OUGD505 - Studio Brief 01 - Floppy Disk Designs

Since my initial idea was to use the recurring theme of nostalgia in vaporwave to encourage viewers to regress to their childhood days and escape from a less idyllic reality, in thinking particularly about 90's products and design, it was thought that the bubblegum packaging may need something paired alongside it in order to enhance and communicate this message more clearly. Two other potential ideas which were brainstormed throughout that initial stage was to use floppy disks or some some form of imagery that would be representative of the early Microsoft Windows software. It was therefore decided to also produce a set of label stickers to go onto floppy disks. These would then be paired together with the bubblegum packaging in the end of year exhibition to provide a juxtaposition which makes it difficult for the viewer to situate the scene in any particular context, therefore depicting vaporwave as a successor to surrealism, whilst still communicating a sense of nostalgia amongst the audience.

The idea was to pair these floppy disks with label designs which show a connection between the object and design. It was therefore decided to focus on early Microsoft Windows software, in particular the paint software, something which was used for early design work. The standard user interface has been used as a frame and was set to a clipping mask to fit within the size and shape where the label would be on a typical floppy disk. Within this 'frame' an image depicting vaporwave has been designed, taking inspiration from my final bubblegum packaging sticker designs in order to link these two objects in a small sense.

The designs for each label have been kept relatively the same, with the only major change being that of the colour of the background and neon checked flooring. The background colours for each design has been pixelated slightly in a similar way to that of my final bubblegum stickers to produce a grainy effect similar to that of static on a TV or computer screen when no connection is found, which has been done to continue to link the designs with themes of technology found within vaporwave. In continuing such themes and connections between the object, design and context of vaporwave, an old clunky PC has been used as one of the main sources of imagery within the frame since this is a piece of technology which Microsoft Paint and floppy disks both would have operated on.

In depicting the neon checked floor, this is something which can be linked to video games as well as neon colours found within Japanese imagery, such as neon lights in the skyline. This has been used with two palm trees in the foreground overarching the PC to represent ideas of escapism which technology can sometimes offer us.

Two colour variations were mocked up onto a floppy disk in order to show how the designs would work with the object itself. The frame seems to work well within the predetermined shape, whilst the design also produces an obvious connection with the object it has been used with, since both Microsoft Paint and Floppy Disks were something which would be used on old clunky PCs and technology. As a result, these help in continuing to produce a sense of 90's nostalgia.