OUGD401: Design Context - Study Task: Beauty, Style and taste.

Task

Based on the theories and principles introduced in the stuio session and the subsequent discussions, identify 3 aesthetic rules that can be used to define the quality of an image. The words that you select should reflect your own tastes and opinions with regards to what in your opinoion is visually appealing/desireable in graphic design. Having identified these words you should then: Choose 3 new examples of graphic design that fulfiill each of your 3 aesthetic rules (9 examples in total). Briefly summarise the aesthetic relationship between each of the three images. select 5 further examples for each rule that come from other (non-graphic design based) creative practices such as photography, installation, architecture, film etc. Your reponse to the brief should demonstrate your appreciation of aestheic qualities across visual culture and not solely graphic design

The three rules which I developed from a previous studio session are:

1. Visuals should not disrupt/ take away from the message

2. Colours should harmonize/ balance.

3. Visuals should reflect message. 

Visuals should not disrupt/ take away from the message.

(http://www.graphicdesignbasics.com/uploadedfiles/2009/10/kitchen-utensils.jpg)

I chose this product packaging, because for the most, the image is what demonstrates the function of these utensils. The packaging is from a different culture, meaning anything on the design is written in an alternative language to english. However the message is promoted entirely through the image, demonstrating what can be done with these products and also what foods they can be used for.

(http://nadinechicken.wordpress.com/tag/herbert-bayer/)

Writing/ text is a sector of the communication system. Herbert Bayer, designer of the above typeface 'universal' wanted to design a typeface in which, displayed the same phonetic values as speech. He disregarded the use of uppercase, as when in conversation, there is no phonetic change between cases. This meant that not only did his written structure communicate speech more effectively, it also sped up communication for a faster society.

(http://openclipart.org/image/800px/svg_to_png/25366/Anonymous_aiga_water_transportation_bg.png)

This is just one of the symbols developed by AIGA in a set of 50 wayfinding symbols for passengers and pedestrians. Again the image is used to fully disclose the message, no text is used, this is due to the reality that travellers from all over the world would be directed via these devices, and so they would need to be understood by many cultures. The design abolishes any cultural or historical reference and instead breathes simplicity in a simple illustration with duo colour.

Colours should harmonize and balance.

(http://www.behance.net/gallery/Mundo-do-artesanato/6295535)

It is clear in this selection of products that make up an identity, that there is a clear correlation of colour. Although there are up to 4 shades of one colour, intwined with the cardboard texture, the amount of colour is not overpowering. The design uses earthy colours which all complement each other, the organic colour is also represented through the alternate texture of the card, also on the same semantic level as the earthy shades.  

(http://www.behance.net/gallery/Cocoville/6295413)

This packaging uses colour to create a visual system. The staple colours again are a range of green, brown and cream/white, of which is seen on all the packaging representing the core of the brand. Whilst alternation of details in a range of colours, seen above in orange, pink and turquoise represents the variation of flavours, completing the successful colour system.

(http://www.behance.net/gallery/Tim-John/6373053)

Above is a  design for some business cards for a scenographer. There is a simplicity to this design which i find attractive in a lot of design. This design works primarily with negative space, and I find i like design more when it works with the ideology less is more. The colour combination uses two colours, a green and gold. Green is a small detail on the design and the gold does not detract from this, but acts as a continuation.

Visuals should reflect message.

(http://www.behance.net/gallery/Rocky-Mountain-National-Park-Centennial-Logo/4526609)

This was an entry for a logo design competition for Rocky Mountain National Parks 100 year anniversary. The designer, Christopher Dina, wanted to use the logo to reflect everything that the National park encompasses. He wanted to capture and celebrate its nature and beauty, to further the project, not only celebrating the message, the 100th anniversary, but also why people enjoy to visit the park so much. The logo fuses visuals of what makes the park so special, the mountains, animals and plants into a fitting triangle, mountain frame.

(http://www.behance.net/gallery/The-Danish-String-Quartet-Corporate-identity/4941585)

This is some branding for a danish string quartet, the visual image amplifies the meaning and intentions of the group. The signature piece or logo, found in all aspects of the branding reflects effectively what is needed to be communicated. The 4 is an emblem that epitomises the 4 quarters that combine to make a quartet, and the combination of lines, again of which there are 4, produces a simile, connecting them to the strings of the instruments.

