Earth ArtifactJumanah Nessa

Brief research •

Artist research•

Concept ideas•

Primary research•

Material/Media experimentation•

Final outcome concept idea•

Final outcome medium research•

Final outcomes

“Exploring creative thinking, experimentation, semiotics, media channels and visual narrative” - project brief

The Voyeger Golden RecordThe Voyager Golden Record contains 116 images and a variety of natural sounds, such as those made by surf, wind, and thunder, and animal sounds, including the songs of birds and whales.

The record additionally features musical selections from different cultures and eras, spoken greetings in fifty-nine languages, and printed messages from President Jimmy Carter and U.N. Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim.

Carl Sagan noted that “The spacecraft will be encountered and the record played only if there are advanced space-faring civilizations in interstellar space.

But the launching of this ‘bottle’ into the cosmic ‘ocean’ says something very hopeful about life on this planet. Thus the record is best seen as a time capsule.

GreetingsThe audio section of the record contains greetings in 55 languages; including 4 Chinese, 12 South Asian and 5 ancient languages.

Sounds & MusicThe audio section was called “sounds of Earth” and contained various sounds including; Volcanoes, earthquakes, thunder, rain, wind, crickets, dogs, birds, footsteps, heartbeat, laughter, morse code, trains and kiss etc

BrainwavesThe Golden Records also carried an hour long recording of the brainwaves of Ann Druyan, who would later marry Carl Sagan.

“I began by thinking about the history of Earth and the life it sustains. To the best of my abilities I tried to think something of the history of ideas and human social organization. I thought about the predicament that our civilization finds itself in and about the violence and poverty that make this planet a hell for so many of its inhabitants. Toward the end I permitted myself a personal statement of what it was like to fall in love.” - Druyan

Images

Along with the audio, the record contains a collection of 116 pictures. Many pictures are annotated with one or many indications of scales of time, size or mass. Some images also contain the chemical compositions.

SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contents_of_the_Voyager_Golden_Record

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/The_Sounds_of_Earth_Record_Cover_-_GPN-2000-001978.jpg

Artist research - Typography

Kate Moross

BioKate Moross is a 29 year old creative based in London. She has a keen interest in as she says “3 sided shapes, illegible typography and freeform lettering.” She calls herself a ‘Jack of all trades’ as she works mainly on illustration but has also branched out to film and moving image.

Moross is currently Director at Studio Moross based in London which she founded in 2012. She is currently art director Jessie Ware and has directed several music videos for her including “Running, ‘Wildest Moments’ and ‘If You’re Never Gonna Move’.

Her chaotic and fun style are first thing that attracts the viewer. It is this energy which has led to her working with huge clients such as Cadbury, Topshop and Vogue magazine.

http://images.cdn.bigcartel.com/bigcartel/product_images/38557704/max-_h-1000+max_w-1000/jackofall.jpg

http://payload120.cargocollective.com/1/7/237494/4716184/AT-LANTIC3_800.png

http://www.fusedmagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/kate.jpg

Pieter Brattinga

BioBrattinga was a Dutch Graphic Designer. At the age of 20 until 1974 he was director of design at Steendrukkerij De Jong & Co.

Brattinga’s simple, clean design is what I became initially attracted to. I believe this style would be perfect for the brief which I have interpreted to focus on communication.

I believe the way Brattinga has presented his work is effective in portraying a message and would be perfect for a communication orientated project.

His many clients include; Quardrat Prints, Icograda, Noivorm, Netherlands PTT and The Kröller-Müller Museum.

http://www.moma.org/collection_images/resized/674/w500h420/CRI_221674.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_32xesy9G0z4/TILEj8IzpCI/AAAAAAAAABw/Z5lvUhjCfnM/s1600/img_9287.jpg

http://uniteditions.com/resources/1487/inline_I_inline%20image_opti-mised2.jpg

http://thinkingform.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/pieter-brattinga_4.jpg

David Carson

BioCarson is an American Graphic Designer and Art Director.

He is known mainly for his experimental and unique typographic pieces. His aesthetics have been said to have defined the “grunge typography” era.

