Typographic Treatment - Study Task 03 - OUGD406

This session involved me taking my previous findings for my given book: Just My Type: A book about fonts, and applying my own knowledge of type to create a B&W cover that I think best reflects the book.


Task Time = 30 Minutes


Version 1.

As previously stated, I wanted to keep it simple. Have the reader imagine their 'type' within the blank space of the cover without having to spell it out for them. This had only taken me 5 minutes to conjure up, this gave me room to play around with it and find improvements.

I instantly went with Helvetica Neue Bold and played around with the kerning to make the letters 'slot' into each other, only slightly as I did not want the aesthetic of Helvetica to be altered as it is probably the most well known and used font around. This meaning it is your type whether you like it or not.

Version 2.

My second attempt was made to create more blank space within the page and have the title flow a little better than before.
I chose to have the authors name not he top this time, reasons for this is to separate the title more from the author and create a sense of being able to see through the cover rather than what is on it.
Choosing Garamond Bold for the authors name also separated the title a bit more. I also think that the right serif font when paired with the correct sans serif can be timeless. Something of which a book cover must be.


Version 3.

My third and final variation as I had ran out of time.
I had chosen not to add/change anymore elements of the page for this one as I felt it was completely unnecessary and would clutter up the page.
To deter the viewer from reading the authors name first, I moved it to the bottom. This meaning the person looking at it will me more engaged with the book itself and not deterred away from what it is all about.
Moving the title 2/3rd's up the cover seemed like the logical thing to do. Rather than having it right at the top of the page, which would make more sense as I wanted to create more space between the text, it just seemed unnecessary to the design and would only confuse the viewer more.

Cover Analysis - Study Task 02 - OUGD406

Just My Type: A Book About Fonts


2010 Hardback cover design: Peter Dyer

Not my most favoured book cover when it comes to design reading material. I think Peter Dyer has taken a more literal route to represent the book, he has used different fonts for each letter, which as a concept seems like a great idea but visually fails to work.
Colours used seem a bit childish, the Y being the same colour as the background is in no way consistent with the rest go the type and makes it stand out more.
Fonts used on the front cover are listed on the inner side of the jacket:
J = Adriator Regular
U = Aeronaut
S = Flirt Bold
T = Cyclone

M = Adam Gorry-Inline
Y = Shutterstock decorative alphabet

T = PopUps
Y = Adriator regular
P = Aeronaut
E = Polytone Reliant

Kind of deters away from Vignelli's six typefaces, huh?

2011 Paperback cover design: Jonathan Barnbrook



Barnbrook has clearly taken inspiration from the previous cover design. Reasons for this was probably to keep consistency and for it to be easily recognisable to people who may have seen the previous hardback design.
I'd say this is a slight improvement over the previous publication, but still lacks the aesthetic I like to see in book relating to design, but I tend to prefer minimalist, straight-to-the-point covers, I feel this gives the reader room to imagine whatever they like. This just seems childlike and unnecessary.

To conclude, both designs seem to bounce off each other well, but lack certain qualities that most design based books go by. Things like being legible rather than decorative, this is why I am choosing to stay away from this style of cover design and take an alternate route that will separate my design from these two.

Visual Research - Studio Brief 01 - OUGD406

As I have chosen to design a cover for Underworld Born Slippy, I want to look deeper into the 90's culture of the time to enhance my development within this brief.

To begin with, I want to look at genres that were at the forefront of club culture within the 90's. Drum and Bass, Garage, Trance, House, all of which were huge influences on how things were designed and promoted at the time.


Drum and Bass

Throughout the mid 90's, D&B was without a doubt one of the most listened to electronic music of the time. With he likes of Goldie, The Prodigy and Aphex Twin all with chart-topping singles I think analysing these would help me get to grips with how this genre of electronic music was being promoted.

