Semiotics
Semiotics is the study of signs
and sign processes indication, designation, likeness, analogy, metaphor,
symbolism, signification and communication.
Peirce idea of semiotics is split
into three types of signs, which are Icon, Index and symbol. Icon indicates a
sign of an object of resemblance, for example pictures, maps or diagrams. They are also not so noticeable icon’s
that affect the sign like algebra expressions and index is the object. The symbol
has no similar relations but it links to the icon but no link to the object
like text. One example of this semiotics is by Joseph Kossuth, titled ‘one and
three chairs’ in 1965. In the image, you can see three different definitions of
chairs. The chair on the left is clearly the chair but the question is, is it
really? However the actual ‘photograph of a chair’ is the index. The real chair
or in this case the icon, is positioned in the middle. On the right the chair
is the symbolic definition of the icon. Saussure theory proves that there’s no
essential relation to the actual meaning.
For example the symbol is the ‘signifier’ and the actual significance is
represented as the ‘signified’.
Modernism
Modernism is about designing a
new world. ‘It was flourished during the years 1914 to 1939 and was the key points
of reference for twentieth-century architecture, design and art’. This image of the Le Corbusier, design
for the Villa Stein De Monzie, in 1926 shows a modern sketch of a building,
which is formed of thought-provoking square shapes and bright colours.
“Postmodernism is in general the era that follows Modernism”,
an ‘upgraded’ version of modernist. The schematic difference is that modernism
is design and postmodernism transforms the design. It’s a futuristic enabled
manifestation of what architecture is, should could or can be today. The
developed formation of postmodern architecture has pushed postmodernist
architects to create stimulating, surreal architecture for companies and the public.
For example, my approach to create a postmodern sofa would be to make it look
different by changing the structural shape into a more abstract shape and have
it in vibrant colour.
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Book: Modernism deigning a new
world. Edited by Christopher Wilk.
Identity
Identity means ‘‘the state of
having unique identifying characteristics held by no other person or thing, the
individual characteristics by which a person or thing is recognized’’
During the period of when Adolf
Hitler was a leader of the Nazi Party, Hitler idea of greater inheritances were people with blue eyes and blonde hair. Hitler was known to have preferred the
pure look of the Aryan Caucasians, apart from the Jews and wanted society to
have the same believe of the pure image. Like in today’s society, identity or
image still affects people. For
example, rules have applied in some jobs where the employees have to cover
their tattoos. For more professional jobs like office jobs, people with tattoos
might not even be considered for a job, as companies are afraid it could
portray the wrong image to their clients, therefore viewing the individual
differently. My question is this right? Because you have a tattoo does that
make you a bad person? What if you
were the ideal candidate for the job with the right personalities and skills,
should you be excluded or judged just because of your appearance. My personal
response to that people should have a right to be different and to embrace
their identities. Otherwise the world would be very mechanical and ordinary,
where everyone looks the same. I believe that your identity could also be used
to your advantage. Identity is used for branding companies, such as a logo.
‘The famous Golden Arches in McDonald’s logo represent style, significance and
a strong corporate identity.’ It is a branding that can easily be noticeable
and recognized in any region.
Banksy
Banksy is a well-known anonymous
street artist who is well known for his dark humor and sinister stencil style
graffiti. Banksy, a street artist whose identity remains unknown but its
believed he was born in Bristol, UK around 1974.
Banksy is an inspirational
artist, who has inspired many different people. His artwork is controversial yet humorous. His “artwork is
characterised by striking images, often combined with slogans. His work often
engages political themes, satirically critiquing war, capitalism, hypocrisy and
greed.” Banksy gained a reputation for his provocative stenciled pieces. For
example, the controversial but comical graffiti of two stenciled police
officers kissing on a public brick wall and also a policeman bending down
sniffing cocaine from the floor.
Today Graffiti is still
questioned whether if it’s art or vandalism. My personal attitude is that art
is not only for being displayed in galleries or museums but should be
accessible to everyone on the streets. Graffiti however shouldn’t be used as
vandalism but for artist to express a place or a community like Brick Lane in
Shoreditch. Artists are free to express their creativity through graffiti on
the streets or walls and can be viewed by the general public, including tourist
who are also drawn to the place, which is beneficial for businesses in the
area. Brick Lane has achieved its own identity, where graffiti is considered as
art.
Olly Moss
Olly Moss is a British
graphic designer and artist who was born on January 20th in 1987 and graduated
from the University of Birmingham in 2008. He
is well known for his unique re-working of film posters and visuals.
He is now
living and working in Winchester, UK. Olly Moss is an English artist, graphic
designer and illustrator. He is best known for his re-imagining of movie posters and in
particular I really like his illustration of spider man mask, which is also a
women’s bra formed by the eyes of spider man. The use of shapes gives the
viewer the optical illusion of thinking its one thing but is also something
else. A more well known artwork
from Olly has is the box art and branding for Resistance 3 for Sony Company. This
style that Olly has used is very clever, because one can see that in the skull
at the bottom where the mouth part is you can see an cut out of New York City, using
the famous outline of the statue of Liberty. Olly’s work inspires
other independent artists that we can be playful with our designs, and not to
be afraid with tackling well-known movies.
http://ollymoss.com/
Edgar Mueller
Edgar Mueller was born in on July
10th, 1968 in Mulhiem/Ruh and is well known as one of the world's top 3-D
illusionist street painters. Edgar first found his passion for street art
at high school, when he around the age of 14. He saw chalk drawings on the
floor that fascinated him. “Inspired by the transitory works of art which he
met on his way to school, Edgar Mueller decided to enter the competition. He
took park for the first time at the age of 16.”