Carsons clients include; Ray Gun, Pepsi Cola, Nike, Warner Bros, MTV Global, Mercedes-Benz, Budweiser, Giorgio Armani and many others.

From 1989 to 2004 Carson has won over 170 Awards, including Designer of the Year 1998.

http://www.designingwithtype.com/essays/images/es-sayCarson.gif

http://2012.22dg.com/wp-content/uploads/Poster-Da-vid-Carson-680x961.jpg

http://www.davidcarsondesign.com/img_temp_la/51a.gif

http://a1.dspnimg.com/data/l/1564805797979_cO7hkCgd_l.jpghttps://adamwillisdesign.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/anthro-copy.jpg

Experiments

To create these experiments I have taken certain aspects from each artist that I had researched and created a response to them.

The first here you can see was inspired by Moross. I have taken her use of zig zag lines, swirls and geometric shapes and incorporated them with my own typography which I had created during a Thursday workshop.

The next piece was inspired David Carson. As you can see I have taken his cut and arrange, collage style and used this to create my own piece. I really enjoy this style as overall it creates a mysterious atmosphere and sort of resembles a negotiation letter.

This final piece I created by furthering the last piece. I decided to see what else I could do with the previous experiment. I began by looking back to my research and saw that Carson had created a piece using blocks of solid colour. I tried to re-create this style but used more free-flowing lines to add a softer feel to the piece.

Overall I am pleased with all of these pieces, more so the typography of the first piece. I am hoping to continue to explore this hand drawn typographic style more.

Artist research - Illustration

Inkquisitive IllustrationBioAmandeep Singh A.K.A. Inkquisitive is a Graphic Illustrator from London. His work consists of using primarily Indian Inks to create these illustrations. Singh has also more recently began to use digital drawing tablets to create more mixed media pieces.

Singh stated “I don’t believe in creative mistakes and I consider imperfections to be our strengths.” I believe this is very important within Design as it is the mock ups, prototypes and experimental stages that create a strong final outcome, so our ‘mistakes’ are essential for successful design.

In a similar way to Moross, his use of bright colours and free-flowing design are what I found most impressive and attractive about his work.

ALL IMAGES FROM: http://www.inkquisitive.com/

Catalina EstradaBioEstrada describes herself as an “Unconditional lover of nature. Passionate about colours. Fascinated by textures, details, shapes and beauty.” Estrada is a Columbian Illustrator based in Barcelona. Her inspiration for her work comes from Latin American folklore and her aim is to “reinterpret these with their original strength to make it bloom in deep harmony and simplicity”

Her bright and “cheerful visual language” is described as “infectiously optimistic”. This is because of her use of bright colours which stimulate emotion and engage the viewer.

Her clients include; Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Nike, Levi’s, Mercedes, Unicef and many others.

SOURCE: http://catalinaestrada.com

Si Scott StudioBioSi Scott is a Graphic Illustrator based in the UK. His work has been described as “flowing designs combining a clever mix of intuitive rush and calculated precision, where minimalism meets complexity in a timeless, yet contemporary fashion.”

His clients include; Amnesty International, Bjork, Hype For Type, Mos Def, Lupe Fiasco, Talib Kweli and Unicef to name a few.

Scott’s style is very different to the previous Illustrators I have mentioned in that his work is very simple yet complex at the same time. For example he mainly uses only black and white colours and one medium which is ususally fineliner.

ALL IMAGES FROM: http://siscottstudio.com

Experiments

To create this first piece I referred to Inkquisitive and Si Scott Studio for inspiration. I have taken Inkquisitives hand drawn, bright and fun style and combined it with soft free-flowing lines of Scott’s work, to create this experimental piece.

I do not think this piece is as successful as it could have been as I did rush it. However, I can now see what this technique looks like and how it works as a piece. I think with more time it could be very interesting and will continue to experiment with this style.

The second piece I created in the style of Estrada. I have taken her use of vector shapes to create my own version of her work, as a response.

I have actually looked into Estrada previously and so was familiar with her work. I am really attracted to her work as it is extremely feminine and cheerful. Overall I believe this piece is quite successful for an experimental piece, if I were to go back to this I would spend more time adding more distinct shapes in the background so it could be associated with Estrada’s work.

