Exhibition Review : Behance.net

The exhibition/gallery I looked at is an online creative arts website called behance.net. The site allows users to upload their own projects whilst also being able to view other artists portfolios. I chose this over a traditional exhibition because it allows the audience to see what they want and doesn’t put the restrictions on you that a real gallery does. I used the website to look at recently completed graphic design projects and looked at the ones that interested me or the projects I felt best represented my interests in the field of graphic design.

  I started by looking at the work of Ian Jepson a graphic designer from Cape Town, South Africa and his posters for the event ‘it came from the jungle’ I was drawn to this poster by its clarity, colour scheme and overall easiness consume. Its vibrant colour scheme and eye catching central image make this poster really leap off the page and conveys a great image to the audience. It feels like a completed image there is no boring space it is a very vibrant poster corresponding to the theme of the event it is promoting. All of the artwork is relevant and helps to draw the audience in powerful colours are used to display information against a dark background.

  Next I looked at some work from  Florian Schommer a German graphic designer. I looked at his piece ‘east of Eden’ an alternative graphic illustration created for ‘kiosk’ I really enjoyed this illustration, it is a non standard form of design it is quite abstract and resemblant of the Russian constructivist style but uses a range of colors and techniques to create a vastly complex yet interesting image. Each color compliments the next creating a very aesthetically pleasing final piece.  I really enjoy this alternative abstract style of cartoon, it provokes a lot of thought and is a very unique style in which to display information and make information fun and available.

  Finally I looked at some work from Indian graphic designer Shaivalini Kumar and her ‘decorative type’. This form of modern typography is really interesting and creative. Each letters motif is derived from traditional patterns and a vibrant contemporary style. The final result is an alphabet that really leaps off the page and catches its audience’s attention. The complex designs appear very simply on the page and appeal to a huge audience. Kumar’s color scheme is another thing to be admired; every last bit of color is perfectly placed in order to create a resounding full image. I really like this modern style of typography with color and pattern it is eye catching and widely applicable to many different products. For example some of shaivalinis lettering has been printed onto mugs, this is just one use of her incredible designs. Application is something very important in today’s design industry, if you’re design has no application then there is no point in the illustration.  Usability plays a key role in the marketing of any product kumar clearly keeps this in mind when designing any project.

Work in your specialism

The visual art industry is very large and gives us many employment opportunities. There are many jobs related to Graphic Design out there, it is an industry that will always exist, new things will always need to be designed and data will always need to be visualised. Graphic design can lead down exciting career paths such as Illustration, Printmaking and Photography all areas within the art world which require skills similar to those of a graphic designer. There are also other careers anybody interested in graphic design could be suited too such as interior design and production design.   Being a visual art there are no qualifications necessarily needed it’s about your talent and style and how well you can work as a graphic designer. But it helps to have a HND/degree in any visual art or subject related to graphic design, and a Btec or foundation degree prior to that. But most importantly it is key to possess the qualities and character of a graphic designer, a passionate enthusiasm, patience, the ability to work in a team and among other things excellent communication skills. Working as a graphic designer means working as a team and working with others on the same project to create a complete collaboration of ideas and possibilities. Being a graphic designer means planning your time well, managing projects and pushing your own ideas to the very limits, exploring every possible design route and being able to see why certain choices work well and why others look terrible.

David McCandless : influences and analysis of work

David McCandless is a data journalist and information designer who works in the 21^st Century. One of my favourite images from him as a designer is ‘The billion pound-o-Gram’’ It reveals the scale of the budget deficit in the centre of the British economy. I find the way in which McCandlesss presents this data and makes even a subject considered ‘dry’ to be interesting. The presentation of this usually hard to comprehend data is really nice to look at and easy to interpret. David uses scale to represent the size of the debts and compares them to other world issues, he uses shocking facts to intrigue the audience and promote his own political agenda. The aim of his work is to make the audience think.

 Being a modern day designer and current artist, David is influenced by his own want to inform and raise awareness about many issues. He aims to help others understand the world, reveal hidden connections and distill the worlds data into interesting visualizations. There is so much mystery and misconception in the modern day and that is what ‘information is beautiful’ is about clearing up, they aim to create beautiful and interesting infographics that the audience will want to read. He is influenced by his own craving for information and to understand and passes his new found knowledge and understanding onto others.

Jamie Reid : influences and analysis of work

Jamie Reid is a famous contemporary graphic designer who promotes an anti right wing ideal .One of Reid's most note able works is his 'god save the queen' image it is a picture created for the queens jubilee and punk rock band The Sex Pistols album cover. The original image shocked the british public, it was seen to be defacing the queen. The picture sparked outrage from the right wing and supporters of the monarchy and helped to propel Reid into fame. Throughout his career Jamie Reid heavily influenced the punk sub culture, the music industry and most of the british public in one way or another if not via his anti war messages then in some other way through the anti establishment lifestyle that he lives.

Jamie Reid is a british graphic designer who rose to fame through out the 70s and the punk era, he was heavily influenced by his own political views, socio economic reform and punk rock music. Reid is linked to the anarchist movement and the situationist art movement, he unites his own anti right wing agenda with shock tactics and non standard style to create an in your face image coupled with a slogan that not only provokes thought in the audiences mind but also appeals to his audiences own idealisms. Reid's style very nearly came to define the image of punk and apart from political influence he also took inspiration from alternative cultures including the new age traveller community and his own celtic/druidic roots.

Specialism Choice

I have chosen graphic design as my specialist option because it interests me, learning how to effectively communicate information and create aesthetically pleasing images is something that I would like to learn how to do well. You need a broad skill set to succeed in the world of graphic design. I would like to learn how to clearly communicate an idea using images, the correct and relevant typography as well as how to use programs such as photoshop and indesign to its fullest extent. Info graphics are a type of image that i find fascinating, the way each image is clear concise and yet still eye-catching whilst being full of information is great.
  One of the most important assets, if not the most important asset to have is your own unique style.  Having your own style is essential when it comes to leaving an imprint in the minds of your audience, a necessity to those seeking to succeed in the field.
  Taking influence from other designers and researching the subjects past (as well as present) is something that is a must, having an understanding of the background of my chosen specialism and its roots is incredibly important. By understanding and researching other graphic designers I will be able to take influence and ideas and use it in collaboration with my own style.
  Another crucial quality of any graphic designer is to be a creative thinker, you need to be able to push an idea to its limits, think outside of the box and strive to create your own visualisation of what others try to express with words. Determination goes hand in hand with creative thinking as it’s pushing yourself and your own ideas that lead to success in the creative process.
  Being able to manage your own time and project effectively is another skill that is beneficial to any graphic designers pallet, by properly managing the design aspect of a project and taking leadership is much more desirable than somebody who sits there and needs to be told what to do.  This is only a few of the key qualities sought after by employers and audiences of the graphic design world and I will have to develop all of these and many more skills in order to further my own understanding and learning in my chosen specialism.

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