TUTORIAL//BRIAN HINDMARCH//OUGD602

Tutorial with Brian:
I found this tutorial to be really helpful as Brian gave me some good references to help progress further with my work.  We discussed my new brief 'the collected writings of Rosy Lee' which I needed some help with as I was stuck on layout and needed some help picking appropriate typefaces for the publication.  We also discussed my unsung heroes poster and at some point will go over the arrangement to try and improve it.  

notes from tutorial:
memory...proust! = disappearing history

your choice and appropriateness of type - i.e layout and arrangement for 'unsung heroes'
-could proof read and discuss 'visual syntax'
-i.e not only face choice but fine detail - editing, layout, punctuation and abbreviation

apollinaire: typography/calligraphy 
ref. 'OnKarwa 
'John Clare'
Ellen Lupton - thinking with type
type: Lucas Van der Groot - 'thesis' hybrids, superfonts - combination of serif and san serif

Plan:
After talking to Brain and looking at his suggestions, I feel this will help bring some new ideas and definitely some new inspiration for the two projects that we spoke about.  I have looked up On Kawara, and I think he will be a really good source of inspiration for the 'unsung heroes' brief.  As for my next step with the project, after progressing further with it I feel I want my final outcome to be focused more on type rather than image - and I also need to be careful of not designing something that looks a little too like a display of old photographs.

TUTORIAL WITH BRIAN//OUGD602

4/3/2014 tutorial with Brian
Speaking to Brain today was really useful as I got some more great references and some nice ideas for other projects.  I explained my new idea about a french fold manifesto and an extended idea for my Rosy Lee brief.  I also asked about the best way to try and use my handwriting as part of my design, this is something I want to try for my unsung heroes brief as I feel this could possibly represent the design in a more successful way.  Brian suggested the high quality scans would work best.

issues discussed at tutorial:
'tea in Hyde Park' - develop a series of small books? use 'imposition' technique i.e. 1 sheet folded, print both sides (as per page layout)
'journal' quality day book - self referencing

*dialogue - mapping, 'the art of conversation'  reference: Massin (use of speech and typography)
William Burroughs
Sartori in Paris 

action:
International Book Fair (sat 8th) !!

reference: 
situationists
Walter Benjamin - circular walk

plan of action:  I feel I am engaging in quite a few briefs at the same time which is actually starting to get a bit hard to juggle as I feel like I'm constantly thinking about all these projects and ideas but not being as productive as I should be.  My aim this week is to finish off two briefs (dialogue and the collected writings of Rosy Lee.)

VILLAGE BOOKSTORE//LEEDS//ZINE RESEARCH//OUGD602

village bookstore, corn exchange
I had wanted to visit village bookstore for a while as I had looked on their site and it seemed like exactly the kind of area of graphic design I am interested in.  As the academic year is rapidly coming to an end I feel like I am finally understanding all of what I did in the first two years and what kind of designer I would like to be, what areas I am interested in etc.  Especially in third year, after cop I feel I've been able to take my practice in the direction I want to, this is keeping me motivated and engaged, only being slightly worried about timescale.

I initially went to the village bookstore to get some ideas for my contemporary culture, in terms of layout, printing method, stock etc. although when coming out, I'd found that it had inspired more briefs that I hadn't even considered and given me some new ideas.

zines and publications:

I think for me to be happy with the final outcome of some of my zines created this year, I need to look into printing and what would be the best way to go about this.  Stock will be important and will need to be appropriate, usually I would go for a textured stock, however I feel this isn't the right style for a zine.  I was considering using textured stock for my Rosy Lee publication but I have decided against it as I feel the texture of the paper will allow the printed photograph to become even more distorted than it already is (initially distortion due to layer of material from teabag)

Whilst in the bookstore I saw a lot of nice finishes and final touches that I thought could really benefit a few of my zines.  Things such as belly bands, boxes, sleeves/envelopes, that all made the overall presentation of the publication/zine a lot more visually engaging.

BRIAN HINDMARCH//'BOOK HAPPINESS' TALK//OUGD602

Brian Hindmarch, 'Book Happiness' talk:

The printed book and the mechanics of a book, of writing, reading and speech, has acquired significant changes.

Books - vehicles of ideas

• visual allure
• allusion to speech
• fluidity and acceleration
• tactile movements 
• disciplined freedom
• a trace that remains after movement has departed 
• a snapshot of emotion
• gesture
• pace/pressure

Alphabet

alpha beta = cow + house

pictographic: pictures of things

logographic: sounds made by words

I found the talk with Brian really interesting as the main focus was on something Im not only really interested in but try and use a lot within my design practice, books/reading/text etc.  It was interesting to learn a bit of new knowledge and was also motivating for the current brief I am working on as I've recently felt quite stuck on it.  The 'collected writings of Rosy Lee' brief has been something I've been working on from last week which I'm enjoying but am finding difficult to overcome in terms of text and layout.  This is why hopefully having a tutorial with Brian will help to give me some ideas and a bit more direction.

