My Evaluation

Last thing to do now is my evaluation,then this project will be over.

So let's start from the beginning...

At the start of these summer holidays I was asked to create my own manifesto that was either a 'personal mission statement' or 'an expression of my creative and personal goals'.

Original Brief:

My original plan was to do a personal mission statement, however as my time with this project progressed, my points started to cross over into an expression of my creative and personal goals as a designer. This was because, I made my points to the way I live my life and how I channel my creativity into a visual aid. 

Abiding by the brief, I was to create my own blog and use it how I would use a sketchbook; research a series of manifesto designs; compose ten points for my own; thumbnail/design an array of pieces from three chosen points; finally produce an A5 design for my favourite point out my chosen three. 

I have successfully fulfilled the brief, by doing each of these processes with much depth and consideration. 

So lets talk about my strengths, weaknesses and improvements...

I believe there is always an improvement to be made with my time handling skills. I definitely need to work on using a timetable or set plan when carrying out a brief/ project. Another would be to add a long piece of wood or something, to make the hanging of the structure more robust, and for it to fall will that little bit more of ease. Something else I could have done was to make the design double sided, just to look aesthetically pleasing all around. 

I think that my main weakness for this project was the the metal wiring for the structure of my final design - It really needed to be made of a stronger metal (maybe thicker too)  -  as the one I have used is too malleable. I reckon that one a larger scale that this would have turned out a lot stronger, structure wise - but I had to follow the brief like it was my personal bible.

Strengths for this project: I have done a variety of research on designers manifestos, a few in depth design movements, as well as manifestos I found by surfing the web. I also feel that using the amount of ephemera and photography I have collected over the years, has really strengthened my design and all the work leading up to it. I believe that incorporating all three of my chosen points has set my design in a different path to other ones. 

All in all though, I am quite happy with what I have produced. It is very homely and welcoming design, and it certainly emphasises my point to the fullest as it is all about connecting within yourself: To enjoy, listen and be considerate of yourself and those around you. The main point it to listen to your surroundings, to be humble, to live in the moment, to just be HAPPY. Happiness is so hard to find in the world of today, where everybody is so rushed or too tired for living life to the fullest that they can. 

I truly believe that for this brief, I have produced a strong, soft-spoken mobile that is beautiful, peaceful and quite simple. It's not in your face with design or colour and it doesn't over power a room. The mobile design sits comfortable on the wall, the ceiling, out in the garden or on the front door, anywhere....   

Here it is, one last time, completed:

That's it now, I am finished with this project

So I bid thee a farewell 

Bye!!! 

My Final, Final Design!

It's been a full day of designing  once again, and finally I have completed this project and my project outcome. 

So let's go through my creative day, shall we... 

Firstly I decided on the point I wanted to use, which was 'Listen to the spirits of the wind; Their wisdom and experience holds no bounds'. Then I chose my most favourite design from the three that I produced. which was this one - 

I chose to create this idea, as it was very different from all my previous ones. Also I really like the fact that I could incorporate one of each, of all my ideas into the one piece. 

So once my decision was made, I started on my preparations for the structure of the design.

What I did, was use the wire from a metal wired garden fence to create my structure of the design. Using a reel of tape and a coaster holder I moulded the metal wire into my acquired shapes. 

My second action was to create my colour scheme - which was a range of navy to baby blue, with elements of white, and some bursts of bright colours. After all the metal wire was decorated, I added my favourite trinkets, that I thought were very in keeping with my theme. I also created the dreamcatchers, with small multicoloured beads. 

Trinkets:

• Elephant - to symbolise travel and remembrance/memories.
• Flower - to symbolise delicacy and beauty.
• Clock - to symbolise time 

The next thing I worked on was the stitching for the main quote of my design; using a maroon/burgundy coloured stitch onto a piece of cross-stitch materiel. Once the wording was all stitched on, I used a blanket stitch to coat the metal wiring.

For this project, I used many of my personal ephemera (trinkets etc...), this is because I like to live my life in a level headed, spiritual way. Appreciating the littlest of things and enjoying the experience to the fullest! 

My final outcome:

I am quite happy with what I have produced, so let's have a look at my before and after.

Original Design - 

Design Produced - 

Here is what I have produced from my day; It is just a tiny bit bigger than an A5 paper. I really like this, because it is really welcoming and homely. I am very happy with my outcome today , however I do believe I could have used something stronger for a structure, because as you can see it is quite malleable. (I really like the small versions my other two designs from the other two points, they fit in very nicely and do no over power the main point in the middle.)

