COP Evaluation:

1. What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them: 


Throughout this module i feel that my largest development is in my theoretical understanding of the attitudes on graphic design from the lectures and seminars that we have had on modernist and postmodern graphic design. i felt that i had enough of a basic understanding to understand the attitudes basics however not enough to produce a publication on this i felt this also gave me an opportunity to look in-depth at something that i had brief knowledge about (postmodern.) I feel that by carrying out this project i feel that it has taught me that research should always provide the content in which you then design from. And most of all i feel that looking into and gaining an understanding of the subject has now educated me in the attitudes to postmodern design and this has made me experiment with the views on design i feel that this has developed me personally as a designer as i now have a wider variety of outcome.  
 
2. What approaches to methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process 


I feel that by writing an on a subject that i am extremely obsessed with was highly beneficial for me this allowed me to really look in depth and increase my understanding to the theoretical elements that always inspire my design production. I feel that from looking in depth at the Modernist movement i am not now designing for design sake but instead my designs are related to the attitudes of a modernist aesthetically. I feel that i will now pick key subjects within the theoretical elements of design that interest me, I can then apply my understanding with further research into the subject which will then effect my design practice.    

    
3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?


I feel my work has been produced to a professional level visually and the publication as a whole the looked and was presented how i wanted it. i feel that my main strength was the way that i communicated both attitudes both visually and through content. Before finishing the publication i was worried that as the two design styles where so contrasting that the publication would be far to over powering and would not be aesthetically pleasing. However i feel that i solved this problem by experimentation with format, the calendar format solved this problem as this allows the viewer to only view one design and attitude at one time. I feel this allowed the viewer to actually take in what the attitude was about instead of having so much going on and not understanding what the publication is about. 


4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?

I believe that my biggest weakness this module has been time management with the lecture programme i feel that if i had allowed myself more time i would have linked each lecture to my personal practice. This would not only have given me a much greater understanding of the subject but i would have also have gathered more designers and agencies that are linked to my practice. This is something that i will make sure to capitalise on when moving into level 5. Another key feature that i must improve or expand on has to be experimentation with postmodern attitudes on design i feel that by doing this i will give me a wider range of design outcome for the future. I feel that i should have produced design sheets for the publication however i decided against this as each design outcome was to be completely different and the the design held no consistent layout so i felt the designs would be more effective with development digitally.   

5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?


I will make sure that i keep up to date with all tasks and lecture notes as i progress throughout the next year this will allow me to not only work on other projects as effectivley but i will also be able to react to lectures and seminars linking this to my personal practice.


Expand on my lecture notes linking them to my personal practice this would allow me to find out how the subject is then linked to graphic design and the designers that come from this, this would then increase my sources of inspiration.


Experiment further with postmodern attitudes as i have found my self linking postmodern aspects within the basis of a modernist design i feel that by experimenting more and more i will then develop a wider range of outcome that will give me a wider range of approach to work with. 


Expand on the essay a lot more i feel that next time i will ask for more feedback on my essay before the hand in, as this is not my strongest area. I feel that I will then look at a wider range of source material to work with. Again i feel this will improve my understanding of the theoretical elements of design.

 

Attendance - 4 

Punctuality - 3

Motivation - 4

Commitment - 5

Quantity of work - 3

Quality of work - 4

Contribution to the group - 3

Lecture Six - Italian Vernacular Cinema.

Lecture Six - Italian Vernacular Cinema.Italian Cinema

Audiences.

Prima visione and seconda visione -  These are cinemas that have attracted a middle class audience that are seen as  sophisticated people usually in major cities, the audience selected a film to watch.
Tera visone - less populated areas, cheaper tickets, the audience went to cinema based on habit rather than selecting a film. Films were more formulaic and popular films - like a television audience.
Historical and social context.
The working class would go to the cinema every night - this meant that there was a need for many films.
Conventions of film watching are different. People may talk, drink and eat during the film. People enter the cinema at beginning, half way through, near the end.
Cinema was a very social area
Economics.

Fellini

Was taken very seriously as an auteur.
Comments on the superficiality of middle class.
Films where associated with sophistication
Seen as worthy of critical appraisal.

Filone

Similar to the term genre but not quite.
This was based on the idea of geology ---- layers of veins within a larger layer.
Examples of filone:
Giallo - based on detective novels. Italian for 'yellow' and stems from the series of cheap paperback crime and mystery novels with trademark yellow covers.
Spaghetti Westerns.
Mondo/Canibal film.
Poliziottesco - police proceduaral.

Year 1 Essay -

Focusing on specific examples, describe the way that Modernist art & design was a response to the forces of modernity

Modernist art and design, as considered a great artistic revolution, took place in the beginning of the twentieth- century while the rapidly developing cities of Europe were undergoing a series of different social and cultural changes and experiences. This movement is now recognised in history as modernity. European societies, at the time, responded to these changes with alternative ideas, methods and styles within the conventions of art and design. This was a direct response to Europe’s involuntary surrender to these changes, as the traditions and beliefs about art and design also underwent profound changes and reassessment, thus leading to people questioning and re-evaluating the aesthetic values, nature and function of art and design. These series of responses have become widely known as “modernism”.

