After everyone had spoken and we had compared lists, we then had to compile a list of the traits and characteristics which were said for a few people/appeared a lot.
- Simplicity/Minimalist
- Intelligent Design
- Typography &Text
- Infographics
- Typography and Illustration
- Branding - Logo's & packaging
- Structured layouts & structure
- Screen Printing
- Colour
- Different media
As a class we then identified the recurring characteristics in all the different blog groups and compiled them into one list that represents the class as a whole when it comes to design. The list is pretty much putting down what design is in fourteen bullet points, showing all the important aspects to think of when looking at design and creating design pieces.
- Creative use of Type
- Visual Quality
- Tone of Voice
- Attention to Detail
- Simplicity of Design
- Meaning or Message
- Audience engagement/interaction
- Style or Aesthetic Quality
- Use of Media & Method of Production
- Relationship between Form and Format
- Interest in the Content
- Use/Choice of Language
- Structure & Layout
From the list I have chosen:
- Creative use of Type
- Attention to Detail
- Structure and Layout
- Intrest in the Content
- Visual Quality
Creative Use of Type
I have chosen these eight because all of them are completely different and show a range of ways to make type creative. They are all successful in my eyes and completely innovative. They are all also a range of media, from pen to 3D animation/sculpture.
Attention to Detail
Attention to detail can mean a couple of things, but I took it as how intricate the design is instead of the small elements in larger designs. I looked at two designers mainly, Koen Tasselar and Mike Perry, the fifth image being one I found on google. They're all individual, but quite similar in the fact that they're all hand drawn and have a huge amount of detail in each image.
Structure and Layout
For structure and layout I looked at mainly posters and magazine pages/covers as these are the places where structure and layout are the most important aspects of the design. I looked at large scale corporate companies like Pentagram but also looked at single individuals like Alan Kitching. I chose each one because the layouts are different in each, but all appeal to me.
Interest in the Content
I tried to get as big of a range as possible in these works, trying to cover all aspects on my personal interest and how I like to work. There are two main things that interest me the most, pattern/geometric shapes and typography, particularly David Carson and Alan Kitching. The colours that Mike Perry uses is also something that I like/inspires me, and I have based a fair bit of work off the inspiration I've gotten from his work.
Visual Quality
Visual quality is what I think works well visually. Once again I have looked at David Carson and Mike Perry as I think the visual quality of their work is always consistently amazing. I chose the Pentagram Design logo because I think it's so simple and clever that it works really well and get's the message across instantly. Experimental Jetset are always high in visual quality, this is usually to do with the fact that their designs are so simple and effective. The other three images are ones that I found on google, which were visually appealing to me because of the strong colour used on each of them to highlight the main aspect of the design.
From the images above I had to choose one from each category which I felt explained the heading the best.
Then for the chosen images we had to answer five criteria for each:
- Function
- Design Context
- Tone of Voice
- Message/Idea
- Intended Scale/Place of delivery
I found this quite hard for a couple of the images I had chosen as they really weren't for a couple of the criteria. I answered them the best I could, but it was clear that they didn't fit into the criteria at all. Once this was done we had to lay out all 25+ with the groups and make a list of the criteria answers for the images as a group.
