For my final task I remade one of my posters from week 1, applying all of the techniques I have learnt throughout each session.

Final Poster:

In the second image I have shown the grid system I followed whilst making my poster in Photoshop.

My poster adheres to the separation critical relationship as the type is not displaced by the images, and I have incorporated different experimental typography techniques; these being tracking, leading, kerning and repetition. As for visual hierarchy, I have ensured that the title and most important pieces of information, these being the festival dates, are the first things your eyes are drawn to when you look at the poster. I have done this by using different sized fonts. Furthermore, when applying colour theory I used a complimentary colour scheme, contrasting a brighter orange/yellow text upon a dark blue background.

Introduction:

David Carson is an American graphic designer who is best known for experimental typography work and innovative designs for magazines. He used to be the art director for a magazine called Ray Gun, in which he applied many of his techniques that he is well known for. Also, the “grunge typography” era is said to be defined by Carson’s widely imitated aesthetic of experimental typography.

Carson’s Work:

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1 – Pink

Carson’ first piece was made to advertise an American national park, meaning that the typography style is less experimental than in some of his other pieces, as the reader needs to be able to understand the type so they are aware of what is being advertised. He has coupled patterned typography with a plain background for a more minimalist look to this piece compared to some of his other work. Furthermore, in terms of colour, Carson has used an Analogous colour scheme as this piece is to advertise a national park, and Analogous colour schemes are often found in nature. Personally I like this piece because of the colour scheme of soft pink with purples, greens and blues.

2 – Green

For his second piece, I chose this one as I liked how it looked like a hand-made collage with the torn edges of paper and different dimensions as a result of the overlapping layers. The colour combination is interesting, as the hues are all very vivid, contrasted with the large black type that stand out from the colourful background. Carson has used a Tetradic colour scheme for this piece, pairing orange and yellow with green and blue. This piece is more experimental with its typography style compared to the previous piece, as the reader is not required to understand the type as it is not an advertisement. 

3 – Red

For his third piece I chose this one as it was in a similar collage/scrap-book style to his previous piece that I analysed, and I liked the colour combination of reds, greens and blues; this being a Triadic colour combination. I like how Carson has created a three dimensional look by using jagged edges and overlapping the layers; the aesthetic of the piece appeals to me as it reminds me of graffiti on a brick wall, and I find graffiti an interesting form of expression.

 

Hues: The colour itself

Tints: The colour + white

Tones: The colour + grey

Shades: The colour + black

The 12 colours in the colour wheel can be combined in many different ways in order to create colour schemes. There are certain colour combinations that are considered to be more pleasing, these being called colour harmonies or colour chords; which consist of two or more colours that have a fixed relation on the colour wheel.

Colour Combinations:

• Warm
• Cool
• Complementary
• Split-Complementary
• Triadic
• Rectangle (Tetradic)
• Analogous
• Monochromatic

For my task, I edited a web page in 4 different colour schemes; the ones I used being in bold in the above list.

Complementary:

Triadic:

Analogous:

Monochromatic:

Examples of Repetition, Expansion, Horizon & Elimination:

For this task I created some examples of different techniques used in experimental typography. These are pictured below.

Examples of Tracking, Leading & Kerning:

For this task I have shown three different typography techniques, and how they can be used too much or too little to create different effects for more experimental styles of typography.

Tracking refers to the spacing between all of the letters in a group of text. If a designer was to increase the tracking of a group of text, they can create a lighter, airy feeling as the words would be more spaced out.

Leading refers to the distance between the baselines in a paragraph. The baseline is the guideline that text sits on. Leading is important fro readability as correctly spaced lines make it easier for the reader to follow the text.

Kerning refers to the adjustment of space between two specific letters in a word. Kerning creates a consistent rhythm of space within a word to create the appearance of evenly spaced letters.

 

Visual Hierarchy refers to:

“The organisation and prioritisation of the contents of a page by using emphasis, prominence and content relationships.”

For this task, I compared the use of visual hierarchy between two different news sites, these being the BBC and Buzzfeed. Also, I picked out four double-page magazine spreads and labelled them according to their uses of visual hierarchy.

Homepage Comparison:

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Visual Hierarchy in Magazines:

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Grid systems are used to communicate a large amount of information to the viewer; they are useful as they organise the information in an order that readers can navigate with ease. There are different types of grid systems for different types of work, these are:

• Manuscript Grids
• Column Grids
• Hierarchical Grids
• Compound Grids
• Modular Grids

A modular grid is the most flexible option in graphic design, as it helps to dictate the placement of images amongst text. Below I have found 4 examples from a variety of magazines that clearly use some form of a grid system.

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For my first task I created four variations of a poster for the “Cheltenham Dance Festival”, in an attempt to adhere to each type of critical relationship that I discussed in my previous post.

Fusion

Fragmentation

Separation

Inversion

Words and images work best when they compliment each other, meaning that a relationship or dialogue is formed between them.

In order to create meaning in a design, a Critical Relationship is formed between the images and the type. A critical relationship refers to separate entities interacting in distinct ways.

Separation

Separation refers to when the type and image operate independently from each other. It is commonly shown through the use of layers, borders or frames. This technique is usually applied in order to provide clarity or convey multiple meanings.

Fusion

Fusion refers to when type and image blend to form one entity. This is done through the use of optical effects, lenses, filters, a shared surface or texture, a motion or gesture, or a metaphor. This technique is used to strengthen the connection between image and type.

Fragmentation

Fragmentation refers to when type and image disturb each other, and type is fractured or broken. This relationship is shown through the use of irregularities, displacement, exaggeration or layering. Fragmentation is used to convey multiple meanings from a single entity.

Inversion

Inversion refers to when type and image trade places, adopting each other’s qualities/properties. Some common characteristics of Inversion include hyper-realism, building blocks, type as frames or visual puns. Inversion is used to create harmony between the different elements of the piece or convey a story/meaning.