Reflective Report 5

This project has been one of the most challenging I have had so far in the course. Producing this essay and visual investigation has helped me to develop a much clearer understanding of the foundations of my own practice and the driving forces behind the way I like to create imagery. Being able to allocate a chunk of time to research and sink my teeth into this topic has really opened my eyes. I began this investigation with an overly negative outlook on social media including sites such as Instagram. I wanted to find out how they where damaging creativity and why we needed to get rid of them, but instead I ended up making quite a different discovery. I realised the importance of these sites to so many creatives, including my self. The number one realisation that I've had through the investigation is that balance is the way that creativity and social media use will be able to coexist. Something I struggled with again this project was my time management. I often got too caught up in the reading/research element of the project and neglected my practical development. However, I was able to gain more control over this toward the end of the project through utilising the sprint goals. But I need to make sure that I can stay on top of this throughout the whole of the next project. 

Understanding the importance of creating work for oneself rather than with the intention of making a pretty picture to please an audience is something I won't forget. Now knowing this I intend to implement this focus into my future practice. I will be using Instagram to self promote myself as an illustrator as I now feel confident that I can do so whilst not letting it affect the kind of work that I'm creating, be that through the intervention of the algorithm or the pressure to conform. I want to use the skills that I have gained in this project in 603. I really enjoyed creating the publication and think I will potentially aim to create another for the next studio brief. Another thing I will take away from this brief is the process of flow, which I will aim to use in my making in the future. 

Finished Publication!!!

Publication Cover Design Process

Upon finishing my essay I began the process of designing the publication to situate it in. I really enjoyed this process and think that it is something I should take into 603. I wanted to create a look for the publication that complemented the practical work which I had been creating throughout the project and so I outlined some key components of this that must be involved: 

• Play with shape 
• An analogue colour scheme such as black and white
• Involving signifiers of the algorithm such as the use of binary code, or code similar to that used in the posters. 
• Involving textural qualities in a digitised style 

This is the initial cover spread idea I had for the publication. I wanted to use it to create a visual suggestion of the investigation. I used '{start}' and '{end}' on the front and back covers as this code terminology could work well as a way of demonstrating the front and back covers of the book. And then using line work and shape subtly in the background I thought that this could draw through some consistency with the practical outcomes, as well as incorporating some of the texture from my prints. After mulling over this idea I decided to try a different plan of action as I didn't feel that the design resonated strongly enough with the intentions of the publication and expressed the ideas in a relatively superficial way. Back to the drawing board. 

The second design idea still contained similar visual qualities as the first idea however instead I decided to make a few changes.

This idea had a change of text which read, 'enter' for the front cover and 'del_' for the back instead. These are both also examples of coding terminology which I had encountered in my research into the language of algorithms. Alongside these changes I also decided to incorporate more examples of shape play into the design. Keeping the line work super fine in order to not let it overtake the idea. I wanted there to be a subtlety in this cover spread so that the fragility of creativity that my essay argues could be represented within this design. Although I found this idea to be more effective than the first I still didn't see it as the perfect way to effectively summarise my research/personal investigation. And so I decided to yet again, head back to the drawing board. 

This time I really had a think about the visual motifs that would most effectively resonate with the topics and themes explored throughout my essay. I came to the conclusion that I needed to have a strong focus on the use of shape in a simple yet striking way as this would help the publication communicate the creativity side of the argument. But due to the nature of the essay which is arguing whether or not creativity is in a state of suppression as a result of algorithms, I thought that restricting this visual quality to give it a sense of constraint in the eyes of the reader would be ideal. Other components that I felt necessary to include where a use binary code as this could allow me to explore type and create a striking look. 

The shape that I created for the cover spread was made exclusively on illustrator through playing around, this is a process that I find enjoyable due to the efficiency through which I'm able to generate a wealth of different ideas. I like the way it's being squeezed inwards which helps in communicating a sense of pressure that creatives online often feel in order to conform. Over the top of the shape I created some line work - similar to what is in the posters. As well as working well aesthetically the aim behind this motif was to suggest the idea of flow which I talked about and utilised throughout my project. 

The typeface that I went with is called, Handson Bold and I found it through researching online. I'm really attracted to it's bold and striking impression that captivates attention. I have used this for both the binary code and the words, 'CREATIVITY' and 'ALGORITHMS' which are situated toward the bottom of the imagery. 

I ensured throughout this design that there was a relationship between both the front and back covers. To do this I used more or less the same design but flipped and inverted the colours to remain in theme with the book's analogue design ethos. Using the shape as a clipping mask I decided to cut out the numbers so that they where contained within the shape. I then replaced the original binary layout on top of this but decided to use outlines rather than block text.