Goldie

As you can tell by this artwork, the 90's had some cheesy album covers.
It looks almost as if the person(s) who designed this used video effects to create the oval spheres. The reason of this I can assume is that the music it represents is quite distorted and disconnected, this break-beat style of D&B reflects the 90's as within a sense of change, people, clothes and attitudes changing. 
The logo in the centre of the image is intact a record label, Metalheadz.

The Prodigy

The Prodigy, the mainstream of 90's D&B. 
'Music for the jilted generation' - Refers back to Goldie's cover, it was for people who were moving forward with the times. The image used looks quite disturbed, which represents the music in the best possible way, the look of decomposing skin and a screaming face indicates that something is trying to break free, possibly out of the everyday norm of life in the 90's.

Aphex Twin

Aphex Twin is another 'disturbed' one. You can tell this just by looking at the cover, even by watching one of his video's, but that's another kettle of fish. It conveys a style of painting, merging traditional with not-so-traditional facial expressions.

Garage

Garage is a genre that was born through influences from D&B. It played a huge part of mainstream music culture through the late 90's and early 00's.

Sunship

A 90's garage legend. This quite post-modernist style of type layout somewhat represents the 2-step style of the music. Unusually, this artwork doesn't include a gradient, something of which I found so often within UK garage album artworks.

Zed Bias

Bias was, and still is a huge inspiration to many. Now producing house music, his sound is well known throughout the world as some of the best around.
This piece has a classic 90's feel to it, with the green streaks running through it, looks as if it is water with the hue altered. This could mean the music 'flows' and is smooth.

Club Asylum

Gradient galor. This typical vinyl label is what a hell of a lot of others looked like at this time. This is something I want to avoid as it isn't really my style and wouldn't go well with born slippy. This is because I'm looking for more of a regenerated feel to the sleeve rather than creating something that would resemble to time the track was released.

House

House was huge in the 90's, and still is to this day. It has played birth to all sorts of different sub-genres of music, this is why I have chosen to study this type of music into more detail as Born Slippy, which is technically a Trance track, is more commonly labelled as House.

Inner City

A classic. This track never goes out of date, it's a shame I can't say the same cover art.

The colours used in this alone scream 80's/early 90's, the blocky italic type used at the bottom is reflective of what was at the time, fashionable. I wish to bring Born Slippy to the future with my designs, although type cannot be used, the visuals used in this artwork are what to avoid.

Frankie Knuckles

The late Frankie Knuckles, a house legend.
This artwork is a huge expression of the type of music he produced. The collage of shapes in my opinion, resemble dancing, or 'cutting shapes' so to speak.

ATB

ATB are trance heavyweights. Huge in Ibiza in the 90's the artwork clearly reflects this. The sense of being on an island deserted from anything else, the only thing that matters is the music.

Faithless

My all time favourite band for many reasons. This single artwork resembles 'Why Go?' perfectly. It gives the listener an idea of what the song is about, with only your own mind in the way of your imagination, Faithless want you to break free from any restraints and connect to the music the way they want you to.


To conclude my findings of a diverse range of 90's album covers, I feel this has given me an insight of what it means for an album art to reflect what the music wants you to feel. I want to resemble Born Slippy in a what emotions it sparks when listening to it.

Book Analysis - Study Task 01 - OUGD406

Just My Type: A Book About Fonts

Author: Simon Garfield

Publisher: Profile Books

The paperback edition, published 2011.

When I picked this out at random of a box that 60 other books I may have or may not have heard of, I was somewhat disappointed that it wasn't a book I knew nothing about.

Coincidentally, I own the hardback and the paperback edition of this book. This will give me a good idea of what differences they do and don't share which will give me a better understanding of analysing and expressing my own opinions on what this book was made for.


