Artists research / visual response

Objectives
To further your understanding of graphic communication practitioners

Task
Using the web and my books, research and present a contextual investigation of a relevant artist, illustrator, photographer or designer.
List of artists here
Use THIS instruction sheet.

Deadline 
First week back in September 2018 


The contents of the investigation should include the following:

1 Gather 4+ pieces of their work - bullet point why these pieces are characteristic of the artist’s work. Don’t describe them separately, look for similar traits.

2 Explain your personal response. Use the relevant questions of the pink section on the 
LOOKING AT ARTEFACTS sheet to help your questioning and responses. 

3 Criticise and analyse their work. Use the relevant questions on the remaining three sections of the  LOOKING AT ARTEFACTS sheet to help your questioning.  (You don’t have to respond to every question.)

4 Respond to their work by emulating their style or process. Take characteristics of their work and merge them with your own work. Translate the work into your own ideas. Don’t spend hours coping whole images. Copies don’t earn many marks - your personal response does.


For those students wishing to achieve the top grades:
Context GCSE Stretch and Challenge 1 Write about the context. What other designers are working at the same time? Include a range of illustrator's work

Influences GCSE Stretch and Challenge 2 Research to find out who the designer has been influenced by. To do this you may need to read an interview with the illustrator. 
Just Google "Interview with [illustrator's name]" and read a few passages

Similar Artefact Typography - Homework

Objective
To research the variety of typography used on your chosen artefact.
To select a possible typeface for your product.

Task 1:

Gather together 10 or more examples of similar artefacts. (If you are making a console game cover, then you will collect lots of game covers.)

Print them off and stick them in your sketchbook (or copy/paste them onto your slides.)

Crop them so that it only shows the type.

• Describe the fonts used.
• Are there any similarities that appear in many examples?
• Why do you think they are suitable for the artefacts?
• Analyse using the Style & Personality section of these type terms

Task 2:

Look on Dafont to select a typeface that could be used on your own artefact.

• Try a few
• Present them using the name of your artefact
• Describe why the examples you have chosen is good for your design.

Expected time

2 hr +

Deadline

Start of the lesson - 2nd July 

Hand made typography

Objective
To experiment and possibly create a suitable typeface for your chosen design.
To evidence your understanding of the expressiveness of typography.

Task
Over two double pages of your sketchbook, experiment with handmade typefaces that could be used within your design. This could be a title or another graphic element.
You can work in ANY medium and use ANY process. A mix would be fine.
You can work in colour or black and white. Leave in your mistakes.
Look on my Type Pinboard for inspiration... (HERE) 
Annotate on your page, intention, notes and evaluation.

I recommend you look at the 'matching intentions' slides and include similar images, textures and colours for your the type that you are designing.

Checklist for assessment
2 double pages of experiments, beautifully bustling and busy pages of creativity.
Annotations.

Time needed
3 hrs.

Deadline
June 25th

Exam Board - Creative Statement

Task:
You are to begin to write your Creative Statement for Component 1. This is what the moderator requires to help them understand your project.
You will be writing this as you go through your component 1.

The Creative Statement is HERE, make a copy and name it. Then share it with danhaycocks@me.com

...then look at the extra help and an example HERE

Thumbnailing

Objective
To work through your initial ideas in an uninhibited fashion. Working in pen means that you can work quickly and not worry about making mistakes. Consider the fact that one of the ideas that you make will eventually make it through to be a final design. Get all of your ideas no paper now, however strange.
For those who consider themselves not able to draw... think of these as diagrams rather than drawings.
The work at the bottom of the post is not A grade standard, but they have a lovely looseness to the drawing.

Task
Using a pen, draw out your ideas over a couple of sketchbook spreads or more.
Firstly, pour all of your ideas out. 

Then, if you like one, in particular, develop that one for a few scamps until you have a better, more refined version.

By refining, you are looking at improving the placement of the title, or the direction of an image. 

Presentation
Sketchbook.
You may colour them if you wish, but do it loosely and don't spend too much time on it.

Checklist for assessment
Loads and loads of different ideas being explored and refined.

Time needed
3 hrs

Deadline
June 11

Post half term hand in

Please be aware that you will hand in your sketchbook on the first Monday back after half term. This will be a chance to get a good mark at the start of your GCSE. Make sure that all tasks have been presented as well as you can and that all tasks have some form of annotation. You can use the Critical Reflection sheet HERE. I will be assessing the following:

• First double page with similar artwork (doing games? fill with game covers)
• Brainstorm (full and brimming with potential ideas)
• Your brief (presented in a creative way)
• Moodboard
• Thumbnails of other designs
• Drawing, drawing and drawing (at least 4 pages)
• Investigating using photography (your own pics, annotated properly)
• Investigating formal conventions

Conventions of the form

Objective 
To increase your understanding of the elements needed to create a successful artefact. The 'form' relates to the artefact that you are making for component 1. Graphics products come in various 'forms': game covers, packaging, magazines boo covers etc.

Task 
Annotate a few examples of artefacts to indicate the elements that are typically included.
If you find that there is not much on a single digipak or book cover, use a few different examples - especially if you are aiming for a 7 or 8.

Tip
Those looking at children's' picture books, you will find that once you have noted down things such as title, author, image etc, you will wish to examine some ina little more detail. Notice general things about the use of type, is it straight? what sort of typefaces? Maybe look at the size and shape of characters, how big are their heads? what expression do they have? You are after generalisations, not specifics fo this tasks.

Those looking at album cover design, once you have completed stating that most albums have a title, image and barcode, you will want to look a little deeper. Try gathering some example from different genres (metal, country, indie, Blues, EDM etc) and noting the similarities or differences that they have. As an example, you may wish to spot at how Blues albums mainly feature musicians holding or playing their main instrument - probably guitar. This is due to the audience's fondness for seeing blues artists and being able to actually play rather than mime. There is authenticity.

Time needed 
2 hrs over at least a double page spread. 

Deadline 
April 1st