Typography...

Reason for posting this:
It's awesome. Everything I love about type all wrapped up into one ace little video. Informative. I learnt loads from watching it. It's so clever. Humorous. Interesting. All sorts. But I like the way in which they move text around to fill the frame. I quite like moving things around with frames and playing with where things go. Finding the content is another ball game for me all together but once I know what I want to put and say or for choice of better word, communicate, I like playing with where it goes. And there was something similar about this video which I liked for the same reason.

Edinburgh Trip...

Recently went to Edinburgh for a friends birthday/camp reunion and i took some photos (naturally) while i was there. I hope to use some of them for my photography elective finals which is due to finish in a couple of weeks time. I just need to decide on printing sizes, papers and how to present them now. Finally think I've got enough images to work with now though. Here are a few from the weekend...

Finally my video of 100 Flips!

I hope it finally uploads this time and you can see it. What a mission to find out a way of posting it. However, it hasn't come out quite the way I wanted it and the quality isn't very good for the first 3 clips. This is because I transferred cameras half way through after discovering the clips were distorting.

lingo...

Oh and I've just thought of something else that would be good to put on here for me to look back on because I know I'll forget...
Found out today that 'stock' in graphic design terms means the type of paper/card that you're printing onto.
E.g.
If a brief states you are only allowed a limited colour palette say 2 colours and adds (+ stock) it allows you to use the two colours but also the colour/stock of the paper in which you are printing onto however, that doesnt count as another colour. Clever of what!

Or atleast thats what I think it means...praps not a good post after all...

Elective news...

Been to my elective again tonight. Not long left now. Think it's about 3 weeks before submission. Got a lot to do...as ever. Had a mini crit with my tutor to chat about where I'm at etc and what I plan to do for my finals and so on. I've come to the decision that I want to submit two landscape/cityscape photos and two portrait photos along side my development and research notebooks. At first I wanted to do just portraiture however after my trip to Newcastle and finding the amazing cityscapes there I found myself wanting to do try more of them too. Perhaps I'm just getting a little carried away. This is an image I took this evening. I'm not sure why I like it so much but from all the ones I took it stands out most to me...
I used the colour accent mode on my camera, which I've been experimenting with more. I quite like the way it enhances the image and highlights tones in contrast with the black and white.

P.s I used my Canon digital camera, ixus86015, 8.0 mega pixels for the majority of my elective photos.

Video...

Still trying to find a way of uploading my flips video. Not entirely positive on what im doing...will try again tomorrow!

What is graphic design???

I have no idea.

"[Graphic design is] an ongoing examination/conversation between the dynamics of personal exploration and professional practice." - Matt Owens, Volume One.

Which Brief for me...?

Favourite types of briefs:
Short sharp or long and meaty, something to get your teeth into?
This is my debate. Recently I've been doing this 'book of 100' brief and I've had it for the best part of 8 weeks and yet I'm still not happy with it, still havent pulled my finger out and done enough work, and still havent got any further in packaging it. Thus not got it finished. Might I add, I now have to design a set or series of posters for the 'release of my book' which is this friday ontop of finalising the book itself. Not feeling overly confident about it...however since my last post I have FINALLY finished the video.
I'm beginning to think that perhaps short, sharp briefs are more for me. After having a few long briefs set at college, I find myself wasting my time, not getting in depth research done and basically fannying around. This had made me think perhaps theyre not best suited to my way of working. Maybe the short snappy ones are more me. That aside though, I dont always feel I work to my potential when I do short ones so perhaps I'm just being difficult and am somewhere in between of the two...

Vogue...

Whilst browsing through Vogue I came across an article on beauty products and product packaging design. The article was about how illustration is being used on certain product packaging, such as the lancome juicy tubes which have been illustrated by Christopher Kane. It showed examples of many products today that are being produced and feature illustration as part of their packaging. I was particularly interested by the Swedish artist Stina Persson's design for ethical brand Face Boutique. Here are a few photos taken from the article...

Photos...