(http://www.behance.net/gallery/Smallest-cafe-place-in-North-America-visual-identity/5596801)

This set of visuals again represents the simplicity I like in graphic design. The above is a set of material whose aim is to promote and produce useable products for a take away coffee shop. The designer has used simple illustration to perform the logo of the shop, however my favourite piece can be seen in the drinks holder that customers can use to take their coffee away. This piece in particular represents everything about the coffee shop, it is a simple place in which customers can buy coffee, and it is mobile.

select 5 further examples for each rule that come from other (non-graphic design based) creative practices such as photography, installation, architecture, film etc.

Visuals should not disrupt/ take away from the message.

Falling water - Frank Lloyd Wright.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiK8Rg6nMo4c2RNBd0Kug3XZPWUj8yqG23yzwCda8BYSWDO4nV8IdhD6jZhWhv3MyxzJGxF9cxwgohlqOJJGhipNQr1iPrZ4wIT586XTTFU-LUMMBCT7ZewCcB6FLoI-k0d8hRSymq5Yg/s1600/DSC04028.JPG

I have chosen Falling water by Frank Lloyd wright as the components of this piece are reflective of the components in this particular aesthetic rule. Visuals should not take away from the message, I have translated into Visuals or architecture should not take away from the surroundings. Falling water is a great example of architecture that attempts to become part of the fabric of its surroundings. Frank Lloyd wright designed this house to be part of the landscape, he wanted its in habitants to live with the waterfalls, therefore incorporating them into the house. the waterfall and rocks upon which it falls became an integral part of the facade, and although the family living inside could not see the waterfalls in view, its inhabitants were able to hear the waterfalls in which they were surrounded by, as if they were a fragment of the texture of nature. 

The Guggenheim - Frank Gehry

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0P1IJSq29WfaDJLXKorO3dVTtb3o7T5leCM9xCO8LVntoH7KbL6jd2_VdweCA9xCjpLfFtzNbyOItXRVic-qA91yGVKgXLlCPAMLs7qdh3fN3hiQZNF-vq0_AsT_wEjqtrFmtYYqjCHg/s1600/Guggenheim,+Bilbao-01.jpg

The Guggenheim by Frank Gehry is again another piece of architecture which absorbs and resonates the vista which it has been built upon. Built along the Nervion river in Bilbao, Spain, the facade of the building can be comparable to that of a ship. The reflective materials in which the Guggenheim has been constructed with marry the reflection which appears in the water surrounding this watery masterpiece.

Mark Tipple - The underwater project.
http://www.behance.net/gallery/The-Underwater-Project/847419

This is some interesting photography by Mark Tipple, which is explicit in its message. In a set of around 20 photos, this photographer portrays the reaction of people underwater when pushed under the surf, hands clutching the sand, eyes closing to keep out the salt, and bodies being pushed against the bed, all is captured in its most absolute form via an underwater camera.

Marcel Breuer - Club chair.

http://www.moma.org/collection_images/resized/783/w500h420/CRI_210783.jpg

The club chair by Modernist designer Marcel Breuer is a modified reincarnation or response to the traditional club chair, which feature a heavy leather arm chair made via individual craft. This 1928 club chair represents everything about the celebration of the Modernism movement. The celebration of new materials and processes where steel could be transformed into tubular steel, which fabricates the frame of this chair. The club chair is also representative of how items could then be mass produced, and therefore would be less costly, and more accesible to every class.

Josef Albers - Set of 4 stacking tables.
http://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/images/060314_tables.jpg

This set of stacking tables by Josef Albers is another example of design that came out of the Modernist movement. its visual elements clearly promote the application of new materials such as glass, now made into sheet glass, of which is stained. 

Colours should harmonize and balance.

Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn - Favela Painting, Rio de Janeiro
http://www.unurth.com/Favela-Painting-Rio-De-Janeiro

The Favela paintings are a great example of a calibre of colour that can work well together. Using the same pattern, in this piece lines, the colours almost intertwine with each other. the range of colour creates a balance from there being too much of a blue, or too much yellow. Each colour is led to another by a colour that is similar, for example, green to yellow, yellow, to orange and orange to red and pink. The colours are not suddenly placed within each others company with no thought or correlation, they are in fact linked in a sequence. 

