Clip Art Replaced Me

So Back to writing about my work I need to amass some work first for me to talk about it. So I have reached the threshold to talk about stuff. Now when someone asks you for a logo, the thing that makes sense is to plan it, work out what it should look like. Me really liking logo design, I gave it a good whack. I give everything a good whack.

Within the walls is a music festival within the walls of Carlisle and it needed a logo. A mark to represent it. taking a logical approach made the most sense; you don't want a deep and though proving concept logo for a music festival. Use of simple flat and bold colours have for many years worked for major corporations; Paul Rand comes to mind immediately.

I wanted this bold, flat style as it can be applied to almost anything but the client had other ideas after six attempts as this logo, that was it. They went back and hired another guy (or Gurl, I am not judging) to do it for them without telling me. So this is what they have;

Kick startered

I kickstarted my campaign of funding things on kickstarter the other day with this little project two of my friends at uni are doing. Unheard is a film based on, quote "Ever wondered what stories lurk behind those outstanding locations in Yorkshire. We're here to document those stories". It is to be a documentary film and book with exciting rewards for funders. I went for the £10 bracket; meaning I get social media thanks, postcard and DVD of the finished film. (I actually paid £12 because I am odd).

DISCLAIMER; I am not being paid by them to do this promotion (this is not politics) ; I just want them to see them reach their goal.

So if you like Yorkshire, Silver Sloth Productions or just want to help friends of mine click the image above and it will take you to the kickstarter page to give'em some love (& money).

Thursday Thoughts; Camer-Wrong

 Hello again, short and sweet this time around but it's just a quick thought.

A matter of respect. I don't hate Mr camer-wrong as much as I should. I respect his opinions and the rest of his (trophy) cabinets opinions. However I just happened to think everything he seems to do, believe and stand for is wrong. There is nothing wrong with that.

 However Mr camer-wrong does not respect those with opposing opinions. Instead he shouts at them across the dispatch box in a bid to score cheap political points on his side of the political system. Thus getting the press coverage he wants. PMQs is not a debate, its a joke.

POP! What is it good for?

 Is pop music real? does it exist?

Well yeah it exists but why? Exploring my favourite past time lists. I watched so many end of year worst hit songs of the year and expectedly, I knew very little as I hate hit songs. Put more than that. I know these are the worst of the worst but why? how did some of these songs pass quality control of a record label?

The artists on these lists are not new people, these are seasoned artists on major labels. Yeah artists I hate but still; Drake, Lil Wanye & Nicki Manj, and thats just on one song. How does music with weak production, misogynous lyrics and just poor all rounds, become popular. Don't give a voice to these people. Ignore them. How is Chris Brown still allowed to make music? He is a women beater and still produces songs, claiming he sleeps with X amount of ladies and Y amount of money. This formula is old. Really old. It has been used by so many people, you probably couldn't manage to fit them all on a double album.

The reason I say a double album because that was a medium used by bands who had artist merit, who had music that was thought about & who put blood, sweat and tears into everything that they did. Yes It doesn't take a double album to show you are credible but it shows ambition; any of these artists above have none of that their music sounds bored rigid.

Out of Valentime

It's soul time but not as we know it. and Yes I know I am late. Valentines day started nearly 9 hours ago and these are my submissions for my valentines cards. Soul has some of the best love songs around so I would be a fool not to take advantage of such love to portray the message of love. I spent a few hours this morning doing these while watching Sunday morning political nonsense. I like them but to most they are really boring.

It's not often I do hand done type and I quite like it. It's not like anything I have seen online.  What do you think? Should I do it more? what do you think?

Thursday Thoughts; The F Word

 Not that one the other one.

Now I know what you are thinking; "oooo a leftie male student talking about feminism, how typical!" And you'd be right, I am running low on subjects that are within range or stuff I know a little bit about. The reason I wanted to address the F word is for a number of reasons really. It is said every so often at uni and thrown around like a taboo or buzz word or worse a buzz taboo.

