OUGD505 - Studio Brief 01 - Further Ideas Development

In developing design ideas, various compositions and imagery were used. In doing so, it was thought back to the original packaging of the hubba bubba bubble tape. These came in various flavours with different coloured packaging to match the flavour. It was therefore thought that three sets of stickers could be produced to act as three different 'flavours' of vaporwave, using three of the common vaporwave themes for these. It has been decided that pink, blue and purple packaging will be used since these were found to match the associated vaporwave colour schemes the most.

In thinking about how each 'flavour' would be visualised, a series of mood boards were produced based on some of the common themes in vaporwave. The chosen themes in this instance were neo-classicism/ surrealism, obsolete technology/ design, and Japanese/ Asian imagery and/or skylines and summer scenery. These were chosen because they were thought to be some of the most well-known themes within the vaporwave aesthetic, as well as the imagery working well together to match the different colours and flavours.

Further design sketches were produced to continue to help in visualising this idea. It was decided to take similar ideas from initial sketches, for instance in showing the Greco-Roman bust blowing bubbles of gum and playing around with the composition of the Microsoft windows 98 logo. In order to keep the designs consistent in some way, it was thought that the Japanese characters for 'bubblegum' should be incorporated into all three designs in the same place. Not only would this produce some consistency to act as a set, this would also help put the designs into context better. However, this could also be produced in placing imagery of bubbles or bubblegum into the designs in some ways, although this would need to be carefully considered as this does not necessarily fit into the themes of each 'flavour' design.

OUGD505 - Studio Brief 01 - Digital Experimentation

Based on initial ideas sketches, it was decided to do some experimentation with reproducing these digitally, particularly focusing on the neo-classical ideas using the Greco-Roman head bust. In producing these, inspiration was taken from the Floral Shoppe, Macintosh Plus cover art.

Each design was also paired with the Japanese characters for 'bubblegum' in order to link the designs to both the context in which the stickers will be used, and to the theme of Orientalism and Japanese/ Asian culture which vaporwave is commonly associated with in terms of consumerism.

A black and pink checked background was used within these to produce an interesting background for the imagery to sit. It was thought that the pink used in this colour scheme would work well with the original pink bubblegum packaging. In some designs, the Greco-Roman bust is also shown to be blowing bubbles of gum, something else which was experimented with in order to show context, as well as enhancing the themes of surrealism in its use since statues are static objects which are not typically meant to be blowing bubbles.

These designs were situated within a green border in order to produce a framework for the main designs, as well as linking back to the original hubba bubba tape packaging which includes a circular frame around the stickers to help highlight information within them.

OUGD505 - Studio Brief 01 - Ideas Development

Based on research into the vaporwave aesthetic and the most commonly used imagery, I began to sketch out design ideas in the form of circles in order to match the stickers on the hubba bubba bubble tape packaging (a reflection on ideas of nostalgia). In doing so it was thought this would give me a better idea of composition and how imagery would fit within the shape.

In starting, it was decided to focus on the Greco-Roman bust and Doric columns which is one of the recurring themes within vaporwave to represent ideas of neo-classicism and surrealism (unreality). This has been drawn out in various compositions to represent such themes of surrealism within vaporwave. Some statues are shown blowing bubbles of gum in order to highlight the context in which they are being used, as well as to represent the more pastel colour theme of vaporwave, which includes pastel pink and relates to the whole bubblegum aesthetic.

Some designs have also been paired with elements of type to further highlight the context in which imagery is being used. The word 'bubblegum' has been translated into Katakana in some designs. Since there is no Japanese word for 'bubblegum' this has been spelt out alphabetically which they use to read some foreign words, so the characters literally mean 'ba-bu-ru-ga-mu'.

It was decided to experiment with this use of Japanese characters to further link the designs to the common vaporwave aesthetic, which makes use of Japanese and Asian imagery, including type to present 'the sin of Orientalism', ideas of escapism and the Japanese consumer culture.

In looking at the original bubble tape packaging, it was found the design is mainly typographic, with only a few small elements of imagery. Based on this, it was decided to experiment with drawing out the Japanese characters in a similar style using bold, rounded letterforms to represent that of a bubble. This was composed in various ways to try and fit the circular shape, and in some cases was also paired with the Japanese characters for the word 'vaporwave'.

