrated character is important for drawing in the viewer to specific elements of a character, such the head or upper body area, and from there, allow for an easy-to-follow course of direction for the eyes to take, in order for them to get the full picture of who the character is as an individual (e.g: a sense of their personality, or traits).

This also similarly to colour palettes within the area of market labeling for a supermarket, as having a distinct, but more neutral colour choice to aid in distinguish labeling from the continuos repetition of the primary colours found on the packaging of food and good.

Main Character from final year project at college. The viewers eye may be drawn to the enlarged head and neck collar feature, which leads to the varied costumes he is wearing.

For the research into practice, I found recent inspiration for the illustration approach to the Birmingham City magazine project, from the stylings of cartoonist and illustrator John Holmstrom. The vibrant, hard edged, jagged style of his work, on ‘Punk‘ in particular was highly influential in the popularization of the music scene magazine, as well as illustrative magazines to not be constrained within just the comics genre.

Using the primary media of Strathmore Bristol paper, pen, ink and overlays used for colour, Holmstrom had used these tools to create commissioned artwork for underground bands and magazines under very short deadline periods. The most recognized of these probably being his album cover for the band Ramones ‘Road to Ruin‘, in which he had only a day to complete the commission.

Album Cover

Issue 1. of Punk magazine

On the side of Visual Hierarchy, there were many example of hierarchy that both worked and didn’t that I was drawn to, within unusual ad designs and campaigns.

Most of these do require some kind of forward slogan or a statement to make more sense, but given a bit of time to look at them, gives the viewer the chance to piece together what is trying to be conveyed, either by the suggested imagery or the general colour palette.

Example of lack of hierarchy. as the colours have been matched to create an atmosphere and mood, it loses the ability to convey the main message, originally meant to seem obvious to the viewer.

Advert for the drink Absolut, though caption is required for knowing the brand, its the image itself that helps bring the separate elements together into a whole. Visual hierarchy that works. 

Same goes for this advert, also for Absolut.

5 Principle Study (4): What is key to a reliable and creative process?

When concluding as to which key principle correctly described my general method of creating a unique or interesting visual language that would be used to speak to a particular audience views and agendas. It was immediate to me which principle i felt best described my work ethic, were the fourth and fifth options.

I tend to be drawn to works, whether visual illustrations or animation that is limited by the boundaries. I feel generally more comfortable and willing to engage in works that occur in a set situation and then are able to study the characters and then their environment in detail within it.

For example, my choice of current TV comedy would be the American show ‘Community‘. This is a study of diverse but equally flawed individuals, set within the confines of what would be generally be considered the rather bland and unfulfilling study life of community college.

Main Cast

Pierce in Stop Motion form (Christmas Special)

With the look and style not being the main feature to draw in the viewers attention, the viewer can instead engage in the scraps and varying complications that beset the main, and supporting cast of characters. Utilizing the combined comedy setups that this cast of misfits, regardless of their many differing views and personalities, will share and experience, shows that they stand upon equal grounds regarding many contemporary and modern problems that would be far too tedious and forced if they were to be covered to their full expanses too quickly.

From this i feel that my work reflects at least the key elements and restriction expressed beforehand in the same way.

Examples of this from my own work, are shown particularly in a stop-motion film project i did for my unit assignment at college.

The whole idea for the short film, came from my retrospective approach to work, where i’ll tend to look back on previous efforts or random jolts of inspiration that i may have catalogued, and then utilize those that best suit the particular subject or general premise for the piece.

In the case of my film ‘Gastropod‘, the original idea for a giant snail eating a greenhouse, didn’t really need to evolve much from its inspiration, of a comic strip i did when i was between the age of 7 and 9 of essentially the same story. This was then worked on to make a little more sense (the plain house changed instead into a greenhouse, making the target seem more sensible for a giant snail to hit), then later constructed and filmed.

Original drawing from between ages 7 and 9

Second panel

Third panel

Large gastropod (snail) model built for film

Smaller version of the same snail

Main antagonist, a french gardener

 In terms of understanding and having a general knowledge of an audience’s interests, i’ll tend to stay within boundaries that could be considered more cartoony or more child-oriented, but from these apparent boundaries i use these simply constructed characters and their worlds to explore generally deeper subjects that would be aimed at a more adult audience instead.

To give the best example of this would be from the works of the late Osamu Tesuka, who seemingly friendly and cute cartoon creations maintain the visual cue, while at the same time reflecting on much more darker subjects or genres.

