Studio Brief 2 - Idea Development

Studio Brief 2 - Individual Practise - The Leeds Library Book Cover

Idea Development

Having created a range of initial ideas the next stage in my design process was to narrow down these designs so I could then develop the strongest concepts in sophisticated designs that I could present in the interim critique. I firstly asked a range of students for their thoughts on my initial ideas on an informal basis, this gave me some really good feedback and gave me a chance to explain the background behind my book and where the inspiration for each design had come from. Following this I then took their feedback on board and selected the designs I felt had the most potential to become a high quality resolution to this brief. I selected designs 3 to develop into sophisticated designs as I felt these had strong concepts that would make for an interesting resolutions to the brief. 

DESIGN 1 

I chose to develop this design due to its innovative concept, based on the design of the Leeds Central Library, where the final outcomes will be exhibited this concept it truly representative of the book which focuses around ecology. I firstly decided to create the mosaic segments using illustrator as this would create vectors that I could later re-size without impairing the quality of the images. I took reference from the Leeds College of Art logo as well as internet images of mosaic segments to ensure my designs has a sense of realism and did not look too random. From this I then arranged the segments around the page in a seemingly abstract pattern as if they had been thrown. I kept the background of this design white to adhere to the white walls of the exhibition space. I chose my colour scheme based on the colour palette found around the Library. I experimented with different variations however I found the Blue to work the best as this closely resembled a ceiling mosaic that I found particular engaging. 

I then started experimenting with the typeface for this design. As I wanted the design to fit into its environment as much as possible I took pictured of the signs present around the library in the hope I could identify the typeface used and incorporate this into my design. I started by uploading the image for the sign to http://whatthefont.com which is a specialist website that analyses typography and can identify the typeface or typefaces of a similar variety. This allowed me to identify the typeface used consistently throughout the Library to be DIN 1451 Mittel Neu, I typed this into google and found that it was freely available to download. I think the use of the consistent typeface will greatly improve the aesthetic of my final outcome as the concept of the design is to fit into its environment. 

Top - Library Sign Picture      Bottom - Typeface

This created by developed design. I am happy with the outcome of this design as I feel it works well in keeping to the theme of the Library and would fit into this environment well if chosen for as my final resolution to the brief and is ultimately displayed at Leeds Central Library. 

DESIGN 2

Similarly to design 1 this design was also inspired by the ecology of Leeds Central Library. I took the inspiration from a view looking out of the exhibition space into the library, I saw three terracotta archways which I would aesthetically pleasing and felt I could develop into a successful concept. I found this design relatively simple to develop as I could use the pen tool in illustrator to create the lines in a digital medium. I re-drew my initial idea and called it into illustrator,  I then used the pen tool to follow the lines, this was harder than anticipated as I wanted to create perfect curves however this was not achievable in the short shape of time. I think these lines look ok at a glance but there are a number of imperfections that can be seen when analysed closely. If I developed this concept into my final resolution I would obvious address there issues but felt they were appropriate for the interim critique. 

The next stage in developing this design was to choose an appropriate colour palette, I found this to be a seemly obvious choice as I was trying to tailor the design to the aesthetic of the library. I chose a terracotta orange for the lines, I searched for the pantone reference online to ensure the colours were realised. I then used a softer orange for the background as I felt the white background was too stark, this subtle orange was softer and made the imperfections of the lines less obvious. 

Finally I added the typography to my cover, Similarly to design 1 I used the typeface that was consistent with signage of the library, I feel this was the most appropriate typeface to fit into the environment of the Library, I also chose a light grey for the text as this was similar to the colour used on the library signage. I feel this is affective as it doesn't take the away away from the design too quickly. Overall I am happy with the outcome of this design however if I developed this into my final resolution I would ensure there are no imperfections with the curved lines. 

DESIGN 3 

Design 3 was inspired by the physical structure of silk. I loved the pattern this created so wanted the design to be very eye-catching and striking. I started by drawing over the pattern  from its original source as the original image was very noisy. Once drawn out accurately I scanned this image into illustrator and used the pen tool to re-create one of each shape into a digital vector that I could then manipulate by adjusting the anchor points to create a well rounded shape. I then copied these components to create the pattern that was identical. I was happy with the outcome of this pattern as I feel it looks very structured and aesthetically pleasing. 

I converted this vector into photoshop so that I could apply text and experiment with the colour palette. I wanted the design to be bold and eye-catching I also thought about the pattern referenced silk so wanted to use colours consistent with the fabric, this carries connotations of bold pinks, golds and blues. I instantly thought of Indian Culture which is famous for its glamorous silk clothing. I chose a bold pink for the background as I felt this would instantly catch the eye of the reader I then complemented this with a yellow for the pattern as I felt this worked well, also if I screen printed this design I could use metallic gold ink which would work well and add an extra layer to the design. Finally I added the text to the image, I kept the same alignment of the text from study task 3 as I felt this worked well, I used white for the typeface as I didn't want to confuse the already bold colour scheme. 

I am happy with the outcome of this concept and feel it would work extremely well if screen printed with gold ink as this would ensure the cover grabs the eye of its audience. The next stage in my design process is to present these three sophisticated deigns to a group of students and lecturers to hear their feedback and help me to identify the strongest concept to develop into my final resolution to the brief.