Secret 7" - Final Boards

Secret 7" - Evaluation

I would say this is one of the funner and more light hearted briefs I approached, this is because the designs for Secret 7" could promote the artists song through any means necessary along as it fit on the front of a 7" inch vinyl. With this in mind I thought this brief would be a good chance to experiment with working between Photoshop & Illustrator. During the process of this brief I'd noticed I'd become a lot more comfortable with Photoshop, whereas at the beginning of university I made it my aim to become fluent on Illustrator. Now that I've accomplished this, I've seen my return to Photoshop and because I've now became quite fluent on both programmes, I'm able to use them cohesively to create more professional looking artwork, as you can see from the way the artwork has been applied to vinyl cover and vinyl.
When I review this brief I'm happy with the way I've approached it, for my final deliverable to Secret 7" I chose the modern adaptation of the old artwork. This was a result of peer comments, saying that it was more bold and a clever way to approach the brief as it gave the old single a facelift and communicated the core message of the song. Most importantly, it kept the song a secret.

Secret 7" - Mid Boards

Secret 7" - Design work 3

After reviewing my sketches it became a possibility to transfer the street-style to on-screen, during the creative process I thought it would be clever to include a modern adaptation of the original karma coma album. You can see from the two designs I did below that they are both reminiscent of dark creatures. 

During this year I've definitely developed my photoshop skills, I was a keen enthusiast of photoshop in the past but I found it limiting, however now I've become successful at Illustrator, I've found myself using it a lot more, and I've been seeing the effects through my work.

Adopting the rubber tool with a faded outer opacity on a low tolerance makes it easier to blend the surrounding edges of the image into the background, especially a black background.

The shapes you can see below have derived from the set scenery of a Massive Attack concert, I'd also been inspired by the leaflet above which gives off a very dark and crazy aesthetic, perfect for the meaning of Karmacoma.

Distinguishing if the design would look better as a full image or slightly overlapping the label...

As a form of research I printed the vinyl covers onto a glossy paper, this meant I was able to visualise how successful the light bouncing off the designs was, and because of the nature of the design being 'crazy' and 'out of control' I thought it complemented more than say matte paper would of, I was also dealing with photographic imagery which aided my decision.

Secret 7" - Design work 2

After a multitude of investigation into Massive Attack I feel comfortable to start designing. With the ideal of rejecting most initial ideas, I began designing freely on the computer, and then moved onto design sketches. This way I could get my initial ideas out of my thought process and develop and strengthen other directions.

I concluded that I should pursue a mixed media route that had an unwritten dialogue rather than a design solely completed digitally. Therefore Route 1 is un-usable, however, it was good to see where the design could of been taken...

Route 1: Musical. Warping, Rhythm, Bold, Musical, themes of: Control/ Out of control… this was a strong theme suggested both through the lyrics and the accompanying video which has been analysed in an earlier blogpost, but I feel the communication isn't strong enough

The following designs were created for the purpose of experimentation and could be progressed further by incorporating various colours or even morphing the shapes to create an overall image, however I've decided to abandon this route because I think there would be a lot more depth and understanding to my design if I were to incorporate methods of mixed media. This has been a strong focus of Massive Attacks artwork and creates an unwritten dialogue with the viewer through abstract means.

Through simple experimentation and pursuing both routes, I was able to refine my design skills and gain a better understanding of the pathfinder tool. Expanding the appearance and outlining the design created a shape that could then easily be manipulated etc.

Further experimentation and pushing of musical inspired route...

Through this digital route, I was able to create a butterfly deriving from Massive attacks 'set scenery' and the conceptual musical aspect. The reference being: despite the chaos and confusing manner of the song, it is still a beautiful song.

Route 2: Mixed Media. Unwritten dialogue, playful, creative, depth, understanding. themes of: Control/ Multiple personalities… This route pays more attention to the inspirations of massive attack and will create a dialogue with the viewer that exemplifies the ideology of the 'Karmacoma' song.

'Through Massive Attacks consistent use of mixed media and unwritten dialogue, it becomes interesting and creates the challenge of working out what each part means. This is a point I need to expand on when it comes to choosing my design route' - With this statement in mind… I've chosen to pursue route 2…

Inspirations...

Type

After reviewing my research it was apparent that all of Massive Attacks artwork displays 'Sans Serif' fonts, in my opinion this is because they represented a contemporary music genre 'trip hop', which has influenced both their imagery and type choices. 

As a starting point I collected various sans serif fonts which varied in weights and size, giving me a scope of choice which could be referred to nearing the completion of my final outcome, this way I would be able to match the type to the overall aesthetic of the design. However...

I also took it upon myself to find out what is the most used font by Massive Attack, and what I found was quite interesting. It was a typeface that is recognised on a daily basis by people who read 'The Sun' newspaper. 'Franklin Gothic Heavy Italic' The fact that they've continually used this typeface signifies that there doing so, for the reference to politics and news, this has been an inspiration to '3D' throughout his time with Massive Attack (as noted in my research). With this in mind, I think it would only be right to continue the bands outlook and use this typeface.

Type choice: Franklin Gothic Heavy Italic

Kerning - from 600pt - 200pt. Chosen kerning = 300pt. 

