Found Turquoise Editing

I have begun to develop the photographs of the found Turquoise from my colour hunts from the past couple of days. I have narrowed my photographs down to my favourite ten which I then edited using the idea of colour splash photography; the technique of converting them to black and white photographs, while keeping the chosen details in colour.

I converted them into colour splash photographs so that the all the attention diverts to the Turquoise, also I didn't want the background colours to distract. Creating contrast between the black and white with the turquoise. The photographs are aesthetically pleasing as the spot colour makes the Turquoise stand out.

                              

Saturation Development

I have begun to explore the colour theory of Contrast of Saturation. Saturation means the intensity of a singular colour, therefore; Contrast of Saturation means the contrast between high and low intensity and/or dullness of the colour. The Saturation depends on if the colour has higher pigments of black or white. Purer colours will have higher pigments of white, richer colour will have higher pigments of black.

I started with experimenting with my original idea of nail polish layering; the idea of the saturation going from pure to intense (opaque to highly pigmented). The idea was to apply 20-30 layers of nail polish onto the nails and photograph the process to see how the colour changes. However, the actual colour did not change as much, the layers just got thicker.

                        

First layer (above) Last layer (below)

Since the idea of the nail polish was not as successful, I will experiment with the idea of abstract collage making. The collages will show Contrast of Saturation through the use of darker and lighter shades of Turquoise paper media together. I will take shape inspiration for the collages from the Turquoise rock (this is where the word comes from).

Simultaneous Contrast Development

I have begun to develop the colour theory of Simultaneous contrast that will be shown in my publication for Turquoise. This experiment was extremely fun and playful, using the idea of sweets. I chose six different friends to use; they all ate sweets that included shades of turquoise, blue and green in order to stain their mouths to see how the colour Turquoise changed on each person. The flavour of most of the sweets was blue raspberry as they stain the best, I shopped in 3-4 different sweet stores.

I created this experiment to show how the one colour can change and look different depending on the colour of each persons’ tongue/mouth as well as the shape. The photos successfully show the contrast between the cool tones of the turquoise against the warm tones of pink and red in the the tongue.  change.

I got each person to make different tongue and mouth movements while I took the pictures, this made the process fun and humorous as well. I managed to gather a good amounts of images for each person, I will now select the best ones to develop further. The photographs were taken with and without flash.

         

Light and Dark Development

Another way that I have explored the colour Turquoise is through finding Turquoise in everyday life. I took photographs of all the Turquoise I found for my publication, I did this by going on numerous colour hunts in the city of Leeds. I went on colour hunts with my peers as well as on my own, I found going on my own was better as I was able to explore more.

I found the Turquoise in many different places; streets, shops, decorations, furniture, banners, everyday objects, restaurants, garbage, museums etc.

Each one of the photographs consists of a wide amount of different shades and hues within the Turquoise, this shows the colour theory of Light-Dark Contrast. The colours range from pale greens, to neon turquoise to dark blues with many more shades in between.

Further Colour Theory Research

In order to thoroughly relate my experiments to a colour theory each, I have begun to gather further research on the colour theories that relate to my ideas. I have looked and read about the work of Johannes Itten, Josef Albers and the tests by Disegno of Johannes Ittens colour theories (is colour subjective?)

Ideas Critique

I talked through my initial ideas in a Critique on Monday afternoon. This allowed me gain some feedback on which ideas are strong enough to begin developing, I also received some new ideas that I could try out and develop.

