A Banks Project, More 2D!

Well, this could just be a phase but I'm still enjoying researching 2D Animation. This piece has been created using After Effects. I found it on YouTube when looking for 2D work.

It's quite easy to deduce that the piece is a music video, as the audio and visual work well together. The piece is energetic and vibrant and the synchronization between the audio, with the integration of animated elements is great to see. The piece really comes alive before our eyes.


http-//www.youtube.com/

I think that sometimes it's good to see amateur work, that hasn't been created by people working in the commercial world. Generally the pieces are not as refined, but the work is sometimes more experimental, which is great for me to see as 2D animation is a fairly new subject area for me in terms of what I'm trying to create myself.

Will Sweeney/ Steven Malkmus

Personally I think that this animation is . . . awesome!


http://www.bigactive.com/moving-image/

The reason why I think that this piece works so well is because of the great idea behind it. To see an image of someone with tattoos all over their body might seem a little strange within a piece of design work, however the way that the piece has been executed demonstrates how a quirky approach to something can really work.

We get to see the illustrated tattoos, which are art in their own way, come alive. This is a captivating piece of moving image which shows how when the right audio and visual come together, they can work brilliantly together.

Sketchbook Work

Over the last few weeks I've been thinking about the way I go about working and how a lot of the process is digital. Obvioualy with the nature of our pathway it is Multimedia based and creating work in a digital form, but considering how we get to that end process is what interests me.

It reminded me of when I had my interview with Rick and we were looking through my work. One thing that I remember Rick saying was, to carry on work sketchbooks. Don't get me wrong I love working on computers, but one thing that I think allows for some peoples work to have an edge is to have an element of a handcrafted approach. Obviously, it isn't something that is always the way to go, or even appropriate but it is definately an approach that I like.

Over the last half of term last year I thought about continuing sketchbook work, but never really got time to do so. At the end of last term I got my Foundation Sketchbooks back and I had a flick back through them. One thing that I noticed about the way that I worked then was all about EXPERIMENTING!

I created quite a lot of work on foundation in sketchbook form and that was down to the way that I made sure that I got stuck into briefs. I'll be the first one to say that some of the compositions didn't work, but I'll also say that the way that I got to the ones that did was by exploring ideas, haphazored or not. A mindset that I'd love to get back to.

Sketchbook work to come!

Kate Gibb

The two images below are screenprints by Kate Gibb, that I found on the Big Actives Blog. As compositions I think that they work well, especially the first image, (my favoutrite of the two). I think that the first image is a very eye catching and striking image. I think that this is down to the use of the variations of the vibrant blue colour that has been used.



http://www.bigactive.com/

The light blue colour that has been chosen as the background colour works well with the rest of the piece. This gives the impression that the dark blue head is lifted from the page, which allows for impact. There is also a figure of a woman within the head shape. The detail within this section works well and I think that it could be classed as texture within the piece.

I love the process of screen printing, as it allows for great effects to be created. The amount of detail and texture that is created is what makes the process such a effective one. A outcome which may not have been able to be achieved otherwise. I had a go at screen printing the year before last when on my foundation course and from what I remember out of all the printing processes it gave a very professional outcome, definately something achieved in the two pieces shown above.

During one of the previous briefs last term I wanted to use some printing within my work to create interesting backgrounds, however I didnt get around to doing so. It is something that I would really like to have a play with with in future briefs, if appropriate.

Basement Jaxx

"If you caught Basement Jaxx recent headline show at London’s Wireless festival in Hyde Park you’ll have spotted some curious visuals that accompanied the band while they played their latest single ‘Raindrops’. The animation features the new artwork we’ve created for the band’s forthcoming album, Scars", http://www.bigactive.com/blog/

http://www.bigactive.com/blog/

I like this animation, especially the use of colour and I think that the style created in the animation reflects the way that I believe the music of the band to be portrayed; very upbeat, lively and vibrant.

This animation works well with the music. The syncronisation between the audio and visual is spot on. It reminds me not only of some of Tal Rosners work, but what I remember him saying about his pieces in his lecture last year. The way that inrigue and tension and different emotions can be visualised. The stacato like representation is very remenicant of the way that Tal Rosner uses line and imagery to visualy represent the changes in the audio.

Stills taken from one of Tal Rosner's animations, Doppelganger:

http://www.talrosner.com/doppelganger

Gerard Saint

Creative Art Director

This is an interview with art director Gerard Saint, which I found on the Big Active blog:

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Lead singer in my band.

