CD Cover Design

The new assignment in Graphic Design involves designing an album cover for the post punk 80's band Joy Division. As well as research on the design from this era, I've also been looking at more general and modern examples of CD cover design. I found an interesting website about album cover design, sleevage.com, which I found really helpful to find examples of good CD cover design. There are some very interesting ideas on this website, showcasing the skill of artists and designers who design album covers. Here are some of the cover designs that stood out to me, some of which I might use as inspiration to base my thumbnail designs on.

Sydney Design Inspiration

Over the school holidays I went to Sydney for a weekend for my birthday, to do some shopping and sightseeing, and found some interesting examples of good design which caught my eye.

I loved Paddington and especially all the old terraces that line the back streets. I love the history of them, and their layers of texture and colour. I think they were designed in a time when a lot of pride was put into design and architecture, unlike the ugly apartments which are often built now. I thought these terraces were an example of good design and using design to create a beautiful space that I would love to live in.









I also went to the markets at Paddington and Bondi. I didn't take any photos there but i loved looking through the handmade clothes, jewelry, and art. I like the idea of knowing someone made an item by hand, rather than being mass produced by a machine or in a sweatshop. There was a huge variety of examples of good design, in the fashion and jewelry, craft, art and other items which had been produced using good design principles.

The other place I visited where I noticed the design was the Queen Victoria Building in the city. The architecture is amazing, and has obviously been carefully designed according to the design principles. There are so many little details which must have been painstakingly designed and produced. Again, I think this building was built in a time when pride was put into the design and construction of buildings.








I also visited a huge bookstore, Kinokuniya, where there was a great section on graphic design. I didn't end up buying any design books, but I enjoyed looking through some books and gaining ideas for my own designs.

I really enjoyed visiting Sydney, and I hope I can go back soon. I loved the sense of history and the great design that is evident in the atmosphere of the city.

Final Rebel Poster and Website

I have completed my poster and website for the "Rebel" graphic design assignment. I created a number of thumbnails and then chose three solutions to continue working on. From those three I decided that this poster was the most effective design which was visually interesting but remained informative and relevant to the issue.

I made this poster in Photoshop, using a variety of fonts and an interesting image to convey my message. The process I followed included finding an interesting image online which represented the issue of sweatshops and outworkers and making it slightly transparent so it wouldn't detract from the rest of the poster. I then developed a catchy slogan and placed it across the picture in a large, bold font, to catch the attention of the viewer. After using different fonts to add more information at the bottom of the frame, I added accents in yellow to match the $2 coins. i hope this poster is visually interesting while conveying a message about sweatshops and encouraging the viewer to make a difference.


I used a similar process for this design. I used many of the same elements of the poster, but converted them to a format that would work better for a web page. I converted the image to a horizontal format and added the text that I used for the poster. I then added a block of text (on a yellow background to fit with the rest of the design) containing more information about the issue and how the viewer could help.
The idea of this design is for it to be a guerilla web site splash page which pops up when accessing certain governmental sites. I wanted this web page to shock the viewer and prompt them to find out more and petition the government to stop the exploitation of sweatshop workers and outworkers.

Long Exposure Photography

I recently had an assignment in my Photography class that involved using long exposure photography and painting with light to produce five final images relating to a theme. I chose the theme of "transformation" to base my photos on.
This photo is meant to represent a cocoon, which relates to my theme. I took this photo by using a long exposure and getting someone to spin a hula hoop covered in fairy lights to create the streaks of light. Originally the light was round, but I altered it in Photoshop to fit with my theme.

I used the same technique for this image as for the previous one. I'm really happy with how this one turned out, as I think its visually interesting and relates to my theme. I wanted the figure to appear as though it was "walking towards the light", therefore representing the transformation from life to death or the afterlife.

My aim in taking this photo was to make an image representing the hope and possibility of redemption and transformation. The butterfly is meant to represent transformation, and the figure someone who has lost hope. I wanted to make an interesting image with a deeper meaning about never giving up hope for a transformation.

My idea behind this image was to make a photo representing the transformation from life to death by using the image of a ghost leaving the body. I like the ethereal quality of this photo, and the story told by the image.

This is another photograph using a hula hoop and fairy lights. I used my brother as a model and raised the hula hoop over his head to create the streaks of light surrounding him. The photo was meant to represent the process of transformation.

I'm really happy with how these photos turned out, and I had a lot of fun experimenting with light and photography.

Rebel Poster Thumbnails

Typography!

In class we've been talking about typography and the use of fonts in design. I've been doing some research online and have found some examples of interesting typography which I really like.

From Graphic Design

I really like the uniqueness and creativity of this design. The designer used a simple font in an unexpected way to create a very interesting design.

From Graphic Design

This design is similar to the visual poetry exercise we did in class a few weeks ago. I love the use of the fancy font which has been repeated to create unity in the design.The arrangement of the single letters to create the shape of a tree is very effective.

From Graphic Design

I like the use of varied fonts in this magazine page. While the page is quite simple, the use of many different fonts adds interest to the page, and transforms the page from simple and somewhat boring to visually interesting and aesthetically pleasing.

From Graphic Design

This magazine page is also very interesting due to the use of typography in the design. I think the use of line and shape in the typography is very effective, and I like the composition of the page.

From Graphic Design

I like the use of typography and texture in this design. The font is curly and somewhat old-fashioned, but contains enough variation to create interest. The crumpled texture in this design also appeals to me.

From Graphic Design

I really like this design. The designer has used many different fonts to create a collection of ampersands, using a variety of interesting fonts in differing sizes to create a very effective designs.

I enjoyed searching for these examples of good use of typography, and learnt about what sort of typography is effective and what appeals to me.

Rebel Assignment Idea

For the graphic design assignment, "Rebel", where you are required to choose an issue to rebel against and create a poster and website, I have chosen the issue of sweatshops and outworkers in Australia. While researching issues affecting Australian freedoms, I came across this issue and was shocked that workers are being so severely exploited here in Australia. There are approximately 300,000 sweatshop workers and outworkers working in Australia today, earning between $2 and $3 a day and working up to 18 hours a day, 7 days a week. Recently, many sweatshops have been closing down due to stricter worker rights laws, but the exploitation is continuing. The former sweatshop workers are now working from home (called outworkers or homeworkers), with the same poor conditions and pay. I was aware of sweatshops and outworkers existing in more disadvantaged countries, but I did not know that they existed in here Australia. I think many Australians are unaware of this issue, which is why I have chosen to raise awareness about this issue using the design process.

The fictional organisation I have created to rebel against this issue is called "Beyond the Label". I chose this name as the aim of the organisation is to encourage the Australian public to look beyond the designer label and find out more about how their clothes were made. I would also like to encourage the purchasing of sweatshop free clothing, and petition the Government to stop the exploitation of these workers.


The symbol I have created is meant to be a play on the name of my group. I wanted to create a symbol representing a clothes label, and create depth behind the label to represent the exploitation that exists to produce our clothes. The sewing machine symbolises the exploitation of workers. I will probably continue to refine this design, but this is my process at the moment. The next step is to continue my research and begin making thumbnails for my poster.