I first found a typeface that I felt would fit well with the visuals, I wanted a bold weight typeface which has small details which made it unique. These were the few typefaces I had in mind for the visuals. Some have few details on them which makes it different and theres also one called Bee four which is stretched typeface that is very popular graphics projects recently. I’ve seen it on the many visuals so I don’t want to use it. The Changa typeface reminds of computer comes and technology aesthetic to it which I like, there’s small details on the O and S as it’s not so round and it has sharp corners which I think looks nice.
TYPEFACE
This is the typeface I want to use for the project, Ii think it has good variations which can be used for different types of layouts. I decided to use the extrabold and medium in most visuals and digital outcomes.
Inspiration/mood boards
These are my inspiration and mood board I created for the project, It focuses on typography and other ways which I liked and could potentially use for my project. Each have strengths to what it communicates and I especially like the blur effects on the posters below. It allows you to be interpret it in ways and I think it could be a good way to communicate my project. I want to be experimental as I like typography and i want it to be visually strong.
Pentagram – Words by Voice
A large format installation that uses typography to express words of social justice. I think these installation are beautiful and the layout of each poster is so unique and it experimental with different techniques and layouts. I was looking for inspiration and I knew Pentagram always has amazing work and I came across this exhibition installations they have designed. The installations are typographic posters visual in the London Design Festival, speeches, quotes and notes from inspirational powerful people such Nelson Mandela, Muhammed Ali, Eleanor Roosevelt and more. I really like the design and they have also used black and white as the colour scheme and I think i also made the right decision. As you want people to focus on what those words are saying as they are the most important rather than the colours to be main focus. It’s just as powerful just as black and white anyway.
Pentagram – ‘The Architecture of Closed Worlds’ Book
This is a book designed by Pentagram, the reason I chose this as an inspiration was because oft he way bold beautiful typefaces on the page, it look like a structure, it sits heavily on on the page bu it still works with the photograph and text. I liked the typafaes but as the bold vibrant colors which are for a colour coded bar-graph in the book so the readers cna easily follow.
Pentagram – Exhibitionism – The Rolling Stones , Exhibition design
This is an exhibition design created by Pentagram to explore the 50 year career of The Rolling Stones. The exhibition has variety of rooms which focuses on their style, early fame, their big shows everything related to their career. But photo of the image drew me into the project as I loved the way typography sits on the sides leading you to the photograph of the band. the the text above leading towards the image as well. I think it look simple and beautiful, the white on black cis powerful, the weight of the typefaces is bold and crowded it fits the whole wall. I really liked this image as in m earlier designs I imagined a room like this, tweets on the walls leading up tp the next door. This was a huge inspiration for my exhibition design.
Visual development
Quotes and phrases I found on social media directed towards immigrants in UK. Some are from tweets under videos or news posts. Some are popular meme sayings that circulates around the social media. They are all hateful and negative towards immigrants. Some are also assumptions and misconceptions such as ‘they abuse welfare system’ when potentially there is no/little evidence that they do.
They steal our jobs
Close the border!
We have enough scroungers, potential terrorists
Migrants abuse the welfare system
Go back home!
Visuals development
i started off with placing the quotes on the page and I was playing with the sizes, weights and then I kept decreasing the tracking. The more it did the quote started to lose its clarity and it became very hard to read. I liked this effect, it started to squeeze together and kind of made a box shape. It made me think through out the project I said our twitter feeds and accounts are in eco chambers, we stick to our box and we don’t really let anyone in from other ideologies. So, I linked this to anti immigrant viewers who are posting these tweets, or saying these things about people they are all close minded most likely and they wouldn’t let anyone tell them different. Once the gaps between each letter closed off the words lost it’s clarity and it was muddled up. I liked this visual language, showing off the types of users in words by losing the gaps between letters. Below you can see an example, I used the type face Changa, bold in -54 tracking./kerning. I wanted to experiment on this idea, as it looked strong on the page.
