OUGD405 - DR. ME

DR. ME is a creative studio based in Manchester and The French Riviera, and is made up of two graphic designers/creatives, Ryan Doyle and Mark Edwards.
Their talk was insightful into the way in which they work, including their design processes, as well as some of their influences for much of their work.

Influences include Neasdon Control Centre and Mike Perry, with whom they worked with for 2 months as students.

One of their first projects together was to produce a record sleeve for Dutch Uncles, an English pop band and their album Cadenza. The design for this album consisted of a hand-cut, contemporary collage, and this fed into most of their future projects. Not only did this project develop their own unique style of work, but it also inspired them to create more visuals for music, taking opportunity from local venues and musical friends. DR. ME suggest this for many new graphic designers, as it gives you freedom to experiment and helps to start getting your name out in the industry, even if it only starts off small and locally.

365 Days of Collage
This was a project that came about from their love of found imagery. They wanted to produce a piece of collage every day for a year, which could be affordable pieces of artwork. The size and price of these collages were dictated by the least you could pay for a large envelope.
As a follow-up to this, they produced a book titled 'Cut That Out', which is all based around contemporary collage within graphic design - their own work, as well as the work of other designers who use a similar style.

The main pieces of advice I gained from this talk was to:

1. embrace collaboration
   - different people can offer different skills and knowledge.
2. make your own trends
   - do not follow trends, make your own and be yourself, everyone has a unique sense of style, work with your own imagery.
3. do not be afraid to ask
   - send out mail, let people know how you are and what you can offer, give them constant reminders.

OUGD404 - Studio Brief 01 - The Use of Colour in Graphic Design

The use of colour within Graphic Design is a very subjective matter, as it's uses and meanings can be dependent on both social and cultural backgrounds, as well as personal preference. For example, in China, the colour red is symbolic of happiness and prosperity, whereas in South Africa the same colour is associated with the act of mourning.

Colour is said to be the most influential aspect of design, based on the functionality of our senses. For this reason, it is important within branding that the use of colour is well thought-out and effective to have an accurate representation of a specific brand. According to research, the use of colour can increase brand recognition by up to 80%, showing how colour influences our views of brand identity.

In Josef Albers' publication, 'The Interaction of Colour', it is suggested that when two colours use the same value they can be seen to 'vibrate'. This effect is produced because we see more value of a colour than its hue, which makes it uncomfortable for the eye to look at. This idea is also an important consideration within Graphic Design, especially typography. For type to be legible, there must be a sufficient tonal contrast between coloured type and a coloured background. Otherwise this vibration effect may be produced, making it hard to look at and read. Within colour theory, this effect is known as a simultaneous contrast and was identified by Swiss expressionist painter and designer, Johannes Itten. This contrast can be seen particularly when the colours red and green are used together. Other contrasts identified by Itten are: contrast of saturation, contrast of light and dark, contrast of extension, contrast of complements, simultaneous contrast, contrast of hue, contrast of primary hues and contrast of warm and cool, which act as ways to coordinate colours according to their hue and contrasting properties.

The contrast of saturation is produced through the juxtaposition of light and dark colour values and their relative saturation. The contrast of extension, also known as the contrast of proportion, is produced through the use of proportional field sizes in comparison to the visual 'weight' of a particular colour. Contrast of light and dark is also formed through juxtaposition, this time of a colours light and dark values. For example, a monochromatic composition. Similarly, the contrast of warm and cool is produced through the juxtaposition of hues that are considered both warm and cool. The contrast of compliments is formed when using opposites on a colour wheel, whilst the contrast of primary hue is formed when using primary hues. For example, red, blue and yellow. Lastly, the contrast of hue is produced when there is a large distance between hues on a colour wheel to create a larger contrast. Again, these contrasts can be greatly influential within graphic design and typography, as they can establish object recognition, enhance the meaning of your work, convey structure, establish identity and even help in the speed of visual communication and search. For example, in Massimo Vignelli's 1972 design for the New York Subway's wayfinding system, a different colour represented each line to aid with this idea of visual search. The same idea can be seen in the London Underground System and reiterates the importance of colour in representation, as it is commonly known that, for instance, the colour yellow represents the Circle Line.

In conclusion, colour can be considered as the most important aspect within all Graphic Design. It can be extremely effective when used correctly and appropriately, however when used with no thought behind, it can also have a disastrous effect and convey the opposite of that intended, ultimately producing a misrepresentation of your brand, for instance. But, as stated at the beginning, colour is subjective and as Josef Albers stated, "anyone who predicts the effect of colours proves that he has no experience with colour.

