Inspirational work from practitioners of the Ikon and Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

This is one of the series of visuals of 'Today's Question' by Eva Weinmayr. The use of captivating colours originally engaged me in this particular visual. Having such a clean cut design and legible typeface, the question in this visual is delivered with ease. By using an open question automatically arouses a debate within the public on personal views and opinions in the society. The advantage of using this open question in the practitioners work, will help her work become memorable by the public.  Being such a personal matter of today's questions in society, people will build an opinion on this question that will be discussed and debated with others, to voice their opinion or typically define their opinion. I believe this visual is a great way of engaging the public into your work, by imposing a question it gives viewers the opportunity to get passionately involved in a debate or a journey to figure out the answer.

This line drawing created by James O'Hanlon, is based on the skyline of Birmingham 2012. This depiction of Birmingham can be easily perceived as a sketch of Birmingham, however it was created with black paint. The panoramic view of birmingham taken from the Alpha tower, was based on his own photographs, capturing the true character of Birmingham. The use of black lines has developed a detailed visual of Birmingham, where the more you look at the painting, the more you discover. The use of black and white creating a maximum contrast, helps enhance the features and characters of Birmingham. By being done in a simplistic way from the use of not adding colour, helps create an unromantic feel towards the city, but the visual is still endearing, as there's so much to explore in this painting. 

 Justyna Ptak is particularly fascinated in house spaces. 'House 1' is a series of photographs of spaces taken by the artist. The use of close up images being framed is significantly important, as the close up images are done to intrigue viewers to consider and question a story or an experience that might exist just outside that space. In her work she explores the concept of unknown places, leaving viewers in suspense of where these particular spaces are. I admire the idea of her work being based on 'abandoned non-moments', it gives viewers the opportunity to interpret the work openly, letting your imagination run free to what stories this particular space may with held. I believe the series of photographs are every day scenes, ordinary with a placid approach. By capturing ordinary everyday scenes, her work explores the known and unknown, keeping viewers in suspense to where those spaces are, and the stories that may exist.

 Within this colour woodblock print produced by Toyochara Chikanobu,  the creative has incorporated visual popular traditional motifs that represent Japanese Art. The Carp is a symbol of good luck, and the Wisteria is a popular Japanese flower, which is also known as 'fuji' where in the history of Japan, viewing Wisteria was a popular activity. As soon as I started viewing the woodblock print I automatically made relations to Japanese Art due to the traditional elements being used. This design has been portrayed in a delicate form, embracing the tradition of Japanese Art. From looking at this visual it makes me want to explore different elements of Japanese Art, as I admire how different elements symbolise a meaning or a tradition of Japan.

This beautiful canvas was created by Fiona Rae named 'Dark Star'. This was created with acrylic, oil and coloured glitter on the canvas. The combination of different brush strokes being sprayed, dripped and marking making are all composed in a traditional landscape chinese painting way, being influenced from the practitioner's original environment, as Rae was originally from Hong Kong. The use of symbols also embraces Rae's environment. All of the different mark making and shapes symbolise her inspiration from sci-fi, comics, cinema, music, and advertising. I personally find the way Rae has interpreted what she's interested in, and developed her own style by experimenting with mark making and different brush strokes to communicate what she is personally fascinated by. The use of the shapes and symbols creates a sci-fi experience, and the shapes being sprayed and stroked in different directions almost creates a feel of motion and space by the way the design has been composed. I found Rae's work an eye opener on how to compose your notions in a completely different way,  which has made me want to explore her culture, as injecting those cultural elements into her work is what makes the work so inspiring and fresh.

At the Ikon gallery I discovered Timur Novikov's work, which I found incredibly influential. He was profoundly known for the use of fabric incorporated in his work, where he developed and created a style that was so simplistic almost childlike motifs. The two main pieces of cloth, the black part acting as the ocean, and the white part acting as the land, has been simplified in such a powerful way the visual interpretation is clear by having the scattered childlike penguins making their way to the water with a few of them caught in the action of diving in, giving that sense of motion, and portraying a visual image of what is happening. Overall the simplicity of Novikov's work will influence me to experiment in visually communicating in a simplified manner, to deliver a clear message in my future work. 

Design Hero's by Jane

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/things%20i%20have%20learned%20in%20my%20life%20so%20far

Within this lecture, Jane introduced to me a creative I've never came across called Stefan Sagmeister. I felt it was an eye opener being introduced to such an experimental practitioner. In his work especially in the book 'Things I have learned', Stefan Sagmeister produced a personal typographical experiment, where there's a strong influence incorporated from the environment. With the use of personal quotes that relate to Stefan in his own personal experiences, helps evoke an emotional response from viewers, as the quotes deliver a clear message that people can relate and connect too.  Even though the quotes of the typography string together a clear message, the typography on it's own leaves an open interpretation of what the word is portraying in that particular environment. The single word within that environment intrigues you, making you make presumptions and question Stefan Sagmeister's personal experiences.