Another focus of initial ideas development was outdated technology, in particular looking at windows software and large PC's, which are used within the vaporwave aesthetic to show how these pieces of technology and design were once state-of-the-art but now seem out of place. In sketching out potential designs, the main piece of imagery which I decided to experiment with was the windows 98 logo in various compositions since this was the software which brought Microsoft to become more popular. Some designs show this logo paired with the Japanese for 'vaporwave' to continue to incorporate elements of the Japanese and Asian culture into these.

These designs were also placed into circular forms which could go onto bubblegum packaging, however, potentially these should incorporate bubbles in a similar way to the Greco-Roman statue designs in order to make their context clearer and provide a link between the designs and the product. Therefore, potentially these designs would work better in a square format to be used as the sticker label on a set of floppy disks, since the context would make more sense, whilst still presenting a reflection on ideas of nostalgia.

OUGD505 - Studio Brief 01 - Further Ideas

Produce a set of stickers to go on product packaging:

- round stickers to go on bubblegum tape packaging (for instance, hubba bubba bubble tape).

- square stickers to go on floppy disks (labels, etc).

Use the recurring theme of nostalgia in vaporwave as the basis of these ideas (sticker designs) and the objects being used:

- encourage viewers to regress to their childhood days and escape from a less idyllic reality - think about the 90's in terms of products and design.

- pair this idea with the concepts of neo-classicism and surrealism also used in vaporwave - use various objects together to provide a similar juxtaposition which makes it difficult for the viewer to situate the scene in any particular context, and therefore depicts vaporwave as a successor to surrealism.

Other potential nostalgic objects to be used:

• floppy disk
• bubblegum
• windows 95 logo and software
• heavy PCs
• cassette tapes
• video tapes
• tamagotchi
• gameboy colour

Could also potentially use ideas based on research into the most common imagery used in vaporwave aesthetics and album cover art to act as different flavours or different variants of games, videos, etc. - a different sticker design for each.

OUGD505 - Studio Brief 01 - Vaporwave Aesthetics: Colour

The colour palette for vaporwave art tends to fall between two categories. One of these categories makes use of bright and pastel colours, such as pink, blue, green and turquoise. These are often paired with scenes of summer and palm-lined beaches by the ocean.

The second category makes use of more darker colours, often highlighted with lines of slightly neon colours, such as pink, green and purple. These are often paired with scenes of cityscapes at night, using the neon elements to provide a break of vibrant colour through the darkness.

Another aesthetic which links to the idea of colour is the theme of obsolete technology. One of the most common pieces of imagery within this theme is the Windows 98 logo and it's technology, such as the old 'paint' application. Often these are pictured holding various forms of pixel art.

OUGD505 - Studio Brief 01 - Uncertainmedia

As part of my research into the micro-genre of vaporwave, it was decided to use Tom Joyes' website http://uncertainmedia.com/ as a search engine to see what this specially made website picks out to define the music. Much of the imagery shows the typical characteristics of the vaporwave aesthetic in its depictions of neo-classical objects, skylines, and video games.

The website works like a search engine, bringing up eight different results based on the searched keyword. This media mainly consists of videos and moving imagery, with all eight videos being played at once before being able to mute them individually. This concept in itself could potentially represent the ideas of vaporwave in that living in the digital age means we are often presented with an overload of information, with too many voices and messages to be absorbed at once.

Muting the videos brings a layer of black stripes over the muted videos. It was thought that this gave the previews a hazy effect which slightly distorts the imagery underneath, which could also represent the ideas vaporwave presents in distorting reality and clouding the large amounts of information coming at us at once.

When searching for vaporwave music, a lot of the same imagery appeared, such as the Greco-Roman statue head and retro video games. Such imagery has been found present in vaporwave album cover art.

When searching for vaporwave type, imagery shows a theme of Japanese and Asian typography and symbols, which are often used against hypnagogic backgrounds. It has been argued that vaporwave's focus on various cultures reveals it to be a global aesthetics, something which has been developed by artists all over the world who connect through these more digital means of production and communication to share their ideas. The large use of Japanese typography and iconography is also said to reflect the aesthetics of utopian-like cities and the Japanese consumer culture and their economic transformation in the mid-90's.

OUGD505 - Studio Brief 01 - Vaporwave Aesthetics: Imagery

The micro-genre of music, vaporwave, is not only unique due to it's sounds, but the music is unusually inextricable from the cover art and imagery that accompanies it. The genre depends heavily on visuals in order to maintain its individuality as a musical form. These visuals draw upon a variety of different themes, offering a window into the music's central ideas and concerns, helping to substantiate everything from the genre's critique of consumerism to its notion that society has locked itself in a nostalgia, media-generated bubble.

