OUGD401 : From Theory to Practice : Self Evaluation

Today I finally finished my publication. I had a difficult time producing this and I think it is down to a poor topic choice. I decided that I was not fully interested in Hitchcock when it was too late to change my idea. This was a real shame but I thought that many Graphic Designers produce work which they are not necessarily interested in and that I should just make the best of a bad decision. I decided to produce my publication to the best standard I could which I think has worked out very well. 

The binding is not the best and the pages do not meet up perfectly and this is down to little knowledge of binding as I have never done it before or been taught how to do it properly. If I were to cut the pages down I would cut through my text which is not something I am prepared to do. I hope that in my crit that I receive other feedback than my poor binding skills and that people give me some constructive criticism about how my publication could be improved. 

Overall I am happy with the result of my publication though I could have produced something which showed a lot more understanding and creative flare. 

OUGD401 : From Theory to Practice : Print Difficulties

After my book was finished I took it into college to print. I had it all planned, the stock and the binding. I had some difficulties with the printing as the student printing officer could not print from InDesign as a booklet without changing the pagination of my book. I therefore had to try and manually organise my book so it would print correctly for saddle stitch binding. 

This method did work but unfortunately after trying to print my book more than 4 times I had to leave college as it was closing. This meant that I would have to try and print it on my own printer at home. Fortunately I made my booklet so it would fit on an A4 page which meant that I always had this option. I am not fully happy with the final result as the print quality is obviously better on the digital dungeon printers. I will write this in my evaluation and learn from the consequences for my next publication. 

OUGD406 - Speaking from Experience : Further Research

Equipment illustrations

I want to create a digital desk which illustrates all of the equipment which the first years will need to have everyday. I began to research this after finding a digital survival kit during my initial research stage.

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I really like these pencil illustrations, they are a fun way of illustrating something which is quite a boring object. The style I have in mind for my illustrations is something along these lines or something which is really stripped back and simplistic. I could use a style quite similar to this throughout my pack as I think it will showcase the creative range of the course. 

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Another option I have is to produce something which is slightly more hand rendered than digital. I found these really cute illustrations which could work really well for the concept, I think they work well for larger objects as there is not much detail within each but for the objects I wish to convey it might be difficult to include all of the intricate details I hope for. 

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A way for me to include the detail whilst also keeping my drawings hand rendered I could draw them completely by hand. Zoe More O'Ferrall is an illustrator who I admire hugely. I think her attention to detail in her rough little illustrations is really interesting and skillful. Though I love this kind of illustration I do not think it matches the tone of voice I hope for. 

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Another style I have in mind is almost information graphic style. I like these illustrations because they are so simple which I think makes them very memorable and unique. I think I would prefer to produce something in this style as it reflects my personal tastes and interests. 

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My preferred style is something like this which I found on Designspiration I like the digital aspect to these illustrations and think tat the detail is really interesting and cleverly done. 

Stickers

I want to create a set of stickers which will be helpful for students within crits and when constructing mock-ups etc. I found a really cool example of stickers which are already in the industry. 

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These stickers come from a designers survival kit which I found on Behance. I think they are really useful and handy to have within a crit. I think I would change the language as the students might not need stickers about web design but these could be updated and altered in the future. 

Folder/Box concept

Though I plan on producing a desk type base I wanted to research into folders and boxes as a back as I have reservations about the desk idea. 

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I think a folder would be much more efficient to carry around rather than a desk which cannot really be moved. I have looked into really simple folders as I think they are best suited to my project. I like this simple folder and how there is a slight amount of text included on the flap. This could be quite nice to put on the side of my folder and I would hope that it would make my kit more welcoming. 

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I could produce something which is a lot more technical and organised. I like this folder with organising compartments, this would be great for the students to use alongside the survival kit. I think if I was given something like this I would use it all of the time to keep paperwork and drawings in. Though I like this concept it would require a higher level of skill and stock to produce. I also feel that the content of my kit would be overpowered by the large folder. 

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Alternatively I could produce something completely different which could also be used along with the kit. A stand alone carrier would be better for home storage rather than for the students to carry around with them but I think that they would choose a separate piece of the kit for a different day. I like the concept of this but I would have to make it quite small for my kit not to look too small inside. 

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I really like the idea of creating a cross between an envelope and a folder and think it could be really effective and look interesting. I would like to experiment with this idea and make my own alterations to cater perfectly for my kit. 

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My initial idea before I changed my idea to printed kit was to produce a box which would contain the content. I could still do this though it would have to be quite small and thin so to not look like my work was lost inside it.  I like the idea of printing onto the box and also putting a belly band around it with the information about the content printed onto it. 

