Lauren Mckiernan. Graphic Design

2011-08-29T15:20:00.001+01:00

NEW BLOG

Graphic Design. University of Salford. Year 2

lmgraphicdesign.tumblr.com

2011-05-17T22:39:00.000+01:00

2011-04-18T22:44:00.000+01:00

I recently discovered the work of spanish graphic designer Emiliano Lionel Suarez, whose use of typography has really inspired me on this new project. I like the use of the serif fonts as they are not as bold as something like helvetica which is really strong, serifs are softer and look a little more elegant, something i have taken on board for my logo etc, i also like the different sizes and overlapping of the text, as it brings in another dimension

2011-04-14T20:44:00.000+01:00

We recently got the task of creating a presentation as part of a debate between two teams, we got the question of is The Turner Prize a Valid Institution? I didn’t think it would be too hard at first, however i got the task of trying to validate the Prize, and trying to find vaild points is very difficult, i dont want to give too much away on here as other people will be looking (like the other team!!!), quite alot of people are against what the Turner Prize is, however i found a few point and put together with what the other people in my group have got i think we will do well, ive already started making our powerpoint so were close to finishing.

2011-04-10T03:03:00.013+01:00

After doing a bit more research etc, i decided to stray away from the pin up and just stick with the patterns that i had looked into. I thought that it gave it a much more classier edge, also looked more at 1970’s prints and colour schemes to take influence from as alot of the furniture in MASH was very 70’s. I’m lovin’ Serif fonts at the minute as well, they look so classy!

possible final out come. front/back.

other possible ideas.

alternative typography.

2011-04-07T17:35:00.000+01:00

After getting a bit lost the other day, i think i’ve finally got my head around were to take the branding. I still really like the idea of using a 50s influence, but i decided to modernise it using typography. There are a few example below to show you what i mean. Using found fifties imagery behind type (Didot - used in vogue) i felt help give it a classier edge and make it look very sophisticated. I think i take this idea further and use some of my own images.

2011-04-07T15:14:00.002+01:00

We did a one day project a few days ago in which we had to brand a new drink ‘Blip’ a pea flavoured drink it had to appeal to kids but also to adults who would be purchasing it. The things we had to focus on where i also to the kids who would be drinking it, it’s a canned drink, it’s filled with vitamin C, and from this we had to create a logo and slogan. At first i thought that it would be quite easy but, discovered it was more difficult than i first thought. I decided to go down the root of making it look really organic and fresh look, yet giving it a funky edge with the type, and my slogan was green with envy, giving you connotations of people being jealous of you drinking it.

2011-04-02T17:04:00.000+01:00

Cant actually believe we’ve only got like a month left! and so much stuff to do!

Finally finished my website, and done most of the research for our Versus debate on the turner prize (which I’m quite nervous about, gotta be said), and I’m cracking on with this new brief. I new at the start that i would like to take a 50s approach to rebranding MASH, however i feel as thou ive gotten a bit lost as to were to go with it, Ive started creating some patterns inspired by those of the fifties, but i think im getting to narrow minded on how i want it to look, and it could ended up look a bit tacky, i think i need to mix it up a bit with a modern twist, and make it look really elegant, and appealing to the target market.

2011-03-31T22:47:00.003+01:00

Just a quick update on clearview. finally finished my brochure, for the downloadable PDF.

Some screen shots of my website, only have to add a few more things and it’ll be finished .

my animation the other one i made wasn't really working out so i decided on a new one i think i works really well on the website too!

2011-03-30T15:38:00.000+01:00

After going to MASH yesterday i though i’d do a few mood boards to help me get a few ideas down and for inspiration. As soon as i walked in, i got the feeling of a 50s living room, it was very relaxed, people just sitting around and stuff. The furniture and colours very also very 50s, so i decided it would be quite nice to maybe go down that root. I loved the patterns and colours of that era, and think they would work really well, and also the kitsch posters, which i could put a more modern spin on. The idea of the diner signage, and vegas sign also sprung to mind, very 50’s with the shape and all. I also like the idea of pin ups, associated with the glamour of the 50s, i thought it could be quite nice to have a pin up for each section of MASH, one for the cafe, one for the gallery and so on.