The feedback that I received was extremely helpful;

• The idea of using turquoise makeup products on different skin tones begins to play on the idea of race too much, rather than shades
• Don't use ideas that are too literal e.g. the colour of the sea and sky
• The physical and more playful ideas are the most successful
• Photography is important to explore my ideas well
• Find turquoise in the real world
• The ideas of the sweets and objects is interesting, explore this

For one of my ideas I am sticking to the theme of sweets, but exploring it in a funner way with more depth; Buy loads of turquoise sweets, get a set of 5/6 people and then get the people to each the sweets so that I can photograph their mouths and tongues once the colour has stained.  Making sure it is photographed really well, it will show the contrast of cool and warm tones in one.
(Simultaneous contrast)

Another idea I am going to develop is the idea of finding turquoise objects and places to photograph; the photographs will then be arranged into a colour sequence to show all the different hues, tints and shades of the one colour. (Light and dark)

I also want to explore the colour theory Contrast of Saturation. I am going to experiment this theory using the idea of tints and different opacities of the colour Turquoise, although I am still generating ideas on how I could do this. One idea that I had was to use nail polish layers; apply 30 layers onto the nails and photograph the proccess

After the critique I went into town which allowed me to photograph any Turquoise that I found, I also purchased items that I need in order to explore some ideas; Turquoise nail polish and blue raspberry flavoured sweets.

Module 2; Studio Brief 1 Starting Point - Ideas and Research

I have begun to generate ideas on how I could explore the colour turquoise for my publication through the colour theories;  Josef Albers – Interaction of Colour (1963) and Johannes Itten – The Elements of Colour (1961)

The colour theories;

Johannes Itten:

• Subjective Timbro
• The Seven Colour Contrasts
• Contrast of Hue
• Light-Dark Contrast            
• Cold Warm Contrast
• Complementary Contrast        
• Simultaneous Contrast       
• Contrast of Saturation
• Contrast of Extension             
• Colour Agent and Effect  

 Josef Albers:               

• Optical mixture – The Bezold Effect 
• The Relativity of Colour
• Vibrating Boundaries                                         
• Reversed Grounds
• Intersecting Colours                                           
• Subtraction of Colour
• Film and Volume Colour

I have started by purely coming up with fun ideas that I could experiment with using the colour Turquoise, I chose not to start of with thinking about each theory as I felt that it would narrow my thinking; I will relate and develop each idea to a theory afterwards instead.

The initial ideas that I had;

• Go for a colour hunt! Go with friends so its more fun, explore places that aren't on the high street
• Buy turquoise sweets and then photograph them together to show the different shades
• Beauty products; put the same turquoise lipstick and nail polish shade to show how the colour looks different on different skin tones 
• Photograph the colour on different paper backgrounds
• Create a rainbow out of the different shades of turquoise using objects
• Collage of turquoise papers
• Print the colour onto acetate and then put onto a camera or glasses so everything is turquoise 
• Add it into the real world; take photographs of places and then turn everything turquoise, e.g. a picture of a carpark of all turquoise cars, 
• Visit shops like B&Q and collect colour strips of turquoise

 

I then begun to research into the colour theories in order to narrow my ideas down to three different elements of colour theory for my Pantone Turquoise publication. The colour theories that I was most interested in and that related to my ideas were;

• Contrast of saturation and light-dark contrast (I feel that these two are very similar in ways); light and dull versions of a colour, the pigments, day and night, light and darkness (nature links?)
• Contrast of hue
• Intersecting colours; the idea of layers and angles, creating illusions etc
• Vibrating boundaries; opposites, contrasts
• Cold and warm contrast; Turquoise is cool; cold. The idea of weather and tempature
• Simultaneous contrast; how is one colour seen by different people or in different places, how does it change?

Initial background research and notes; Turquoise

Throughout this mornings briefing, I have gathered some ideas that I will research into in more depth;

• How does the colour look on different media? - Opened it up on different devices to see how the colour changes, also printed it onto colour paper and acetate to see how the colour looks different from the original colour piece of paper that was given

• How does it look against different backgrounds? 