Most popular visual motifs:

The Mall
- depiction of modern indoor shopping centres, often shown as perfect spaces with marble surfaces and white staircases that seem to rise forever.
- used to evoke the sense that consumer society can give the individual everything they want or need, without setting any limits on their desires.
- virtual plazas, often computer-generated also suggest that this sense of limitlessness is a fantasy.

Video Games
- always depict vintage gaming systems, such as Game Boy and Sega Saturn, suggesting it is not the computer games they are interested in but the ideas of nostalgia they bring.
- themes of unreality, encourage listeners to regress to their childhood days and escape from a less idyllic reality.

Japanese and Asian Imagery
- ideas if escapism.
- the genre tends to depict Asian people (mostly women) against abstracted and hypnagogic (relating to the state immediately before falling asleep) backgrounds and replacing their humanity with an image or dream.
- the sin of Orientalism, Edward Said - transforming reality and people into an artificial, illusory construct.

Neo-Classicism/ Surrealism
- in particular, imagery of Roman statues and Doric columns.
- used often in conjunction with a series of other random objects to provide a juxtaposition which makes it difficult for the viewer to situate the scene in any particular context and therefore depicts vaporwave as a successor to surrealism.
- representative of a life spent largely online.

Hazy Skylines
- fogging up urban environments so that they are only dimly recognisable, another feature said to portray ideas of unreality.
- represents the notion of information overload in the digital age, something which can cloud our perceptions of the world by bombarding us with too many voices and messages to be absorbed.
- ambiguous and vague.

The Living Space
- virtual, simulated natures of 21st Century existence.
- sterile furniture and glossy TV screens make them appear less as places as where we can grow according to our own natures, and more like sites where mass media can reach and condition us without any interference from outside.

Obsolescent Technology and Design
- depictions of outmoded tech and outdated graphic design is largely a comment on the 21st Century's pretensions of being unparalleled in its technological sophistication.
- remind us that these inventions were once state-of-the-art, provoking the realisation that the tech we now accept as cutting edge will one day also seem distinctly unnatural and out of place.

90's Television
- characteristics which present hints of nostalgia.
- simpsonwave, etc.

Summer and Sea
- no immediate obvious relation to consumerism, mass media or virtual reality.
- instead these themes present another idea of escape from the reality of modern existence.

OUGD505 - Tom Joyes Workshop

The workshop designed and ran by Tom Joyes focused on potential political, ethical and economic issues which aimed to help us with studio briefs within our design practice module. However, the workshop was focused particularly on fictional realities. Each group got given a combination of three words, which we then had to research and produce a definition for this new word and then create a piece of work which helped to define this word, something which would exist in or relate to a potential alternative reality.

Guerrilla Internal Budget

Possible References:

• The Sprawl - Metahaven
• Brass Eye
• Black Mirror
• Alan Warburton - animator

Based on initial brainstorming of ideas and research into the three words we were given, it was decided to produce a video showing a new piece of software that could be available in an alternative reality whereby people can choose to pay a certain amount of money to be given a totally new identity if they have been involved in criminal activity for instance (based on the various definitions of the word 'guerrilla').

OUGD503 - End of Module Evaluation

One of the main things this module has taught me was the importance of time management. The fast pace of the module meant that time had to be balanced appropriately between various different briefs, as well as different modules altogether. This has been a steep learning curve in figuring out ways I can manage and organise my time better, which will be of much help when working professionally, whereby I will most likely be working on more than one brief at any given time. On reflection, additional briefs could have potentially been completed within the given time, however instead I decided to spend my time working on fewer briefs but to a higher standard, which allowed me to continue pushing designs to breaking point.

In taking part in the Panmacmillan award for children's illustration, this provided me with the experience to work in collaboration with someone else. This proved to be an engaging process since there were ideas constantly being discussed as to how the outcomes could be pushed even further and providing a constant form of ongoing criticism and feedback which worked well in this instance. In producing work for this brief, the process was so enjoyable that we went above what the brief asked of us, printing a fully developed book to a fairly professional standard at the end of this process. 

Designing for the brief presented by Whitecoate Primary school which asked of six banner designs to be hung in the entrance hall of their school allowed me to develop skills in working at much larger formats than I am used to. This process had a very big focus on working towards producing something for a really specific audience which allowed me to develop further skills in problem solving, such as working with strict requirements.

