Process And Production - After Effects - Geometric Shape

For my first Adobe After Effects workshop after the break I was shown how to animate a geometric shape; so that each individual piece could move separately on its own. This was an experiment for me as I've never used After Effects before joining this course, so everything I do in these workshops is something new; in my own time I would like to spend more time in After Effects for my skills to progress. At the end of the workshop I had learnt how to use new tools and had a ten second video outcome that demonstrated these skills and tools.

Geometric Shape

Before moving in to After Effects, I started out in Illustrator which is where I created the shape; I looked at geometric shapes online to influence my own shape. I set the page up at 1920 x 1080 px, this is the size for a HD screen; this was important as these measurements would be used again when moving in to After Effects. To create the shape I used the pen tool to create each individual shape making sure that each shape was produced on separate layers. The reason for this was so that I could edit each element in After Effects. The shape is made of different tones of pink; this gives the shape depth whilst also making sure that you can distinguish between the different elements of the shape. Also I renamed the layers so that it would be easier when editing them in After Effects later.


When in After Effects I opened a new composition, set it to 1920 x 1080 px, the frame rate to 25 frames per second and then the duration to 10 seconds. I imported the illustrator file in to the project and then dragged it in to the composition where I could begin to edit the layers. The use of keyframes and transform options were key to the editing for the video whilst the timeline also proved to be helpful when editing the timing of each effect.

Here are some screenshots of editing the video in process and it shows how the program is set out. Keyframes are added by clicking the stopwatch button next the effect that was in use e.g position; you click the keyframe first and then move the time indicator along and select another keyframe which is where I moved the shape. Between the two keyframes the shape will move from the position it was at the first to then the new position in the second keyframe. Whilst using the the rotation effect from the transform menu I learnt about the 'pan behind anchor' tool which can change the point of control the shape is rotated from. This was useful so that the separate shapes would 'swing' out from the right point. I also used the position effect from the transform menu so that I could moved the shape; or in the case of my video make the shape drop down.  Keyframes was used on all effects in the same way as previously mentioned.

Importing my Geometric shape

Setting up composition 

Using the transform tool (rotation) using keyframes

Position in shape in the composition

Changing render settings

When I had finished the 10 second video I needed to render the video; to do this I clicked export and add to render queue. Before pressing render I checked the settings to ensure I was rendering it out to 'Quicktime' and the format was 'Apple ProRes 4444'. Once rendered I opened it up in 'Quicktime' and exported to 720dpi so that it renders the video to a smaller file size appropriate to be uploaded to the web.

During this tutorial I learnt numerous new skills which I feel I will be able to build on in the future and will be able to use them in future design work. For my first time using these skills I'm quite pleased with the outcome that I have produced and look forward to developing and expanding on my skills in the upcoming tutorials.

Here is my video outcome I produced;

Geometric shape from Jade Irving on Vimeo.

Contextual Portfolio - Semiotics / Branding - Lecture Notes

Understanding of how visual communication works.
Systems which explore systems and signs.

Signs - we have an understanding of what they mean, we read the world around us as a system of signs. Certain signs represent things.

How words and images communicate meaning. 

A word can display an image in your head but everyones images will differ depending on your relationship with the word and your experience. 

Colour Semiotics

Coded information within colour to express a certain emotion. Your interpretation of a colour can depend on where you come from and your culture. 

Branding 

The use of colour to associate with their brand and identify the brand easily. They can make adverts competing without naming the opposing company and getting trouble, because people recognise the colours, and can associate them to the correct company. They use colours to stand out and be recognised. Well-known companies are recognised by their colours. 

Symbol - sign
Icon - Sign but more visual

Index - the real thing

My Thoughts

I think that the use of colours and understanding their meaning and associations is important when creating a brand identity and advertising as it is a way of connecting with the audiences as it allows you to create a strong relationship with the client/customer. When choosing colours you have to be careful to recognise that colours have different meanings in different cultures and belief systems. Overall colour semiotics is important to the effectiveness and success of a brand identity as colours can connote different emotions to the audience.

Contextual Portfolio - Modern Life is Rubbish?

Propaganda Posters

The government used propaganda art and iconography during the first and second world war and were used to try persuade and influence people's opinions and actions. These posters were important at the time as although they mislead people with false information it was necessary in order to try persuade men to join the army and for women to support this decision and help with other jobs while the men were at war. 

Leonard Doob "propaganda - control of individuals".

