Beer mats brief: Digital development

First stage developing digital Ideas

Beer mats brief: Research/notes

disability postacrd brief: Developed Ideas/Digital Ideas

Disability awareness brief: first thoughts/notes

First thoughts on the four main disabilities and approaches to creating imagery. (pre-research)

As i like to explore subjects and topics through process of making and exploration I would like to bring this in to the making process of this projector brief. For example:

Dyslexia

I cannot directly make my mind see or read things differently so perhaps I search videos hat illustrate to non dyslexics how a dyslexic person interprets text and sequence imagery etc. 
What i find interesting about dyslexics and dyslexia as a whole is the way the brain recognizes imagery yet doesn't define text or sequence well, even though text and numbers etc is essentially just another image. symbols? is this the same? perhaps hyroglyphs etc would this be different or roman numerology? 
Dyslexics often read things better on blue backgrounds so perhaps I work with Blue as a primary backing color. I could attempt to create imagery that confuses the eye of someone without dyslexia, but for someone with t, make the text or image easier to read. Flipping perspectives. 

Visual impairment.

To start targeting this area the brief I would like to create images while impairing myself visually as a starting point to understanding the disability firsthand. This would create a better visual language in terms of perception and response to those suffering or living with the disability. In addition, using a process as tactile as dry point could absorb this approach really nicely. The marks and lines made through a process of visual limitation could be very beneficial and create dynamic intriguing textures etc.

Chronic fatigue syndrome

Creating work when suffering myself with fatigue blow. Something I haven't attempted to do before. Seeing as I understand this syndrome first hand alongside or as result of my anxiety, it may be more interesting to do another disability, however I would be able to communicate the feelings associated with the syndrome more accurately easily and freely. 
If I create work whilst having a blow of fatigue, the work could communicate the emotional, physical and visual effects the condition has on a person. 
In adition I understand th knowledge and treatment of this condition is somewhat limited. Research is currently being undertaken to improve the knowledge behind it, and experimentla drugs are being introduced alongside counseling and lifestyle advise clinics etc. It is believed that some CFS sufferers have the condition as a result of another mental illness, while others could be related to modern dietary shifts, seasonal effective disorder blood sugars etc. Medical, mental and behavior lifestyle impacts

Initial practical approach Ideas,

Ink blot imagery.
I have immediately thought of ink blots, based on their commonly recognizable nature, their links with mental health, and the metaphorical or connotational implication that they could embody. For example, every person would see a different image, which says something about them. This could trigger a new way of perceiving the image or postcard based on mental state as appeased to visual structures and queues. Those with mental illness and visual impairment etc would be able to use sensory and emotional response to understand the intentions of the image. Perhaps there is no direct intention as the images could address unique values in every person which is open to them in a subjective and emotional manner

More immediate ideas or immediate images conjured when considering disabilities in question:

Dyslexia
Use of words and numbers scale and movement
confusion
blue
reading and writing struggles

Chronic fatigue
exhaustion
lump in throat
anxiety
worry
physical symptoms of exhaustion and fatigue
sinking feelings
vertigo

Existing posters and promotional material etc.

Initial Ideas taken from sketchbook

Final Tourism Poster and developed

My first digital Ideas for tourism poster

I took this image from an online source, to explore the use of photography in a tourism poster. I think my simple repetition of the word Thailand is effective, however no other details are provided. This could work both in my favor and against. simplicity is often key when wanting a viewer to look more at the image. But in terms of tourism, perhaps more info is needed.

In hindsight My use of colors would have been more appropriate perhaps for Ibiza, as the widely recognised "cream" logo and travel info is usually hot pink and white.

I used a combination of themed silhouettes and a "sunburst" background for the above image. Sunbursts are something usually associated with Korea and other asian cultures. So this was where I feel the style of background became appropriate. I have used a combination of the colors that my "tourist interviewee" provided in order to portray Thailand from her perspective more effectively.

I feel this is an appropriate approach and the idea is verging on successful. I will develop this approach further. I used photoshop and a simple layering technique to achieve the image.