Refining Three Points - Part Three

Finally, I have completed my last point from my top three. Again, I have created three potentials, as my final final design. So here goes nothin'...

'Listen to the spirits of the wind; Their wisdom and experience holds no bounds' - What I mean by this point is to trust in fate and destiny just that little bit more. Nothing is ever set in stone on this world and it most likely wont be in the next. So listen to your gut, take the advice of your elders, learn from the young and always have fun. Let the gentle breeze of the earth guide you into your forever undefined kismet. 

So let's see if my designs live up to the meaning... 

No. 1

This piece derived all from the elephants. My original idea was to have a herd walking through the water with cloud of memories towards an unknown fate ; however this did not work in the way I hoped because it looked just awful. Therefore, I used a photograph I took of my sister, in the midst of Sardegna, Italy. I have not manipulated the image in any way, other than using a Native Alien font in white and adding my three little elephants.I really do like this piece, because the colours work so well. I kept my elephants because, whenever I think of them I see them walking in a herd / family. Always walking, stopping occasionally but looking something new and exciting. 

No. 2 

This piece, it's a completely different style to the other pieces I have done. I tried so hard to use something other than photography - for a sense of variation. This one is just simply, simple. With the outlines and silhouette of three windmill, instead of a spiritual / bohemian approach, I decided to go for something basic and easy to understand. I chose the windmills because obviously their whole purpose if to listen and abide by the winds command. For the background I have used a gradient effect to symbolise change - It may be gradual, but it's always persistant.

No. 3 

This is a template of a piece that I would hand make. The idea here is to have this modified but vintage dreamcatcher variation. So let me talk you through this idea properly. 

My inspiration was a tie hanger that I found from Ikea, but it was so big that I just could not possibly use it for my final, final outcome. So I decide that if I were to make it, I would cut up some metal wire, make my rings and wrap ribbons around the wire, to make it aesthetically pleasing to my audience and I. Whilst travelling around Cagliari, I found a cute local shop that sold trinkets, ranging from pea size small to extravagant OTT earrings. These trinkets would be sewn into the centre of its allocated circle, whilst in the others there would be materials that I have collected over the years. In the big section, I will sew in the point 'Listen to the spirits....' into a piece of cross-stitch paper. Then, finally the last two centre circles would contain a miniature version of my favourite design from my other two points. I have decided to do this because, together they are strong points that really compliment one another. The two that I decide on will not over power the main point which would be 'Listen to the spirits....' I feel there is a sense of balance using all three point together. 

Refining Three Points - Part Two

After another day of designing, I have completed a few designs for my second point from my original ten points. 

'Be humble, honest and true'. What I mean by this, is to be happy within yourself, living a free, enjoyable life. But also, acknowledging those around you. In the world of today, everybody is so, GO GO GO, we never seem to have the time to be truly happy and content with what we do. Keeping these three things in mind, we can all live in great harmony, listening, bonding, teaching, and learning new things. 

So let's see what we got... (Each piece I create is to an A5 page scale)

No.1

For this piece, I decided to use a poster that I found in the local market place, when travelling in Italy. I really like the poster and all it's colour, however to have the writing I wanted, I had to strip the poster from all of it's original colour. Therefore, I added a Photocopied effect when designing. The actual image is an advertisement for an Italian chocolate, which I really liked and very simple. Drinking tea and eating chocolate, it's such a British thing to do after a long day. Which I love even more. 

Even though I stripped the colour from the image, I made my writing into a compound shape and clipped the original, coloured image, so that the text was filled with the nostalgia colours of the poster. I really quite like this one! 

No. 2 

This piece is all about family, and the simple things that we encounter in our everyday lives. What I have done here is, set a bright orange background, placed a photograph of the sea on top, and decreased the opacity, to create a glow. Sandwiched between the sea and orange is a collage of different places I have visited with family and alone. Some of the pictures are from back in the 70's. This collage is to highlight the fact that family is there no matter what and will love you always, there is no way anything gets past them, and the scenery photo's are the simplicity of life. 

Enjoy the little things as well as appreciating the core moments. 

