Reflective Statement

The brief, “Movie You”, was to design a movie poster of a genre of your choice, a VIP ticket and a ticket wallet/holder. My chosen genre was crime/drama, which I found easier than other movie genres. During the process of designing my poster I have found a variety of different poster designs for my chosen movie genre which helped me provide a clear strategy, what I found with these posters, it displays primary characters portrayed as good or evil, they make them stand out more and minimal text.

I knew exactly what I wanted to do, the way I am positioned in the poster, how the text is laid out and the use of colour. I did this by sketching a few poster concepts, making sure it is suitable for my genre; I also chose a title for my movie which was hunted.

Hunted is about a highly trained hit man who decides to leave his dirty business and hide away, his own crime syndicate, the Los Zetas does not approve of this, One rule every gang is familiar with, once you leave you are put in a body bag Unfortunately this does not happen, instead of him getting smoked, it is repaid to his crime syndicate but that’s not all, he is also hunted by the secret service which leads to an all-out war between the three.  Being able to get help from some of his associates from the Los Zetas, trapped in a game of cat and mouse, the only way to endure is too keep running until you know your time is up.

For my movie title, I sketched a few concepts and added elements that related to my movie, elements such as broken glass, shattered effect, bullets, target and guns were merged together within the title. From the concepts that I have sketched I chose the ones that I liked and did it on illustrator. After looking at these concepts, I felt that the movie title is better off itself without the use of the elements even if I was to go serious it wouldn’t fit in with my poster and because my background will be white, it will look messy, since my movie is serious I just left it as a red colour and broken glass within it.

The main idea for my poster was to make it simple but effective but most of all, it is serious, and the main focus was to make myself standout out from the rest of the elements of a movie poster. Costume played an important part for this poster so I wanted to be creative and dressed in a way that shows the idea of a crime/drama movie. I had no difficulty photographing myself as I knew how I wanted to be positioned in front of the camera and the use of facial expression, from all the test shots that were taken I chose the best ones and created 4 concepts, experimenting how the elements are placed, after looking at these four concepts I made a finalised poster. I also tried to give meaning to my poster, the use of shattered glass to show that the character is broken loose, the smoke to symbolise relief, at some point where the character is in a situation where he is not being chased down.

For my wallet, it wasn’t hard for me to get ideas; with less research the wallet was designed to relate to the movie poster but most importantly the main character. The main character is smoking in the poster so I decided to make a smoking pack as a wallet; I also looked at a few interests that can relate to a character that is represented as a bad person such as pool, casinos, clubs etc. I had to design components of these interests as the images on the web was distorting. I finalised my wallet by combing these interests as a whole for my wallet. This also went with my ticket design which was easy; I looked at the idea of a money clip with the description on the strap around the money.

Overall when I look back at this project I happy with what I did for my poster, ticket and wallet but still could have done better if I had dedicated even more time, if I was to do this project again, I would definitely work on trying to put all the ideas from my head onto a journal because I had A LOT of ideas but just didn’t let it out. 

Logo Evolution

In my logo evolution report, I have chosen two logo’s that is considered successful and one, I deem unsuccessful.

My first logo that has been successful is the PlayStation Logo

PlayStation is one of the largest and most successful manufacturers of video game consoles and company in the world. PlayStation was established in Japan during 1994. During that year, Manabu Sakamoto who is the designer for PlayStation created many logos to the company.

As we look at the collection of these PlayStation logos, it is evident that they have experimented with different elements until it got to a point where it didn’t need to be transformed, but to be clarified and refined. The current logo for PlayStation is represented greatly as it includes the 4  colours of the brand that symbolize joy, passion and excellence, it also gives off that modern day appearance, the PlayStation logo features a custom typeface also designed by Sakamoto specifically for the company. They have also developed secondary logos for the different consoles (PS1. PS2, PS3 etc.)  But the final logo (pictured below) still remains the primary logo but has been slightly refined.

PlayStation has been so constant and have shown a level of consistency in the brand's identity which is really important to the community's link with the logo and the brand. When the community see the logo, without a doubt they will have no trouble what that logo represents.

My second logo that has been unsuccessful is the Sherwin Williams logo, I find this logo unsuccessful, not just the logo but how it is portrayed. From my personal view I feel that they used the wrong colour and their slogan. I don’t like how the red paint is spilt over the earth; it also represents the colour of blood which also represents violence. It’s like they want violence to occur in this world.

