I am studying a graphic design degree with the Open College of the Arts. I’ve previously studied graphic design for GCSE and Art A-Level and now after many years aware that my passion for a creative career is still important to me. Throughout my working career I have always been more interested in the visual aspects of a business from logos to brand identity and looking at their social media presence which is ever-more important today.
I have been drawing and doodling for as long as I can remember and some of my favourite TV shows included Hart Beat (featuring English artist Tony Hart) and Art Attack (presented by artist Neil Buchannan). From a young age I would love a school project that required illustration and I could get out my paints or crayons or etch a simple line drawing. Later I admired artists like Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso with their quirky masterpieces; I like the current artist Banksy who has his unique style for sending his thoughts to the world. I also grew a little obsessive over fonts and typography and the need to have the right one for the work I was creating. I feel my appreciation and understanding of aesthetics and making something appear at its best help me to plan and produce some good artwork. I listen well to people and appreciate their view, needs and interests which are important skills to have as a designer, especially when dealing with a client’s brief. I hope through this study I will achieve the qualification and skills I need to become a clever designer at a professional level.
This blog will help me to review my designs, in particular the thinking behind them and reflect on how I develop from start to finish with each creation. I will be covering a range of topics dictated to me by the degree course. I have always liked to jot things down and keep journals and diaries that were well illustrated. Therefore a blog that depicts my thought is perfect for me.
My postcards to reflect me…..
A collage of images that helped with my final creations in Adobe Photoshop and using ‘Padlet’.
Postcard 1 – My heritage
My love of India, culture and tradition. It has influenced a lot of my childhood and now adult life where I take inspiration from it. The postcard depicts some of the main aspects; the vibrant silks in clothing and ornate jewels; the garlands of fresh perfumed flowers; the many spices we use in our food; my dad the Indian cricket fanatic; Bollywood cinema; and the heart warming cups of chai (feat. by the “Chaiwala”) that can lift your mood on any day!
Post card 2 – Love v’ Hate
I love moon watching, taking photos and a little in awe of it. After living in Bristol and having the perfect top floor flat in a more remoter part of the city meant I had the most perfect views. I came across the phenomena of the pink moon recently and therefore depicted this as the main feature. On the other hand I have a fear of deep water. I felt the curl of the wave would be the perfect element around the moon…the calm versus the more stormy feeling! I wanted to experiment with my Adobe photoshop skills therefore combined two images whilst tweaking their effect so they looked as part of one image!
Postcard 3 – Childhood Memories
Finally postcard 3 reflects the influences on my childhood with Art and Design. I have mentioned the influences of certain TV programmes on my childhood. As I could draw almost anything I then realised that a good font was important too whilst carrying out school work. I would create my own fonts but later on also took influence from books and the internet. Typography I feel is a key element within a design and can really help with a brand identity.
” Type is a designer’s best friend! “
My sketch plan
Finished Digital Image
The Morph character above was a plasticine animation that featured on both art shows. I played with the fonts; ‘A’ I created using lines; for letters R and T I enhanced the tails using the brush tool in Adobe Photoshop. The Monochrome background was added at the end to finish it off.
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