Modernity, the two hundred years between the 1750’s and the 1960’s the change came rapidly and the notion was that this change was for the better. This era also saw the advancement of technology, mass production and the great development in transportation both on road and in the railways. Word spread at an alarming rate with the development in communications and effective communicating. The primary function of modernity is progress, creativity to allow society to create a better life for everyone and make everything run smoothly.

 “Modernity is the transient, the fleeting, the contingent; it is one half of art, the other being the eternal and the immovable”(Baudelaire C. 1821- 1867). 

Baudelaire addressed the unfolding of a new way of life, in a dense urban environment of the ”crowd” and the impact of technology upon society and art Modernist Graphic designers took on the idea that design should be a way of creating order and communicating easily to the masses, so that everything would all run smoothly, the designers took social responsibility for this.

The rapid spread of the industrial revolution across Europe between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries resulted in drastic changes in transport, technology, agriculture, and the overall manufacture of materials within European cities. These changes led to socioeconomic and overall cultural changes in these societies. This idea of urbanization coincides with, and would not have existed without the revival of these economies.

Modernist art and design, as we know and recognise today, derives from artist’s personal responses to these influential social and cultural changes. Boyne and Rattansi(1990) identified for key features of modernism, and it is understood that modernist art and graphic design also adopted them in their conventions. These key features are known as aesthetic self-reflectivity, montage, use of paradox, and absence of unified and consistent subjectivity. 

For designers the complexity of modernism is reduced to two main thoughts. The first thought is that we exclude ornamentation, favouring of ‘clean’, ‘simple’, ‘non-decorated design’ Design is often in the interests of ‘clarity’ or the function that the design is to perform aiming for communication ease.

This belief stems partly from Adolf Loos’s 1908 Essay ‘Ornament and Crime’ (in Loos 1997), in which he argues that the ornamentation or decoration of objects is to be avoided because it causes them to quickly go in and out of style. Another source on this belief was that of Louis Sullivan’s 1896 formulation of the ‘law’ that ‘form ever follows function’. Both these theories suggest that the design should directly reflect the function. To achieve this, the designer would have to ‘find the optimum solution to the design problem’ (Walker 1989: 159). In layman’s terms the law means that a tall building should look like a tall building; its appearance should result from the job it is to perform, for example because of the ever growing migration of people into the cities overcrowding was a huge problem skyscrapers function is to minimise the floor space taken up and to fit as many people in a small area aspossible so the design solution was to build upwards.

The second view is nicely reflected on by Milton Glaser that ‘modernism is about progress, the endless frontier and ceaseless development’; its ‘origins are in the idea of good coming from boundless technology’ and it is ‘essentially utopian’ (Barnard, page 132).

Glaser argues that we can only embrace modernity and the developments in technology and believes that only good can come from these developments. 

These are clear examples of modernity having an effect on modernist art and design, in that it encouraged artists to somewhat disregard some of the already existing styles and conventions of art in these European societies.

The cultural changes attracted the attention of other artists who were more responsive to urban societies and what they had to offer. For example, improvements in means of communication and general entertainment encouraged people to become closer and more open minded. Some of the more technological changes also improved people’s relationship, both within and out of work environments. These changes in Europe were commonly used as an inspiration for these artists and their work, and is reflected in some of the most inspirational and iconic pieces of artwork that we know of today. An obvious example of modernity in the industrial revolution having an effect on modernist art is in the elaborate and unique design of Paris’s iconic Eiffel Tower. While London and Paris were in a somewhat race for supremacy and modernity, Paris pushed the boundaries with the elite structure of the Eiffel Tower which both accentuated the idea of ‘truth to materials’ (John Ruskin 1819-1900) in the way that the structure was not decorated at all, it displays only the structure's stripped down framework, as well as showing a clear progression of modernity. The Eiffel Tower was designed by Gustave Eiffel who was not an architect but an engineer this was probably the secret to his success and why he was able to construct this his tower to a height off 1056ft along with the help of new technologies. As this was such a significant and massive structure it was available to the masses rather than confined to galleries and conventions, the tower was constructed with the modernist attitude of truth to materials this is shown simply by the stripped down metal structure.

In considering change as a force of modernity, we can recognise architecture as a particularly successful reaction to this. Such outstanding buildings at this time, in particular, sky scrapers and towering buildings had specific designs influenced by the creative Bauhaus Movement.

Modernist designers and artists who were involved in the Bauhaus Movement believed that the materials and base designs of buildings and other projects should be acknowledged. This idea was celebrated through the encouragement of Bauhaus pupils to explore and embrace the machine, and to form various geometric shapes these shapes where though to last for a long period, unlike the styles that have come and gone over time. These shapes would be used in beginning processes of mass culture and mass production. This was never achievable in the past and allowed for the ever expanding demand in the ever expanding society.