The quote above is the second example of working on the tracking using quotes from Twitter pages. I picked them up from real accounts under comments section. I again decreased the tracking to lose clarity and I think it looks good I want to now add it onto posters or billboards. The reason I am using the quotes are so it catches peoples attention who are using these quotes as it fits to their beliefs but also people are don’t agree with it as they would want to find out information. The visuals below I feel like it could be increased more so it is harder to read.
The posters below are one of first designs I created using the quotes and the visual style. The on the rght is using the quote ‘they steal our jobs’ which is used most commonly by people. I layered the text so it would make it hard to read and crowded so it becomes so bold. The quotes is the centre piece as it would have easy eye hierarchy for the reader. The other information is on the borders in egain same typeface, I used the exhibition and the date as well as that it is powered by twitter. I think i should add few more information and also experiment with the layout. I don’t know wehther layering the text works as it just doesn;t add mcuh as theres too much black in the middle. However , I do like the bold heavy type as the centre piece it is communicating the message. The poster on the left is again using quotes i found from twitter but placed at the bottom half of the page. With this layout I wanted to ocmmunicate the black and white the divide on the page as the text side is all lack and the tracking is low so creates bpx whereas the other half is all white. This always the text to get the attention on all white paper. I like the way text looks there is still some gaps but I think reader must also be bale to read what it is says so they understand. At this point, I feel comfortable with the project however there is still loads of decisions to be made. In couple pf days we have a group tutorial and I think i have some work i could show.
Group Tutorials/SEAN
Today we had a group tutorial with Sean to discuss our visual languages and I attached the pdf below. The tutorial was very positive and he liked my visuals as he said it works well with the concept.I told about my idea of targeted exhibition for each user as they will sign up with their account. He said that idea is really good and it would have more impact. He also asked where I got these quotes from and I said its from twitter accounts so he suggested i should add the user@ so the audience also knows they are real tweets. This is a really good idea as i know they are so the viewer should also as it would make it more real and create a stronger impact. I wil take his suggested and develop some posters with the @.
Final Poster
I did more changes on the posters earlier and this is one of the final posters. I used the quote once without layering as it has more impact like this. I also decreased the size you can clearly see the quote against the white and it has more a box feel. The tracking is decreased more and it created a box. I also added the the date in a larger size on the left so it is important for the users to know. The logo and hashtag is place do the right. I think the layout is structured in many ways and the attention is in the centre. I believe it is very powerful and I liked the final result. The hashtag is #myhome for users to share their experience and thoughts about the exhibition. This poster can be digitally on the twitter page and also instagram accounts. In addition it can be on printed.
These are also other development posters, the one on the right is another variation which can be used in many ways. The type is placed on the centre to catch the eye and I like this one in particularly because I used the layered style to create the box and it fitted perfectly. The quote feels like it has bene stretched and it ends at the bottom. The other parts of the poster are again placed on the corner I like this style as it just creates like a box, it creates borders on the page. The other texts are smaller but still readable. I added the @ of the account o the right as Sea suggested I really like the result. I also wanted to add something different to this poster I used the word ‘why?’ in very light grey as it’s a blur, as a question to provoke a conversation. I like this little addition as it makes a difference to other posters and it’s a small detail. I placed the logo on the top left. The poster on the left is the developed version, I like this layout much more it is still in the same style as creating a structure on the page. I am very happy with the result.
The posters below are another variations, but they focus on the twitter to question the spread of the misinformation. You can instantly make the connection to that symbol below to Twitter. The idea behind this poster is to focus on constant act of retweeting, people sharing information constantly, there is no consideration whether is it true or not. Whether it will hurt peoples feeling or not. I wanted a busy , too much thing on the page to create the feeling. I used the symbol as it is directly linked to Twitter. The layout on the right is more unstrcutured it overkaps dates. It looks more lose whereas the layout on the left is more steuctures and i like the box shape it creates on the page. The information on the corners. The layout on the left is initial idea and the right one is more developed. I felt stuck between the two and decided to go with the left one. It looks better on the page and it feels more busy. On the right, you can clearly see its the symbol as its too big. I want to develop the one on the left.