OUGD404 - Studio Brief 01 - CMYK vs. RGB

CMYK is a subtractive colour model used within colour printing as well as a term used to describe the printing process itself. CMYK refers to the four different inks used in this model of printing - cyan, magenta, yellow and black. The 'K' stands for 'key' in that the cyan, magenta and yellow printing plates are aligned with the black key plate, as well as the fact that black is the colour typically printed first. This colour model works by masking colours on a lighter background - ordinarily white - which is what makes the process subtractive in that the inks reduce brightness from the white.

The RGB colour model, on the other hand, is an addictive model of colour whereby red, green and blue light are added together in numerous ways to reproduce a wide range of colours. RGB refers to the initials of the three primary colours used in this model - red, blue and green. Its main purpose and function is for representing and displaying images within electronic systems, for example computers and televisions.

OUGD404 - Studio Brief 01 - Josef Albers' Use of Colour

Josef Albers was a German-American artist and educator, best known for his disciplined approach to composition. His series 'Homage to the Square' began in 1949 in which he explored chromatic interactions of colour enclosed within squares. Each painting in this series consists of three or four separate squares of solid colour settled within one another in various arrangements, with the squares slightly gravitating towards the bottom edge. Albers described works in this series as all having different climates, by which he meant different colour palettes. His choice of colours are aimed to cause interaction. In using a symmetrical order of squares, these separate and interact in various different ways.

Albers believed that in our visual perception, a colour is rarely ever seen as it physically is, which makes it the most relative medium used in art. Therefore it should be understood that one individual colour can evoke numerous meanings and suggestions. In his work, Albers showed how distinct colour effects can be created through the interaction of colour, for example by making two different colours look similar. This is known as 'The Relativity of Colour'. In this approach to colour, Albers disregarded the standard approach of theory and practice by putting emphasis on feeling the relationships between colour rather than just simply seeing the colour as it is. In doing so, he puts his practice before theory, suggesting a new way to study colour, not a new theory.
In addition to this, Albers showed that when two colours use the same value they can be seen to 'vibrate'. This effect is produced because we see more value of a colour than it's hue which is uncomfortable for the eye to look at.

OUGD404 - Studio Brief 01 - Examples of Klein Blue in Graphic Design

Fig 1. Addrn, designed by Appelle Moi Papa from France in 2016. This piece
of design is a recast of the identity and graphic carter of a planning agency.

Fig 2. Promotional poster for the Mer/Sea Collective, designed in 2014 by
Michael Mason from Canada. The project was called Fruits & Animals, and
the design aims to show the duality of the terms mer and sea by functioning
as an anigram.

Fig 3. Basement Theatre, designed by Studio Alexander from New Zealand in
2015. Basement Theatre is an independent, underground community theatre
based in Auckland, as a space to showcase new talents, voices and perspectives.

Fig 4. Bonus Stage no. 9 was designed by Jimbo
Barbu, Studio Jimbo, am independent graphic designer
and art director based in Paris.

Fig 5. Poster designed for the identity of HAY, a Danish
design brand, which embraces collaboration with
designers from all over the world. It was designed by
Andrea Eedes from Denmark in 2014, and aims to show
the concept of identity as well as using collaboration to
show how this can enhance design.

Fig 6. Renards Urbains is a poster for the
event, La Fourrure du Samedi and the
release of the website www.renardsurbains.fr.
Designed by Tom Segur.

OUGD404 - Studio Brief 01 - Klein Blue

International Klein Blue (IKB) is a deep blue hue mixed and produced by French artist, Yves Klein in 1960. Klein Blue comes from the matte, synthetic resin binder of the colour Ultramarine, known as polyvinyl acetate, in which the colour is suspended. This allows the pigment to maintain its original brightness and intensity of colour.

Klein assigned a specific role to the colour blue, which for him represented abstract elements of nature, such as the sky and the sea. Later on in his career, he extensively used this colour within his work, such as in his monochromatic works which used IKB as the central theme and thus the colour itself became the artwork. This included performance pieces that involved painting naked bodies and directing them to use their bodies as "a living paintbrush", which aimed to record the body's physical energy. Klein compared these paintings to an "open window to freedom" and suggested IKB as a way of revealing the immateriality of his own utopian vision of the world. There are almost 200 works in his monochrome series and were all numbered by his wide Rotraut Klein-Moquay from IKB 1 to IKB 194, which do not represent a chronological order.