The Penguin Student Design award allowed me to take on a similar process in that restrictions had to be worked with. The design for this was embedded within much research into the themes of the book, the author as well as what has been presented before in previous cover designs which all informed the development of my final outcomes. It is felt that research throughout the module has helped significantly in all my briefs to ensure ideas are conveyed both effectively and appropriately.

The Ohh Deer, Pitch a Papergang brief allowed me to work with packaging design, something which I have not done before. This showed the importance of designing for the appropriate formats and if I had the extra time, although the brief did not require it, I would have liked to have printed something physical to show how this would potentially work in real life. This is something I will definitely experiment with in future briefs.

OUGD503 - Pitch A Papergang - Evaluation

In considering the effectiveness of these final product designs, the ways in which research has helped to inform ideas and design decisions can be seen as a strong point since these play on what I see as being appealing to the specified audience. This can be seen through the use of witty and playful type considerations, which works well in use with the relevant imagery.

One potential improvement which could be considered, however, is the deskpad design which uses the same pattern as that of the box but with modified colours and the addition of typographic elements. The brief states to try and not plaster the same artwork across all products, and although most of these are different, it would be nice to see the deskpad more varied too in order to produce a much wider variety of product designs.

Despite this, all product designs work well as a cohesive whole, clearing presenting a consistent theme throughout which also links the designs to the specified themes of the month in which the products would be released.

Another strength of these final designs was in terms of their simplicity. Firstly, the designs work well in producing something more minimalistic whereby no elements of the design are compromised by an overcrouded design. It was suggested that the minimalistic approach taken in this case shows much cohesiveness is required in producing something so minimalistic. When designing things in this way, it takes much more consideration into how each element is being designed since any flaws would become more exposed, particularly at larger scales.

In terms of submitting to the competition, this was done digitally via instagram, therefore it was especially important that the designs worked effectively on screen as well as printed materials in order to make sure the designs stand out amongst the other entries. In doing this, it was found that my more minimalistic approach to the final product designs meant that it can seem slightly overpowered amongst other bolder designs. However, this decision was made based on research into previous papergang box designs and was therefore well considered in terms of what the company look for in such designs, as well as in terms of concept and it's appropriateness for the audience.

OUGD503 - Pitch A Papergang - Final Submission

OUGD503 - Pitch A Papergang - Final Designs

The final design for this competition brief uses ideas based on research into how the company Ohh Deer brand themselves and their Papergang subscription service. The brand is described as 'quirky, illustrated gifts for illustrated people' and so takes on more handmade aesthetics to communicate this.

The main choice of imagery uses objects which would typically be associated with the idea of Halloween, such as ghosts, pumpkins and bats in order to convey a seasonal theme appropriate to the month the box would be released in. This imagery was produced initially using handdrawn illustrations which were then digitally modified using illustrator to give the objects a more ‘graphical’ look about them which makes them stand out against the background colours more.

The first product which was designed for was the box itself. Taking inspiration from research into previously designed boxes, it was decided to take a more minimalistic approach using a bold, solid coloured background with smaller illustrations dotted around the surface in a more ‘care-free’ format to represent the quirkiness of the brand that is Ohh Deer. Through the use of object illustrations, the design aims to communicate the theme of October (particularly, Halloween) as a whole in contrast to the contents of the box which uses such imagery individually for different products. This aims to give the audience and consumer an idea of what they would expect to find on the inside of the box, linking all designs together in their aesthetics.

This same piece of artwork, however was also used in the production of the deskpad with only a small change being the colour of the background. This was modified to be a subtler colour which would was thought to work more appropriately for this kind of product, since consumers would be writing on the pad, allowing them to use any coloured pen and the information to not be compromised.

The design for this deskpad also makes use of small elements of type to split the pad into different sections. Based on research into existing deskpads sold on their site, all of these follow the same format in that it has sections for weekly planning, notes, doodles and to do lists. It was decided to stick with this format in order to present something which could sit well within a group of these on their website and gives the design an element which consumers and the brand itself would already be familiar with.

The type used for this and throughout other product designs within this entry continue to play on the halloween theme, with the thin strokes and pointed ends conveying a harsher tone.
This typeface was also chosen in relation to it’s other quirky aesthetics in that not all letterforms are uniformed and vary in stroke width. Although digitial, this gives the typeface a more handwritten design which has apparent links to the characterisics of the existing Ohh Deer logo.