Also looking at their logo there is a lack of consistency, the first logo was introduced in 1906 and has had some evolution inside the same concept of the paint covering the world, just the colours being changed.

If companies were to change their logo, they should stick to making small changes but not too much because if they were to change it significantly it will not be the best idea  as it can confuse the consumer and take away from the brands overall identity.

When we compare the PlayStation logo and the Sherwin Williams Company it is evident to see which one is successful and unsuccessful, one company doing a lot of brainstorming and experimenting with different concepts leading up to a final while the other company sticks to the same image and idea and only changing the way it looks such as the colour.

PlayStation sticks to the same logo, still being successful because of the minimal changes they have done and still in use to this day while the Sherwin Williams Company still uses the same concept, just the change of colours and appearing to be messy portraying a bad image. 

Analyse and compare

Bob Peak revolutionised advertising in the film industry and is considered the “Father of the modern movie poster.”  

Bob Peak was a master draftsman with a brilliant sense of colour, texture, design and style that transformed 60’s print campaigns with bold colour schemes that still inspires and finds influence today. For movie advertising, he rendered wildly innovative illustrations from mere film still collages and head shots.

Bob Peak is represented in numerous permanent collections, including those of American Express, Playboy, Philip Morris, 20 Century Fox, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Sports Illustrated, Clint Eastwood, Sidney Poitier, and others.

Here are a few examples of his work.

When we examine the artwork of Bob Peak, some of his works include an expressive, abstract or clean appearance, collage, cartoon and comic art. Peak’s methods were as varied as his graphic approach, utilising, oil, acrylic, charcoal and mixtures of them. He chose colours, textures and design approaches that he felt appropriate for the subject.

There are similarities between Bob Peak and Frank Frazetta. Frank Frazetta is one of the world’s best known fantasy artists, inspiring generations with his remarkable paintings. His works cover many themes, from classic horror monsters to fantasy battles and heroes.

When we examine both Bob Peak and Frank Frazetta’s work, they have a few things in common, the image of the sun, the placement of the images and the use of different media. Both being in the same era I believe they shared the same idea, the difference is that Frank Frazetta’s work is more focused on an image of a person, not being expressive and abstract whereas Bob peaks work is more abstract and expressive with the use of different colours.

 With the posters that are being design today, it is possible that the designers who created the posters above were influenced by the works of bob peak and chose his type of style, not just that but looking at all the posters today, it seems as if they all have that bob peak style. Looking at the posters as a whole it successfully conveys the ideas to the viewer and also sticks to bob peaks film making art.

Wayfinding

For my way finding investigation I did it on the Auckland Museum. I got dropped off from new market train station and walked upon the first sign guiding me to the Auckland museum which then led me to the Grafton entrance.

Once I was in the Grafton entrance it was a 5 minute walk when I saw the third sign that also showed a map to get to different destinations. It wasn’t difficult getting to the museum because all I had to do was do a 10 min walk on domain drive until you see a big white building on a hill full of greenery.

Once you enter into the museum, the grand foyer would probably be the only place  that has a lot of signs, these signs that are being shown are all about policy, not pushing the front door as you walk in, bag checks and knowing what is allowed in the museum and not allowed and so on.

When you’re walking around the museum it’s not that hard trying to find what you’re looking for because there are only 3 levels in the building and each level has different groups, to get to those different groups, the stairs and the elevator are the only options you can use. 

Each level has its own map, from my point of view I think that signs don’t really play a big part at the museum, the signs are there…but it is the way each level looks and what is around it, you will know exactly what level you’re in. When you’re in the war gallery, you know for sure it’s the war gallery because once you enter the room you feel like you’re actually in it, hearing the sounds of gun shots, the dark and gritty feeling you get throughout the whole level.

Probably the only thing you need is the map on your hands and what group you want to see within all 3 levels. 

The use of graphic and text that is seen all the walls to showcase all groups is successfully portrayed, each group being different from each by having its own source of images containing history.

         

The gallery of nature, a place full of greenery, trees everywhere and hearing the sound of waterfalls and birds, feeling peaceful and relaxed. These are just two examples; each group gives off a different vibe when you enter.

Pacific lifeway’s which was on the ground floor was the only group that showed a different form of signs, instead of the sign being planted on a wall it shined onto the ground with the use of lighting from the ceiling. Each sign was placed in different areas within the level and showcased different cultural groups and their artefacts.

