Thursday 29 December 2011

5 Good Crit Questions

Crits allow us to gain critical feedback on the work we have been doing for a givem brief so far, We can share our ideas and solutions to problems as well as what we do and dont like about any given piece of work.
This is useful because it means that we are never designing on our own, we always have a test to see if what we are creating is a viable piece of design. We can also take away a greater appreciation of what we should do next and a plan of action on how to move forward.
More importantly we get used to taking criticism in a positive way, and also how to give criticism in a useful way that isn't just hacking at other peoples work, but shows ways to make room for improvement.
We use the DIET acronym to crit successfully.

Describing
Interpreting
Evaluating
Theorising

5 good questions for Crits:

1. Who is the Audience? Have they been considered properly?
2. What does the work communicate? Is it clear?
3. Is the medium the work has been produced in suitable?
4. Where will the work be viewed? What situation will the audience be in when they view it?
5. Is the work aesthetically pleasing. Does it look good? 

Tuesday 20 December 2011

Blog, Marry, Avoid

As part of the Blog, Marry, Avoid workshop and some research afterwards I have come up with a list of 10 new designers and agencies who can inspire me in the future.  

-Snask
-Catalogue
-Jon Boam 
-Brosmind
-Proud creative
-Build
-Brecht Vandenbroucke
-Effektive
-Ben Newman 
-Scott Albrecht
-Jessica Hische



Saturday 17 December 2011

LECTURES// Film Theory 3

Italian Vernacular Cinema 

Fellini is taken seriously as an auteur
-Comments the superficiality of middle classes
-Films are associated with style and sophistication
-Seen as worthy of critical appraisal 


There is a lot more to Italian cinema …
 -Audiences 
-Historical and social context 
-Economics 

“A forkful of westerns: industry, audiences and the Italian western,” Christopher Wagstaff 
-Prima visione and seconda visione – cinemas that attracted a middle class sophisticated audience usually in major cities, audience selected a film to watch
-Terza visione – less populated areas, cheaper tickets, audience went to cinema based on habit rather than selecting a film. Films were more formulaic and popular films 

  Italian working classes 1970s 
-Go to Cinema every night – Italian film industry needs a lot of films
-Conventions of watching film are different
-People may talk, drink and eat during the film
-People enter the cinema at beginning, half way through, near the end
-Cinema is a very social space


Wagstaff notes that the terza visione audience was more like a television audience, going to the cinema after dinner, without any particular film in mind, arriving without respect to start time, and often using the outing as a social event, to talk during the screening, meet with friends, etc. in some churches mass was conducted in a similar way.


Giallo, based on detective novels
Spaghetti Westerns
Mondo/Cannibal film
Poliziottesco, police films


 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 1966 directed by Sergio Leone
 -Use of sound 
-Use of Music 
-Lack of dialogue 
-Use of eye line and cutting 
-Differences in scale 
-Use of camera to tell a story 
-Fragmentation of body 
-Catholic references


Giallo- Italian for "yellow" and stems from the series of cheap paperback crime and mystery novels with trademark yellow covers.

Mario Bava, Dario Argento, and Lucio Fulci
 -These films may be stylish and expressionistic, but at their worst they challenge our senses and the standards of ‘good taste’
-Exploitation movies 
-Gross out movies
-Similar to American Grindhouse/Drive-in movies
-Wonderful titles used to sell the concept


Amateur detective as tourist
-The protagonists are usually American or British, visiting Italy
-They usually work in the creative industries (artist, writer, musician, fashion, photography)
-They seem to evoke a cosmopolitan ‘jet set’ life style


Giallo Killers
 -Black Gloves 
-Black Hat
-Black over coat
-Disguises gender
-Priests often used as part of gender confusion


-Many giallo  demand to be read from psychoanalytical point of view
-Based on false memory
-Childhood trauma
-Fetish  (eyes, gloves, cut-throat raiser)
-Solution of mystery lies in art


-Works of art in gialli are often subverted and associated with the madness of the psychopath and regularly provide a conduit into the past and into the mind of the antagonist.


 Is vernacular film dead?
-Multiplexes aimed at people with cars
-Going to cinema is a special event
-Cinema tickets are expensive
-DVD and digital formats mean audiences watch in own home or on the move
-Social aspects of film-watching done on line rather than at the cinema 

LECTURES// Hi vs Lo Culture



LECTURE// Film Theory 1






Tuesday 6 December 2011

COLLECT, CATEGORISE, COMMUNICATE// Inspiration

Here I have collected some more inspiration for stuff posted on my designs principles blog. I have mainly been looking for things that I feel suit a design style I would like to use, or at least take from for the Diamond Engagement Ring brief.
http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvokebxlkh1r46py4o1_500.jpg
This largely typographical work has nice subtle tones and imagery, the typeface is strong and sits well with the image. Also the designer has used very limited colours, mainly black and off-white printing on an grey off white instead of a yellow is something I would much prefer. It implies more quality in my eyes.

http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvo3pt0l0z1r46py4o1_500.jpg
I chose this design because of the geometry of the image and how the artist has used some 

http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvotruToUE1r46py4o1_500.jpg

COLLECT, CATEGORISE, COMMUNICATE// Geometry

Simon Page has designed some amazing geometric posters that I have been looking at. The theme of geometry is important in this brief because of the physical properties of Diamonds and the way that light moves through them. Many dead straight lines and perfect angles.

 
Although we are not producing a poster per-se we will have a design covering the back of the hotdog book. The geometry and subtlety of these poster is something I would like to see in our own designs because I feel that diamonds and the industry could be nicely reflected by these principles.

http://behance.vo.llnwd.net/profiles4/99293/projects/2562469/be9ef48823f7a94a67d35026191a19d5.jpg
http://behance.vo.llnwd.net/profiles4/99293/projects/2562469/ad2d36559a3519442eb34efa16be9a64.jpg
http://behance.vo.llnwd.net/profiles4/99293/projects/2562469/77ad6590d5caa4a3398439996aa10ec7.jpg
http://behance.vo.llnwd.net/profiles4/99293/projects/2562469/e130e9f99d316f757775941e93156d96.jpg