One of my favorite creations he
created is the Creative Cave project, created in West India Quay, London. The
optical illusion is of a crack on the floors are formed of caves underneath and
it it’s so interesting as it appears so realistic. The street work he has
produced inspires me today because it is so creative and evocative to the
observer. It also makes me realize with hard work and persistence you can
achieve your goals to inspire others.
Human portrait typography
Typography is very important in
graphic designs because it is a vital part of promotional material and
advertising. Designers use typography to set a theme and mood and are used to
draw attention from the viewers.
In today’s society, there are now
many creative designers who can use the developments of technology and
software’s to manipulate font types, sizes, typefaces and wording, combined
with imagery to deliver the intended messages. The position of typography is to
form a human face, with the different sizing of the font you can see the text
gets lighter when its gets smaller and when text is increased it gets darker.
Overlapping layers of text can create darker shades, which brings tone into the
portrait. It takes time and precision to create the curves but the final result
is beautiful.
Paul Reilly
Paul Reilly is a contemporary
illustrator who is renowned for his contemporary fashion illustrations which an
urban influence. He mainly uses adobe Photoshop and adobe illustration. Paul
uses a lot of portraits in his work to create realistic illustrations using
life like colour and his illustrations use imaginative backgrounds to create a
‘thought’ or ambiance. Paul Reilly clearly likes working in the style with lots
of dramatic colour. The illustration below is playful, colorful and using
different imagery like a collage to create a vibrant image. The focal point of
the illustration is the man in the middle, surrounded by a dream like state of
what interest the individual. The mood of the illustration is very positive but
the combination of his serious smile and the army uniform, suggests that he
must sustain his professionalism. Paul Reilly has been a huge influence on my
work today, because in graphic designs I love creating vector lines to create
forms of faces.
Jonathan Ive
Jonathan Ive is a UK born
designer who was born in Chingford. Jonathan is one of the frontrunners for
best designs in the world for the brand Apple. “Apple's senior vice president
of Industrial Design, reporting to CEO Tim Cook. Since 1996, he has been
responsible for leading a design team widely regarded as one of the world’s
best.” From the young age of 14 years old, Jonathan was interested design or
“making stuff and drawing,” which determined his future in product design.
Jonathan has designed successful machines including the MacBook Pro, iMac, MacBook Air, iPod, iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad and iPad Mini.
Apple is a world wide
recognizable brand and successful because of their innovative product design,
which would have not been possible without creative artist. I have also
consumed apple products including my favorite, the iPhone 4G. I am very reliant
on my phone because I use it for all purposes in my everyday schedule including
the Internet; Google maps or use their texting features like WhatsApp to
communicate with friends. Apple continues to produce new and improved apple
products to attract consumers to buy their products. For example, the latest iPhone feature of voice control,
which controls your phone by the sound of your voice, commands. Apple has
designed their products around the convenience of the consumers. This is why
design is so fundamental and must continue to evolve with the times.
Logos
Logos are an important aspect
when it comes to Graphic designs. They are used throughout the world including
in advertisements for films or organisations like charities. A logo is
important to promote the companies identity, which is their trademark to be
recognized the public. The purpose for ‘corporate logos’ is intended to be the
company "face" and the significance of the logo is to help the reader
identify the company. The graphical displays of colour, font and images provide
essential information about a company. Logos are very visible and so it is
important to get the logo right because it’s like a branding to show what the
company does.
Through the years logos have been
recreated and improved, ‘It takes a lot of research to be able to redesign an
old and familiar logo.’ One example is the distinctive red and white KFC logo,
founded by Colonel Harland Sander. The restaurant is most recognized for their
famous fried chicken. The logo design uses bold colours and lines, which
makes it more visually striking. The image of the Colonel smiling is friendly
and welcoming, which appeals to families.
Movie posters
“The movie poster, in all of its
sizes and forms, has been the backbone on which this industry was built. Movies
and their posters have grown side-by-side since the late 1800’s.”
Movie posters are a very
important aspect of publicity to encourage people to see the film in cinemas or
buy hard copies. An impacting poster that is designed to get the audience to
notice it is down to details including a strong image and text for audiences to
get a sense of the films genre. For example if the movie poster is promoting a
horror film, it may have a picture of the killer or have text in blood. Using big, bold text rather then small
titles to make it easy to read. The use of typeface is really important detail
on a movie poster to maintain the consistency of what the movie is or will
be. Today, not only can you
encourage a viewer to watch a film by poster, but also now by the improvement
of technology, it has created many different forms to advertisements. These
different ways can be by billboards, websites, downloading iPhone apps.
Animation
‘Animation is the rapid
display of a sequence of images to create an illusion of movement’.
It’s a series of lots of images that are put together to give movement. An
animation starts off with a few sketches and is developed by using commuter
programs to achieve a story.
There are few renowned companies
such as DreamWorks, Pixar and Disney.
Animation takes a lot of hard work and focus to keep up the high
standards. Noticeably the most popular animations have the same movements clips
with the moving image synced. Winnie the Poo and The jungle book the both
movement in scenes’. The only thing changed is the background and the
characters. Animation has evolved over last decade because of improved
technology and quality of editing has improved compared to previous animation,
which were all hand drawn. Animation has come a long way since then with most
drawing done on the computer, which enables the animation to become more
realistic with the development of new-programed tools.
Previously animation appealed
more to the younger generation but now its popular with all ages, especially
influenced by the development of computer games too. Animation is being used
more in mainstream films now then before, including comic books like Hulk.
Anything seems to be possible with the development of animation and it will
continue to thrive in the future.