Flashcards

I am designing a set of flashcards which will answer some of the burning questions which the first years might have. The design of them will be simple and have some resemblance to a deck of playing cards. When researching this I came across the following pieces of design.

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I found this deck of cards on Designspiration. I really like the effect of opacity which has been applied to this design. I would like to design something like this as I think it adds a aspect of fun to the card idea. I could possibly design a whole set of flashcards which can also be used as a deck of playing cards. I think doing this would be quite tricky as I may find that I will be repeating myself with the content. 

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Like with most decks of cards the reverse is usually a pattern of some kind. I want to make mine very relevant to my topic. I think black line illustrations of some of the equipment which will be used would look very effective. I will have to experiment with this idea as it may look too cluttered and unfitting with the front of the cards.

Mac Tips 

I want to create a small version of mac computer which contains some information about software and shortcuts. I want it look very similar to a mac and open up like macbook computer. 

I found this business card idea which is going to be my main inspiration for my mac tips leaflet. I think doing this would help me to relate to the students. 

OUGD401 : From Theory to Practice : Content

Introduction...

Sir Alfred Hitchcock was perhaps one of the most famous directors and producers in the film industry. Over his career he had many successes within the horror and psychological thriller genres. Some of his most popular pictures such as Vertigo and Psycho labelled him the master of suspense. Even after Hitchcock’s passing he still has a huge influence on the industry and its professionals. Working within the silent era until the era of sound Hitchcock thrived in both British and American cinema.   With a career spanning over half a century Hitchcock distinguished a specific directorial style which became easily recognisable to moviegoers. Hitchcock was not just a director but a celebrity of the film industry, fans would watch intently for his famous cameos within each of his pictures. 

Early years..

Born August 13th 1899 in Leytonstone, England Alfred was the youngest child of William and Emma Hitchcock. He along with his older brother and sister had a strict Catholic upbringing. Hitchcock has said that his father once sent him to the local police station with a note asking for him to be locked in a cell for 10 minutes for bad behaviour. Hitchcock described his childhood as lonely and sheltered which was largely down to his obesity. He felt inferior to his older siblings, William and Eileen. These feelings were not helped as he witnessed his mother taking presents from his stocking and placing them into his brother and sisters one Christmas Eve. The feeling of being harshly treated would later be a recurring theme within Hitchcock’s films. Hitchcock attended Saint Ignatius College but left when he was 14 to study engineering. Hitchcock’s father died in 1914, this event had a particularly big effect on him as his father was said to be his only friend. 

First job...

In 1915 Hitchcock started his first job as a technical clerk at Henley Telegraph and Cable Company. He was easily bored by this job and received many complaints about late estimates from customers. Hitchcock attended a night class on art history and began drawing, he was soon transferred to the advertising department at Henley’s where he thoroughly enjoyed and embraced his talents.

Starting out in the film industry...

Hitchcock’s involvement with the film industry began when he designed title cards for silent films. Over the time spent designing title cards Hitchcock learnt all he could about film and the industry. In 1923 he assisted director Hugh Croise with the short film Always tell your wife. When Croise was fired by producer/actor/writer Seymour Hicks Hitchcock was asked to co-direct the remaining scenes. In that same year Hitchcock was assistant director on the film Woman to Woman with Graham Cutts and producer Michael Balcon, Hitchcock also leant his hand at script writing and art direction on this picture which was a smash hit. 

Hitchcock's first directing job...

Michael Balcon hired Hitchcock to direct his first film The Pleasure Garden made at UFA studios in Germany. This was a commercial failure and seriously endangered Hitchcock’s future in the film industry.

Hitchcock's first thriller picture..

Hitchcock made his debut in the thriller genre with The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1926) many consider this the start of Hitchcock’s impressive career, it also saw the introduction of the recurring themes seen throughout his films. 

Alma Reville

In 1926 Hitchcock married his personal assistant Alma Revile at the Brompton Oratory. Hitch met Alma on the set of Woman to Woman (1923) which she edited. Alfred admitted that he had noticed her 2 years before their collaboration but felt that her position within the company was higher than his, for two years he worked his way up to level which he felt was acceptable and he telephoned Alma and asked her of she would like to edit the film. Hitchcock proposed to Alma on a ship bringing them home from Berlin, the proposal was described by Hitchcock as ‘beautifully staged and not overplayed’. 