Oppenheim Architecture and Design - Desert resort, Jordan.
http://www.dezeen.com/2011/05/01/wadi-rum-by-oppenheim-architecture-design/

This Desert resort designed by Oppenheim architecture and design in Jordan focuses more on a balance and harmony according to textures and materials rather than colour. Instead of trying to build/ design something that would visually adhere to its surroundings, the resort its self became part of the cliffside, not disturbing the landscape by building upon it, but becoming part of the scenery, building into the cliff face. The only clue to this resort is through glass panels carved into the rock face. The desert resort is a great example of harmony between nature and the man made.  

Gemma Fletcher - Sports shadow
http://www.behance.net/gallery/Sports-Shadow/1184821

This sports still by Gemma Fletcher is a observation of how bright colours can still correspond well with each other, when different colours are placed beside one another. Few colours are used, Red and blue are the main colours used in the piece, I believe fewer colours work well, and are more clearer. The two colours are then combined with white, a neutral which works well to combine the two colours together rather than combat them. 

Niko Sonnberger - Light Woods
http://www.behance.net/gallery/Light-Woods/642448

This set of photos called 'Light woods' portrays the balance between light and colour in photographs.
Not only has the photography used a slow shutter speed to create the long waving lines in a sequence of similar colours. They have also somewhat changed the exposure of the tree to create a harmony of light, so that the light flows throughout the image, and isn't just a main focal point.

Eric Kant - Dream garden on the coast.
http://www.behance.net/gallery/Dream-garden-on-the-coast/6245437

Another example of harmonising textures comes from Dream garden on the coast designed by Eric Kant. In this dream garden Eric combines a cull of different textures, both natural and man made. Stone, rock, wood, water, fabric, marble, are combined to create a family of effects. Collectively the textures work coherently due to their organic colour scheme and use of geometric shapes, as the design compromises focus on curves and instead focuses on straight lines and the horizontal.

Visuals should reflect message.

Oppenheim Architecture and Design - Sustainable Architecture Miami

http://sustainabilicity.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/does-sustainability-mean-sacrificing.html

It is easy to see for this piece of architecture that the visual clearly encapsulates the message or in this case function. This is a piece of sustainable architecture, that shows its green qualities in its skin. In its facade we are shown the the building clearly cultivates energy from the wind turbines upon the roof. The wind turbines are an extension of the windows which are found covering each face of the building.

JR- Favela eyes, Rio de Janeiro.
http://architectureforguerillas.blogspot.co.uk/2009/05/favela-eyes.html

The Favela eyes in Rio de Janeiro pasted by JR, are a representation of the people who live in the Favelas. The images are a reminder of the people who live in the Favelas, signalling that the people who live within the favelas are not just those involved with crime, but those who are devoted to a better life. The eyes are used as they are known to be the emotional gates to the soul. They eyes are also seen watching their surroundings, peeing upon the rest of the city, whom are usually watching them.

Phillip Johnson - Glass house
http://www.architecturaldigest.com/architecture/2012-09/architect-philip-johnson-glass-house-modernism-article.
The Glass house designed by Phillip Johnson is a great example of a visual that reflects its message. The house being surrounded by nature, did not want to detract from this but accentuates nature in its form. The house almost appears to be more of an outdoor shelter, due to the four walls of constant glass. Therefore inhabitants of the house are able to gage a 360 degree view of the natural landscape that hugs the glass facades. 

Walter Gropius - The Bauhaus at Dessau.

http://arthistoryfeathers.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/das-bauhaus/

The Bauhaus built in the modernist movement is a glorification of the new materials and processes that became available due to the industrial revolution. This is represented through the visuals, the materials and processes which were used in order to exhaust these new materials to their fullest potential. Sheet glass could now be used due to the strength of steel, which could hold most of the structural weight as well as reinforced concrete which was used to build the titling wall, and was left unpainted to celebrate this material.

Renzo Piano - California Academy of sciences.

http://www.archdaily.com/6810/california-academy-of-sciences-renzo-piano/

This is another piece of green architecture, the California Academy of Sciences designed by Renzo Piano, is not only green in design, as it blends into its surroundings but is also eco friendly in function. It is easy to see on the roof of the building that solar panels are used to collect energy and reducing carbon emissions. Also viewable on the roof is the stretch of green grass which also acts as insulation, and creates a home when native species are often found.