• Think about physical, psychological and physiological
• Primary, secondary and tertiary - Turquoise is a tertiary colour, it is a greenish shade of cyan, it is a mixture of pale blue and green
• "Hue"; one colour
• "Colour"; one or several hues
• "Colour" plus "Hue" are often interchangeable terms
• Intensity, saturation and brilliance are also inter exchangeable terms
• Shades= hues+black
• Tints= hues+white
• Tones= hues+grey 
• Colour is always a relationship 
• What happens when you take colour away?
• "When the contrasting colour is there is when it is most intense" - Itten - The vibrating boundry colour for Turquoise is an orangey shade

• How does it look broken apart?
• Is it warm or cool?; red=warm, blue=cold - Turquoise is a cool tone; represents sea and the sky
• "How do YOU perceive colour" - Josef Albers. - The idea that a colour that I may find harmonious, someone else might find disturbing

Module 2; Studio Brief 1 starting point

Studio Brief 1 has been split into several different concepts to explore; visual literacy, colour, layout/grids and visual research. To start off with, I am to focus purely on colour. In order to do this I have been given one Pantone colour at random to base my work on in order to create a publication using book binding.

The colour that I have been given is: 2010, Turquoise, Pantone 15-5519, #45B5AA

"an inviting, luminous hue, as the Color of the Year for 2010. Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise inspires thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a comforting escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing." - https://www.pantone.com/color-of-the-year-2010

In order to have a healthy amount of work for my publication, I am to throughly experiment and research the colour Turquoise; Have at least 3 elements of colour theories researched and experimented with by Friday (read the colour theory books by Josef Albers and Johannes Itten), written research about colour in general and my given colour, sustained visual experimentation and examples of other designers work.

Module Evaluation

In conclusion, I have found this module as a whole extremely fun but at the same time quite challenging, it has helped me progress in terms of the way I work and the journey to the final outcome.

I found the Module as a whole fun as it allowed me to experiment with a wide range of materials and techniques, also because I discovered and researched into new designers and working techniques which inspired and helped my work to progress.

However, I did find the module quite challenging and stressful at times, in particular; the first and second brief. This was because I found it hard to manage my time at the start; making enough time for university work and personal time, I also thought that the first two briefs started out quite randomly as we dove straight into designing before having enough time to research and experiment first.

This meant that I had to learn to work in different ways and a lot quicker; have a basic plan of what to do each day and when to start putting my experiments into context digitally. Having a challenging first couple of weeks meant that I was well prepared for Studio Brief 3 in terms of design experiments, initial ideas, time management and staying focused.

I also found Studio Brief 3 easier as I only had to develop one of my initial ideas into my final typeface, where as with Studio Brief 2 I had to develop all 5 initial ideas in order to choose one to use as my final logotype. I was able to put all my general and experimental time into one idea for Studio Brief 3 which meant the outcome was a lot more successful in terms of the physical appearance as well as background research and reasons behind the design decisions.

I found the support from my tutors extremely helpful since I got to see them a lot which meant I could always go to them about any design problems. Also, the weekly critiques with my tutor and group helped my work progress as I was constantly getting feedback on how to improve. I liked that we had at least 1 critique every week instead of just one throughout the whole Brief.

Furthermore, I was also happy with the wide range of resources that were offered to me throughout the module; the library had all the books I needed for research (experimental typography books, print making books and illustration type books), and the print room; I had my induction early on in the module which meant that I was able to create screen prints for my Studio Brief 3 type specimen without too much help needed.

Screen printing for Specimen

For my Specimen, my plan was to have my typeface screen printed in regular and light on the other side (front has digitally printed poster on). However, my screen printing process was not as successful as i'd hoped.

I found getting the screen prepared was easy but time consuming at the same time; stripping and washing the screen, leaving it to dry, coating with emulsion, exposing the screen, washing off the emulsion. The part that I found challenging was the actual printing, I decided to experiment first with printing my typeface screen onto separate A2 paper sheets to see how they'd turn out.

I was glad I did some practice designs first before printing straight onto my A1 poster. This was because the prints weren't turning out as clean and crisp as I wanted, as it was my first time screen printing. Certain letters and shapes were turning out grainy each time instead of solid black;

However, I still created some successful initial prints as well;

In conclusion, I decided not to screen print my typeface onto the other side of my A1 digitally printed poster as I didn't want to take the risk of ruining it if the print went wrong, also I think that the poster looks great on its own and the typeface is already shown on it.

