Legibility.

When a designer is creating typography, one of the most important factors is whether the typeface will be legible to the viewer. There are many elements to consider when designing text, such as: the layout of the page, if the text is all in one long paragraph it makes it hard to read, and therefore if the paragraph is broken up into smaller sections with headings, it allows the reader to focus on these smaller sections.

The text should also be aligned and the typeface should be clear and appropriate to subject matter and the target audience.

The size of font should also be adjusted accordingly, to allow the viewer to be able to clearer read it from a distance, for example if you were designing an advert for an A4 poster, and a billboard.

Photographs can also reinforce a piece of text, however if you place text over an image, the image can sometimes be too overpowering and the text becomes lost or illegible.

 Another element which is important for legibility is the use of colour either for the background or for the text can either enhance the typography or it can even make it almost illegible. For example yellow writing on a black background can give the strongest impact, whereas yellow writing on a white background is the worst combination, making the text almost illegible.

One example of where almost illegible typography can aid the sale of a product is Tom Sunderland’s packaging design for Sainsbury’s Milk. Tom researched that when people purchase milk, they tend to choose their milk on what colour the packaging is and not on what is written on it.  With this knowledge he experimented with the extent to how illegible he could make the type.

Tone of voice.

By understanding the meaning of the subject matter, whether it is going to communicate a sad, happy or informative message this will allow you to create an image or typography that is appropriate for the target audience to understand and so creating the right tone of voice.

By using an inappropriate typeface this can create the wrong tone of voice for example, the word ‘shout’ in this typeface does not compliment the meaning and so it is out of context, which can be confusing to the viewer and so often overlooked. Whereas if you use a typeface such as  ‘ SHOUT ’ the bold type then relates to the meaning of the word and so communicating a clearer message to the viewer.

The tone of voice can also be communicated through the use of images and below is an advert for the dogs trust which is an example of where photography and typography can work together to communicate a meaning, relating to a specific audience. The image of the dog looks sad and so makes the viewer immediately feel sympathetic and so we are more likely to sponsor. However if the image was of a dog being aggressive this would be create the wrong tone of voice and a mixed meaning for the advert and we would not be made to feel sympathetic and so not to sponsor.

The role of an audience.

The role of knowing your target audience is very important, as it gives you a better focus and understanding of what you are intending to communicate. It is also important that you make your intended target audience as specific as possible, because this will then enhance the output of your content.

Whether your project is specifically aimed for a female or male audience will also play a significant role. For example a magazine aimed for girls, would have content which is stereotypically female such as fashion, make-up and gossip, whereas a magazine which has been aimed for a male audience would contain content such as, motor vehicles and the latest gadgets. 

 The audience can be anyone from young children, adults or to a wider audience for example, international students. By understanding your target audience this will then allow you to not only decide your content but it will also help you to determine the layout of the pages. If you were designing a book for young children the layout and content would be completely different to a book aimed for adults. The layout of children’s book would have limited words on each page, in a large font and accompanied with colourful illustrations, whereas an adults book would have a small font, a lot more pages and usually only a photo or an illustration on the front and back cover.

Below is an example where C.K Koh has illustrated an image to communicate the issue of bullying to young children. The use of the characters he has created makes it more accessible for children to understand the meaning in a more light hearted way. The use of quite subtle colours rather than harsh bright colours also helps the message to be communicated in a less intimidating manor.  

C.K Koh

What is research?

In any project, research is one of the most fundamental parts and so it should be an on-going process in which to maximise the outcome of your work. It is a process in which allows you to overcome problems by finding a possible solution, for example finding a completely new direction for an idea which has been exhausted.

Research involves an extensive exploration into a diverse range of information, which has either already been made available from other organisations to use, i.e. secondary information, or where their is no data available and so the researcher has to start from scratch (primary information). Information can be gathered from reading newspapers, magazines or by collecting relevant images and facts. Visual research is where the researcher creates diagrams, sketches or impressions in which to visualise how these initial ideas could work.