Something that I was also quite keen to include in the cover spread design was a sense of texture. I experimented in photoshop with creating some layer masks over the cover using water textures in order to create some sort of tactility in the image. I found that some of these designs where really quite cool and through playing around with the colours some exciting ideas where created. However, they just don't seem to work effectively with the publication as a whole and I think that continuing with the flat, bold style will be better for the overall design. 

The effect that I find this gives to the design is a sense of the symbiosis between the algorithm and creativity. Showing them both existing within the same context explores visually the investigation within the publication. Really chuffed with this!

Publication Layout Experimentation

For the inside pages of the publication I wanted to use black and white pages to communicate the binary nature of the algorithm which contrasts heavily with the concept of creativity (which will be asserted through the placement of my own visual work throughout the publication). I wanted to keep the focus on the text and the practical work included, but use subtle design features. One way I wanted to do this was through the page numbers, which I initially included on their side however later decided to change as it was confusing with numbers such as '9' which on it's side could be confused with a '6'! 

Another consideration that had to be made was the frame for the text to sit inside. I toyed with using the circles that I had placed in my posters but found they didn't work nicely with the text. And then had the thought to use simple straight, thick lines at both the top and bottom of the text area. But didn't find this worked either. 

The screenshot above shows the final design I came to for the page layouts. Using a box that is the same as the one on the covers spread I was able to provide some visual consistency. I also found that this works better for the page design as a whole thanks to the fineness of the line as well as the way that it contains the page numbers. 

Another decision that had I had to make was how the imagery would sit with the text and its border. I first experimented with allowing it to expand out of the text border, but I eventually decided not to do this as I found having it contained was more in line with the overall design of the publication which had a focus on a linear visual consistency that related to the idea of the binary. 

However, when including my own work I decided to break this rule and allowed my imagery to take up the whole page. This subtle feature conveys the elements of creativity that where explored through my project. As something that cannot be contained by the algorithm. 

Lastly, for the inner pages I again utilised the concept of binary code and placed this as a full bleed. With the front being white background with black text and the inverse on the back section of the publication. 

Fatchurofi

I found an illustrator through an article that had appeared to me online. His name is Fatchurofi and his work is influenced primarily through his practice of mindfulness. This creates a surrealism within his work that is really eye catching. He is from Indonesia and works for a design agency in Jakarta whilst continuing a personal practice externally to this. In the article I read he states, “After suffering from a panic attack disorder a couple of years ago, however, I began to practice mindfulness and this became a big influence for my work, encouraging me to start drawing purely for myself about my own experiences.”. The fact he fixates on creating art work purely for himself rather than for an audience is really interesting and in line with the argument of my essay. 

He continues, “My art is about escaping the tension and demands of day-to-day life and taking time to look at yourself, it’s about putting depth of mind into a simple, flat illustration.”.  I found this really interesting and so decided to contact him earlier in the project (on my friends phone!). I wanted to ask him a few questions about his practice as there was not much information online at all for me to use towards the essay. 

Just my luck, he replied today! With my essay finished... But at least I've found some cool work and I think I will just go ahead and ask him some questions anyway even though they won't make it into my essay!

GIF Nightmare...

Just spent about 2 and a half hours creating an animated version of one of my posters on Photoshop only for the file to corrupt on saving. Tried and tried to make it work but with no luck. Now that it's so close to the deadline I'm not sure if I will have the time to reproduce this properly which is a big shame as it could have been really exciting. Oh well... at least I tried.

 :(

Posters

Above are the three posters that I have created in response to my investigation. I am really proud/happy with these and see this as a direct relation to the process with which I managed to create them. Consciously incorporating flow into my process throughout this practical investigation enabled me to gain a much better understanding of the motivations behind my own practice. I was creating work with the aim of simply enjoying what I was doing and this really informed my imagery. The development of the outcomes was playful from the outset and throughout. The combination of both digital and traditional processes is something I really value. I have come to understand that this is a necessary component of my process as it allows an element of surprise to enter the process. This lack of control over what the imagery will look like motivates me to create. 

I've managed to learn a lot about the motivations behind creativity through my practical investigation into this topic. Employing the practice of flow into my process has given me an informed understanding of creativity and how we can nurture it in this increasingly digital world. Using social media as a creative is such a vital way of existing nowadays and provides an incredible number of benefits to so many people. But alongside this, there are the issues such as homogeneity of content through adhering to trends which need to be addressed. Through engaging with the process of flow originality and elements of surprise are able to be sustained within the visual aesthetic of the work created online. I know that I can't speak for all creatives online but through this practical research I have concluded that we all must remember to undertake projects in our own time, for ourselves. Rather than creating with the hope of gaining visibility online. As this enables the intrinsic side of creativity to be nurtured; which in turn sustains the practice as a whole allowing for new and exciting ways of communicating opinions/ideas.