Heng Chun LiowBioLiow is a Graphic Design Student based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

This project pictured opposite was a challenge to produce a series of conceptual infographic posters which promote the stop smoking campaign.

Liow was praised on how he has represented the consequences of smoking without using gruesome pictures to get the message across, and instead has simply stated facts with clear, obvious illustrations to accompany them. He has also created emphasis on how quitting is a personal choice which created a connection between the illustration and the viewer as it is their responsiblity to change.

ALL IMAGES FROM: http://bldgwlf.com/heng-chun-liow/

Artist research - Infographics

Jack HagleyBioHagley is a Graphic Designer based in London, specialising in Infographics and Data Visualisation.

Hagley’s style is very simple, like with most infographic design. This simplicity is what makes Infographics so successful and effective as it very clearly portrays a message without any distractions.

In my opinion I believe Hagley’s work is engaging as his style is very contemporary and so appeals to a broad audience. It is the use of bright, contrasting colours and sharp, clean lines which create this contemporary atmosphere.

SOURCE: http://www.jackhagley.com/

Pop Chart LabBioPatrick Mulligan and Ben Gibson both Co-Founded Pop Chart Lab, originally based in Brooklyn, New York, however the company now has retail locations all over the world.

Their main goal was “to render all of human experience in chart form” by turning all cultural data into meaningful art and information. Their works includes pieces called; “A taxonomy of hip-hop”, “Varieities of beer” and “A plotting of fiction genres” to name a few.

I believe it is their fun, humerous and relevent style which has made them so successful and appealing to viewers. Their clients include Urban Outfitters (Globally), The New York Times, BBC America, Buzzfeed and many others.

SOURCE: http://popchartlab.com

Experiments

Here I have created 2 experimental pieces in response to the infographic artists I have researched above.

The first experimental piece was in the style of Heng Chun Liow and represents the human population of each continent. I have tried to recreate his simple, minimalistic style by using few colours and clean lines, however overall I do not think this piece is at all aesthetically pleasing. The colour scheme and font create a very bland atmosphere and as a whole is quite boring and not engaging.

The second experimental piece I created in the style of Jack Hagley’s ‘Giff Gaff’ piece. I have used a similar colour scheme and have tried to recreate the old pixilated ‘video game’ style. I believe this piece was extremely successful for a first attempt at infographics as I have clearly stated facts in a simple and obvious way, with simple illustrations to accompany.

Overall I have found Infographics challenging, however I believe with more practice and research I will be able to creat more effective outcomes.

Concept 1

The Human RaceMy first concept idea is to explore the diversity within the human race; including ethnicities, languages, religions, cultures, civilisation and traditions.

The diversity within the whole human species is one I have always been intrigued by. I am interested in how we have evolved over time and become so separated by culture and ideology, sometimes forgetting that we are all just humans with a limited time on our planet.

From the start I decided I would like to focus mainly on a typographic style as it isn’t one of my strongest points and is something I would like to learn more about it and gain more experience in this area.

https://uk.pinterest.com/jumanahn/ea-concept-ideas/

Concept 2

The Ancient WorldFor this concept I would like to explore ‘the ancient world’. I chose this as I thought this topic would be something which we would like to share with any extra-terrestrial beings as it has been an important factor throughout our evolution and history, and it is what has built our structured and civilised society.

The Ancient World has influenced our understanding of society and our education hugely. For example the ancient hieroglyphs were the first example of iconography and our English language used today rooted from the ancient Greeks.

My main focus for this brief is communication.

https://uk.pinterest.com/jumanahn/ea-concept-2/

Concept 3

Unusual Beauty & Body ModificationAs the Voyager Record’s main purpose was to explain and show our Earth to any extra-terrestrial beings I decided to explore things which haven’t necessarily been represented within the record; For example body modification and beautiful natural wonders.

These are all very unique to us as a society on Earth and should be represented just as much as other topics such as chemical elements.

This topic of Unusual Beauty is very important to communicate, it portrays how diverse our world and ecosystem are and how we are all individuals. This could be very different to how other beings live on their planets. For example; could there be alien dictatorships?