The greetings card takes inspiration from research into illustrators who have already collaborated with the company. The design features a bat, paired with the chosen type, reading ‘Let’s get freaky’. This was done since it was found the brand look for products which seem slightly daring in nature, or present a humerous or rude use of slogans to match the imagery. In doing so, it was hoping this would therefore appeal to the more mature members of the audience, producing something which could also potentially be relatable.

Since research found that the brand have an attraction towards pattern, the wrapping paper made use of a tesselation of ghosts, something which could be seen as unique to this format.

The pin badge design uses a singular ghost image from this. It was considered that the pin badge would be something which people may wear everyday therefore it was thought this should be fun and quirky. The design for this takes another minimalistic approach, and was inspired by the humerous way in which some people dress as ghosts wrapped in white sheets which drape over their body in a way visualised within the pin. This links back to the fun and humerous elements of design the company are typically seem to appeal to the company.

((Image is only blurry because this is how the company designed the template))

The coaster design uses a play on imagery through using a witches cauldron or brew to represent the idea of a brew (of tea or coffee) which would be placed onto this mat. This was done to present something appropriate to the product whilst continuing to link all products to the same theme and give it’s design another element of fun.

A consistent colour scheme was used throughout these designs to clearly represent the products as one themed package. The use of paler pinks was chosen in order to make the illustrations pop from the backgrounds and make the products more fun and colourful in nature.

OUGD503 - Pitch A Papergang - Developed Type

Initially it was decided that the type should make use of handwritten methods and aesthetics, a typeface which could be considered unique and quirky in nature that has been designed specifically for use in this range of products, therefore creating a bespoke typeface. However, it was thought that in beginning to develop designs digitally, this use of handwritten type may seem inconsistent with the illustration style. The type was therefore modified and also developed using digital means, however choosing a typeface which still has some subtle resemblance to handwritten aesthetics and conveys the scary nature of Halloween through a contrast in line strokes.

OUGD503 - Pitch A Papergang - Digital Design Developments

In beginning to develop my initial sketches and ideas into digital designs, the composition of imagery was largely something which was experimented with. This can be seen in terms of developments for the greetings card design. Initially it was decided that type should be the main focus of this, using an appropriate typeface which can be considered quirky in it's own right and did not need anything else surrounding it. However, it was decided that this looked too minimalistic and was not engaging enough as a piece of design. For this reason, illustrations were used in addition to the type.

Based on research into existing products from the company, a use of slogans was presented, specifically for greetings cards. It was decided to make use of this in my own design developments in order to give it a humorous touch and represent the quirky nature of the brand and in not being afraid to be a bit daring in terms of the design of products. A play-on-words was therefore used linking the slogan to the Halloween theme of the products, as well as something more crude.

In starting to produce illustrations which represented the theme of Halloween, it was important that each of these held a similar illustrative style. Such images were therefore all produced using thick, black borders and block elements of colour appropriate to the objects. This was decided purposefully in order to give the illustrations a more pop-art feel about them and to ultimately make them stand out amongst the backgrounds and amongst other competition elements. The bold nature of these illustrations also conveys the idea of Halloween as being a time of things to jump out at you, therefore the aesthetics try to replicate this.

Initial research found that the company had an attraction towards nice surface pattern design, therefore these smaller elements of imagery were further developed into different compositions to produce patterns which could be made appropriate to products such as wrapping paper. These designs were also replicated using coloured backgrounds to see the effects these produce.

Pumpkins were another element which was considered to be representative of the theme of Halloween. An object which can help to convey the 'fun' elements within these design developments since these are typically carved into wacky designs. The same approach has been taken with these as with the ghost illustrations above, composing the different varieties of pumpkin into various patterns.

Continuing the journey through design development, each product was carefully considered as to how these illustrations and designs would be appropriate for use as each thing. In designing coaster designs, it was initially thought about what comes to mind when you think about a drink. One idea was to link the idea of a brew to a witches brew. This was communicated through the development of different cauldron designs which could then potentially be composed with other elements such as pumpkins or the additional development of witch characters.

More surface pattern designs used to convey the theme of Halloween as a whole, making use of various different elements together. These design developments could potentially be used as the artwork for the box itself since it rounds up the stuff you would expect to see within, and links the design of the box to these products.