No.3

This is a drawing of a local park that I used to visit on a daily basis. With a few added effects to enhance the shading, a charcoal like drawing was created; With the addition of some drawn, stamps of bright flowers and the sun; The text in the left hand corner, in a PokerHunters font. This is a full on nature piece, implying that the simple things in life are everything, for without them, nothing would even come close to complicated. This local park isn't really much of anything, mainly full of grass and dogs, but with our imagination, fun is everywhere and anywhere.

My favourite remains the first piece though! 

Refining Three Points - Part One

After a whole day of designing, I have refined the first of my three chosen points. 

Just to back track a bit, the three points I decided to choose from my final ten were 

• Be humble, honest and true
• Live in the tales of the unknown mysteries 
• Listen to the spirits of the wind, their wisdom and experience has no bounds

The first point I started designing with was 'Live in the tales of the unknown mysteries', which was originally shown as 'The most enticing mysteries are the ones that can never be solved' in my final ten. 

What I am trying to imply with this point, is that we need to be impulsive. There's already so much we know, but there's a million more things that we have no clue about. Whether it's a building that has been abandoned for years, just a few minutes away, or it's something mind blowing, like the theory of life.  Living with knowledge is great, we know our common sense and the good from the bad. But trekking across lands that are desolate and unfamiliar, there is just something that triggers my gut to go forward and adventure!

So lets get a lookin'...

No. 1

As I have peaked an interest in photography, I started with a photograph that I took of a local park that I visit quite regularly (Witton Lakes Park). 

I started my process off by scanning and placing my photo into Adobe Illustrator. Then, I changed the look of the actual photograph by using a chalk and charcoal effect - this is to create a black and white version of the image. 

Rummaging around the house, I found a few different kinds of damaged papers from previous briefs and projects. Scanning one of the damaged papers, I changed the opacity to 55%, and placed the paper on top of my photograph. Bottom, middle is the point from my manifesto 'Live in the tales of the unknown mysteries' in an Edwardian Script ITC font, size 28pt. 

I really like this piece because it has so much character, and from a bright, vibrant photo, it has transformed into a piece of the past. 

However, looking at the image now, I do believe the size of the font could stand to be bigger, to be more noticeable. 

No.2

For this piece, I used a second photo from the same park as above. After scanning the photo into the computer, I copied and reflected the photo, and changed the opacity to 50% -  to create an image that looks as if the viewer/ audience is peering into the park itself. After that, I used a cosmic image as the background with greyish undertones to highlight the patterns of the background. For the type, I used the font Sitka, size 20pt. 

I quite like this piece as it allows the viewers to perceive the photo from a different perspective. I really like the cosmic patterns, because they are so intricately simple. I love simplicity. The park itself is like a maze, there are so many hidden spots that are undiscovered, that hold such beauty. Which is what this piece is indicating. 

No. 3 

Following with my theme of Witton Lakes Park, I changed my photograph with a Fresco effect. This was to keep the colour of photo, whilst having an enriched, wholesome feel. Using a couple of the damaged papers I found, I added a Conté Crayon effect, changed the opacity to to 39% and placed it on top of the photograph. With the second papers (with the writing), I added a Photocopy effect with an opacity change of 24%, and sandwiched the paper in between the photo and first paper. 

With this piece, I used some papers that had writing on it, complimented with a flock of birds. It's set like a page taken from an unknown diary. Nobody knows where it originates from, who's it is, where it has been. To imply a sense of esoterica.   

Officially Ten Points

After much deliberation on my original twenty, and a lot of in depth research; I have finally nailed down ten of my points that I adore and genuinely live by everyday.
The use of second person within my points, is not to force or indicate that one should live by these points (I assure you that I am not recruiting).  I have used second person because, it is simply the emphasis that it holds for my points and their symbolization. 

1. Believe in silly things 
2. Listen to the spirits of the wind, their wisdom and experience holds no bounds. 
3. Do the things you want, not everything needs logic. (Do it for the shits and giggles)
4. Hope to say, when all your days are done - "I had my fun". 
5. Dreams/Nightmares - who says when your actually awake? 
6. Do not be disheartened by the things you can not control. (Shit happens)
7. What I love most about rivers is, you can't step in the same river twice. The waters always changing, always flowing. 
8. Be humble, honest and true. 
9. Mistakes are our errors in life. Sometimes we get the message, sometimes we don't.
10. The most enticing mysteries are the ones that can never be solved. 

