OUGD101 Alphabet Soup "Ross Allman" (Feedback)

On Monday, we got feedback from other people on the course about the Alphabet Soup project. My alphabet was supposed to represent Ross Allman and here is what Niall and Kirsty had to say...

Niall

Strengths

By actually manipulating the typeface, making counters a thin line and the type becomes blocky being bold and boisterous along with the colours chosen. Illustration for the mouths works really well.

Weaknesses

The colour is really strong, but because there is not a definite colour, it doesn't work when put together. Colour doesn't look angry, maybe all should be red for example.

Actions

Could try black and white - would still be bold and would look all suited and conformed

I agree with Nialls comments on my work and am going to look at the colours again over the next week or so and will definitely be trying out his idea of red and black.

Kirsty

Strengths

The final typeface portrays Ross' loud, boisterous personality in the way you have manipulated the counters as if the letters are expanding and the mouths are shouting.

Weaknesses

Limited research/development work, but not all is here. Doesn't capture his anger in the colour.

Actions

The colour of the final letters could have been brighter to show his personality more in your face. Could have researched more into photographing different expressions and then drawing from them, sound/frequency.

Again I agree with some of Kirstys comments, I didn't even think about photographing or using different expressions, I focussed more on the shout. I may develop this and give it a go... Also she picks up on a good point about limited research. I forgot all of my development stuff, I only had my sketchbook which included 2 pages worth of initial ideas, none of which I used!

OUGD101 Alphabet Soup "Compress" (Evaluation)

Jonny Finch evaluated my Compress piece, here is what he had to say...

What is being communicated and how?

The word being communicted is compress. This has been done filling the negative space around each letterform with crushed cans.

How well does this answer the brief?

The final piece answers the brief well as it communicates the word instantly. There could however have been slightly too much focus on the cans around the letterform rather than the actual style of letter.

How well has the idea been visually explored?

The idea has been well managed and methodically thought through with clear thoughts on layout and materials. I also like the subtle things like the placement of each letter at the bottom of the page like it has been crushed there.

What are the strengths of the resolution?

The main strength is the final resolution as it quickly communicates what it is meant to. In terms of a weakness I would like to have seen some more experimental early approaches in the research stage.

How could it be improved?

One way I feel it could be improved is by changing or tweaking the white letters as it is a little harsh against the colour of the cans.

General comments...

I really like the overall body of work and the final resolution does exactaly what it is meant to by communication the word compress quickly and effectively.

I agree with Jonnys comments overall and will try and work more on the development of my ideas and think about the final outcome in terms of finishing touches as I am not too happy with the quality of my final piece and should probably tested the print on other materials first.

OUGD101 Alphabet Soup "Ross Allman" (Crit)

The four words I chose to represent were loud, boisterous, leader and angry. I explored these through searching for imagery and felt that a shouting mouth would represent them all pretty well. I also used capitol and bold letterforms to help show the boisterous characteristics.

Arial Black was a typeface that Ross selected as one of his favourites. I decided to use this over the others he supplied me as I believed this could be easily manipulated, yet still be recognisable. It is quite a simple font and I think it was an appropriate choice as I could alter the anatomy of the letterforms effectively.

I went through some different ideas before settling on my thoughts of representing a "shouting" typeface through the development in my sketchbook. I originally started thinking about what Ross likes, however then realised that I wasn't answering the brief. I have combined a few different designs for my final idea, but tweaked them slightly so they work well together and as a typeface.

From the Crit I had on Friday, I have a few more things to develop/think about further before I present my final piece at the end of the week. The Crit was really helpful and pointing out strengths and weaknesses with my design. I am going to experiment with different colour mediums such as marker pens and acrylic paint. I am also going to experiment with clashing colours, to further portray the angry characteristic suggested by Ross. I am also going to think about my presentation techniques and the layout of the alphabet. I could possibly link the letters together or give them more personality with the way the are positioned on the page. I am also going to develop different ideas for the name badge, such as which paper and possibly alternative colours.