The Sweeney

After seeing The Sweeney, directed by Nick Love, last night at the cinema, which tells the story of a hardened detective in the notorious Flying squad of London's Metropolitan police. Based on the '70s Uk hit TV show featuring John Thaw and Dennis Waterman.

Defining Critique Seminar

Defining Critique 

• informed analysis or evaluation
• formal and structured 
• specialist vocab
• may consider intentions and outcomes in relation to common conventions e.g. genre
• generic convergence, unless package looks as if belongs to category might get overlooked.

Analysis = breaking into parts 

• in terms of various elements and aspects 
• generic criteria 
• how its made
• why does it look like this? what was the brief? measure outcome against intention

Architecture of a page

• Golden section, grid more aesthetically pleasing, better proportions 
• layout and typeface 

Typeface: Purpose and Personality

• Ikea's switch from Futura to Verdana causes stir among typography geeks (2010)

Why does it look like this?

• capture design decisions, formal analysis, include professional terms 
• constraints set by brief, what parameters have they followed 
• what conventions are followed?

Meanings and values 

• What are the meanings of consumer or user - ideal or actual
• what are the connotations?
• How did the product draw on consumers culture? 
• 'Cultural baggage' what does it tell you about its culture 

Paracetamol- blue and white themed packaging - soothing and conventional

Alfred Roller, Session, Poster 1902 

• Utility & Coherence
• Pictorialism and animation of lettering 
• Period feel - Art Nouveau, but reusable
• Almost illegible, lettering using organic forms, distinct aesthetic look

Modernism, letters as figures in space, some locked and some seemingly floating, such as the work of Max Ernst, Piet Zwart (above)and Neville Brody 

Saul Bass, The Man with the Golden Arm, Poster 1955. Influenced by the the blocks of colour from abstract paintings. It was the era of the american, cool, jazz, skyscraper aesthetic, very aspirational.

Peter Behrens, 1907 designed the AEG factory in Berlin, various electrical products and the corporate look, which is still an icon of modern design today.

El Lissitzky, Beat the whites with the red wedge, Lithographic Poster, 1919. Revolution of Communism in Russia.

Extra Reading:

http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/about-desing/Types-of-design/Packaging-design/Graphics

Ambrose, G., 2003. This End up; Original Approaches to Packaging Design.

Hove: Rotovision.

Calver, G., 2003. What is Packaging Design?

King Gordon, S., 2005. Packaging Makeovers: Graphic Redesign for market Change. Gloucester, 

Mass: Rockport

Stewart, B., 2007. Packaging Design. London: Laurence King.  

First Studio Session

As a get to know each other starter, we were asked to draw the person opposite. Whilst this was going on, groups were making 6 stills into a small animation with objects that express your personality.

This piece was to collage with brown paper the person opposite, I chose to pick out her most prominent features and kept it very minimal.

 This was a tonal piece, picking out the darker tones.

And then we were given many different characters in various types to make the face. I found this quite difficult.