The web essay…

What do we have to do?

Our most recent project has been to develop an essay on a chosen area of graphic design, which we will write an essay on and furthermore develop a website, to display it. It will allow us to combine our skills and information that we have developed in both IxD101 and IxD102. I am really excited to get stuck into this project, as I haven’t tried anything like this before and I think it will be a really good learning experience for me.\

What is my subject choice?

The area of graphic design which I have decided to research and write about is Graphic design in film. This is an area which I have previously never thought much about, mainly because the graphic designers in every production, never seem to get very much recognition. Although I think that this could be rather frustrating, it also shows that they have created something so accurate and fitting for the scene of the movie, that no one notices, because it is right.

The question that I proposed is…

“How do Graphic Designers create the visual experience in film?”

I basically wanted to find out more about the actual process, how the designers are inspired and how they create their work. I found out that it is a job where you must have multiple areas of skills. One day you could be painting and the next, making a stained glass window. I think this is why the job itself appealed to me to a certain extent… never a dull moment!

The main designers I decided to research were Minalima, the duo responsible for the infamous Daily Prophet along with many other props that feature in the Harry Potter Series. I also discovered Annie Atkins, who was the head graphic designer for the Wes Anderson production of “The Grand Budapest Hotel”, a film which is known for it’s mastery of typography and delicately made props.

I found both to be very interesting to write about, as well as aesthetically pleasing. I thought it would be easy to develop a theme using the wacky creations that both have made in their time.

Essay Development…

I always find the most effective way for me to consume information when researching, is to scribble it all down and then order it into an essay. Below you can see some of my pages of research, very messy, but that works best for me.

Visual Inspiration for my Website…

This is the part which I have been most excited about. I love creating themes and because I have two great designers inspiring me I think I will be able to come up with a well organised and thematic web page.

I began by looking at other websites first. I looked at both MinaLima and Annie Atkin’s webstes. I also really like the navigations and simplistic style used on the IDEO website.

I am a very practical learner, so I decided to print out some websites of different artists and designers, which included pieces and features that I liked and felt could include in my own. I added sticky notes and pointers, to help me remember certain things when I’m designing my own website. I think this is a good way to organise all of my thoughts and intentions and found it a very useful exercise. Unfortunately my scanner broke in the process, so I was not able to get the best picture of my work.

I also decided to create a collage of images of work from the main designers I am researching, so that I will be able to use their influence and drop hints to their work in my own website…

Colour Scheme…

For my chosen colour scheme, I decided to go for colours inspired by this photograph. I used Adobe Colour, a really useful website which helped me to choose complementary colours.

Typography…

For my choice of typography, I wanted something with character, along with something very easy to read. To find my font, I went onto google fonts, where there is a great selection of typefaces and it is very easy to use. I also used a website called typescale, which allowed me to work out the perfect variation of font sizes to use for my website.