Critique of Press Pack

Critique of Press Pack

My initial inspiration was from Saul Bass; he was a graphic designer amongst other things from the 1950’s onwards. His poster designs are very minimalistic and he uses very few colours, one of the colours predominantly being black. I love the simplicity of his work, he often uses silhouettes and very little text to convey meaning; this is aesthetically pleasing as well as understandable. From this I decided that I want my work to be simple and effortless, but comprehensible. Therefore I decided to make the background colour black for all elements in my press pack. I believe the colour black reflects professionalism as it is quite a dominant colour and this would make my audience take the MPT Degree show more seriously. Using black as my background colour I didn’t want my press pack to be too sombre so I wanted to use a splash of colour with graphic elements, but very subtly. As a result, I used ‘Graphic Design: The New Basics’ by Lupton and Phillips for inspiration and to understand the basics of graphic design. Consequently ‘the line,’ which is stated as one of the building blocks of design, provided as my influence for my logo for my press pack. I created a series of curved lines, with a variety of pastel colours, overlapping each other. I further developed my designs by relating the lines to movement; I researched images of dancers and used the lines to follow their movements. This gave more depth to my logos, I then progressed the lines by changing some of the lines opacities; this resulted in the logo looking more 3-D and apparent. Similar to the work of Saul Bass, I used little text on the elements of my press pack. After discussing the Swiss Font ‘Helvetica’ developed in the 1950’s in class, I decided to use this font. The font is readable and evokes clarity. The simplicity of it flows with the theme of my press pack.

One could say in the 21^st century nothing is original anymore and everything is inspired or influenced by previous work. Paul Rand stated, ‘Don’t be original, just try to be good.’ This reflects the ideas of post-modernism and that everything has already been done. I believe my work reflects post-modernism ideas, I didn’t try and be original with my work; despite not seeing other work comparable to mine, I am sure someone out there has created something similar to my designs.

To a third person I think my designs represent contemporary graphic design. The black background with simple white font and a logo of few colours, I believe, represents professionalism and certainty. Due to my press pack and designs being very minimalistic and simplistic, it is understandable and it conveys its intended meaning which is to advertise the MPT Degree show. To improve I could have not used lines as my logo, as some people might question their relevance, so I could have designed a logo which was more related to media studies. However, I have learnt that graphic design is very broad and open to interpretation, thus not everyone will like your work.

Homework Task 5

I have taken my original designs and shaped them to fit on to different marketing products.

Here is an example of my designs adapted to fit on to a t-shirt. I have kept the simplicity with the black background colour and added only a few, variety of lines. The text is limited yet straight to the point.

Development of logos and ideas

I have developed my design ideas further by creating more logos to go across further elements of the press pack. I have adapted the lines by increasing the width and decreasing the opacity. this makes the logo more 3-D and dynamic; it also will give my press pack some diversity.

Here is a screen shot of my final poster design. It is plain and simple, reflecting the style of Saul Bass and showing my developed logo. I have also changed the font to 'helvetica.'

Development of Lines

To develop my line ideas, I have based the lines on movement and flow of images of dancers. The lines reflect the idea of motion. Drawing lines over images of dancers has provided inspiration for further logos and designs of lines.

Below are screenshots of how I produced the line drawings:-






Here are more line drawings I've produced, over images of dancers.

Otl Aicher Presentation

Otl aicher presentation

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Initial Designs

The above is an initial logo design for the degree show. It is quite abstract in the way that it doesn't directly have associations with the media. Yet the coloured lines are open to interpretation; for example, the lines could denote different paths that the media students have decided to take with their course. The lines also reflect the basics of graphic design, which is everything starts from a dot then those dots make a line. The simplicity of the lines show that nothing has to be to complex for graphic design and simple things are effective.

I have developed the logo into an initial poster design. I decided to give the poster a black background which would be a consistent theme throughout the press pack. The black background was inspired by Saul Bass, he uses a lot of black in his work with very few other colours. I think the black also makes the poster look more professional, chic and contemporary.

The poster may need some extra information provided but that can be added in further development of the poster. Simplicity was key for my designs and I believe the poster echoes this; it makes the degree show look professional and so people will take it seriously.

I developed my tape idea from the previous task. I roughened the edges and made the tape look more hand-drawn. This poster is much more illustrative and fun and is noticeably to do with the media. The poster is still very simplistic and the tape would be the logo throughout the press pack.

Homework Task 4: Illustrator

I began creating initial logos for CD packaging that could be used for the 'MPT Degree Show.' I am not as confident using this software so my ideas could be developed when I become more familiar with Adobe Illustrator. I want my overall look of my press pack to be illustrative and simplistic and this logo reflects that. I don't like the colour or font used but this can be developed in further design ideas.

After experimenting further with Adobe Illustrator I have produced a more futuristic style CD cover. The design is still simplistic sticking with my original design ideas, but I think I prefer the above design.

Homework Task 3: Pictograms

I ripped the images above from a fashion magazine then scanned them in to my laptop. I then converted the images to black and white, giving an eloquent edge. The simple text in block colour, outlines the message of the collection of images.

The pictogram above signifies the meaning of motion. The repetitive image merged together provides the picture of a cyclist at standstill then accelerating. Red, Amber and Green are colours recognised for the meaning 'Ready, Steady, Go,' and I have put the text in reverse order to the motion of the pictogram to give a contemporary feel.

The pictogram above is a series of one image, fading in colour. The colours represent Great Britain and the image is of a person cycling. In run up to the olympics, the pictogram could promote cycling and healthy living around the U.K. The text is in bold, block colour to give the audience a suggestion of other ways of travelling.

Homework Task 2: Scale, Depth and Motion.

Design Work I Find Inspirational

Neville Brody's work is very plain and contemporary. On many occasions he has used a variety of colours and fonts against a simple, white background. I decided to reflect his style of work in my layout by similarly using a white background and effortless black text; letting Neville's creative pieces stand out for themselves.

Joshua Davis' work is very complex and detailed. His pieces show bursts of colour and a cluster of images; therefore I demonstrated this in my layout. For the headline I decreased the space between the letters, signifying the clustered feel; I also made the background colour for the headline lilac complimenting the colours of the central image. The text below the headline has been changed to the colour pink, I did this to exaggerate Joshua Davis' use of bright colours.

Saul Bass' work is very simplistic and carefully designed. Black silhouettes with simple text and bold colours are main features of his designs. The images I selected were bold and outstanding and didn't need a complex layout to draw attention away from them; consequently I used a black background and simple, very little white text. I believe the simplicity of the black gives his work a more contemporary and professional feel. I placed the headline to the far right-hand corner adding to that contemporary edge.

Initial Research

To begin my research I 'googled' Press Packs to gain a better understanding of the style and look of the packs. The purpose of the above Press Pack is to promote the band 28 days; there is a repetitive font and colour scheme reflecting consistency and professionalism. The images of the band are contemporary, yet edited in black and white giving a simplistic feel.

Additional Reading

I looked at the website Graphic Design: The New Basics by Lupton and Phillips to improve my knowledge of the basic elements of design. I have noted key points from the website below:-

Point, Line and Plane are the building blocks of design. A Point marks a position in space and a mass of points become texture, shape or plane. Tiny points of varying size create shades of grey.

A Line is an infinite series of points. Straight or curved, continuous or broken; lines multiply to describe volumes, planes and textures.

A Plane is a flat surface extending in height and width; it can be solid or perforated, opaque or transparent, textured or smooth.