In these posters they have a clear message; it was about getting the message across quickly rather than the focus being on the design. The main focus was the use of text to create an emotional appeal. In Britain they took more of a positive approach in their posters; on the other hand they had posters of atrocity propaganda to shock the viewer and justify our fight back on Germany ( some information may have even been false). Humour was also used in propaganda posters to make light of a bad period the world was going through and boost moral. 

In many posters they play on the figure of a woman; they treat feminism as passive and needing to be protected. You can also see the divide of opinion seeing a woman as a worker and housewife (worker Vs domestic). 

Fists were a common motif in propaganda poster, they were a symbol of authority and power. They also represented the sense of staying together and showing that we are strong as a whole. Later on in more recent times it was used in the 'Help Japan Rise Up Red Cross Appeal'. 

“See the world”, 1919, Alfred Leete

The title of the poster is important as without looking at the poster you would think it’s just about travelling the world and how it is a good opportunity which in actual fact it is far from the truth in terms of what it is about. Alfred Leete has done many posters promoting the war; in this case it is my considered opinion that the poster is trying draw light on the war and is trying to promote the benefits of being part of the army rather than showing the tragic events that actually occur during battleThe poster uses bright tones of colour which tend to be quite block colours rather than having lots ofgradients; this could be to make the poster look simplified which in turn may suggest that it is an easy choice to make. As well as that if the poster is too complex, then the audience may not want to read it let alone want to join the armed forces. The bright colours make the opportunity to join the armed forces look appealing and it makes it seem like its just a travelling holiday when in it actual fact it is far from itI like the work of Alfred Leete as I’m interested in poster art and in this particular poster I like the opposite effect and how he’s trying to portray joining the army in a good light when actually you could potentially die. 

I'm interested in propaganda posters as they were successful in terms of their purpose, also it was the real start of design as after the world war modernism started to form which was huge progress in the design industry. Although I think they pushed the boundaries too far with some of the false information they were putting out to the public. Posters and advertisements have improved so much since these were produced, however some of the techniques used in them are still used today. 

Process And Production - Physical Studio - Typeface

In Physical Studio this semester I will be creating and manually constructing fonts/character fonts. This will involve me looking at existing typefaces and any design references. 

To begin with I was shown the work of other designers and artists which I could use as an influence and reference when creating my own typeface. Then using the references provided or my own I was asked to transcribe shapes to make letter forms and typographic characters; these could be in either lowercase or uppercase. The main letters that I needed to create were ANESG as if I can get these to work then it is more than likely the rest of the letters in the typeface would work. 

Materials Used:
ruler
pair of compasses
reference samples
2b pencil
A3 paper


Below are my first attempts at creating letters for my own typeface: 

I have used a few influences for my creations these include the works of El Lissitzky, Walter Gropius, Bauhaus and Herbert Bayer. The work of all these artists and designers are quite different and therefore this has transferred in to my outcomes that I have created.

 Walter Gropius - Bauhaus

 El Lissitzky

Herbert Bayer

Contextual Portfolio - Manifesto - PDP

Manifesto - PDP Session

During this weeks PDP session we were introduced to creating our own manifesto for our design practice; to help get started we looked at existing design manifestos by Ken Garland and Claes Oldenburg. From these examples it helped me create my own; my manifesto is the style of Claes Oldenburg as I liked the style and layout of the manifesto and how it flowed; it was also quite simple and easy to understand his practice. Here is my manifesto;

I am for a design that......

I am for a design that speaks for itself.
I am for a design that needs no introduction.
I am for a design that is attention seeking.
I am for a design that can hold your attention.
I am for a design that keeps you wanting more, but also leaves you satisfied.
I am for a design that leaves someone inspired.
I am for a design that uses and shows off skills and talent.

I am for a design that advertises, persuades and informs the audience.
I am for a design that is informative.
I am for a design that is clever.
I am for a design that is original and new.
I am for a design that is refreshing from the norm. 
I am for a design that is true to its purpose. 
I am for a design that daring and not afraid to push the boundaries of what is seen to be acceptable.
I am for a design that has personality and meaning.

I am for a design that inspires me to push myself, my practice, my skills, my boundaries in order to produce a design that fulfils its purpose and is a design to be proud of. 


By creating this manifesto it has helped me focus on what is important to me as a designer and what I stand for as a designer; which in turn will allow me to know myself better and the way I work.