Simon Garfield

Garfield has released many books before, of which include:

1. MY DEAR BESSIE
2. TO THE LETTER
3. ON THE MAP
4. JUST MY TYPE
5. EXPOSURE
6. MINI
7. THE ERROR WORLD
8. PRIVATE BATTLES
9. WE ARE AT WAR
10. OUR HIDDEN LIVES
11. THE LAST JOURNEY OF WILLIAM HUSKISSON
12. MAUVE
13. THE NATION'S FAVOURITE
14. THE WRESTLING
15. THE END OF INNOCENCE

One thing I noticed when looking at these books was that only one of them was about type, the book I am currently analysing. I found this to be quite unusual but when I thought more into it, it made me realise that Just My Type isn't entirely a subject specific publication. 

Just My Type reaches out to an audience of the average person wanting to get informed about the world of fonts, without having knowledge of advanced terminology used within Graphic Design.

So, as well as being a reference book, it uses humour to engage the reader to want to continue to read, and I have personally gone through thus book a couple of times already and enjoyed it. This makes me think of it as more than just a reference book.


Purpose and Concept

"Just My Type is not just a font book, but a book of stories.", this is the first line of the info about the book over at Amazon. This actually sums up what I think about the book, it is not a book targeted at specific audiences, it is targeted at everyone. Yet I still have to meet a graphic designer that hasn't read this book, even still, I have come across a handful of people who are not in the discipline that have read it, out of pure curiosity or wanting to inform themselves of the history of type design and it's uses.

You can tell by the cover of Just My Type that it isn't for the purists, the cover design made by Peter Dyer, who works for the publisher of this book, 'Profile', this being said, the paperback version  I would be quick to say it reflects the book's humour very well, this meaning I find it hard to take seriously. The medley of fonts which make up the words 'Just My Type' seems to go against the rules of design quite drastically, but for some reason or another, I find it endearing as it represents the book in ways that no other visual representation could possibly do.

The strongest point of this book, is its amazing ability to be so unintimidating. I find that whilst reading it, I can understand word for word what Simon Garfield wants the reader to think, feel and intemperate the given material. He gives valuable yet amusing information that no other book can.


What is the Context?

Covering previous points, collating these findings give me all I really need to narrow down the context of the given text. Simon Garfield uses real life experiences and stories to give the reader the wrongs and rights of using a given typeface within the everyday world. As well as non-fictional history of how type designers went about creating fonts that we see so often today.


Classification

The classification of JMT for the leeds college of art library is (estudio currently down, will update when back up and running)...

Looking further into classifications, the book itself is labelled as Reference/Humour, shops lhave listed it as the following:
WHSmiths - Reference Works
Waterstones - Reference > General Humour
Blackwell - Academic level - 'General'

Born Slippy Music Video - Studio Brief 01 - OUGD406

Music videos give a good idea of how the artists wanted the track to be visualised through motion picture. This is a good starting point for me as I can really analyse the images I think represent the track best.

These are just a few snapshots of the video I have gathered which I think will be of benefit for me whist generating idea's for my final 7" LP sleeve. Kind of like a storyboard of key aspects I think show importance to the development of the final designs.

The video starts with Karl, the vocalist of the track looking quite lively. Which later progresses to him mouthing the words 'I love you'. The reason to which is unknown.

"You've had chemicals boy, I've grown so close to you" - My favourite line from the whole track it represents being under the influence of ecstasy, the 'drug of the 90's'. This meaning it gives you a loved up feeling of euphoria which could link to the previous image.

This is as the first verse has been sung and things start to get a little quick as a heavy kick is introduced. As the screen flashes vigorously at you, you can't help but feel what the song wants you to feel, restless, excited, as a rush of emotion hits you and you can't help but bob your head to the beat.

This is one of many squares that appear in the video. The square represents many things, including:

• Basics
• Balance
• Grounding
• Structure
• Foundation
• Community
• Elemental
• Integrity
• Pragmatic
• Direction
• Stabilising
• Dependability

(Source)

Shape, line and colour play a big part of the intensity of the flashing accompanied by the hard hitting kicks of the music.

