Split Fountain Screen Printing (Max Richter) - Secret 7 - Studio Brief 01 - OUGD503

As stated in the previous post, the final outcome must be produced using traditional forms of printing.

 I personally have never used a technique in screen printing that would require a gradient, other than using the bitmap/photoshop technique. However, as it is a smooth and subtle gradient, it would be best to just place the ink straight onto the screen and drag to create different kinds of gradient, then choose which one would be most effective as the cover.

This gives many more options when entering a feedback session for example. People would be able to select the prints they think are of the highest quality and colour that best suits the song.

There is a process called 'Split Fountain' used within screen printing that enables you to use a single screen to achieve a multiple colour print. The video below has supplied me with all of information needed to achieve this effect within practice:

Credit: Level Press (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMNhhp3GlWM)

There are a few pitfalls with this process however. Only a linear gradient can be achieved, so, if you were to create more of a displaced gradient like in the visual research post, it would require two separate screens that were processed through Photoshop's bitmap procedure the desired effect. This will make the job slightly harder as this means exposing two screen instead of simply grabbing a single screen, taping off the area and creating whatever gradient the screen felt like creating. This is still something to consider if the dual screen solution does not turn out the way intended, it is satisfying to know there is a safety net if the gradients do not come out as hoped.

Max Richter Visual Research - Secret 7 - Studio Brief 01 - OUGD503

To further the concept that was generated in the very early stages of the project, it is paramount that visual research is extensive and is applicable to processes such as screen printing.

As adding colour to the palette is a must, it would be beneficial to look at ways the song can be demonstrated in a colourful way, whether this be from the feelings to the music, the title or simply because it is effective.

After a simple google search, the full song name is in fact: 'Dream 3 (The Midst of My Life)' in the early ideation stage which was posted prior to this, it is said that three 'pillars'  would be utilised to represent the three stages or phases of ones life; youth, middle (or midst) and elderly. This coincides with the fact that this particular version of the song is also the third which can be represented through the three pillars. Furthermore, this concept can be extended into the 'Three pillars of creation' as shown to the left, a cosmos phenomenon discovered by the Hubble space telescope. In a strange way, this is still relevant to the song, as it is entitled 'dream', there is something about it that harbours a very close affinity of the word dream:

Continuing on from this, it would also be relevant to use colours within that image to use on the cover. The diversity of the palette within the picture is without a doubt outstanding. It would be possible to utilise this but yet represent it in a different way, for instance in a smooth gradient:

Sam Coldy via It's Nice That

Eric Cahan via eighthourday.com

The above images are great example that could fuel the inspiration for the final design. However to be more reflective of the word 'dream' they need to be brighter and less saturated, take this example of the Pantone colours of the year 2016:

Even the name of one of the colours reflects dreaming; 'Serenity - The state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled.'

By using lighter shades of colour, it will be possible to keep the eeriness of the word dream and not oversaturate/overpower the music, as it is peaceful and 

Jack Garratt - Secret 7 - Studio Brief 01 - OUGD504

Artist: Jack Garratt

Single: Worry

Album: Phase

Genre: Indie Electronica / Indie Pop













Current album art's:

Out of all of the above, it is difficult to pin point one particular style unlike Richter's covers. This is somewhat better as there is more than likely going to be much more diversity within the submissions for this artist.

Having free reigns to produce any style that is relevant to the song is going to be interesting as it will allow for unrestricted creativity. This screams experimental, however, as previously stated, one cover will be produced using purely traditional techniques and processes, without the use of a computer, as the former produces a classical music it is only apt for that to harbour all of these characteristics. Garrett being a much more recent and upcoming artist, it would be more appropriate to restrict myself to a more digital only format.

The decision to separate both covers like this is to open up more possibilities with final design considerations such as stock, colours, type and other aspects that each technique has to offer in terms of negatives and positives.

Max Richter - Secret 7 - Studio Brief 01 - OUGD503

Artist: Max Richter

Single: Dream 3

Album: From Sleep

Genre: Contemporary Classic













Current album art's:

The overall aesthetic of Richter's album covers consists of mostly well composed black and white photography with the second to last cover, 'Infra' being the only exception.