My understanding of the F word is that is is all about female empowerment and women to be to be equal to men in pay, in powerful positions and just in general. But surely, is equality for all not a better system? There will be places where men don't equate to women so just make a level playing field.

When I look in a shop window in town I see a man who could never be me and I imagine a girl walking next to me ( not with me, I haven't got a girlfriend silly) would see a women she could never be or want to be even. But which one gets talked about more? I am never gonna get a six, four or a two pack unless they are from the off license. So why do I see it.

When people say there aren't enough women in engineering or manual labour jobs; have these people considered that women might not want to do them sorts of jobs? Just generally or for fear they will be stereo typed into being the women in a boiler suit for one of those Lads calender's. *shivers*  the same with the care sector, schooling or nursing, men might not want to do them jobs for the stereotype of if you are a nurse and a man you must be gay. It's rubbish.

You see what I am saying people. Equality for all not just for women. There is pressure on both sides to look great, get the right job and be successful. I am evaluating this objectively because I have learnt not to let the dominant culture get the better of me. I just want to be me.

Take a final, Bowie

Get Loose! Get Loose! It's that time again to but on your dancing shoes but this time we are dancing the Blues, with a David Bowie special. Not musically but poster wise. The collage by my goodself and the text by the buddy of mine Wincent Valden. The poster was a quick turn around because we were kind of late in producing it giving it enough time to promote it. Oops!

We stuck with the idea of a Bowie special because his death effected most of this nation and worldwide. It seems really odd how one person can have such an effect on so many people. But it does happen. Of of Vincent's favourite albums is Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars and one of my favourite musicians of all time is David Bowie. So many good songs.

If you are in Carlisle Tonight, make it down and dance with me/everyone else there to remember Our Starman!

Needs More T-Rexs

Graphic Design and illustration. The course I have been on for the past nearly three years and it's all coming to an end soon. To summarise this three year time, we have to, as part of the course, have to put on an exhibition. An exhibition of our work, including mine. So we need to start organising it now. We have started the funding but need to start the branding.

Below is my first attempt; it's a very Barney Bubbles style tribute (with me studying him on my dissertation). None of the letters on here are any sort of font they are just vector shapes. The colours just needed to be as maddening of an experience as possible because who doesn't love colour, right?

The reason I am showing you this at this stage as very few in the class actually liked it. Specifically 6 people. So it's not going to be used no matter what. Nice idea though. Also the name is changing from patchwork to I don't know. Avocado? Moron? Dubstep?

and of course; Needs more t-rexs.

Thursday Thoughts; Diss the Dissertation

I HATE WRITING DISSERTATIONS; I am lucky I only have to write one but it is hard.

Dissertation by the time I post this I should of handed my dissertation in. (I write these posts in advance and schedule them so) anyway; I think now that it is over, I can rant about it.

What an absolutely useless piece of writing that was. We are not academics. We (my class) are a bunch of awesome people who are doing a vocational course. It is not core subjecting like scientists or literary greats or mathematicians. We are people whose job it is to get a message across visually. Now note that word, visually.  Not in writing (typography maybe).

So cue a piece of writing; using theories, theorists, critics and personal arguments to answer a self imposed question. The logic by it being a question you have posed means it will be on something you are interested in. No one tells you that it will drain any enthusiasm that you have for the subject.
Critical thinkers are not easy to come by in the album cover world, I think for two reasons; one; most album covers don't have any meaning. You honestly think a picture of the airbrushed male or female artist showing cleavage has any meaning other than "Sex Sells".

Two; its a new area in the grand scheme of things. Pop music covers are less than 100 years old. Art has theorists and thinkers because most paintings are provocative and laden with symbology. Albums still haven't gotten out of the rut on putting the bands name on the cover and the ones that don't have names on the cover are much more interesting.

Being critical is key when you are writing your "war and peace" but you have to justify everything you say. A statement without a because after it might as well not be there. We have been taught three to five sessions over the course of three years on essay writing and people wonder why we feel ill prepared. We (the class again) came to illustrate and design not write. I didn't read it in any brochure, any scheme of work or told it at an open day. I still would of gone to uni but I would of known what I would be in for.