I think i will now go one to create a more modern, clean board just to compare and see what kind of style would suit best.

2011-03-29T17:35:00.001+01:00

Went to MASH today for a little chat with Kevin the owner, to get i bit of info on their client base, whats the most successful part of the company is etc, they seem really interested in going along with it, and were open to anything, allowing me free reign if you like over the project.

I asked them went their main target market was, and they said pretty much anyone, most through the day it maybe 30+ but on event night can range anything from 18-40+

Also i asked where their main business came from, and its mainly from the cafe side of things. He said he would like to push the fact that its a cafe/gallery and how theres nothing else like it in the town centre.

Regarding, branding, Kevin said that he would be interested in logo, ad campaigns, leaflets, particularly a new menu, although it would have to be able to be printed in black and white aswell as colour to keep the costs down, because they change them so often, he also said he’d like it to be a bit different maybe with a cover or sleeve on or something it bit interesting. In addition to that they also have a bike which is used for advertising (see picture below), and they would like to make more use of that.

Underneath you can see a few quick pictures a took while there.

Frontage of the shop, in general quite nice, slightly plain.

No real signage or logo.

Inside, Main cafe space, with art work place around that

you can buy. Very mismatched, homely feeling. Livingroom-esque

Gallery area.

Bike used for advertising.

2011-03-24T17:22:00.003+00:00

We got our new brief the other day, an it looks like a good un’! We have the option of three briefs in this project,

1st: To create your own company and brand it.

2nd: To chose an existing company and rebrand it

3rd: Create an inventory from a company or shop.

I have decided to go with the 2nd option of rebranding an existing company as i think this is the best for gaining experience dealing with actual clients, talking to them about what they want and try and deliver that to them. After thinking up a few ideas, such as hairdressers, cafes and record shops, I think i’m going to go with MASH, an art gallery/shop/cafe.

although their logo at the moment isn't to bad, it doesn't really fit with the style of the shop, which is very cool, young and trendy, it also doesn’t have and advertising or leaflets etc, so not many people know what or were it is. MASH is a gallery, which holds, events every month and allows anyone to sell their work in their, ranging from handmade jewellery to 7ft fine art pieces, its also a cafe with a wide selection on offer and also sells alcohol. In addition to this is available to rent out for events and parties, and has a photography company called MASH Studio. I emailed them earlier today to see if they would be interested and they got back to me saying that it was a fantastic idea and i should call in for a chat with them! MASH is a favourite place of mine, so i would love to be able to rebrand this shop, and get more people interested and visiting this place!

2011-03-24T16:55:00.003+00:00

Handed in our 3rd project last friday, and it was quite stress free to be honest, i think iv’e finally got used to juggling my time between projects and staying on track, and i did work so hard on it! Which in the end paid off as i got another 1st, 84% which was massively higher than the previous two projects, and its gotta be said, im pretty chuffed, id put alot of work into this brief, but at the beginning i did find it a bit stressful and hard to get into, but the last few weeks, i got really into it, i knew were i was going with it, and had a clear idea in my head, i know there were so many things that i could have included in my books, and didnt which is slightly annoying, because it would have gotten me a higher percentage, but Lets just hope i can put i bit more into the final brief and get a little bit higher!!

2011-03-17T23:36:00.000+00:00

Added a few little details to my posters today to finish them off, Add i think they are really successful. I have tried to balance the colours out, and not make them too feminine, however i do think they could be seen as that. After many different variations, i settled on the images that i liked the most, and them after creating my loading screen for my website, I took elements for that such a s the type and the fade circle behind and transferred this to the posters. I really feel that they work well, they are subtle, yet striking, exactly what i wanted them to be.