Darkness resides the colourful show but quickly picks back up.

Karl bobbing his head vigorously occupies a large portion of the video. Flipping in and out of this scene with regular flashing make you want to join him.

One of the many things I absolutely love about this video, the incorporation of typography. You often see key lyrics of the song flash on and off the screen, giving the viewer an eclectic show of vocabulary to visualise the meaning of the song.

Back to Karl.

This is an unexpected, rather scary glimpse of a man flashing back and forth from Karl etc...

Again, back to Karl bobbing along.

Another incorporation of type within the video. 'Mega mega white thing', could be referring to a drug.

An almost double exposure effect over Karl Hyde. What this looks like to me is a fluorescent light you would see whist out and about, possibly in shops or communal area's.

Bright and vibrant, this negative shot would look great as an effect applied to the single cover.

A less creepy looking shot of either Rick or Darren, the remaining members of Underworld.

An obscure look on the lyrics. Covered up by over-bright layered video clips.

A tube station in London, the lyrics 'Look at me mum, squatting pissed in a tube hole at Tottenham Court Road' represent the end of a night, when you have to get home.

'SHOUTING LAGER LAGER LAGER' - The iconic line of the track, Karl never meant for this to be a drinking anthem, this was influenced by Bill Bailey himself, when Karl passed him a fiver in a pub and asked him to get a round in. It was also improvisation, this was Karl forgetting the words and filling the gaps with what he thought fitted the song best, bearing in mind the vocal track was made in a single take. A happy accident to say the least.

'WHITE' accompanied by lots of textures and video overlays.

The square appears yet again, with bright vivid yet warm colours applied over the top of it.

'boy', a recurring word in the song, not meant to mean the actual word boy, but as British slang.

The same colour flashing back and forth, occasionally showing the square on and off.

What looks like an escalator in a tube station with the overlay of the square and bright blues/whites.

As the song draws to a close Karl continues to bop his head along to the beats whist the video progresses and shows more and more hints to the lyrics of the song.

'So many things to see and do'.

Square. Again.

'To Romford', the destination of the blond girl he is talking about.

Finally, lipstick, assume this is a reference to the previous lyrics within the first verse, but referring to the girl he's met in the tube station.

And the final words of the tune 'On your way, to a new age tension headache.' Possibly relating tot he comedown of the drug.

Underworld - Studio Brief 01 - OUGD406

Consisting of Karl Hyde and Rick Smith, Underworld play host to some of the best and most influential electronic tracks of the 90's.

The highlight of their careers probably topped when their song 'Born Slippy' was used as the soundtrack of the film Trainspotting. Which was about Renton, the main character trying to 'clean up and get out' of the drug scene within Edinburgh during the mid 90's.

Secret 7 - Studio Brief 01 - OUGD406

For the third and final module of this year, we have been briefed to precipitate in the Secret 7 brief, this is a widely known event that happens every year for a different charity, the chosen charity this year is Nordoff Robins, who help vulnerable children through music therapy.

The basic outline of the design task is to create a 7" LP sleeve for one of the following seven songs:

The Chemical Brothers - Let Forever Be

The Supremes - Reflections

The Maccabees - Go

Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer

The Rolling Stones - Dead Flowers

St. Vincent - Digital Witness

Underworld - Born Slippy

My go to response for this would be Underworld, as this is not only one of my favourite songs from the 90's I tend to be more creative with music that interests me. In this case it is electronic music, or dance music, or the less referred to genre, 'Trance'.

The other song choices aren't necessarily bad, but for me as a designer, I respond to things I'm interested in much more creatively when I'm more engaged within the subject I am focusing on. In the past, I have created a 12" tribute sleeve for the DJ collaborative known as 'Eton Messy' (https://soundcloud.com/etonmessy). 

I feel this will greatly benefit me during the design process as I have already been through the steps required in order to design, prepare and print an LP cover and contents.