       

The cute,child-friendly themes found in 'Unico', which are intended for younger audiences 

Are in contrast with those of the more adult oriented series 'Black Jack'

But they all retain a distinct visual flair that makes them immediately appealing to all audiences, even if the theme within its contents is not.

  

5 Principle Study (3): Connectivity

Inspiration has been taken from works produced throughout the history of art, utilizing both the same and differing mediums that were not present at the time of the first piece’s conception.

Each variation can promote alternative messages, in turn conjuring new emotions just from altering the main focus of the painting/sculpture/photograph either in a drastically huge manner or in a more subtle form.

These key features are all shared and expressed within all the 5 main principles of connectivity; but the features stated above apply especially to the Principle of Recontextualized Ideas and Concepts in Contemporary Culture, and the Principle of Pastiche, Synchronicity or Conceptual appropriation.

I myself can relate more with these principles for my general approach to conceptualizing, designing or jotting out something straight from my head onto paper, or on to a program on the computer, as i will not usually intend to make something that appears to be a direct interpretation of a base piece, but rather create a new and different image that is built upon borrowed elements, most of which contain features that probably do not intentionally belong together when combined straight on with any other subject.

My Sketch (1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

Dali Elephant outside Tate Modern

Temptation of St. Andrew 

Temptation of St. Andrew (Salvador Rosa)

Marcel Duchamp

Eliot Elisofon: Marcel Duchamp descending a staircase 

Eliot Elisofon

Here is an example of the use of borrowed elements in the creation of a new work. These untitled sketches of rather strange looking vehicles/creatures, were designed to develop my initial ideas on unusual and strange forms of locomotion. The idea of many multiple series of legs following in each others path, one at a time and overlapping with each other, derived its conception heavily from the spindly-legged animals of Dali’s “Temptation of St Andrew” piece, who in turn seems to have included the spindly-legged theme from a piece of the same name by Salvador Rosa (1645).

The overlapping feature of the moving legs were inspired by the test footage of Eadweard Muybridge, along with Marcel Duchamp and the subsequent photography of Eliot Elisofon. These features were subconsciously collected, without intended or prior knowledge, and employed within the concept imagery shown.

Damien Hirst "Verity" 

Front view

Side view

Close-up of womb

Soviet militaristic statues

Sword of Qadisiyah (Victory Arc), Iraq 

Nelson's Column 

Robert Clive

A most recent example of how ideas and concepts can be recontextualized to blend with or express current thought processes in contemporary culture is the ‘Verity’ piece just at this time being hoisted and put into place.

Described as “a modern-day allegory for truth and justice”, the statue expands on Damien’s similar creation ‘The Virgin Mother’, This statue shows a heavily pregnant young teen/adult, wielding a large blade in one hand and a weight scale in the other. It is immediately clear that the militaristic features present on the bronze are recontextualized features directly linked to statues that honor those in command, or countries under the rule of a dictatorship. 

The Verity sculpture alters the idea of the blade being a symbol of forced oppression and is instead presented as a opposing element against injustice.  

The last clear element presented shows the figure anatomically cut in half, showing the unborn child within. This feature derives from previous anatomical constructions of the workings of the body, particularly those examining pregnancy and birth. Their context differs from Verity for being merely medical and biological examinations, which for the main sculpture has been infused with the message of early teen pregnancy and child raising, which have increased in the current generations. 

5 Principle Study (2): Development of Creative Thought and Structure in Illustration and Graphic Art

In my work I challenge the initial approach to the visualization of the particular subject and in turn morph the original idea, developing and altering the original concept.

The first image started to develop in my mind and grew from there in what can be best described as twists and turns with all directions, whilst I go through the process of a subconscious ‘mind-mapping exercise’. This ultimately leads to a conclusion, which hopefully shows the visible journey from beginning to a concluding end, enabling the viewer to make of it what they will.

This demonstrates what i believe to be a clear personal visual type of brain-storming and classification instinctually occurring, whilst a piece of work is being produced. With no clear journey set. This ultimately leads to a route developing for the conceptual piece, the interpretation of which is left to the individual to dwell upon.

These two pieces, both my own, were the byproduct of this visual-intensive based approach common in the Classification side of Developing Ideational Fluency.

Though they may have different characteristic features or elements exclusive to them, 

they both acquire a clear denominator when it comes to the way their imagery conjures up ideas about its main message or commentary (if it initially had any), along with the way completely new and opposite-angled interpretations emerge from the original conception.

It is these assets that enhance the work of the visual communicator, if both the direct image, as well as the subtle features inside, allow for their own continual appeal and memorability in the end.