2011-03-17T23:03:00.003+00:00

I finished all of my website flats earlier today, and i quite pleased with how they have turned out. The hardest part of creating these flats was getting the base for the site, and deciding on the layout. I did alot of trying out different styles, backgrounds and colour schemes, however i think the one i have chose for my final piece, suits the style of the competition well. Also i think the colours work nicely, as although they are very pretty and delicate, still would be appealing to both men and women and wouldn’t put anyone off. After doing some research i learnt that i big trend in web-design was to have a large logo, or banner at the top of the site, for advertising purposes as it catches attention and makes it memorable.

Overall I’m pleased with the out come of my flats, and just hope! that they help in getting me another 1st!

2011-03-16T00:32:00.001+00:00

Just a quick post, I’ve literally just finished making my trophy this minute, and I’m actually very pleased with it! I was inspired by the Hawaiian Lei that is presented as a sign of affection and celebration. I wanted the piece to be very colourful, and i kept it quite simple with regards to the flowers them self and sticking to a limited colour platte. I shall take it in to uni tomorrow and get some feedback, just to see if i need to tweak a few things.

2011-03-11T23:17:00.001+00:00

We had a one day project today, and was given the task of creating our own 3D typography out of things related to our competitions. I decided to use foam oasis, that florists use, and carve out the alphabet. I think that they worked quite well, and look very pretty. I think i may explore these a bit further, by putting them in different places, such as flower bends, grass etc.

We also had the pleasure of learning how to create an animation for our websites as part of out professional contexts project, and i was very intrigued as i had wanted to learn animation for a while, but got the impression that it would be quite complicated and would take a long time, but it really didn’t. The initial work we had to do on photoshop was quite time consuming, but once we put it in to premier pro it was very quick and simple, and the outcome was really good, i defiantly think i will use it in my website, after a few tweaks of course!!

not a full alphabet! some of them broke, but will be replacing them!!!

2011-03-08T23:51:00.003+00:00

Just a quick post to show a variation of web designs, using different colours, shapes, angles and text placement. I think the soft colours work really well, and make it look very pretty and sophisticated, maybe a little too much, may not appeal to a male audience. I like the text placement when it is central, and especially like the bottom two designs. Think i will work with these a bit more.

2011-03-07T00:41:00.001+00:00

I been having trouble all week with the flats for the website that we have to create for our competitions, i was finding it hard to find a place to start, especially having only just getting to grips with the web design world. I started doing some research on the internet, looking at existing sites with interesting design features, but still didn't find anything really that fitted with the style that i wanted, they were all quite masculine and bold, although some were extremely intriguing with the usage of flash and interactivity.

I decided to play around on Indesign to see what kinda of ideas i could come up with, and get my thoughts out, and came up with the design below, with i think looks pretty good, gotta be said! I created the background of photoshop out of one of the photocopies of flowers i did, incorporating clean fresh colour scheme, i then imported it into ID and played around with the text etc. I defiantly think that i will explore this further, and try out a few more variations.

2011-03-02T22:33:00.001+00:00

Finally decided on my judges, after ages of having no clue at all who to pic. I knew i wanted someone who could judge it from a technical point of view, some one from an aesthetic point of view, and also someone who could view it as the audience would view it on just weather they liked it or not, not really bothered about how technical it was etc. So after taking all thins into account, i have decided on the following four judges.

Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen

Profession - Interior design, TV Personality.

Why I Chose Them - His quirky, yet sophisticated style is what the whole competition is about, very sleek. Also being in the design world, and his knowledge of colour, composition and atmosphere, would help in becoming the judge who looks at it from an aesthetic point of view.

Alan Titchmarsh

Profession - TV Presenter, Garden Expert.

Why I Chose Them - With his expert knowledge of the gardening world, he could judge from a technical view.

Paloma Faith

Profession - Singer/Songwriter, Actress.

Why I Chose Them - Once again her quirky, but sophisticated style emulates the competition, also, she would bring in the interest of a younger generation to the show. Also would judge it as a member of the public, i.e. the best overall.