Paul Davis is a good example of where research is a constant process, his notebooks are everlasting, “...I feel sick when I forget potentially good ideas...” by always being aware that something could have potential to be an idea, allows him to have a very broad vision to create his work. Davis also believes that, “...pretty much everything influences me positively, as well as negatively”. It is important when researching to thoroughly observe and explore your surrounding as it will aid a better understanding of your subject area.

Another example of how research is a constant process is the work by ‘Christo’ who I have been studying in my current project. All of Christo’s work was produced purely from the ideas of Jeanne Claude and Christo, who had strong feelings to never use other people’s work. One of Christo’s projects which needed a lot of research to make sure it would be the best it could be was, ‘Over the river’, which took many years in which to complete. Christo created numerous drawings and collages of imaginary landscapes of what he intended and envisioned, but it was not until they drove 14,000 miles through mountains and inspected 89 rivers that they finally found the river in which suited their needs.

Christo - 'Over the river'

Connectivity

By having a keen interest in a variety of art, literature and culture, you can have a far broader vision and so this can have a huge influence in your own artwork. Pablo Picasso, “Good artists borrow, Great artists steal”, there is often a grey area over the question of ‘who had the original idea?’ or ‘What is actually original these days?’ Copyright is very important for protecting ‘original’ ideas so that they can not be taken and classed as other people’s. The length of copyright in terms of years, changes for several factors including the type of work or whether an individual or a group has created it.

We often see classic imagery, such as Andy Warhol’s pop art of Marilyn Monroe being replicated over and over again into many different interpretations. This is due to the fact that this iconic image is known world wide and so instantly recognisable, giving a very strong immediate impact.



We can see this shown in the example below, where Matteo Bertoli has designed an editorial piece for the ‘Tank’ magazine in 2004, in which he has used all of the key feature’s of Warhol’s original print of Marilyn Monroe and so making it almost identical to the original. It can therefore become hard to distinguish between having influential ideas and purely just ‘stealing’ them. 

Tank Magazine, 2004

Andy Warhol - Marilyn Monroe

If there is no original meaning behind an image or even a piece of text it can become worthless as it has no meaning to the viewer. By having an image in which the viewer can relate to, either by the original source of its content or by the meaning in which it communicates, whether this is a personal meaning or a universal meaning, can draw us in. For example, below is a photograph of the front cover of a fashion catalogue, ‘Boden’. We can immediately relate to this image, due to the fact it is a re-creation of the iconic photograph of the beetles crossing the zebra crossing on Abby Road, which they used originally on their album cover. Not only will this image attract the customers due to this iconic photograph, but it also has a strong meaning behind it. The designers chose this particular image to re-create due to the revival of the 70’s era of fashion. 

Ideas can also be re-contextualised to the modern day, for example in the 1910’s people used to create pictures from their imagination and people would assume that it was real. For example, in the 1910’s people believed that fairies existed from the paintings they saw, as they had no reason to not believe it. However these days, we now know that fairies do not exist and if we do see any paintings or photography of fairies we know immediately that it is not real and that if it is photography or film, we know it has been produced by using technology.

Developing ideational fluency

Developing a good ideational fluency is important for maximising the outcome of your work. Ideational fluency is where you generate a lot of ideas in which fulfil certain requirements. These raw ideas do not all need to be strong, it is important in the early stages of your project to produce diversity, than a few quality ideas that may not lead anywhere.

There are many techniques in which you can broaden your ways of thinking to create more spontaneous ideas. The most obvious technique would be brainstorming your ideas visually on a page; this allows you to see all the links between your thoughts and so this lets you to expand on these connections. This technique could also be expanded by involving other people to add their own ideas, this could then create debates visually or verbally and so creating more diverse ideas.

Being a visual learner I gain from sketching my thoughts and so one technique used to generate a lot of quick ideas is by quickly sketching every idea that has a connection and everything that is the complete opposite. It is also a good technique to introduce a random element to see if this can create interesting tangents, which could then develop into further ideas.

Other techniques to create a diverse range of ideas could include; talking about a certain theme for a minute without stopping, where the other person records their response by drawing, this could lead to misinterpretations in which could develop into interesting ideas, or another way could simply be random doodling.