Final poster
This is the final poster, I added few things and changed some parts. I added the hashtag as that is a key part for social media, in addition I added a question ‘why are you sharing that’ this is to provoke the viewer and the act of retweeting. I believe it worked really well. The whole centre is covered in the symbol the text is on the corners. I like this effect, the poster makes a difference next to the the ones which are more structures and has way more white space.
Logo development
For the exhibition logo, I wanted a short word to sum up the exhibition but also not give too much away. The few words I was thinking was home or hatred as these are the two the exhibition focuses on or where is home?as the main concept is being at home. I used the same style as extrabold typeface as low tracking to fit in with the consistent branding and visual style. I believe it works well with other visual elements. I want something simple and easy to understand. I believe it works
Final logo
These posters below are also other designs I wanted, however I decided the design on the left I should create a billboard as it is very powerful and short. So i will develop that as a billboard but the poster on the right. I wanted an informative design which focuses on a myth and then some information about the reality. This was the first initial idea I was thinking of as a grapp style, the white section is like the exaggerated assumption it islarge on the page in side ways, but then the reality in light grey in short smaller size. However, I felt like it deosnt work quiet as well. I still like the idea of graph but it just didn’t look right.
This was the final layout I liked and felt like it worked. It is the same layout style as the other posters but it was easier to read this way and when its next to each other the contrast makes it more powerful. I used the same tracking kerning technique and placed the logo etc on the top right. It is a very simple poster focused on myth and reality. I believe the simplicity is the more powerful side.
Billboards
These are the billboards designs which I will be creating a mock up later. I added a ‘this is my home’ to also include the immigrants voices as well but in light grey to show lack of power and clarity. I really like these designs.
Designing the exhibition. VOMA
Once the posters were done I focused on the virtual exhibition. I found a virtual exhibition called VOMA, I used there designs to show off how my exhibition would look like as you can see images of the each room below. The exhibition is so easy to use you click on the circles to move on and click on the art work for more close up. It looks very real you can also go outside etc. It is very realistic it was very interesting.
My idea to have the tweets and posts covered on the walls of the exhibition. It will be a ike twitter wall focused on each user. You can see the development on the images below. I used quotes from loads of different accounts and if you are a user who are against anti immigration and don’t spread negativity you will see a room which is mixture of tweets from other accounts. There will be a filter which sorts who sees what. That will come in later.
Exhibition Room 1 – the twitter feed.
This is the final exhibition room 1, it has text covered on the walls which makes it very powerful. The text is layered so it is hard to read and overlapping which is the same style as other visuals.
Room 2 Exhibition – Celebrating Immigrants.
This exhibition focuses on the immigrants, it has immigrants names written on the walls to focus on them and give them power and voice. This style is completely different to the other room, its the contrast which is the purpose. I carried on using typography as the main element as I was going to do a photography series however speaking to David he said you have a strong typography visual it doesn’t need photographs you should focus on the type again to show off the immigrant section. So I opened the kerning, now the words are easily readable and more elegant. I used colours to celebrate the migrants and they are in fact my friends and families names which is also very interesting as it makes it very personal. The colours are like blurs and splashes of colour. I wanted this room to be vibrant and joyful. I also wanted to add a small section of a poem from Warsan Shire, a young British poet from Somalian origin, in one part of her poem she wrote ‘you have to understand that no one puts their children in a boat, unless the water is safer than the land’ I found this so powerful and heart breaking. I wanted people to feel something when you read and try to create empathy, by celebrating these names on the wall but also questioning their behaviours. Art, design or poetry could be a useful way to try to get people to feel more empathy towards another.
reference:
Busra Yildiz 