Emily's Graphic Design Blog

When considering Type and Image it is important to consider all forms of type, not just digital. Here, we began investigating handwritten type and the work of Stefan Sagmeister. We were tasked to recreate a magazine cover using a portrait image, surrounding the person with handwritten text. I chose to re-create a Billboard Cover Featuring Lily Allen. Using an image with free space around the subject and a dark enough background to contrast with white text, I began by printing the image and layering it with tracing paper. Using the tracing paper and fine liners with different point sizes, I began copying the information from the original magazine, adding decorative images in-between to fill the page. Once completed, I scanned the tracing paper using the black and white setting to make the ink pop from the white, an opened it alongside the image in Photoshop. Next, I inverted the black and white in the tracing paper image and using the 'Screen' layer tool, removed the...

To begin this project, I began looking at alcohol packaging I had in my home, to get a first impression of alcohol commonly purchased by a working class consumer. This alcohol is often purchased from a supermarket rather than bought from a distillery or directly from the brand, and is sold at the lower end of the market, which is reflected in the design. Plum Brandy ‘Sljiva’: This Serbian Plum Brandy is the most expensive of the examples, which is evident in the glass bottle that has a unique shape with a glass stopper in the top. The glass is moulded with a dimple in the centre of the front and back. Similar, to the vodka bottle, this design has a black striped background with gold and white type. The label includes a circle layered with a scroll design in gold. It also has a label around the neck and on the back in the same colour scheme. This resembles an Art Deco design, with simple use of shapes and stripes with a sunrise pattern. The stopper has a strip of sticker attac...

These are the final poster designs, representing design elements and principles through architecture. Overall, I believe these are successful in portraying their individual elements with a continuous house style. Each building has been cut with a scalpel by hand, therefore small imperfections can be seen when examined closely. To rectify this, these elements could be laser cut or cut on a cutting machine to eliminate human error. Despite the difficulties with the photography aspect of the piece, the image quality is good and and the colours true to life.

For the introduction to Type and Image, we began investigating the work of Austin Kleon, as his technique of newspaper blackouts. By using a newspaper body or book, he selects individual words from the text to form a new message. To present this message he then covers the remaining text in black ink leaving his message behind. Using pages from the book, High Fidelity by Nick Hornby, we selected a message and using Kleon's method blocked out the remaining text. Developing on from this task, we then investigated the work of Tom Phillips and his famous collection of books titled 'The Humument'. Phillips' work stemmed from a second hand book he chose titled 'A Human Document' by W.H. Mallock. By selecting this text, he was able to use the pages without infringing copyright and publish his adaptations of the pages. Unlike Kleon, Phillips uses more intricate methods of blocking out the text, illustrating on the page with various imagery and equipment. To atte...

The previous images I have taken of the poster mock-ups were on an iPhone and purely experimental to show the poster as it will be. To create the final image for the posters, I used a DSLR camera that can take high-quality A2 images. I planned to create the images in a controlled environment in terms of light and the alignment of the posters, to ensure continuity. However, this proved more difficult than expected, with the images taken under these conditions different from the design I had envisioned. To take these images I used a bright daylight bulb, lighting the poster from the left expecting this to keep the colours true but also provide a bright and high quality finish. Despite the higher quality due to the brighter lighting, the image appeared overall dark and unexpectedly flattened. The light caused a harsh shadow to form making the depth appear much smaller. In the past images, the shadow had been even across the circle with a natural diffusion to give the appearance of more...

For the next stage of the design, I needed to add the information on the poster, specifically, G.F. Smith's logo, the design element/principle and the landmark's name and location. I wanted the text to have the smallest impact possible on the design, so as not to distract from the design. Therefore, I cycled through multiple layouts before selecting one that was discreet but still readable for the audience. I chose to use a centred design with justified text to match the G.F. Smith logo, keeping the house style of the brand. I mixed the G.F. Smith typeface, recreated using the pen tool in Illustrator, with the Avenir typeface due to its light stroke and rounded sans serif characters.

Moving forward from the previous designs, I decided to experiment with the architecture concept. First, I needed to choose buildings that fit each design element and principle. I chose to focus the posters on landmarks, as these buildings are more recognisable to the public and design principles easier to understand. I decided to adjust the 'balance' poster from a Grecian temple and its use of pillars to instead the Taj Mahal and its use of symmetry to create balance. For 'form', I took inspiration from the previous pyramid shape and chose to create the louvre, with, like the original, the  model made using a 3D net. I liked the planes in the 'movement' design, so I incorporated them circling around a tall building, in this case the Burj Al Arab, as the building itself represents movement in its sail inspired design. For the 'pattern' poster I used 'The Gherkin' as the design, due to its repetitive window pattern and distinctive spirals. Final...