Alma was to play a huge role within Hitchcock’s long career as she worked with him on almost every picture he directed. It is said that Alma did not receive the recognition she deserved as she was always seen as a secondary to the the great Alfred Hitchcock. Alfred and Alma’s first and only child Patricia was born 7th July 1928, she would later become an American actress and producer, she also appeared in several of her fathers films. 

Timeline of films which Hitch directed..

Blackmail was released as the motion picture with sound. The climax of the film was taken on the dome of the British Museum this started Hitchcock’s tradition of using landmarks for suspense scenes in his movies.

1934 – The Man Who Knew Too Much was released, and was one of the most successful and critically acclaimed motion pictures of Hitchcock’s British period. 

David O Selznick..

Hitchcock moved to America to start a seven year contract with Hollywood producer David O. Selznick. Throughout this partnership Selznick had many money problems which meant he often controlled the creative freedom within the films. They worked together until Hitchcock’s contract ended and from then on Hitchcock produced his own movies. 

First American film...

Hitchcock’s first American movie, Rebecca was released which was very successful. Starring Joan Fontaine the recurring theme of the blonde damsel became more apparent and would later been seen throughout the majority of his pictures. 

Salvador Dali collaboration..

Hitchcock had many collaborations throughout his career. Possibly one of the most famous was with the famous artist Salvador Dali. In 1945 Hitchcock and Dali worked together on his film Spellbound where Dali designed a dream sequence which would become very well known in the future. 

Timeline of films which Hitch directed..

Notorious was released which has remained one of Hitchcock’s most acclaimed films. The plot of the movie was about Nazi’s, South America and uranium. Due to uranium being used as a plot device Hitchcock was under surveillance by the FBI. 

Stage Freight was Hitchcock’s first movie for Warner Brothers which was filmed on location in the UK. 

Hitchcock turned to technicolour with Dial M for Murder. This film starred Ray Milland and Grace Kelly who was a huge actress at the time, Kelly is perhaps one of the best known of Hitchcock’s blondes.

Rear Window was considered one of Hitchcock’s most thrilling and exciting pictures. The theme of voyeurism can be seen within this film as Jeff spies on his neighbours from his window. Voyeurism is associated with Hitchcock heavily due to his eccentric behaviour and treatment of his leading ladies. 

Vertigo is possibly one of the best known Hitchcock films today. When it was initially released it was box office failure with the fans taking a dislike to the thriller/romance aspect of the film. This film also saw one of Hitchcock’s most famous collaborations within the design industry. Hitch worked with Saul Bass to create the film poster for Vertigo, the aesthetics of this poster has long been an inspiration for many people within the design industry. 

North by Northwest was released and met with favourable results, this after the failure of Vertigo was pleasing news for Hitchcock.

Psycho was one of the most controversial of Hitchcock’s films, it is the most well known film within Hitchcock collection. Paramount were very concerned about the level of violence within certain scenes and also the nudity involved. With his wife at his side Hitchcock was able to direct these scenes and use camera shots to suggest violence and nudity without having to violate the certification standards. 

Hitchcock goes against the typical motifs seen within Hollywood cinema. He kills off his main character half way through the picture which shocked many moviegoers at the time. The famous shower scene has become a widely recognised Hitchcock clip with many professionals and members of the public re-creating the scene for photos and films. 

The Birds and Marnie were some of Hitchcock’s last pictures. Both starred Tippi Hedren who was one of last Hitchcock blondes. Hedren described working with Hitch as a troubling and unpleasant experience. She explains Hitch’s eccentric behaviour and the treatment he gave her. The experience of working with Hitchcock was quite disturbing for Hedren as she felt greatly controlled by the master of suspense. 

OUGD401 : From Theory to Practice : Digital Design Experiments

Digital design experiments for pages...

I wanted to design something visual to represent the titles of some of Hitchcock's famous films.

I tried to incorporate Hitchcock's famous silhouette into these designs in order to show a stronger link to my topic. 

Though I like the idea of using these designs I do feel that they do not link to the overall aesthetic of my publication. 

OUGD401 : From Theory to Practice : Presentation

To we had our progress presentation for the From Theory to Practice brief. We were split into two groups, one went with Richard and the other went with Fred. I was in a group with Richard. We took it in turns to each present our progress so far and our hopes for the future. After we each presented we received verbal feedback from both the tutor and our peers. 

The feedback I received from the crit was both helpful and also not. I felt that people liked my idea and it received a good reception but I did not get many ways in which I could improve my publication. Due to this I am going to just create a book which is not necessarily a bad thing but might not stand out among the other more interactive and interesting ideas.