Reflecting on the way finding on the Auckland Museum,  from my point of view I don’t think they  have to change their designs because they have done a good job on utilising the elements for each level, being well structured and successfully conveying the theme that is being showcased.

Font Investigation

Verdana is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by Matthew Carter for Microsoft Corporation, with hand-hinting done by Tom Rickner, then at Monotype. Demand for such a typeface was recognized by Virginia Howlett of Microsoft’s typography group. The name “Verdana” is based on a mix of verdant (something green, as in the Seattle area and the Evergreen state, Washington), and Ana (the name of Howlett’s eldest daughter).

Bearing similarities to humanist sans-serif typefaces such as Frutiger, Verdana was designed to be readable at small sizes on a computer screen. The lack of serifs, large x-height (heights of lower-case letters, as scaled to the letter x being exactly equal to one), wide proportions, loose letter-spacing, large counters (spaces inside partially enclosed portions of letters or symbols such as c, s, or curved quotation marks), and emphasized distinctions between similarly-shaped characters are chosen to increase legibility.

The Verdana fonts exhibit characteristics derived from the pixel rather than the pen, the brush or the chisel. The relationship between straight, curved and diagonal strokes has been carefully developed to ensure that the pixel patterns at small sizes are pleasing, clear and legible.

Despite the quality of the Verdana font family at small sizes it is at higher resolutions that the fonts are best appreciated. Some of the subtleties of the letterforms, such as the slightly modulated stroke weight only become truly apparent at larger sizes. In the words of Tom Rickner, ‘My hope now is that these faces will be enjoyed beyond just the computer screen. Although the screen size bitmaps were the most crucial in the production of these fonts [their] uses should not be limited to on screen typography.

Characteristics of the typeface are:

Lower case

·         there is a square dot over the letter i

·         the lowercase j has a serif on top that protrudes left

·         the a is double-story

Upper case

·         the capital Q's tail is centred under the figure

·         the uppercase J has a serif on the top that protrudes left

·         There are two versions of uppercase R, one with a straight tail and one with a curved tail.

·         the uppercase I has serifs on the top and bottom

·          

Throughout the process of designing my posters, I decided to go with the ideas that were based on the font itself, which I came across during research, as this type is a thin bold styled and sharp cut at the end. I was asked to create a 27^th letter for Verdana; I did this by making it similar to the letter Z but doing it in a way that it is the final letter by having one line on the bottom having that sharp slanted look to show the viewer that it has come to an end. 

Reference:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verdana#Verdana_Pro

http://theukwebdesigncompany.com/articles/article.php?article=8

Symbolism

                                            

Under Armour is known as the of the best sports brands in the world and is also one of my favourites as well.  Under armour uses strong symbolism within the letters U and A, we can see the two letters resembling a crisscross which forms the companies initials “UA”. The Under Armour logo also features a custom typeface designed specifically for the company. Their two main colours which are white and black also have meaning to represent their brand, the black to symbolise courage, excellence and prestige while the white colour symbolises charm and elegance.

The F1 logo is one of the most iconic, creative and recognizable sports logo in history, there is strong symbolism within the logo with the use of negative space in the centre to form the “1”. Their main keywords for their logo would be speed and energy which can be seen with the red stripes to symbolise it

Lacoste is widely recognised as one of the best clothing brands in the world, the word Lacoste is taken from its co-founder Rene Lacoste, who is a legendary tennis player who joined with Andre Gillie, the owner of the largest French knitwear manufacturing firm at the time to form Lacoste. Lacoste’s famous crocodile logo originates from a true story. The brand’s history goes way back, when Rene Lacoste was nicknamed “Crocodile” by the American press, partly due to his infamous bet with the Captain of the French Davis Cup team. The Captain had promised to give Rene a beautiful crocodile skin suitcase if he wins a very important team match.

The Amazon logo must be one of the most known logos of the web, the arrow in the amazon logo represents the idea that Amazon store sells everything from A to Z which is also one of their main concepts that is also in the name of the business, not only that but the arrow also represents a smile suggesting the expereience one will have when shopping at their online store

This Adidas logo is the latest design that has been introduced, and it represents some of the finest equipment that Adidas sells. This logo is supposed to have a lot of meaning than other Adidas logos. The company wanted to keep the three stripes that they were known for, but also add something to give the logo some power.This new logo is supposed to resemble a mountain, like it is challenging the people who buy Adidas products to push themselves to their limits.

Reference:

http://mokokoma.co.za/a-lesson-from-the-story-behind-the-lacoste-logo/