 The ideas that I and a few others have interpreted from this illustration are as follows.

• A sense of freedom from within bounded constraints.
• Mechanical processes seemingly creating beauty and life, the forms of individual freedom and artistic expression.
• The plant heads on the top of the machine head representing both the left and right brain, subsequently creating artistic imagery, while also measuring,calculating and changing whats there (the mechanical construction)
• From hard, angular, blunt shapes inexplicably emerges free-flowing, almost plant-like or liquid-like substances.

or it could be just a strange-hatted man handling a machine shaped like a head, which ends up shooting out a visual cloud of imagery and dream scenes. It was never given a true definition, every answer is both true and false. 

 Similar to the last image, the interpretations formulated from this piece are.

• Ideas and artistic thoughts are materialized from the mind in the form of something flowing, maybe like in this case a plant.
• The mind sprouting new creative life, which is then released into the world (via the strange flying creatures at the top).
• Perhaps a sexual or procreational innuendo could be interpreted from the pulled-back skin feature at the top of the plant-like structure and the flying beings that are ‘born‘ into the real world.

The last image of mine fits in primarily with the principle of restating problems, in terms of the way that a visual idea or approach can be redefined or in this case placed there, when originally there was no statement trying to be made.

This also merges with my classification and visual brain-storming within principle 4, as this image was produced in the same way.

Sure it appears to an elephant stuck within another, much larger trunk, but a hidden meaning can be implanted into the image.

Idea

• Child support/parental support. The strange embryonic creature could be that of an elephant, and is holding up the parent within its grasp. Essentially spreading awareness of parenthood that is held together by the presence of children.  

5 Principles Study (1)

From what I can gather regarding my two chosen principles, that of utilizing your creative brain and the development of visual language; the main message or idea that gets transferred across to the audience, and how the general work and thought processes of Principle 2 relate to my own is in the way that both the ‘left and right sides of the brain’ are given equal amounts of control when it comes to exploring both the creative elements and the utilization of them within a logical methodology.

This in turn makes my work compare with Rodrigo Vega, who’s conceptualized forms of life are based upon a true form, which then metamorphosis into beings of his own creation and his own working mind. Although maintaining a degree of license, he also adds a mathematical approach to the overall realism, allowing for correct weight distribution and aerodynamics.

This type of artwork is produced to insight an inner curiosity that is often found within the playful mind, but once applied to a scientific basis it is heightened by both evolutionary curiosities and fantasy fanatics alike into the realms of hyper-realism which is within a very exclusive category.   

  

Rodrigo Vega 'Unlikely Flyers'

Povorot(Simon Roy) 'Flint Knapping'

Povorot(Simon Roy) 'Hopper Sketches'

Povorot(Simon Roy) 'Slave with Travois'

Povorot(Simon Roy) 'The Spear Thrower'

When moving onto the subject of Principle 3, that is the Development of Visual Language, it is important to ultimately understand the main basis of quite a varied and wide-ranging principle. The most essential thing that must be taken into full account when approaching this area of thinking is to understand what ideas, thoughts, dreams and fears are felt and shared with all human beings, regardless of their ethnicity, cultural background, race, gender and national identity. 

A few examples of common thought explorations that everyone has at least given a glancing thought about,  putting an end to war, the importance of religious ideas and beliefs in an increasingly knowledge-expanding/science-based society; or even the lack off critical thinking within highly segregated religions, more commonly in situated places on Earth such as the middle east and the American bible belt; and of course the inevitable event of death, whether too early in life or within a centuries length of waiting, keeps us alert and willing to try and live with happiness and ambition in our hearts (also opposite ideas that life doesn’t amount to anything and is therefore of no value is also commonly followed and believed by many people living within conditions not fit for occupation).

One artist who’s art allows for multiple interpretations of each piece of finely detailed work is a Norwegian named Einherja. His/her art (as gender is not specified) contains imagery that is inspired by depiction of fantasy landscapes as well as dreamscapes primarily; but through each piece of work there might be a central idea or concept behind the seemingly bizarre characters and settings.

Though whatever intended idea may be lost due to a lack of context for the pieces; it instead allows for multiple interpretation of whatever elements are present within each varied image.

A key feature to developing visual language is to allow the viewer to think and decifer your work in a way that leads to the ideas generated from the piece to evolve and wander into new and unexpected directions.

Einherja 'Eye12'

Einherja 'EyesX'

Einherja 'Eyes7'

Einherja 'B12'