This is because it is easier to read fluently than the larger kerned type without being too compact. The 300pt kerning ultimately makes the type look more visually pleasing. With the visual aid below, you should be able to see my reasoning (300pt / second to last).

Keeping all the letters in lowercase gives the type a less formal and more contemporary appearance.

Secret 7" - Design work

Dimensions - 182 x 182mm with a 3mm bleed (black square)

Total size = 188 x 188mm (white square)

Design sketches

This year I've built on my ability to sketch down ideas effectively and in proportion, this has led to an increase in the output of my ideas.

The illustrations below are running with the inspirations behind Massive Attack and also their appreciation of street art etc.

Secret 7" - Inspirations for album artwork

An investigation into the influences and inspirations for the choices of album artwork by Robert "3d" Del Naja…

Magazine Culture, Comics, New York's hip-hop scene, Japanese graphics, Jean Basquiat's cultural juxtaposition, Warhols pop imagery, punk.

David Salle (born 1952) is an American painter, printmaker, and stage designer who helped define postmodern sensibility by combining figuration with a varied pictorial language of multi-imagery. Below is a collection of his works which feature a juxtaposition of cultural elements...

Banksy cited Del Naja as one of his main influences for his underground street art. The image below also shows a juxtaposition of items but in a political context - subliminally stating that we are viewed and seen everywhere we go - privacy has been abolished.

The image below is strongly related to both juxtaposition and urban graffiti, it can be viewed as having an array of messages including: the things we love, will eventually kill us. Too much of a good thing can suffocate you. 

Hip Hop Photography - Underground

This was an image I came across while researching relevant topics, although it is not directly related to Robert Del Naja's influences, it is an image that also encapsulates a lot of the traits that Massive Attacks  imagery touches on, for e.g. experimentation, modern art, unordinary, photographic. It has also been tagged as '3D', so it could possibly be a cast of the artists face?

Displaying collections of work by Massive Attack designers. I've been able to distinguish Massive Attacks interests and what drives their artwork as a force, from their inspirations to their interests... with this in mind, I'll be trying to create a piece of work that can be multi-functional and applicable to multiple items (as shown in the blue lines example below) OR creating artwork that ties in a mixture of elements and mixed media to create a dialogue with the viewer, highlighting political messages as well as other notable themes (this point is further investigated in my 'analysis' blogpost.)

A notable characteristic throughout Massive Attacks art is the boldness of their artwork.

Old school hip hop adverts & graffiti

New Yorks hip hop scene…

http://www.vintag.es/2013/09/awesome-photos-of-new-yorks-hip-hop.html

"Martha Cooper was a photo-journalist living in New York City when she first began documenting the origins of B-boy (short for break-boys) and hip hop culture. While other New Yorkers at the time saw this movement as a trite, uninspired or even offensive fad, Martha found a new form of expressing art. Through her camera lens we recount the infancy of hip-hop culture, from the alleys and subways of New York to the masses beyond the boroughs.

"The first question people usually ask me is, 'What made you photograph Hip Hop?' My answer is that the words "Hip Hop" were not even in use in the late 70s when I began this project. From 1977 to 1980, I was a staff photographer for the New York Post. One day I discovered a boy who showed me drawings of his nickname that he painted on walls. After I saw that these kids were more graphic designers than vandals, I became hooked on graffiti. My idea while documenting subway graffiti was to attempt to show the paintings within the context of the culture that created them."

"In 1980, while on another Post assignment, I happened upon some kids breakdancing in Washington Heights. They explained how they battled each other with dance and I began to document that. The next thing I knew, there was a cultural revolution going on. It included music, dance, and art, and I was standing in the middle of it! In 1982, the words "Hip Hop" appeared in print for the first time. I thought I was photographing a specifically New York phenomenon. Never did I imagine Hip Hop would spread like wildfire to every country in the world."

Japanese graphics

Andy Warhols pop imagery

Punk

Current Political issues in the UK

The reason for the selecting of these two subjects, is because they are both contemporary articles that have been widespread throughout the news and have gained a reputation among the public. From past research it was noted that Massive Attack touch on local and international news.

NHS is failing to meet savings targets and new competition laws are 'standing in the way of necessary change'

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/transformation-of-care-required-to-make-nhs-sustainable-in-future-yet-to-take-place-says-health-select-committee-9122467.html

Flooded Britain: The police, the military and the Government – exactly who is in charge of what?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/flooded-britain-the-risks-the-response-and-the-rescues--exactly-who-is-in-charge-of-what-9122398.html



"Flooding in Shepperton - Dr James Andrews was stranded in his home without electricity since Sunday, but he was rescued yesterday by soldiers."

What is juxtaposition?

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/juxtaposition

1. An act or instance of placing close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast. 

2. the state of being close together or side by side.

Massive attack have come to represent the music genre 'Trip Hop', so much so, that the genre itself has started to take influence from the covers of Massive Attack albums. This is supported by the 'google image' search below which shows various reference to massive attack, through the re-use of logo's and conceptual thinking of Tom Hinsington, incorporated into their artwork featuring reference to the enlargement of insects.