Research Object 1
I recently visited the British museum and saw a very unique
and fascinating photograph by Donald Rodney called ‘In the House of My Father’.
At first glance i noticed an Afro-Caribbean mans hand holding a small object
very delicately with a sense of pride, as if he was showing off the object.
With a closer look i realised he was hold a object shaped as a house, with
closer inspection i came to find out that the house was made out of his own skin
representing skin removed from a operation he had to tackle sickle-cell
anaemia. When i came to this realisation the photograph became a lot more
inspiring and personal to me as i had a operation recently also and would never
think to use it to create art. Whilst other might find the idea of using his
own skin strange and slightly disgusting i find it bold and a creative way to
use our life experiences to produce work with character and heart. This
photograph encourages me to be more daring with my work and not to be afraid to
think outside of the box.
Research Object 2
Marian Bantjes is a successful typographer, writer,
illustrator and designer who is known for her detailed and defined vector art,
delicate patterning and dedicated hand work. I admire Marian as a typographer
as the core of her designs have a very natural, unprocessed and untreated
element to it which reminds me of nature. When looking at her type work the
characteristics are very fluid and nature like with the curls, curves and
detail which can only be inspired by nature. Her work is refreshing for me as
not many type designers especially graphic designers, use nature as a
inspiration for there work. Even though it is right in
front of us, why should we not make more use of it? With the right techniques
and outlook when using nature you can be guaranteed to not be disappointed with
your work. Some ways to look at nature for ideas can be as simple as taking a
look at something from different angles, for instance from above or sideways or
exploring various shapes and textures such as the clouds and their shadows and
the patterns of wood from trees to produce original ideas. In addition, you can
put opposites of nature together to create an arrangement that works. So with such easy access to nature and
wildlife why not make use of it.
Research Object 3
Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Monsters inc and Up are some
of my favourite Disney films, that I’ve watched since they established in the
1930s with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The Walt Disney Company founded by
Walt and Roy Disney in 1923 is a multinational mass media company which has
many divisions and subsidiaries including The Walt Disney Studios, Marvel
Entertainment, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios. All of
which contribute to one of the most successful global media corporations. Part
of their re-nown success is due to Pixar’s, formally known as the Graphics
Group, CGI-animated films generated from Photorealistic RenderMan (PRMan) which is used to create the high quality
images witnessed in the films. It is evident when watching Pixar films that
they have been created by them as the graphics/animation is of a distinct high
standard and as a graphic designer myself I would love for my work to have the
same original effect on clients and viewers. Which Pixar’s highly valued
animation and audiences of all ages to me they are a worthy company to look up
to for my own work.
Research Object 4
Escher is a perfect example of an artist who uses his surroundings
to create original and effective work by simple putting a twist on how everyone
else would see their environment. He uses simple and to most uninspiring
objects to create a experimental and wondrous piece of work. He does this with
a more mathematical outlook which u can see in many of his designs. His mind
becomes more dominant in his work rather than using his eyes and drawing
exactly what he sees. For example, his piece of work called Sky and Water plays on shadow
by morphing the water background behind fish figures into bird
figures on a sky background. He tends to explore interlocking figures using
white and black to make the different dimensions stand out. His work also
includes a piece called Drawing Hands in which two hands are drawing each other
and appear to come out of the page. Eschers work pushes an individual to ‘think
outside the box’ and not be afraid to try something new because it could
produce a fascinating design.
Research Object 5
The Dutch type and graphic designer Rudy Vanderlans was bold
enough be one of the first designers to create a magazine which showed off the
valuable features of the new Macintosh in 1984. Vanderlans was the co-founder
of the magazine/journal Émigré for graphic designers and help designers to
understand and view the benefits of the Mac. The magazine was originally for
emigrant artists and their experiences and what effect their experiences had on
their creative work. However as the magazines success grew the different types
of readers grew also and so did Rudy Vanderlans as a designer. Along with the
Émigré magazine Vanderlans created typefaces including Oblong and Variex, he
started a digital type foundry with his wife, he released music, designed and
distributed artist books and produced pyjamas and ceramics. He didn’t just
stick to what he knew which could have been easy to do living in a country that
is foreign to him, no, he branched out to other areas and introduced other
designers to what was alien to them. As a graphic designer i hope to branch out
and not be afraid to use all resources available to me.