Overall I believe this concept will be the most interesting as the things pictured for example are not usually talked about or seen in mainstream media and so continue to go unknown.

Primary Imagery Typography

The Human Race

The Ancient World

Unusual Beauty

ExperimentsHere I have used the concept specific primary imagery that I had collected to create the experimental pieces opposite.

I have created one experimental piece for each concept including one based around typography which is the path I initially wanted to go down, however I have since decided to go down the photographic route as I believe it would work best for my chosen theme which is Unusual Beauty and Body Modification. I will explore this later through my more theme specific experimental pieces.

I was limited to creating only one experimental per concept due to time restrictions as otherwise I would have preferred to create more for each concept in order to fully explore the possible outcomes.

I will now create more experimental pieces but more based on my chosen concept which is Unusual Beauty. This will lead to my final outcome.

Typography

I have created this piece purely to explore what I could do with typography and what techniques I could use.

Here I have used a collage process to create this piece. I have also gone back to my tablet to add the illustrations on top as I thought this worked well in my City In Flux project.

I found that overall this piece is not a great piece however in terms of aesthetic experimentation it has allowed me to see what processes/material I could use and how these would work together.

I will continue to experiment for each concept and will then focus more on my chosen final concept.

The Human Race

To create this piece I began by using my primary source imagery. I placed this in Photoshop and adjusted the levels so I had a nice, clean base to start with.

I then used my tablet to add these illustrations on top as I had done for the previous experiment. I decided to use this again as I wanted to see how I could use the same materials in different ways.

Overall I am satisfied with this experiment however as stated previously I would have liked to experiment more with different materials and processes which was not possible due to running out of time.

The Ancient World

To create this piece I used a technique which I had learned in John’s Thursday session.

I began by referring back to my secondary images, I then took certain shapes from the images and used them to create letterforms.

I really enjoyed this technique as it was like I was recreating the original Golden Record but through typography.

I will continue this style throughout my experimental stage.

Concept 4

Old & New: Politics/SocialHere I will explore the political change in Britain throughout the 20th and 21st century, including the Thatcher Era and the creation of the Welfare State and multiculturalism.

The 1900’s began with the creation of the labour party. 1910 saw the Labour Party support the Liberals after a close General Election vote and was also the year King Edward VII died. Later in 1979 Thatcher became prime minister which brought a revolution for women with Thatcherism. The 1900’s ended with Tony Blair becoming Prime Minister in 1997 and in 1999 the Scottish parliament opened.

Other more social differences, include the growing immigration in to the UK from the Caribbean and other British Colonies, creating a more multi-cultural society.

At the beginning of the 21st century, in 2001 George W Bush launched the war on terror which was aided by Britain. 2007 saw the first ever election victory for the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) in the Scottish Parliament elections. The 21st century also entailed; the 2008 economic crisis and most recently the 2010 coalition government.

The encouragement of a more multicultural society in the 20th century was short lived as immigration become a problem for the welfare state for things such as housing, the NHS and unemployment.

SOURCE:http://www.thecommentator.com/system/articles/inner_pictures/000/004/972/original/margaret-thatcher-has-died.jpg?1400933027

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2013/4/22/1366628999188/WHITECHAPEL-HIGH-STREET-L-008.jpg

http://dryerreport.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/bb-war-on-terror.jpg

http://www.economicshelp.org/wp-content/uploads/blog-uploads/2012/10/uk-econ-growth-1980-2012-1024x703.png

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02393/border_2393232b.jpg

Concept 5

People’s Memories Of Time On EarthFor this concept I will explore people’s personal experiences and memories from their time on Earth. I will try to collect primary as well as secondary data of personal items for example keepsakes such as train tickets from important events, wristbands, photographs or items of clothing.

I will also ask people about their experiences to see how different ages/races have different experiences.

I believe this concept could be very successful as it represents our current society and is also extremely personal and subjective which causes it to stand out against the other generic concepts explored previously such as the ancient world.

SOURCE: Primary Images

Final Outcome Concept & Presentation IdeasHere I have chosen my final concept idea which is “The History of Unusual Beauty and Body Modification” and have tried to explore various ways I could present my final outcome.

