Word association

I was given 10 words and 10 pieces of paper, a collection of the letter 'a' in different fonts and sizes. I had to represent the words with the letters.

Reading top line first, left to right...

1. Closed : I used capital letter 'A's for this as the bottom is 'open' where both legs of the 'a' finish. So, linking the legs of the letters together it creates a 'closed' area.

2. Horizontal : Creating two lines of horizontally places letters (right way and upside down) emphasises the message.

3. Link : The lines of the letterforms create paths which 'link' together.

4. Positive : I placed the letters in an arrow pointing/rising upwards.

5. Above : Emphasis is on the larger sized font which is 'above' the line of smaller letters.

6. Form : I chose to create a simplistic look for this word. By placing two letters the same point size and typeface aligned next to each other gives structure and 'form'.

7. Difference : Placing different typefaces, sizes, styles (bold, italic, etc.) next to each other helps emphasise their 'difference'.

8. Space : Placing a tiny letterform on a clear plain background put emphasis one the 'space' around it.

9. Loop : By attaching the ends of the letters together they create a 'loop'.

10. Finish : I used a small letter 'a' to represent a full stop or 'finish' at the bottom, right of the page.

In groups of 4 we were given a word, ours being 'deconstruct' which we had to represent with one alphabet. Our idea was to create a tower of letters and slowly have it 'deconstruct' and fall away towards the top.

How to...

How to... feel at home in a new city.

Working collaboratively in a group of five we had to come up with a solution to the above problem. Below are our initial brain stormed ideas.

We decided on the idea of 'Home in a Box'. The smell of home captured in a box to help you feel at home in a new city. Available to be picked up from any SU and at student accommodation. Our idea was created to be more humorous and not a physical thing, more of a quirky idea. We wanted the box to look homely, like a parcel you might receive from your parents. We added string and lines to stimulate stitching, and the added touch of string and a tag with our logo on.

We went out and took photos in the city, because we wanted to create two posters to accompany the box. Our idea was to physically bring 'home' to the city. So we took photos with things like pillars, street lights, parking meters, bins in so we could replace them with homely objects. Wanting the homely objects to stand out from the 'dull' city we decided to use water colour for the objects and mute the colours in the photos graph, so that the images stood out more. Whilst taking the pictures we had to think about things such as: composition, content, framing, colours, space for text. Below are a select few of the photographs taken and some drawn ideas of images to be featured.

Using our images we pieced them together to make two posters, one advertising the box its self and the other visually stimulating what the box makes you feel like/experience. We decided to use brown wrapping paper and tape to tie in with the box and create an overall homely feeling.

Summer Holiday Brief

Summer holiday brief: create an alphabet that visually reflects you as a person...

FINAL DESIGN:

I used my sketchbook to experiment with different styles I could use for my alphabet. I took into consideration things I like and materials which interest me.

I started by looking at different alphabets, different ways of writing a said letter.

I drew a few simple ideas of things I like and ways to describe me, to help provoke some initial ideas.

I like sewing and customizing clothes so I tried stitching into my sketchbook letterforms. I like the texture of the fluffy wool contrasting against the black ink background.

Carrying on the textiles theme I experimented with ribbon to see what letters I could produce from the natural curves and flow of the silk.

I looked at handwriting and how it can express your personality from the way you form each letter. For example a right slant on text represents someone who responds strongly to emotional situations, a warm and outgoing person.

Looking at objects I had in my room (worry dolls, japanese plant) I looked at how I could imitate/incorporate the design into type.

For the worry dolls I looked at how the fabric used created different outlines.

For the japanese plant I sewed directly onto the page. I think it gives the image more depth and dimension. I found it quite hard to sew the tiny details in, but I think this gives it character.

Using the other side of the page that I stitched onto I carried on the japanese style, using a wash as the background and adding in branch shapes.

I love traveling and new experiences. I have traveled to a few places abroad and feel they have helped to make me who I am today. I used tags to represent the places I have visited. I like the way the tags strings are jumbled up and express the vast amount of things I have seen and experienced over the years.

I love pretty little bric-a-brac.

General sketching ideas. Floral, shading, sketchy.

I focused on the Yorkshire accent and how it represents where I am from. Also moving away from home and meeting people from different places makes accents more noticeable.

I made a design sheet of different ways of creating the letter 'A'. Looking at the form. Curves, adding/taking away, serif/sans serif, adding imagery that relates etc...

Me in a nut shell: Girly, Strong minded, Organized, Caring, Music, Fashion, Ambition

My final design ideas below look at:

Hearts and spirals

Structure and ribbons.

I wanted my final alphabet to look girly but with structure to portray my strong-mindedness.

For the second design on the sheet below I created the letter shape myself. I chose to use upper-case and a wide rounded shaped style to show structure strong-mindedness. Although, I still wanted the overall look to be feminine so I added ribbons (I also added rose buttons to the finished product to add to this effect).

FINAL DESIGN: Pen and ink, ribbon, gold leaf, individual images.

For the final design I decided to add individual images for each letter... 'a is for', 'b is for'

A - Ambition

B - British

C - Clothes

D - Dance

E - Eating

F - Friends

G - Graphics

H - Heart

I - Inspired

J - Jewellery

K - Ketchup

L - Luck

M - Music

N - Nature

O - Oxo

P - Pisces

Q - Quizzes

R - Reading

S - Secrets

T - Travel

U - Umbrella inside out - clumsy

V - Vintage

W - Winner

X - xoxo hugs and kisses, caring

Y - York

Z - zzz sleep