Below are two examples from my current sketch book, where I have started to communicate some of my initial ideas by doing very quick sketches. The quick sketches are easy to produce, easily understood and it is also a good way of creating spontaneous thinking.

Managing a creative environment.

One extremely innovative and inspirational workplace is the ‘Pixar’ studios, where the designers are allowed to design their own workplace. From working in their own personal ‘sheds’, which are surrounded by fairy lights and sofas, to a more organic studio space with a wall of windows, fake grass and cycling from one place to another. The sheds allow you to have your own personal space, without being just surrounded by dull concrete walls and the fairy lights, make the space very inviting and calming and so allows you to feel at ease and therefore maximising your ability to be creative. The ‘organic’ studio is very open, clean and fresh, which can gives you a clear and healthy mindset in which stimulates and inspires innovation.

Pixar Workplace

I feel that I can relate to the ‘Pixar’ workplace, as my own working environment is quite simplistic. As I need all my work to be ordered and clearly laid out, and open space is very important, as being in a cluttered area can be very distracting and sometimes stressful.

 I either work on the floor, where I can the spread all of my work clearly around me, which allows me to visually link ideas together. It gives you a perspective of all your work together and therefore giving you a broader vision to expand on certain ideas and to make sure all of your ideas do not divert off the subject. I also work at a desk, which creates a far more organised and focused feel, which allows you to really concentrate on what you are intending to propose.

 

Having seen other designer’s workplaces, I feel that I could improve my own workspace to create a more influential and creative environment, for example utilising the wall space for research or imagery in which could help motivate my own work.

Develop visual language.

Visual imagery, in which communicates a message can create a far stronger impact to the viewer compared with using text, as it can create an immediate reaction. The visual language can have a far wider audience than the use of text as it can be accessible to people who can not read or to people who do not understand the language. The visual language could also include the page layout, for example the page could include no imagery only text, but how the text is composed on the page allows you clearly to see visually how ideas link together.

The visual language can be anything from a simple problem solving diagram for children learning at school, or it could be showing your developmental ideas for a product from your initial thought to your final idea.

An example where imagery aids problem solving would be the instructions for furniture, as commonly the product has been shipped into the country and so the instructions are in a foreign language. Therefore the step by step images allow us to follow the instructions to construct the product. It is also often the case that we would not know the name for a specific part and so by having the image of the piece we can easily locate it and fit it together.

Visual vocabulary can be seen in everyone’s day to day lives, for example road signs communicate a vast number of different meanings e.g. a sharp bend or road works. The image or text on the signs is simple, easily understood and they are instantly recognisable. Their can also be road signs in which also work together to give a slightly more detailed meaning.

Utilise you creative brain.

To aid your creativity you must engage both the right and the left side of your brain by continuously utilising these separate functions. The right side of your brain is where your ‘child-like’ creativity is discovered, this however does not mean you’re your drawings should be random mark making but should be experimental and playful visual imagery that convey a theme throughout.

The left side of your brain is the organiser of your thoughts, where it puts all of your ideas into focus. It makes you think of the literal meaning behind your ideas, for example ‘How will it work?’ and ‘Who is it aimed for?’

Therefore by interacting both of these functions you will maximise the best possible outcome for your work, by exploring experimental playful ideas, which are then thought through and have a clear purpose and reasoning behind them.

We can see an example of how these two functions interact, in the sketch by Claus Oldenburg, where he visually explores the different positions in which he will design his sculpture of a typewriter eraser. This shows both interactions of the right and left side of the brain as it shows the creativity of the initial idea of the sculpture and it also shows the rational thinking of how it will be formed.

      Claes Oldenburg, Typewritter Erasers – Position Studies 1970

By having an awareness of these different functions, it can really help with more a technical process, such as architecture. John Prizeman, a British architect shows this in one of his idea sketches, in which you can obviously distinguish between the playful creative side of designing such a unique kitchen and the technical mathematical side to develop accurate plans for construction.

John Prizeman, Ideas sketch for Flower Kitchen.