OFR LIBRAIRIE BOOKSHOP VISIT//PARIS//OUGD602

ofr.
20, rue Dupetit-Thouars (Carreau du Temple) 75003 Paris
Metro stations: Temple, République or Filles du Calvaire. 
Between République and rue de Bretagne

When discovering my favourite designer, Caroline Aufort, during second year I came across this bookshop/gallery based in Paris where they specialise in specific graphic design publications and magazines.  They also sell Auforts monthly magazine and have a gallery for exhibitions.  Whilst in Paris I took a trip to the store to have a look around and ask about the kind of events and exhibitions they put on.  All of the publications and books were exactly the type of design I would like to do after finishing.

exhibition space

Being able to have a more in depth talk about OFR was harder because of the language barrier but I did manage to have a quick chat with someone about a few events that were coming up, unfortunately none of them whilst I was still in Paris, however I would like to go back soon.

WEEKLY PLAN//SELF EVALUATION//OUGD602

evaluating last week: 10/02/2014 - 14/02/2014 plus weekend

weekly plan // 10th-14th feb
monday & tuesday

• prepare for manifesto presentation on tuesday
• unsung heroes poster
• museum of childhood design sheets - blog
• drinks club research
• drinks club design sheets - blog
• meantime tee shirt prep (for screen print)

wednesday - friday

• drinks club designing (blog development)
• museum of childhood designing (blog development)
• clean screen for friday
• screen print tee shirts
• 2 hours ppp

This is what I managed to complete last week off my weekly list.  Even though I managed to maintain my 9:00 - 9:30 starts each day I felt towards the end of the week my plan had lost its direction, hence the things listed for the second part of the week taking a back seat.  After having a tutorial with Amber, mid week I realised there were some things I needed to change and so made a new plan and also changed the direction of some of my briefs in terms of format to suit my portfolio.

over the weekend Emily and I did collaborate on a secret 7 submission which we plan to turn into a series of record sleeves, adding type where we were restricted before.

notes and changes in direction with my practice

weekly plan: 17/02/2014 -21/02/2014

big list:

secret 7

• blog research and design sheets - annotate
• blog development
• mock ups
• extend designs 
• boards
• printing

-

• blog all scanned pages
• write up collaboration brief with lisa
• write up new 'tea' brief 
• blog yoke brief 
• collect unsung heroes primary research for next week
• screen print meantime tee shirts
• clean screen for unsung heroes 

VISITING PROFESSIONAL//CASEROOM PRESS//OUGD602

caseroom press.
Today Barrie Tullet came in from Caseroom press which I found to be very interesting.  

'Barrie Tullett and Philippa Wood are part of a collective called The Caseroom Press; an independent publisher whose work explores the function and format of the book, from single limited editions to multiple copies; from poetry to prose; from the artist's book to traditional print; from stencils, to typewriters; from wood and metal type to litho to digital print processes. They collaborate with a number of illustrators, designers, painters, poets, sculptors, students and musicians.'

notes from the beginning of the talk // going over the basics of typography:

-what are you designing? simple things to get right..

• dont use optima
• san serif font preferred for screen based work
• helvetica of the 90s - meta
• airport signage - frutiga 
• courier - do not use - looks as if its gone wrong 
• 12-14 words, column width- best for eyes to travel and navigate across page
• leading should be at least 2pt more than body copy, example: 9pt text and 11pt leading
• turn auto-hyphenation off when using InDesign- control of your hyphens

• orphans- short lines at the beginning of the page

• prime marks not the same as an apostrophe

• learn to kern

• avoid centring big blocks of type

• never letterspace lowercase (hard to read)

• read text out loud to check

stationARy - refers to a cAR

stationEry - refers to an Envelope

I found the talk to be useful and interesting and enjoyed looking at the work.  Typography hasn't been a strong interest of mine since starting the course, however I really like working with type and seeing some of the caseroom press work made me realise I haven't been focusing with my practice as much as I should of in terms of creating formats that I would like to showcase in my portfolio.  When looking at the various books and feeling the stock, looking at the binding techniques and how interesting some of the relationships between type and image were it  made me realise my third year need to be more focused on publishing and editorial.  This is something I will look to change in the last couple of months, either editing the briefs deliverables or writing up new ones.

selection of books from caseroom press