In keeping with the recognition of the industrial revolution; steel, concrete and glass were all introduced as less expensive materials, and evidently used in design, construction and industrialisation of new designs the attitude of ornament is crime is then reflected by the non decretive style that is looking for simplicity. In architecture this proved more cost effective, thus allowing more money to be spent on further housing for the influx of people and the growing population of these European cities. 

Modernist art and design is an attitude that affirms the power of the human beings to make , improve and reshape their environment, using scientific knowledge, practical experimentation and technology. At the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century Western society also saw drastic changes in political, cultural and artistic movements. Broadly, modernism outlines a group of progressive cultural movements in art, design, architecture which emerged in the decades before 1914. Modernism embraced the modern thinkers, works of artist and designers who rebelled against the late nineteenth century academic and historic traditions and embraced the new economic, social and political aspects of the emerging modern world.


Bibliography:

Coen, E. (1988) 'Umberto Boccioni', New York, Henry N. Abrams Inc Publishers.

Goldwater, R. (1928) 'Paul Gauguin', New York, Harry N. Abrams Inc Publishers.

Richman-Kenneally, R. Sloan, J. (1967). Expo 67: Not Just a Souvenir. Toronto: University of Toronto. page 85.

Loos, A. (1998). Ornament and Crime: Selected Essays. Austria: Adriadne Press.

Barnard, M. (2005). Graphic Design as Communication. Routledge. page 132,159.

Le Pichon, Y. (1987) 'Gauguin; Life Art Inspiration', New York, Harry N. Abrams Inc Publishers.

Social Media and Communication

Socia Media and Communication.

The need to break up with a past media model.

'Media that work not through persuasion or impressions but through engagement and  involvement. If we stick with the old Mass Media model, we squander all the possibilities of the new media ecosystem.' 


(Sutherland 2009)

The mass Media Strategy


This was used during the Lever days during the height of the Empire's International trade. there was frequent use of Imagery related to Britannia and royalty this suited all markets.


Global print campaigns, international exhibition prompted large-scale colour printing.


High feeling strategy.


Old transmission communication model. Transmit ideas to an audience.

New Media Model


New cybernetic communication tool. Engage with an audience via computer mediated communication. Such as the internet and mobile phones
Cybernetics is the study of systems, it can be applied to any system such as mechanical, biological and more complex social systems.


Shift from mass to my media, this was much more directly targeted.


Audience involvement: 
Voluntarily passing,
Viral adverts, 
or creating spoofs or filming events.


Much more personalised.


Internet biggest idea since the wheel, it enables lots of small ideas to circulate.
Digital media convergence opens up opportunities for creatives.

Viral Advertising


Unpaid advertising.


One distinction between old and new media.


Two different types of viewings: Voluntary this is videos that can be viewed online and forced that are from TV or print based.


unpaid peer to peer communication of content originating from an unidentified sponsor using the internet to persuade or influence an audience to pass along the content to other people.


Examples of viral adverts are:
Truth Matters Campaign,
The Guardians 'Three Little Pigs' 
Invisible Children Campaign.


Communication buzz, pre-testing propagation. 
Indicate surveys likelihood to pass on or recommend.
Dependant on seeding, scale of placement.

Viewer-generated Content


Audiences are actively managing the media culture.


YouTube ad of the year:

Mobile phones will soon become the greatest tool for persuasion, more so than any other medium for advertising. It is the fastest growing market in the creative industries.


The Kairos factor: the principle of presenting the desired message at the opportune moment.


Mobile advertising will become the fastest growing promotional.

Visual Communication lecture

The definition of Visual Communication -
Visual communication is the layers of communication and context that shapes out understanding. It applies the properties of linguistics to images.


People who study signs and unravel the meaning are know as Semioticians
Denotation -  the level of meaning that describes something.
Connotation -  with a deeper understanding and further knowledge.
Ideology - how values and beliefs underpin the way people live in a society.

Semioticians

Roland Barthes, 'How does meaning get into the image? Where does it end? And if it ends, what is there beyond?'

Rudolf Wittkower, he was interested in the way that at different times and places we use the same symbols. He believed art communicated experience, one culture picked up and transformed the images of another.

Pierre Bourdieu, interested in peoples upbringing - conclusion in culture by levels of communication and how people understand images.

Deconstruction

The Only way is Essex.

Denotation - There is a group of young people sat on a guilded chair looking as though they are thoroughly enjoying themselves 

Connotation - a very different meaning for the people who know it.

Obama image.

Denotation - Simply a man stood incidentally in front of a building.

Connotation - power, confidence. Democracy, symbolic ancient architecture, roman dome feature referencing power.

Reichstag.

Nazi building, dome = power

1880's 90's it was decided to change the connotations and symbolism surrounding the building.

Reichstag was wrapped in silk to give a new meaning. Signified a break in the past and a new future for Germany.

Dragons.

Welsh flag - cultural.

World of Warcraft - hell, red, fire.

Church window - Saint, stained glass, angles, a symbol of christianity.