What was the first record you bought?

45rpm - Stranglers ‘Peaches’

33rpm - Sex Pistols ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’

What was your first big career break?

When I discovered music though listening to John Peel as a kid.

What has been your career path up til now?

I founded Big Active with design friends after leaving art college and I’ve been running with that ever since. On the journey we’ve art directed and designed everything from album covers to fashion magazines to photography books to brand identities to pretty much every aspect of graphic design really I guess. And along the way we’ve worked hard and played hard and created some work that I’m really proud of. That’s what it’s all about really.

What does your job involve?

A creative director’s job is to oversee the bigger picture - directing the creative output by driving the wider vision of individual projects that we are working on. It also involves commissioning and directing other image makers - photographers and illustrators for instance who may want to collaborate with to bring a project to life. As a studio we are a very close team so I suppose it’s like being the lead singer of the band.

What is your average day?

Artists, bands and record labels come to us to create imagery to package the way their act and music is presented - it’s all about creating individual identities - and as every act is different so too every project is unique - so I guess there’s no such thing as the average day.

What is the best thing about your job?

Having the opportunity to collaborate and work with some of the the best creative people in the world.

What is the worst thing about your job?

Dealing with new artists who might be under the illusion that they’ve just reinvented the wheel.

What are the main qualities needed to be an art director?

Ideas and an open mind, a sense of vision and the ability to keep focused on the bigger picture.

Which artists/projects have been the most fun to work with, and why?

Every project we work on is different, that’s what makes our job so interesting. As a studio we’ve worked with lots of great artists recently including White Lies, The Enemy, Athlete, Keane, Snowpatrol, Subways, Muse, Goldfrapp and Basement Jaxx - so having a really diverse range of clients always keeps things pretty fresh.

What to date is your proudest achievement in work?

We won a D&AD Yellow Pencil for our work on ‘The Information’ by Beck a couple of years ago - which was great as it’s an album package that I’m really proud of. Beck was a brilliant artist to work with and we wanted to create a sleeve that brought the listener closer to the spirit in which the music was recorded encouraging them to really engage in the creative experience. Our idea was to create a DIY album cover for fans to design or customize themselves by using sheets of individual stickers by many different image makers whose work we commissioned and curated for the project. We then simply created a blank cover for fans to fill in. That way the packaging format itself could personalized and as a result no two albums might ever look the same. This was encouraged further by setting up an online forum for fans to upload and share their work. We hoped to create a much wider story by bringing into question the whole idea of making a physical album package at a time when more and more people are simply downloading music digitally. In this case you really had to own the physical album artifact to complete the experience.

What in your view is the future of your industry?

Good integrated music design is about creating the defining image which can work across many different platforms from physical packaging that you can touch and feel to new digital platforms that can interact with in alternative ways. Image will always be a requirement of selling music and now there’s so many more new ways to express that side of the creative process. The music industry model is really changing right now and in the next few years I think we’ll see some really innovative work being done.

How do you think your job will adapt in the future?

It will involve working with many different forms of media and mastering the cultural connections between them. In a way the ubiquitous CD format has long been the enemy of innovative music design - but now record labels are having to adapt to a wider fragmented market where music can be accessed in many different forms and I believe that’s going to be very liberating for designers.

What are your career ambitions?

To continue to create great work.

Top 5 Tips for aspiring music art directors/designers?

1. Obviously be passionate about the culture of music, design and image making.

2. Recognize that the music industry is changing and music design is no longer just about the album cover.

3. Remember every act and project is individual - and difference is what makes people sit up and take notice.

4. Always be ambitious about the bigger picture but ignoring the detail means you’re not really looking.

5. Never pitch ideas for free - be professional - your work has value.

(http://www.bigactive.com)

The reason why I decided to post this interivew, that I found on the Big Active blog, is because there are lots of things which are very insightful and advice that I think that anyone with the ambition to operate within the design world could realte to.

I've been familar with the BIg Actives work now for a little over a year and I think that is not only exciting to hear about the work that the company creates, but the way in which the design callaboration works. To them it seems like a way of life, which I believe is the way it should be; after all to be a success in something you have to live and breath it!

Textures

When I was having a play the other week with after effects I bought a pack of elements to use in after effects. These included high def textures/ low def textures, ink splatter and ink drops.

Some images of the riot gear stock:






There are some great elements within this pack and Im glad I bought it, but it got me thinking why not look at collecting my own textures. Post to come soon!