Trying to answer this brief ‘head on’ was really difficult because it is all about finding out what you don’t know. The easiest way to do this was just by experimenting and seeing what problems arose. From just collecting work that I like and found inspiring, it took me onto a subject that I knew little about. Informational graphics was something I always appreciated but have never had the confidence to do. From understanding and collecting plenty of good examples, I was making connections with the brief, and also the creative industry, and my possible place within that.
Information graphics has a maturity about it which I really wanted to obtain in my work. I looked closely at the way that the designs used grids, and layout techniques. I extended my understanding of typography and where the right type should fit within the design.
As the brief progressed I kept finding lots of inspiring designs that lead me off in different directions. These directions were not just information graphics but general things that caught my eye. By doing this routinely I feel that I have progressed as a designer but not necessarily in the ways that I thought.
At the beginning of the brief I had the option to sign up for lots of different tutorial classes such as Letter press, screen printing, and anything else that I wanted to learn more about, as well as a whole host of software tutorials, which I took full advantage of. I already knew a lot about Photoshop but learnt a lot from the Illustrator and Indesign for print, as these were the programs where I wanted to extend my knowledge. I also had an idea for a TV ident such as the ones on e4. Through research and trailing through production names I found out who was the designer behind the latest e4 branding/idents. I contacted Noah Harris and had a conversation through emails with him regarding his work and how he went about it. I found out that I would need to learn programs such as After Effects and a few 3d programs. I also attended the After Effects tutorials, which I thought I would find really hard and complicated but I actually really enjoyed it and understood. I managed to touch on the slightly complex side of the program which was a surprise to me. I consider this as a future project and I think I will need a longer amount of time to achieve a suitable standard.
I also got hold of some competition briefs such as D&AD and ISTD which I was hoping would give me some inspiration for this communication technology brief. The briefs inspired me but didn’t really give me much direction. Over the course of this project I have experimented with typography and pushed the boundaries. For a large part of the brief I was exploring different type and making my own typeface. (As seen in folder).
This typeface was inspired by a paperclip. From having conversations with Christian and group critiques, I decided to do a one day project with an objective to come up with a typeface. Obviously at this early stage there are corrections to be made with the end design but it was interesting to see what went on behind making a radical typeface as the one above. There were limitations to what I could do with the paperclip as it wasn’t feasible to bend it in certain ways. This process was achieved by bending the paperclips, and then scanning them into Illustrator where I could manipulate them more. From gaining my interest in typography I looked at learning the theory behind it. I obtained many books on the subject, which really helped me understand the extensive theory. This is possibly grossly underestimated by many people including myself. I think my appreciation and interest in typography will follow me through the rest of my course at Leeds and into the graphics industry, as I think it’s so valuable. (theory of typography and type related subjects can be found on my blog)
I attended a letterpress tutorial which was very exciting, as I have used type before but never really appreciated how this was achieved before computers were introduced. Now that I know, I think about type in a very different way. It’s sad in a way that people move towards a computer so quickly and its something I would like to look at in more detail, and maybe give myself a project to do entirely without a computer. I think this would give me valuable skills, and also teach me not to rely on the computer so much.
(letter press work and comments can be found on my blog)
We visited a professional printers in Leeds called ‘Team Impressions’ which was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and I learnt a lot from seeing how things were developed from receiving the file from the designer to finished high quality prints and the many methods of printing such as lithograph and digital prints as well as large format and foiling/gloss.
(Visit to printers ‘Team Impression see blog)
I took a while to commit to information graphics as a format for my brief as it was something I have not really had the motivation to do, which turned out to be the reason to do it now. My approach to information graphics looking back was not correct in the sense that I spent so long looking for data and what was the right data, that I missed the obvious point of actually just making my own data, for example how many foot steps it takes to get to college, something as simple as that. What I have already learned in graphic design still applies, that ‘simple is best’. Which is obvious really, as information graphics is about making things simple to understand but also making it look good at the same time. (refer to blog ‘what is information graphics and Information graphics). In the end I referred to statistics from the internet which gave me the data I wanted but ultimately that over complicated the whole thing.
The data I chose to display is from a spreadsheet with information in numeric form from data collected over a period of a year, on ten different British airports. The data is a record of the amount of time that aircraft is delayed in taking off under six headings i.e up to 15 mins late, 30, 60, 180 and up to 360 mins late. As well as this there is data on the average of the times they are late and the numbers of scheduled or chartered flights.
I chose this data as it was in numerical form which presented a challenge to me, to be able to work through this task and display it in a graphic way so that it is both informative and interesting. By converting the numbers into a graphic form the information contained in the table quickly became much clearer.
It was useful to take the raw data and group it into manageable chunks of information and then consider how best to display this so that the person viewing the chart would be able to learn something.
The challenges were to make the chart interesting enough to be eye-catching in the first instance and draw the person to continue to view the chart and hopefully come away having understood new facts. Also I learned that it is necessary to make it easy enough for the viewer to follow the information and to draw conclusions from the graphics without it being too simple.
I wanted to be able to show graphically how often the aircraft are late over the different timescales. Also I wanted to show the correlation between the size of the airports and whether these are more often late. I decided that by presenting the graphs in a concentrated form the viewer would perceive the ‘trend’ shown by the impact of the different patterns.
I found it quite difficult to restrain my desire for more ‘creative’ graphic design and the need to concentrate on the more formal representation. Also I learned that in information graphics it is difficult to portray ‘detailed’ information but that an ‘impression’ is easier to convey. I understand that information graphics can be a powerful tool for conveying facts in a more serious way.
This module/brief has been a rocky road for me as it has questioned my place in graphic design and maybe even my place in the creative industry. This has sort of helped with answering the brief but left me feeling quite uneasy. I feel that I need to change my approach to design, I think this could be ‘easier said then done’ as its something that I have been used to for many years of education. I mainly think this because graphic design to me is primarily more about making things look artistic rather than just functional, This, perhaps, could limit my services somewhat and also makes me a less accomplished designer.
In a way this module has been very useful or shall I say ‘made me see the light’ or maybe even a ‘wake up call’. I have never underestimated design and the industry, I’m fully aware that it is a huge and highly competitive industry but the approach to a brief is everything and ultimately makes for a good outcome.
Coming from a foundation course I have been heavily involved in illustration and probably some of my best work has been in this area. This makes me think that this maybe something to follow up and progress with. I’ve always thought it was best to be a ‘jack of all trades’ but obviously some briefs suit certain designers better than others.
This is my first module since starting this course and obviously the way I work will differ from other people, but this module has taught me to play to my strengths, but maybe when I’m more experienced as a designer, I maybe able to take on an information brief.
That being said I have surprised myself with what I’ve learnt, for example I now use my blog in a much more useful and thorough way - sort of as an online diary of all things creative. I have also made good use of all the college’s facilities and know exactly what I will need to use for future projects and briefs. I would like to make collaborations with other designers and practitioners in creative fields as I feel that working with other people seems to have good outcomes as well as bouncing around ideas. I also feel that I didn’t get chance to explore certain areas of interest because I became over focused on the information graphics process. I would have liked to have experienced the printing rooms and maybe even the textiles printing methods.
I believe I have carried out this info graphics brief, as I have ‘processed the data’ but not totally satisfied with the quality of the resultant images. I found my data and formatted it on a computer, ready for print.
This module has been inspiring and a insight into a part of graphic design that I really appreciate but maybe doesn’t suit me as a designer as well as other areas that I have experience in. This was a situation to operate outside ‘my comfort zone’ and to try something that I was unfamiliar with, and from this I have learned a great deal.