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Evaluation and Reflection Planning and Production

Project Proposal (first draft)/

Updated (March 25th)

Following my peer assessment yesterday I have finished and updated my Project Proposal.

Review:

Throughout this year I feel that I have improved my work graphically by exploring the work of Pictograms and how they can be placed in environments. I feel that I have become more aware of how Visual Communication can be used more towards improving an environment in the way of helping people instead of creating something that is aesthetic (which is also important). 

I have tried to improve my work within Photoshop and Indesign so I can become more familiar with them, I still haven’t found a way to work them into a past project. I feel that my new FMP will give me the opportunity to organically introduce them into a larger graphical scheme.

I have been particularly interested in the work of Otl Aicher and his work on the 1972 Munich Olympics and how they were made to fit a Bauhaus design style but were also made to communicate to many foreigners which events were presented across the Olympic Park. 

Project Concept:

For my project I would like to create a travel system for the city of Helsinki in the style of Finnish design. In a way this is a type of city rebranding because I will be redesigning transit maps and signs that will be used in the local environment of Helsinki. 

I will base some of my research on the London Underground and the NYC Subway maps. I got the idea for my project theme from reading the book “NYCTA Graphics Standards Manual”. 

In terms of artist research I will be looking into the works of Margaret Calvert and Harry Beck because of their influence on transit design such as maps, signage and typography. I will also be looking into the works of Otl Aicher for his work on pictograms I that will also apply to signage.

I mainly want to produce my work in the style of Finnish Design, which will involve a minimalist art style with bright vibrant colours. I will be researching the works of Erik Bruun for my main influence on Finnish Design but I will be looking into other examples such as the Werklig redesign of Helsinki.

For my practical work I will be creating a new typeface for the Tram Network that will be used in signage and advertisements, I will design this typeface to represent the style of Finnish Design. I will be able to use this font as the basis for my whole design work in this rebranding as I will later apply it to a transit Map and a set of typographic posters. 

By the end of the project I want to have developed a physical book that will contain all of my practical work from this project. I want this book to be similarly set up as a Graphics Standards Manual. I will be researching ways to either bookbind my work or develop it into a zine, I will have to look into different stitching and binding methods to produce it.

Evaluation:

Throughout this project I will be reviewing my work through daily journal entries uploaded to my blog. I will be using a sketchbook alongside my blog for note taking and experimental work for my practical work. 

In my blog posts there will be a small section at the end of context and research posts that will discuss what I have done in my practical work so far and how researching into said topic will help me develop my final piece later on in the project. 

I will also do this in the  practical skills categories of my blog and critically evaluate what went well in the practical experiment and how it could be improved upon for the final piece.

References:

Exhibitions: 

  • Design Museum Helsinki (21.2.2020).
  • Bruun, Erik. Suomenlinna Museum (22.2.2020).
  • London Design Museum (11.3.2020). 

Websites:

Books: 

  • Standards Manual (2014). NYCTA Graphics Standards Manual. New York: Standards Manual, LLC. 356
  • Erik Bruun (2015). Erik Bruun: Finnish Graphic Designer. Japan: Pie International. 224

Videos:

Documentaries: 

  • Abstract: the art of design season 2 episode 6 (2019). Netflix. Jonathan Hoefler.

Abstract: the art of design season 1 episode 6 (2017). Netflix. Paula Scher.

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