After my last project I found that I enjoyed working off screen on a 3D piece and decided to continue to explore this possibility for my final outcome for this brief. However after using Pinterest to research further possible outcome ideas, I became drawn to the idea of creating a magazine. I believe this could work well with my concept idea of ‘Unusual Beauty’ as I believe it would be more aesthetically pleasing than just creating a series of posters.

I have now decided to continue with the magazine/publication idea for my final outcome.

https://uk.pinterest.com/jumanahn/ea-presentation-ideas/

PosterA poster was my initial starting point for an outcome idea as it is the most basic way of presenting a design.

It was because of this simplicity that I wasn’t really drawn to it or excited by it, however it did allow me see how I could potentially make it more intriguing. For example using negative space as seen opposite, or using mixed media techniques.

3-D InstallationAfter the City In Flux Project I really enjoyed creating the acrylic pieces.

I have since decided to continue to look into and explore other possible 3D installation ideas.

For example pictured opposite is a string art piece which I am extrememly drawn to. I think this would work perfectily for a typographic piece, similar to Sagmeister’s work.

MagazineI really like the idea of creating a magazine as I believe it would be perfect for presenting my concept as it could almost be like a shopping catalogue in which it shows the variety of beings on Earth.

Also I have never created a magazine and would like to gain experience in creating one. This could be a challenge as I would have to understand how the pages work for example and binding techniques.

Typography Using The Golden Record Images

Concept 6 Final Outcome Concept

After thinking about the concept of ‘Body Modification’ and creating experiments for each concept, I have since decided to change this and go with the concept of creating typography using the images that were on The Golden Record.

I have chosen to do this as I found that after the Thursday workshop with John, I really enjoyed creating hand drawn typography. John also pointed out that my loose, free hand style was very interesting and I wanted to explore this in more detail. Furthermore I had been struggling with finding ideas for my designs for the ‘Body Modification’ concept however as soon as I decided I wanted to do more hand drawn typography the idea of using the Golden Record images to create this came almost instantly as I thought back to the Thursday session.

I believe this concept will work excellently with my final outcome idea of creating a magazine as I could create a variety of typographic pieces for each page and depending on time restrictions I could create a piece using all 116 images from the record.

Opposite are a sample collection of the images on the Golden Record. I have also used these for my experimental pieces.

ALL IMAGES FROM SOURCE: http://webodysseum.com/art/116-images-of-the-voyager-golden-record/

Expe

rimen

ts

Fina

l Out

com

e Id

eas

Here I have experimented with layout ideas for my final outcome. I first looked at presenting my work as a traditional A4 size double page magazine. I believe this has worked extremely well due to the different composition of the images, for example, spreading one image over 2 pages.

For the second layout experiment I have just adjusted the sized to create a square shaped magazine. I have changed the proportions to 210mmx210mm.

The final experiment is a square conertina style book. For this the size was 1500mmx150mm in total, meaning each square was 150mmx150mm.

I have decided I would like to continue with the concertina style idea, I will also create more designs to expand the booklet and also create hardcovers for the front and back, as pictured below.

SOURCE: pinterest.com

Here is my final outcome. I have used my typographic designs to create this concertina style booklet.

I believe this was extremely successful and I am very pleased with the overall outcome. I think the constant typographic style and use of iconography brought the piece together as a whole.

In the end I really did enjoy this project however I will admit I did struggle a lot at the start which led to me having to rush the experimental stage a lot as I had wasted a lot of time during the research phase. Initially I struggled a lot with coming up with ideas and concepts, however after further research and by talking to my tutors I was able to overcome this and progress.

My next obstacle was finding a format to present my outcome. It was after extensive research and experimentation that I finally decided on a concertina style book. I think this has worked well as it clearly shows off my designs in a fun, tactile and interactive way that is engaging.

Overall I am extremely pleased with the way my outcome has turned out however if I were to do this again I would plan more carefully, start creating sooner and make sure I know what I am doing throughout each stage so I am on track and don’t have to rush at the end.

Final Outcome