PDF Upload

Please note that after being at light festival all day Tuesday I didn't realise it had past 5.00pm and I had forgotten to upload my PDFs. These are now uploaded.

Week 6 and hand in

After a week of finalising, developing, moving and enlarging I have arrived at my final compositions/posters.

While I had some issues with printing, such as needing to re print to change some elements, I am happy with my work.

In conclusion to the project I would have hoped (like most of my assignments) my best ideas didn't come at the very end, and that I could have got a better grasp of poster design earlier on in compositions design and thumnailing.

Hand selection (workbook update)

After developing my second poster design, I have realised the hand I sourced from a library book is of too lower quality for A2 size. Therefore I have take photos of a few different hands in order to choose from.

Week 5 Progress

Unfortunately due to having to go to the doctor first thing Monday morning I was unable to attend 2nd interim presentation.  Although I discussed this with Matt and also made a meeting to go over my posters that I was going to present. We decided that one had more strength than the other, and in order to push it further I would need to re look and colour, size and scale. By blowing text up, adding texture, and then colour to make it punch, I am currently in the middle of experimenting how I can make my final two posters both seem part of a set but communicate my message in two ways. I have decided that my best route in terms of concepts to go is with the idea of New Zealand losing ties with the United Kingdom and the monarchy. This will be headlined through the phrase 'Cut Some Ties Loose'. I will hopefully develop this phrase and move it through to aligning with the copy.

Due to next week being hand in I will consult with others about my compositions tomorrow (tuesday) and then move on to developing them into finals.

Week 4 Progress

Week 3 leading to week 4 has seen my overall concept trying to become more focused. I am currently trying to decide which direction is best to go, and which concept is best to base both my posters off. Although I am struggling with this, so in discussion with Matt and in the spirit of getting my ideas out, I have started to make lots of posters in quick succession to hopefully find a point I can develop off. While the interim critique provided for some good feedback, those posters have become not a focus anymore. I have started to play around a lot with some of the FDP's such as scale and colour, and not been afraid to muck up a current composition. Also i've gone back to my research and mind maps to try and work out exactly what I am trying to communicate and through what phrase of catchline this is.

Rapid concept and developments (workbook update)

 After getting stuck for my direction and how how wanted my style to look in my final posters I took advice to just go back in my work and quickly develop up old compositions. Using techniques and methods learnt in the past week, I have applied them to the old compositions to get my work moving.

Week 3 Progress

Most of week three's class progress was covered in the interim critique post. Although continuing on from that I have started to come up with some new concepts/posters that represent some of my original and new ideas/points for why to change the flag. I have started to really explore the different modes of visual communication, looking at how homage and parody can be used to a strong effect.

I have made a meeting with Matt for this Friday to discuss these new concepts before the next class.

I have continued to research VCD precedents and started to better understand how to visually communicate through both medium cues and the copy.

Interim Critique

Today we had an interim critique of our developed concepts. I had chosen 4 concepts to present, with them being based around:

-  (1) The flag's use of the union jack and it's implications to NZ
-  (2) New Zealand's unrecognisable identity to the world
- (3) The similarity between other commonwealth flags
- (4) The disconnection between war and the significance of the flag

Feedback from the rest of the class was both positive and negative. The first concept was commended for it's metaphor/reference to the idea of the UK being the puppet master to NZ, and this being incorporated with the union jack. Some development is needed for concept 2, whether this is through cropping or, reduction of the content. Concept 3 possibly needs development in it's composition and content. Concept 4 was decided it can be cropped in to only include the most important visual information required. Visual cues can be added and adjusted throughout all four concepts.

This critique was very helpful in terms of gaining crowd feedback, and also in seeing other's work and seeing how I can reevaluate mine.

Week 2 Progress

I have started to transition from working in thumbnail, small drawings to fully rendered able to be visualised concepts. By focusing currently on four main ideas, these being the attachment to the union jack/commonwealth, design of the current flag, identity of New Zealanders to the world and the relation of war to the flag, I have produced four concepts for critique in week 3. I hope to then move these through to the next stages of development and finalisation, by ensuring that it includes a strong form of rhetoric, and is overall visually appealing while arguing my chosen viewpoint. This will be done through crtit and discussion with both teachers and students.

Research word cloud (workbook update)

Word cloud made from all of my research compiled. I'll be able to use this to get an idea for what key words are regularly coming up in order to then mind map off that.

In Class Debate

Through our in class debate, in which I was on the side that the flag shouldn't be changed, I was able to decide which side to be on, and also allowed me to gain some insight research wise. I have decided to go with being pro flag change, largely to it having good points, it already being in the process of possible change, and that the VCD precedents I have looked at have also been pro their issue, eg pro peace, or pro law change. I feel that being pro an issue provides room to play on the negatives of the issue, and present a case for moving forward.

Mind Map (workbook update)

Mind map investigating possible direction for my posters to take for the overall argument of pro flag change. Am trying to dig deep and find something different.

Examples of Ihi Wehi within poster design