Another source of inspiration for Klein came from Eastern religion. His works have said to reflect his own religion, being Catholicism, as a symbol for the Holy Ghost and of Virgin Mary's robes depicted in traditional renaissance paintings. For this reason, Klein has been compared to the likes of Joseph Beuys who was also influenced by elements of romanticism and mysticism.

Yves Klein, Anthropometries, 1960-61.

OUGD404 - Studio Brief 01 - Pantone

Pantone is a company founded by Lawrence Herbert and is best known for its Pantone Matching System (PMS), a colour reproduction system, which is used in a large number and variety of industries, such as printing and in the manufacture of coloured paint and fabrics. The system uses standardised colours which industries and manufacturers can refer to to help with the accurate identification of colour.

Pantone has 1,114 spot colours. Many of these colours cannot be reproduced using CMYK, but instead use 13 base pigments that are mixed in specific amounts. Despite this, Pantone also has a small subset of colours that are possible to produce using CMYK and a system which allows metallic and fluorescents to be produced too. These Pantone colours are distinguishable by its number and suffix. The number stands for the colour itself, whilst the suffix represents the media or stick type which will affect how the ink is formulated to produce a specific colour.

Pantone Colour of the Year 2017 - Greenery 15-0343, described as a
"refreshing and revitalizing shade, Greenery is symbolic of new beginnings".
Past colours of the year have included Rose Quartz and Serenity (2016),
Marsala (2015), Radiant Orchid (2014) and Emerald (2013).

Thoughts on Objectivity and Subjectivity in Graphic Design

Is design objective or subjective?

The debate between two influential designers Wim Crouwel and Jan Van Toorn is one of the most famous debates on objectivity and subjectivity in Graphic Design. The debate focuses on three main areas: the social and professional role of the designer, the value of grids and typographic tradition, and the function of the graphic designer when designing for museums and art galleries.
Crouwel favours an objective approach, representing the ideal of the designer as a 'selfless messenger', whilst Van Toorn favours a subjective approach to design and supports the notion of the designer as an interventionist, in favour of criticism and intervention.

The use of grids is a fundamental element in Crouwel's practice as a graphic designer. This makes use of an analytical approach, which is said to result in strong appeals to current opinions in social and cultural topics that can have powerful communicative effects. He believes that grids benefit from clarity and transparency of such information.
German graphic designer and typographer, Otl Aicher supports a similar objective approach to Crouwel in the use of grids. His work for the 1972 Munich Olympics uses a strict and precise structure in the form of a 45 degree grid which Aicher developed specifically for pictograms to represent these Olympic games. This helped to create an objective and universal language for every country taking part in the games.

On the other hand, Van Toorn rejects this use of grids, suggesting that this means "the country is inundated by waves of trademarks and house styles and everything looks the same". For this reason, he believed that the use of the grid does not serve any purpose in communication.

Designer, Paul Mijksenaar supports Van Toorn's idea of subjectivity in design. He believes that "airports in English speaking countries should only use English in their sign systems and never a second language as to not patronise the traveller who doesn't speak English". His view on multilingual signs is therefore not based on the functionality of the sign system itself, but his own subjective viewpoint.
Experimental Jetset agree with this view in that elements of a subjective nature that go beyond the idea of functionality should also be considered within design, such as aesthetics and conceptual elements.

However, Van Toorn does agree that grids can sometimes be highly effective in communication, but this should not be used as the only approach towards such design. Likewise, Experimental Jetset believe that "most sign systems have the appearance of an objective, functional construction, but under the surface can have many subjective motives".
Bruno Munari also suggests that when signs are used in fields, such as music and visual poetry, these can be more expressive of ourselves (subjectivity). Although, many signs must remain objective, such as road signs, in that we have been conditioned to know what they mean objectively and if not followed these can have serious consequences.

In conclusion, there are many arguments to suggest that Graphic Design can be both subjective and objective. In my opinion, Graphic Design is not either or, but a mixture of both objective and subjective elements. In this sense, I agree with Bruno Munari's approach to design, in suggesting that signs in specific fields can be considered as subjective. For example, tramp signs which can only be understood by those of that same group to warn or let others know of certain situations. However, signs such as road traffic signs must remain objective and universal, as the same signs are taught around the world and if these are disobeyed they could cause some serious accidents on the road. In the words of Van Toorn "grids can sometimes be highly effective for conveying a message, but you should not promote their use as the only way of design". Designers, such as David Carson disobeyed such rules of the grid, however as a result, produced some effective pieces of design. Although, this in itself could be debatable, as many have varying opinions about Carson's work.