One of my favourites out of the ten, is number ten. I love mysteries, they bring all kinds of emotions out. Each mystery is the story of the unknown, and what's more exciting and intense than not knowing something. 

So I looked into some of the unsolved mysteries of Art History, I found a really good website. 

http://listverse.com/2015/03/28/10-unsolved-mysteries-that-confound-the-art-world/

Another point that I like, is number five. To me a dream/nightmare is the life of my subconscious, a life where I can do or see, and understand more than in my concious life.  

Anti-Design Festival's Manifesto

Created in the response of the pretty, commercialised London Design Festival: The Anti-Design Festival  is all about indulging in the confusion and experiments and risks! The ADF's manifesto is one of the most influential pieces in design history.

This manifesto talks about the our lives are more dependant on technology and the views of those around us. How we as individuals, who have different lives which take us into a variety of place, live the same as everybody else. Having the same toys and glasses, the same hair styles and shoes. The manifesto highlights how nothing is seen to be unique od one of a kind any more.

I like this manifesto's depth in the text, it is different from other ones where it's all about design. This manifesto is about our lives that are being lived through others as well as ourselves. I also like the limited colour used - it really sets the piece off, giving it a fresh look. The change in size of the type is quite alluring as a viewer, and the illustration on the right of the second picture. It almost symbolises that nowadays, we all stem from the same things and trying to evolve out into our own can be quite the challenge. 

Adore this one!!!

Dieter Rams' Ten Principles of "Good Design"

After seeing an impenetrable confusion of forms, colours and noise in the 1970's, Dieter Rams started to question himself - "Is my design good design?"  Knowing he was a momentous contributor to that the world, Rams devised  a ten point principle of making good design. (The manifesto can also be known as the Ten Commandments of design)

This particular manifesto walks us through, as an audience, the steps of what IS good design and how to go about MAKING good design. A clean cut layout and, monochrome colour scheme makes this manifesto sharp and clear to viewers. 

I like some aspects of this manifesto; The placement of text and imagery is much different to other manifesto layouts I have seen, whilst researching. Even though the layout isn't symmetrical, there is still a sense of balance and sincerity within this guide. 

Always, always love the simplicity of art. 

However, the stagnant colour scheme doesn't posses the free flowing nature that I love about art and design. The boxed imagery, implies a stationary position - which is a contradiction of the manifestos content. 

Bruce Mau's An Incomplete Manifesto for Growth

Bruce Mau is a Canadian designer who published his first manifesto in the late 1990's, and named it, An Incomplete Manifesto for Growth. 

This manifesto consists of only Bruce Mau's personal beliefs and thoughts about designing, and it's process. When this manifesto first came out, it spread like wildfire in the design community, and to this day is still quoted and recognised as one of the most influential manifesto's of design itself.  The layout is simply a list and even to some, a set of rules to abide by when designing. 

I quite like this manifesto because it is aloof. Revolving only around the theory of growth and change, the manifesto is to the point yet it is undefined. 

I say undefined because growth and change are very similar in the way they act, however they each take a different approach with us as individuals. Everybody goes through puberty, maturing, getting bigger, AND seeing things from new perspectives and living with a different frame of mind to those who surround us everyday. 

When we're young: We grow. When we are old: We are still growing. 

Time is a bitch, but it's our fate. 

Bruce Mau left this manifesto incomplete (hence the title). Which I think is perfect, as nothing is ever truly completed.  

Ken Garland's First Things First

In the year of 1964, Ken Garland and twenty other designers, photographers, and students published the manifesto - First Things First.

The manifesto was a reaction of the staunch society in 1960's Britain; where there was call of return to a humanist perspective in design. It is a manifesto that lashed out against fast-paced and trivial productions of mainstream advertising. Proclaiming that these productions were time-consuming and evanescent. 

First Things First was quite quick to reach a wide audience, as the writers of the manifesto wanted to focus efforts on education and public service tasks that would prosper for the good of the British society. 

This manifesto, promotes the way advertisement companies focus on the shallow and insecure elements of humans, amongst other things. Which subliminally makes us think about all the bad things about us and wanting that need for an irrelevant change in our lives. Also, it encourages us as individuals and as a whole to think about the greater good of life. To think of our futures, our children and their futures. No one wants to be left behind and with this influential manifesto, no one ever will be.  

I really like the concept of this manifesto and the way it has been devised. It's a simple and humble layout, with that burst which grabs the attention of all those around it.