Jeff Leatham

Profession - Celebrity Florist, with clients including Hermes, Kylie and Madonna.

Why I Chose Them - Expert on Floristry so could judge with technical expertise, also brings a credibility with his status within the industry.

2011-02-24T21:02:00.000+00:00

We had a crit today, just to see were everyone was up to with their projects and so we could get feedback from our tutors aswell as any ideas from the others in the group. It is one of things that I find myself struggling with, having to talk about my work, as i get a bit nervous, but these crit’s help alot in building my confidence in talking about the work. Anyways, had a very productive day today! Heres some of the Si Scott influenced typography that i have been doing over the past few day. I think they work really well, and Im defiantly going to be developing these further for posters etc.

Very excited for the Si Scott lecture tomorrow!!

2011-02-24T14:57:00.001+00:00

Been trying out some poster designs today, using the photocopy images of the flowers that i had done previously. I wanted to try and use these in something as i thought they worked really well, so developed them as poster. All though they weren’t really what i was thinking for a poster, i initially just wanted to use typography, I think these are really successful. They look modern and fresh, which is what i wanted to convey through the posters, also i think the colours are really soft and beautiful. Quite successful methinks!

2011-02-22T19:52:00.004+00:00

Stina Persson

Just came across her work and its so beautiful, i love her use of colour and range of mark making, its delicate yet still conveys a strong image.

Nadia Flower

I love how fragile and delicate, these pieces are, quite fantasy like, and the typography is stunning! Inspiration much!

http://www.illustrationweb.com/

Amazing Illustration Website Archive!

2011-02-22T19:19:00.002+00:00

So since were off to salford on Friday afternoon , for a little talk by Graphic designer Si Scott, i thought id check out some of his work before hand, and what i found was amazing! His work is so delicate and pretty, and i love the use of typography through out his work, and it gives the impression of a story being told as it flows really well. Defiantly will be having a little try at some hand rendered type like this and try a bit of colour too, wether they will look as amazing as this i don't know!! Roll on friday!

2011-02-18T23:54:00.001+00:00

Exit Through The Gift Shop is a film directed by Banksy that tells the story of Thierry Guetta, a French immigrant in Los Angeles, and his obsession with street art. The film shows Guetta's constant documenting of his every waking moment on film, from a chance encounter with his cousin, the artist Space Invader, to his introduction to a host of street artists with a focus on Shepard Fairey and of course Banksy, whose anonymity is preserved by obscuring his face and altering his voice, to Guetta's eventual fame as a street artist himself. I don’t often like the work of street artists,

However i do admire the work of Banksy, whose public art shows his contempt for the government labelling street art as Vandalism. His clever use of stencils gives his work and intricate detail without being to complicated or time consuming and resulting in stunning imagery. From printing a 1 million pounds worth of fake £10 notes to his stencil art seen on the streets of London he is an inspiration to many artists today and for many years to come.

Another Artists whose work stood out to me in the film was that of American Graffiti artist and Graphic Designer, Shepard Fairey. First becoming know from his OBEY sticker campaign, which he describes himself as an experiment in Phenomenology, a process of “letting things manifest themselves” causing people to question of the sticker itself and the relationship with it surroundings, something i find quite fascinating. He is also very well know for his campaign posters for Barack Obama.

Finally the main artist that is featured in this movie, isn’t really an artist at all well not at first. Intrigued by the work of street artists he began to document how they went about their work, and the dangers they faced when carrying it out. First filming his cousin Space Invader, then Shepard Fairey and eventually Banksy, who essentially kick started his career in the graffiti world when we told him he should create some of his own work and put on a small show.

However his Exhibition was not so small, brought to the attention of the art world by LA weekly, 7000 people attended on the opening night alone. He shows how easy it is to make art and that anybody can do it, even his alias Mr Brainwash dictates that he is brainwashing everyone into thinking that he is an artists when he really isn’t.

Some people could see this to b showing the art world in a bad light, as Banksy says himself;

"I used to encourage everyone I knew to make art; I don't do that so much anymore"