what is design in print?

From The Oxford Dictionary.... 

  • verb

 1 produce (books, newspapers, etc.) by a process involving the transfer of text or designs to paper.2 produce (text or a picture) in such a way. 3 produce a paper copy of (information stored on a computer). 4 produce (a photographic print) from a negative. 5 write clearly without joining the letters. 6 mark with a coloured design.

  • noun

1 the text appearing in a book, newspaper, etc.2 an indentation or mark left on a surface by pressure.3 a printed picture or design.4 a photograph printed on paper from a negative or transparency.5 a copy of a motion picture on film. 6 a piece of fabric or clothing with a coloured pattern or design.

In my interpretation Print means "The production of creating a item, which involves word and type"

Recognizing  a product in which i think the print has particularly worked, would make me instantly think of Vitamin Water from The Coca-Cola Company. Working with teenage children in the summer for two and a half months In America I found out a lot about the differences between the countries. As sad as it is, American kids tended to self diagnose themselves alot. Weather it was the children or their families, a lot of the kids I looked after took medication for things that wouldn't really be given the time of the day here in England. So when I came across more and more Vitamin Water that they used to have stacks of in their bunks, I began to think more and more about the marketing of this product and actually how intelligent it was. The American based company produces bottles shaped to look very medically based and with many shades of coloring to look very similar to the ipod layout in all their adverts.

Last January Vitamin Water or more directly the Coca-Cola company got them into a bit of trouble for their marketing and promotions of their drink. Not only do they use very clinically and medication-looking type on their bottles but they also shape their product to directly make the drink look like a form of Medication, which in my opinion is very attractive to the public and specifically the American market.
"In fact, according to CSPI nutritionists, the 33 grams of sugar in each bottle of Vitaminwater do more to promote obesity, diabetes and other health problems than the vitamins in the drinks do to perform the advertised benefits listed on the bottles," the consumer group said.

The problem that the Centre of Science in the public interest had, was that the labels completly contradict the actual ingredients which backs up my point in how they have used loopholes to make the bottle seem and look a lot more healthy and nutritious.

Although I think the marketing and very deceitful way the company has used print and packaging to make this product seem something it isn't, I also happen to think its very cleverly made. Its a great example in how print can influence the way public would feel about a product.


My next Print based product which almost fascinates me, is the Guardian Newspaper.





The Layout, colors and specifically the type used is very appealing for me and i find it a mixture between formal and informal.

collecting over the summer

So over the summer we were told to collect and somehow categories. The first book i made was a collection of the nature and landscape shots I took in NYC. I put them in date order and there is a clear transformation of the gradual good weather to back up my sequence.

I then created a big collage of some leaflets and receipts I had collected which I created so it folds into a small booklet clearly labeling where each leaflet is from. I catergorised my summer into 4 sections...
Leeds-I spent 3 days
London-a total of 3 weeks
NYC-2 and a half months
Malaga-5 days

Then I put all the leaflets I had collected into a booklet

Finally I collected all receipts I was given over the summer, mainly in the USA where i happened to spend quite a lot this year. Opps?

Spain in the summertime

Before I took a short break to spain I was very genrerously given a very nice camera from my dad. I decided to make good use of this and take some scenic pictures in Malaga. Its just a shame I wasnt given this before i had gone to NYC, but im not really complaining.

Getting into some drawing

Animations I found

I found this small animation on a site which really caught my attention. More than anything, it is pretty much identical to the relationship I have with my 4 year old cat Leonardo Choncey Fenton. i later found from an other site that it had one best comedy in the British animation awards.
The whit and simplicity used was hilarious. Top marks! Only complaint is that perhaps more could have been done with it and the build up to the punch line could have been dragged out a little more.
Its called Cat Man Do by Simon Tofield and produced by Tandem Films.



I also found a very interesting short movie by Theodore Ushev which is based on the Russian Constructivism in 2006. Ironically I found the piece very well constructed and its definitely got me exited about the idea of object, type and music being put together as I intend to do this year.



JumpTrumpRumpBump

The most random of all that I've found this summer. How has animals/convicts/farts/recycling all got in the same short feature. The endearing sense of humor and creativeness of the animation makes this feature awsome. I like!

This summer I wanted to learn and teach myself how to draw simple objects and illustrate. I was going to do this as part of my project to show how my development of drawing images offhand and images around me, had developed and perhaps improved over the summer.
I spent a lot of my summer drawing in one little book that I took to New York and would constantly draw when i had a spare minuet so the book became pretty full. I then intelligently took it on a water rafting trip and forgot it was in my bag when i jumped in a river and it all got wet. Each page except for a few survived so I photographed them to show the kind of work I was doing.

Italian illustrator Lorenzo Petrantoni caught my attention by his quirky and interesting site that i randomly found from a site. Ironically, I had been illustrating objects this summer that are of a similar nature so the objects really caught my attention. I like his use of handmade very vintage looking objects and use of historical figures and wording which he combines in his images and videos. The simple black and white also works very well and makes each moving image flow more as one and doesnt distort any kind of message.
He has definitely inspired me to work a little more with type this year and play about with my own style, especially when the work is collaborated with music. Im very keen on his choise of animals he has used. After spending my summer in the forest in the wilderness, I have a new found love for wildlife and animals. this will be something i will try and include a lot more this year too.

Over the summer

This summer I found myself in New York again. I spent two and a half months working in the small town of Cold Spring about 45 minuets from central Manhattan. The big city with its bright lights and constant upbeat and intense atmosphere has made me keep going back.
The time i had there I tried my best to capture the city photographically. There was a mixture of images from the summer camp where I worked, and New York city.

Every day for 2 and a half months I spent time at the water front. The beautiful view became so repetitive that I stop appreciating it for a while. This sums up my summer and is just one of the most stunning things to see.