OUGD402 - App - Pocket

Pocket is a new app which I have downloaded on mac and iPhone which allows me to save articles and blogs to be read at a later time or without WiFi. I can use the new pocket button in the toolbar to easily save all of the articles to the app, this will be extremely beneficial when flying to Australia over easter as there will be lots of time without any internet access where I can still read a library of saved blogs.

OUGD402 - Self Branding - Photography and Design Ideas

The two posters above are going to be used as my main inspiration for my poster design. The jungle backdrop theme has inspired me to take my own primary source imagery of some trees to create a similar theme. I have decided to take inspiration from posters from 'The Warehouse' in order to really study the key design elements which make the promotional designs so successful. In attempting to replicate a similar aesthetic to the head designers work I can also hopefully catch his eye with my design as he is obviously very fond of this style of design.

I have also taken an older photograph of my cat and intend to possibly use this to create a second poster utilising some of my older photography into a more graphical approach.

Photography Lighting Induction

Most of the resources offered in the photography studio were similar to the facilities at my previous college however, we learned a technique which could come in handy when photographing my work. This technique was using two soft box lights to cancel each other out, resulting in there being no shadow. This could be a useful technique in future projects to effectively showcase my work, it could even particularly come in useful within my self branding brief.

OUGD402 - Self Reflection

Looking back at the last few months on the course, I feel that I have really been encouraged to explore a wide variety of different avenues when approaching a brief and I personally feel as though I have tried to embrace this new way of working. All the way through college my graphic design course was primarily digital learning software and producing on screen resolutions. The approach on this degree however, has really inspired me to take advantage of the facilities at the college and explore lots more free flowing manual sketches and designs.

Even though digital editing and photography have always been my strong points, I am really trying to utilise everything that is offered to me in order to become an asset to a future design company in as many different ways as possible. I have mainly focused on increasing my practical knowledge and understanding of digital print and CMYK colour theory as I feel that this is an important aspect of graphic design however, I have also been intrigued by more manual printing methods and have done some embossing experimentation using letter pressing in the Albion Letter Press.

I aim to continue exploring all that the course has to offer although, I am hopefully looking to learn how to use the laser cutter and screen printing in the near future as these are methods which seem to have lots of new design elements to offer. I am also focused primarily on learning motion graphics software in workshops or using online tutorials over the summer as I feel that this is the eventual career path which I wish to follow. I have done some initial research and after effects seems to be the industry standard for motion graphics software however, I intend to visit some motion graphics studios in the near future to conduct some thorough primary research.

OUGD402 - Self Branding - LinkedIn Profile

To further boost my online presence, I have set up a LinkedIn account using my new work email address. I am currently working on scanning in all of my certificates, documentation and portfolio pieces.

OIUGD402 - Subtle Contextual Branding

Walking through Leeds, I discovered a bar which really thinks outside the box to create a truly unique brand identity. The designer has looked at aspects of wine and used a very subtle vector shape to suggest the shape of wine being poured into a wine glass. Simple in design, I felt that this was a truly unique way of representing a bar and has encouraged me to look at every minor detail of a business when creating a brand identity.

OUGD402 - Self Branding - Work Email

After Emailing the graphic design company 'Ahoy' following the business card I received in the blog OUDG402 - The Sharp Project Manchester, it occurred to me that it was extremely unprofessional to message off my personal email address. It also occurred that any reply could be lost in the hundreds of unread junk mail which my personal account receives on a regular basis. Therefore, I decided to create a separate work email address which can possibly be used on business cards, Behance and Pinterest profiles to look more professional in the industry. The email address created is below which I am now using to link with more professional online profiles to boost my online presence.

OUGD402 - Self Branding - Design Board Template Design and Typeface

I have created a base design board template which will be the main design scheme which will be implemented across all of my design boards. I have used modernist principles such as a sans serif font and a geometric design to represent my interest in all modernist aspects of art. The text has attempted to follow Fassett's principles of legible line length theory along with Vignelli's legible left alignment. I have also represented my interest in Black & White photography with the colour scheme which also keeps the design simple enough to not draw interest away from the images. The design has taken lots of inspiration from the design principles study task 8 which can be seen on my studio practice blog OUGD404 - Modernist and Post Modern Type Setting - Study Task 8 where we designed our own modernist and post modern examples for the poem 'The Mouses Tail'

The typeface chosen to represent all of my design boards is 'Orator STD' for its modernist aesthetics

I have also created a mock up for my conclusion and evaluation design boards. I have used modernist line art towards the bottom to signify the end of my design boards. Similar line art could be applied to the start of my design boards to signify the beginning to create a relationship between the start and the finish.

OUGD402 - Disposable Society Submission

For the submission I created a series of graphically manipulated images which aim to expose the socially accepted implications of pollution, vandalism and decay. These are common issues which are cast aside and ignored in day to day life however, these shots plan to exploit our fractured society and intend to showcase the damage which is being inflicted on the environment through our actions.