I found a new site tonight called http://www.flickr.com/ and a made myself a profile so i could be uber geeky and upload my photos to it as aposed to trying to cram all my favourites onto here. Here is my profile url if you care to have a peek...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25273248@N03/

It's not that interesting yet, but I shall try and develop it more when I get some spare free time.

Flipping mad...

I've actually lost the plot. Who'd have thought it would be that hard to find 100 objects or things to flip and video. Dear god. All i can think about is flipping things and trying to find objects that will be good enough to video. The sooner this project gets finished the better...it's taking over my life! will post the finished video once i eventually get it done...thats if i can work out how to put it up on here! Lets just see if I can upload a small taster for you...

On the Quay Side...

Whilst passing some time in the afternoon waiting for the evening jazz music to start we crossed to the quay side for something to eat. This is where I came across this gallery and its work... I found the work incredibly engaging and very useful as inspiration for my 'What is a line brief?' im currently doing in visual language.
The exhibition is by American artist David Choe, this is the link to his website, if you care to have a look:
http://www.davidchoe.com/

Newcastle with Ginge and Smalex...

This weekend I went up to Newcastle with my friend Alex to meet up with our friend Steph thats at uni there. Our reason for going was to go the Jazz Festival at The Sage in Gateshead. Armed with my camera glued to my hand I got distracted taking photos of things other than just musicians. Here are some of the things that caught my eye...

Final Crit for Book of 100 Brief...

...The notes I took in my final crit for the book of 100 brief...
So much to do and so little time. Beginning to stress slightly as I've managed to waste a week of our 3 week Easter holiday already. Now only having two weeks remaining I'm worried I wont get all my stuff done in time for the week beginning April 7th. Major stress and reason behind lack of posts...

Argh will post again soon once I'm feeling a little bit more positive about the work load!

Artist Book Show...

So today I went to an artist book exhibition. I walked down to Leeds City Art Gallery and browsed around the entrance area looking at some of the artist books they had on disply and then walked back up to the University of leeds to the Parkinson building to look around the artist book exhibition in there. It was great fun! Saw some really incredible books, by people from all over the country and world. Very interesting and inspirational for the project I'm doing at the moment. 'book of 100.'

Elective news...

Well my electives still going ok i guess, got a fair bit of research to do. Been having fun playing with lighting and cameras and learning about different appertures shutter speeds etc. Lots still to do!

Feeding the addiction...

I'm sure people are very aware of the virtual and very addictive world of facebook by now...however after having a couple of time management sessions at college recently it has come to my attention how much time I actually waste on the damn thing...it's like an addiction thats just sucked me! It's not even that entertaining or even educational it's just something else for me to waste my time on whilst avoiding to do other things...I'm sure I can't be alone on this...?
Anyway just thought I'd express my annoyance at it because I dont like it but yet it somehow manages to magnetise me to check it every two bloody seconds...

Facebook...schmacebook...I'll sit on your face...book...

Quotalicious...

Along my photograhy elective researching travels today I came across the following quotes that took my fancy...

"The human face never lies. it is the only map that records all the territories where we have lived." - Luis sepulveda, 1998

"What is the function of a portrait? What degree of manipulation is correct, acceptible, between the sitter and the photographer, and should art concern itself with accuracy? Shouldn't photography worry about that even more?" - Richard Avedon, 1993

"Man cannot bear his own portrait. The image of his limits and his own determinacy exasperates him, drives him mad." - Paul Valery

There would have been another had i not cut off half of it with my rubish photocopying skills...

Awesome book...

So yeah...
Came across this awesome book in York the other week and felt myself magnetised to buy it. It's all about flyer distribution, advertising for bars, clubs, fashion, and any other fashionable hangouts that might take your fancy as a young person intent on having good time.

Theres some wicked graphics inside and for me overflowing with inspiration...Check it!

Digital Photography Elective...

These are a few of my favourite images taken so far in my digital photography elective. They are the most recent and basically just rough experiments with lighting etc and getting to know what I'm doing...
Personally my favourite is the 3rd one down. I love the way in which the shadow is cast across the left hand side of the face, creating such a dark and powerful effect fading out to black.