The screen prints will work as separate posters to display my typeface. 

Final Specimen

I am extremely happy with the outcome of my type specimen poster and typeface as I feel that I have answered my original aims for my typeface successfully and appropriately. I think that my design clearly communicates my given word ‘Anfractuous’ in terms of the the background research (inspiration from other designers and places), the aesthetics (playful, bold, expressionistic) and meaning and reasoning behind it (the typeface communicates the word ‘Anfractuous’ in the idea of journeys/travel)

The front cover/poster of my design was digitally printed onto A1 matte paper; I think the design works best on big scale as it exaggerates all the shapes and waves of my typeface within the specimen, it also pushes the whole design further than if would if it was printed onto A3 or A2. Choosing the paper for the poster was quite easy as there were only two main matte paper styles to choose from; I chose the thinner version as it would be easier for when I attempt to fold it if I get time to screen print on the other side.

The other side would have my typefaces on; regular and light. The specimen would then get folded to work as a double page spread as well as the original poster on the front.

Furthermore, the typeface is also successful because all of the letters work together as whole as well as well as singular letters and words. The personality of the specimen is playful, fun and expressive as the design is very bold, abstract and colourful. It looks professional and clean even though the typeface as a whole in general is quite abstract and irregular.

Inspiration; Moonsick Gang

When researching and experimenting with layout for my type specimen, Moonsick Gang thoroughly inspired my designs; http://moonsickgang.tumblr.com

I was particularly inspired by the use of large typographic forms to dominate most of the page; my designs were influenced by this as I begun to show my typeface on larger scale on my type specimen poster instead of as small pieces of text and words. My typeface letters work best on large scale as they are abstract and irregular.

Also, the layout on these particular Moonsick Gang posters is abstract and bold without becoming too complex and sporadic; the use of large typographic forms with shape and smaller text is effective. I have kept my layout bold, expressionistic but minimal in the same way; e.g I have used large typographic forms in colour from my typeface as the background layer and worked into the design with words and shape in large scale, the rationale was written in 6pt to keep the bold letters as the main attraction and to create contrast.

I also particularly liked how the Moonsick gang pieces stick to a specific colour scheme; 2-4 contrasting colours. This inspired me to narrow my colour scheme down to red and yellow for the background typographic forms and black for the rest (rationale, words from typeface, a-z alphabet). A simple colour scheme looks more professional and simplistic.

Brain storming ideas for Type Specimen

I have begun to brain storm ideas on how my typeface could be shown as a type specimen; the original idea was to create an A2 poster based on the idea of tube maps (layout and colour wise) in particular; the route lines. The typeface in large and small scale, descriptive words to describe 'Anfractuous' ,the rationale and the typeface a-z would be displayed on the specimen.

However this idea changed as it was too much content to pack into one A2 poster; the idea changed when briefly trying the idea and discussing with Ben;

-A1 size poster instead of A2
-The A1 poster will be folded to work as a double page spread as well; the inside would have the regular a-z version on one side and the light a-z version on the other
-More minimal and professional approach
-Digital printed cover, screen printed inside
-Narrowing the colours down to red and yellow (most popular tube colours) keeping black for the rest of the basic text and type face
-Narrow the 8 descriptive words down to 4;  for more space
-The descriptive words to fit within the tube route lines

Developing my typeface in terms of context and layout

I have begun to develop my typeface in terms of putting it into context for a potential type specimen piece. When experimenting with the idea of a typeface specimen.

I have started to experiment with using different scales, combing the weights (thin, regular, bold), composition of the typefaces at different scales and colour . I have developed my typeface in bold, regular and light to show how it can be used in different context; e.g. light is the most legible so it would work better as a body of text and bold would work best on large scale (the opposite). The colour and layout inspiration comes from my research into tube maps and the colours used within them, as I have interpreted the word 'Anfractuous' with the idea of travel and journeys.

I have also started to put my typeface into context by creating words using it.