This photoshoot was inspired by some of my design sketches in OUDG406 which were based on the work of the artist Matias Troncoso, this can be seen in the blog 
OUGD406 - Studio Brief 1 - Secret 7 - Transparency Research & Experimentation 

Photography, Art Direction and Graphical Editing by Dylan Stott, Graphic Design, Level 4

OUGD402 - Holographic Concept Research

I recently came across a german tutorial which teaches you how to make a handmade hologram. This inspired me to think outside the box into a whole new genre of holographic graphic design. I could possibly adapt this technique to be used in my self branding or another future brief.

OUDG402 - Trip Magazine - Modelling & Photography Networking

I have recently been approached to model for the vintage clothes company 'opposecharge'. The image below has also then been featured in 'TripMag' which is a fashion and photography blog and magazine. Even though the modelling has little to do with progressing my creative skills, it was still a huge opportunity to get contacts in the creative industries. I have been passed on to many other photographers, many of which are possibly interested in collaborating with me in the near future. I also helped with the art direction and fashion of the shoot which can help to broaden my talents and experiences in other creative fields.

OUGD402 - Self Branding - Initial Ideas

Below are some initial concept sketches for my self branding poster design. I have also touched upon creating a logo for my self identity however, I feel that this could not be relevant for this self branding project as the main focus will be on the companies logo and DJ names.

OUGD402 - Self Branding - Music Poster Concept Research

Before moving on to any mock up poster designs, I have gathered together a variety of different music posters for inspiration. The posters range across all genres of music but mainly focus on promotional material for events.

OUGD402 - Self Branding - Concept Development & Critique Session Feedback

(Studio Brief 2 needs design boards)

I have decided that my main focus for my level 4 self branding will be to boost my online profile to generate more noticeability within my work as a designer.

To do this I thought that I could possibly create posters using Photography, graphics or a logo and display them around Leeds. I could then include my twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Behance profiles to boost my acknowledgement in the local area and online.

After talking about this concept during a critique session, It was discussed that I could possibly use a QR code on my designs to make easier photographable links on the posters. It was also suggested that  I could make stencils to spray paint on blank posters giving each individual poster more of a handcrafted manual aesthetic.

Other ideas discussed were about my last blog post on my interests and ambitions as a graphic designer. Using lighting and projections was a debatable topic however, an idea came up to include a hole in the business card with printed acetate so that the viewer would have to use their phone light to project my logo onto a wall. It is easier described in the sketch below.

I would also really like to get into using motion graphics and it was suggested that I could use after effects tutorials or digital tutors through the library to learn these techniques and software.

Since speaking to the tutor however, it was pointed out that I am not creating a design studio, I am simply branding myself. Therefore, I think that I will drop the name 'E-Motion' for now, and return to it at a later date. For now I will concentrate on creating an identity for myself.

OUGD402 - Self Branding - Concepts & Ideas + End of Level 6 Ideas

After my PPP tutorial with penny, we discussed various topics which I was interested in and how I could bring them all together and create an identity that would represent me as a whole. My interests which were discussed were Motion graphics, music, architectiure, interior design, graffiti, lighting, festival backdrops, photography, 3D design and barbering. After discussing my interest in festivals and how the mixture of music, motion graphics and scene creates an atmosphere, we started to explore other scenarios in which motion graphics can create an atmosphere. We considered installations where I could use urban architecture, music, lighting and typography to change the mood and create peaceful environments. I could collaborate with interior designers, film makers, photographers, DJs, architects and sign writers such as my friend Ste who I talked about in my previous blog ' '. This concept would utilise all of my interests and not limit me to the usual plain motion graphics which most most motion graphic designers produce. I suddenly had a rush of ideas and concepts which I could produce in this bespoke line of work which would give me a unique style above other motion graphic designers. All of these ideas include travelling all over the world and producing emotional installations in exotic places. For example, I could travel to see cancer patients who are being forced to shave their hair off and create a charity event installation depicting the pain and emotion of this experience. Through motion graphics, lighting, music, photography and interior design, I could really bring this raw emotion to life and go one step further than normal cancer charity events by showing the viewers the reality through the use of this powerful installation.

The video below is an inspirational example of how lighting, music, graphics, architecture, typography and film can create an atmosphere for the viewer

Through this concept, I came up with the brand 'E-MOTION', which I have started to produce initial logo ideas below. It would play on the emotions of the audience to create motion graphics installations.

I could put on an exhibition at the end of my final year and send out invitations to industry professionals around leeds. I could also create lanyards or goodie bags to give the companies something to keep to remind them of my work. I could also collaborate with fellow students and other contacts I have such as DJs and Graffiti artists to produce live pieces of work whilst the exhibition is being showcased.

OUGD402 - Birmingham Fashion Show - Event

I attended the Birmingham Fashion Show and took hundreds of photos whilst there. Below are a few of the many photographs taken, I found that even though womens fashion is not one of my main focuses, it was surprisingly beneficial to see the creative designs and outfits which had been produced. I also visited a vast array of different creative stores, most of the stores were fashion and make up related however, there were a few unique 3D design stores and photography stores where i purchased some supplies.