Again, above I have used a sunburst background which automatically references eastern culture. The Title "Thailand" alongside a sub heading reading "striking the perfect balance" is a basic reference to buddhist and eastern culture and religious references. I have edited photographs of thailand which I feel deepen the notion of balance through their opposing yet harmonious co-operation within one region. One being the calm, quiet sea waters of tranquility, the other a store selling alcohol for the full moon parties. Both images are combined within a yin yang symbol, again another reference to eastern beliefs. The all-digital approach is clean and simple so remains effective however I would like to incorporate some print making processes for texture.

Above, to create the background I have taken a lino-print that I made and edited it on photoshop to create this lime green and yellow. Colors that my interviewee stated stood out to her on her visit there. I accompanied this with a buddha/temple silhouette. The approach and process was more enjoyable however I do not like the outcome. The background is too distracting and does not communicate my Ideas well.

 

Above I have experimented with digital practices and printing to try and stumble upon something successful. I like the type, in that the thailand text is created by cutting away revealing a colorful background. The colours somehow feel lacking, and cold and overall they are too busy before any info given. Will continue to develop this approach.

Research: INTERVIEW Destination, travel, graphic info, advertisement

What do you love about Thailand?

As soon as you step off the plane a hot humid air hits you in the face, the smells are so exotic and warm... its more of a sensation that a smell actually. Its intoxicating.
The food, the people, the colours and the environment. Thailand is just stunning, and so entirely different from the U.K. People smile, everywhere.

What was your favourite place there?

I went on a tour of the area and jungle, we came across rivers which led onto stunning waterfalls and blue lakes. Right in the middle of these trees. They were just this surprise waiting around a corner that you couldn't see coming or ever expect. It was like stumbling across multiple hidden tropical paradises!

What was your most memorable experience and why?

Boat trips through jungle, water, and elephant rides through the country. 

What colours stood out to you?

Blues and greens during the day and warm bright oranges, purples and red sunsets. The colors are very strong and vibrant. It makes the U.K look like a grey, green mush!

What did you eat and drink?


Fruits, meats and hotel provided foods. The streets are full of local food markets and stalls where people shout and ask you to purchase their product. Some of the stalls are very clean and beautiful with displays of cut fruits and protective covers. While others are simple street vendors with flys buzzing around the produce. One man was cutting mangoes into the shape of flowers and covering them in a sticky red sugar. 

What cultural or religious significant differences did you enjoy?

Well, Thai people are typically buddhist, but I believe the region is open to variations of eastern based religion and culture. I believe the King is buddhist (Theravada) . There are a lot of "wats" or temples and buildings of detailed architecture and a lot of statues and representations of the various buddhas etc. Visually it embraces and celebrates religious and cultural strengths which seem to unite the region. Tourists come to visit the temples which surprisingly, some of them are very unusual. There is one that has comic paintings inside of a beautiful white temple. It doesn't "go" at all!

Examples of existing Thai tourism posters.

I have included the image above as an example of what I believe is a weak tourism poster. There is too much going on in the image, text on angles, various typefaces etc. Its all far too busy and cheap looking, which in effect therefore cheapens the destination. The text isn't balanced across the lower section, and the cut off point being above centre (eyeliner) although "correct" in some approaches to design creates an unequality in the thirds as there is also this white third seen below full of logos. This poster combines all the worst Ideas in design, in my opinion!

The two images above seem incredibly similar, the therefore have the same strengths and weaknesses. 

I particularly like the colour scheme and imagery of the Thailand poster, and this is the sort of image I was hoping to create through a combination of techniques and processes for my own Tourism poster. I have attempted to create elephant stamps for sillhouettes and water patterns in lino. 

The weaknesses in both images to me, stem from the darkness. I would like to create something a little brighter and less dusky.

Asian printing history reference

Initial research and Ideas in sketchbook

A few pages from my sketchbook, considering colors, typicaly promoted elements of travel to Thailand, mostly this seems to be food, scenery and cultural.

Visually this is communicated through rich colors, bold lines and focus on sunsets, skies, silhouettes. emotive Images that stimulate intrigue and exotic mystery etc. 

Exploring colour and type

In my sketchbook I have begun to explore colour through use of vibrant inks. attempting to recreate a sense of the exotic, and key elements noted in visuals promoting thailand.

Cutting letters from my abstract/expressionist ink images to create a base of semiotic  typography.