In all of the practitioners designs, especially typography, he has developed his own unique style, which has helped the creative become increasingly known by viewers. When you see design work with the same experimental visuals of typography, you begin to recognise the characteristics and make presumptions it's Stefan Sagmeister's work due to how he puts his own original personal stamp on things.   

http://www.bantjes.com

Once being introduced to Stefan Sagmeister, it made me realise the connection between a creative named Marian Bantjes. I have found some of her work incredibly influential, purely because of how she expresses the typography in a creative way to emphasise the message and meaning which I feel Stefan Sagmeister does in his own personal way. My particular favourite piece of her work was for a German magazine where she illustrated the spreads, he loves me, he loves me not. The use of colour for the 'he loves me' illustration emphasises the passion of love, and portrays an image of a woman picking off the petals of the flower trying to figure out the answer if he loves her or not. The illustration on the right above for 'he loves me not' is shown through the use of spikes representing the pain a woman may feel if she finds out he doesn't love her.  The way the words have been illustrated to express the passion and pain this person may feel, has been done in such an emotive way, this arouses feelings in viewers, as they can relate to being in this scenario of being in suspense wondering what the answer is. By arousing emotion in viewers helps create a strong connection in the poster making it memorable. 

I believe Stefan Sagmeister and Marian Bantjes go through the same process of experimenting freely to express meanings in their work, some a clear understanding and others up for an open interpretation. What makes their work so special is the way the typography has been carefully crafted in such a detailed original way, it automatically captures your attention.  

Design Hero's by Mark Murphy

'Design is thinking made visual'

http://annyas.com/screenshots/updates/saul-bass-movie-posters-storyboards/

Mark Murphy shared his most inspirational practitioners in the lecture,  helping me gain an insight to where Saul Bass gained influence to produce such creative visuals. The use of simplified shapes, block colours with a distinct colour palette are all characteristics of Saul Bass's work that have been majorly influenced from The Bauhaus movement, that changed modern design creating an era, that helped free design from ornamentation and clutter. 

The way Saul Bass takes a complicated notion and encodes the message in a simplified visual way, is why the practitioner was able to communicate such a strong successful message. Saul Bass was profoundly known for creating memorable film posters as well as branding. The film posters above have all been well composed by experimenting with the use of 'white space' to help put all viewers attention and emphasis on the semiotics for the public to decode the message. The use of colour choices for the film posters helps create a strong contrast enhancing the features of the simplified shapes.

What intrigues me the most about the creative's visuals, is the way the notions communicate a sense of speed and emotion through illustrations being simplified and clean cut. The way Saul Bass took a message and simplified it through visual communication  for the public to understand the message and digest the information successfully, will inspire me as a creative to communicate using simplified shapes to make the message clear to viewers.

http://www.behance.net/gallery/MODHO-Branding/6959883

A creative designer, called Tiago Campea uses the same design characteristics as Saul Bass. The use of clean cut simplified shapes, keeps the design simple but powerful. The branding done for Modho represents the architecture systems used for the house projects. Each 'M' is carefully constructed in a different way with distinct colour palettes emphasising the use of creative modern grid structures, to produce innovative contemporary house designs as a company. I believe Tiago Campea has cleverly portrayed what the brand is about through the use of simple shapes and imagination. With the complex 'M' structure changing into different formations, it gives off the feeling the company Modho produce creative house structure, making you intrigued what the company has to offer. 

After analysing these practitioners work, I will take forward how it's important with the use of simplified shapes and symbols, to communicate a strong message and meaning of what the brand is about or a film poster, in order for the design to be powerful and meaningful.

Another creative that Mark Murphy happened to share with us, was also one of my all time design hero's. David Carson is profoundly known for breaking rules with his distinctive typography, and consistently pushing boundaries that people wouldn't dare. David Carson's work makes you realise that legibility is not always the answer to communication. By the practitioner deconstructing words and displacing typography in a complex manner creates something out of the ordinary, a challenge for viewers. It enforces you to engage in the challenge to decode the message. 

The use of layers, space and deconstructed words within David's typography are all elements that create a puzzle for viewers to solve. The use of photography within the picture above helps give an indication and relates the the distorted words. The photography is a clear indication that the Bark catalogue is to do with the ocean, giving viewers an inclination and clue of what the catalogue is all about. 

In David Carson's work it's, visually clear about his passion for surfing. His environment plays a significant part of influencing his design through colour, shapes and photography in some form. In some way or another it seems he injects his passion into his work reflecting and representing surfing aspects from his life into his typography, from fragmented words, to them being layered and distorted. In some ways I feel through the way he portrays his typography, is his interpretation of the ocean in a creative way, giving a sense of speed and motion through typography.

Overall, what fascinates me about David Carson's work so much, is giving viewers the challenge to decode the message, and figure out the puzzle. This method engages you so much into the work, making it memorable and unforgettable.