Using only monotone colours, it is clear that colour is something that has not ever been associated with his covers. It would be nice to be able to not let the cover take any influences forms the previous ones as it would maintain originality, and the freedom of secret 7 allows you to create something in your own style, as long as the concept is strong, it will be successful.

After a google search, the full song name is in fact: 'Dream 3 (The Midst of My Life)' in the early ideation stage which was posted prior to this, it is said that three 'pillars'  would be utilised to represent the three stages or phases of ones life; youth, middle (or midst) and elderly. This coincides with the fact that this particular version of the song is also the third which can be represented through the three pillars.

Refining Artist Choice - Secret 7 - Studio Brief 01 - OUGD503

Selecting three songs that most intrigued was the first step in the Secret 7 endeavour.

The three selections made were:

1. Max Richter - Dream 3
2. Jack Garratt - Worry
3. Tame Impalla - The Less I Know The Better

Using speed to see what kind of idea's would come about within a a few minutes was the deciding factor in my artist selection.

As you can see, the two artists that seemed to inspire the most effective idea's were Richter and Garratt. Using this method enables for a much easier ideation stage of the project as not giving yourself days to generate a core concept ensures simplicity and does not overcomplicate things.

Secret 7" 2016 - Studio Brief 01 - OUGD503

As an independent study response, it seemed relevant to enter this years Secret 7" again.

This year will no doubt be a better attempt than the previous effort. Selecting 2 songs instead of just the one will give me a much better chance of generating affective concepts and will prevent me overthinking it. To accompany this, one sleeve will be created entirely off screen, no digital allowed. However the other sleeve will be purely digital.

Using this technique will help me get a better idea of the quality of work that is produced on and off the screen to maximise my potential of being selected.

The songs this year are as follows:

1. Chvrches - Clearest Blue

2. Etta James - At Last

3. Jack Garratt - Worry

4. The Jam - Art School

5. John Lennon - Imagine

6. Max Richter - Dream 3

7. Tame Impala - The Less I Know The Better

Out of the possible choices, the songs with most potential for me was Jack Garratt and Max Richter. 

Beginning by looking more in depth into the artists will give me a better idea of what possible outcomes could be produced.

ONLY Evaluation - Studio Brief 04 - OUGD504

Having a brief set by Only was exciting, I was able to get a glimpse of what it takes in the real world of web design to create something that would be used by masses of people. Being able to ask questions on aspects like grids, wireframes and even user experience gave me confidence before starting the project.

In the past, I have dabbled with web design but never gone into detail like I have with this brief. It has truly made me realise the importance of a good user experience, the site can look amazing, but if it does not do its job, and do it well, the user will be less inclined to log back onto the page, this was a huge consideration for me as this brief was to promote any ‘upcoming’ album (hypothetically) of your chosen artist.

Right off the bat, it was easy to establish things like colour and typeface choice as the brand for my chosen band (Mount Kimbie) had a pretty strong ident from their last studio album, this was one of my main reasons for choosing them. When it came to drawing wireframes, it was clear that a certain theme was apparent, I wanted a user experience orientated website. The album at the forefront and things that would accompany this, like tour dates and previous releases to encourage sales whilst the newer imminent album could accept pre-orders.

Again, having a more UX based approach, my intention was to increase sales, which I gathered was the main aspect of any promotional website. With an extremely simple yet effective layout, I was able to get all the necessary information on one page, but still not cloud the whole purpose of the website, to promote an upcoming album. This was achieved by using colours and shapes from the cover of the album throughout the whole site, constantly communicating the upcoming album whilst the user navigates their way through the page.

In terms of feedback, I received mostly positive comments for my digital wireframes, asking numerous people which they preferred gave me a much better idea of the direction I needed to go in for the final product. If I was able to take this project further, I’d have a go at animating for CSS to get more of a grasp of what’s possible in terms of moving vectors using code. Further elaborating on this point, this was what most people I had asked told me to try out, in other words, they would have liked to see more of a functional site that would represent how the shapes on the album would be represented. This would have been done if it weren’t for time constraints, and again this is something I could utilise in a future project which requires a website to be designed.

As a whole, I thoroughly enjoyed the professional aspect of this brief, the fact I can utilise the experience gained from creating the website in my future career is refreshing.

ONLY Design Boards - Studio Brief 04 - OUGD504