OUGD405: Ideas

From looking at a variety of frames within my research I have found that the most important elements I want to concentrate on is how the audience can be captured. As I have been looking at upper market stores (such as in the Victoria Quarter) I found that the craft of the frame seemed to be highly important, therefore I think the image and the text used should reflect that. I found how Selfridges convey their photo frames is highly interesting because they focus on the idea of the building, I wanted to explore this further perhaps if there was a store that sold photo frames within the Victoria Quarter in Leeds. 

Idea 1: Photographs/ Patterns

From my initial photographs taken within the Victoria Quarter I wanted to further look into the typical patterns and decorative style which is known aesthetically with the era and the type of frames. I often see decorative frames with a historical aura matched with extremely modern backing papers which don't seem to fit and seem disconnected from its target audience. 

Idea 2: Hand Rendered 

As stated in my notes above- one of the ideas I want to focus on is hand rendered design. This is influenced by my visit in Leeds and how I noticed the structure of the building was highly detailed and beautifully crafted. I also saw that there were a variety of wonderful art stores which sold paintings and people were drawn to these- for the images themselves, perhaps an interesting image could capture the interest of the buyer to a frame. I am going to look at different media usage in terms of hand rendered imagery such as water colour, fine liners/ inks and experiment with scanning and printing onto to different stock to see which aesthetically works best. 

http://www.behance.net/gallery/architecture-1/9493557

When researching different types of media I came across this work on the blogging website Behance. The aesthetic of this work is truly beautiful and I feel this type of media would convey well with a wooden decorative frame. This type of imagery would also suit a neutral colour palette and create a sense of history which is true, the Victoria Quarter has been open since the early 19th century. The use of ink/ watercolours within these paintings enhances the little amounts of details used within the architecture and therefore allow the viewer to truly appreciate its craft.  

Idea 3: Typography

My final idea is to make the measurements of the photo frame in focus, I noticed through research that within backing papers the dimensions tend to be incredibly small and not important within the actual design, so therefore I want to include the dimensions as a form of typography. Within this idea I will experiment with creating hand rendered typography and scanning those in, as well as experimenting with scanning in wallpapers and found papers which include patterns which link to the Victorian era and then would therefore portray and help to sell the frame. 

Research:

These screen shots from the Victoria Quarter's website show how they have modernised the Victorian aesthetics which include floral and added decorative extras to design which make them seem incredibly flamboyant and expensive. This is reflective in the target audience intended as it usually is slightly older (middle aged) wealthy people of both sexes but mainly women who enjoy consumed materialistic wealth and the need for expressing wealth through beauty and decoration. 

Advertising/ Typography

http://thegraphicsfairy.com/free-victorian-graphic-gorgeous-typography/

From looking at examples of advertising and typography within this era of design I have found that the need for decoration and expressing wealth and beauty was also present in design as well as architecture and homes. This links to the idea of backing papers of frames, frames usually belong in the home and often are portrayed to be personal, therefore the backing paper must reflect the type of frame it is, not only aesthetically but also conceptually too. The colours used often are off-whites (creams beige and such) along with blacks/ dark browns (considered to be because of print) but also the use of colour is also important, gold, red and certain tones are used throughout designs and these colours connote wealth. In my research into frames in current shops and department stores I have noticed that the type of graphics and the type of frame has an affect onto what designs and colours are used. For example when I initially looked at Wilkinson's frames I noticed that the backing papers were rather simplistic and very colourful, therefore appealing to a larger audience which require cheaper frames and that stores such as Laura Ashley have backing papers which suit their target audience and the price range (middle aged women who are somewhat wealthy).

Victorian Britain, 1837 - 1901- Victoria Quarter in Leeds: "This clever blend between old and new is a key feature of what Victoria Quarter is today"

History (Victoria Quarter):

"The buildings that now house Victoria Quarter are more than 100 years old. During the early part of the 19th Century, the area sold a completely different range of products. Vicar 

Lane was a mass of slaughterhouses, butchers, fruit and vegetable stalls, while the western end of County Arcade housed The Bazaar. This occupied two floors – the lower level selling meat and the upper level trading in fancy goods and haberdashery."

" It was then that the famous theatre architect Frank Matcham, responsible for building more than 200 theatres and music halls, including the London Palladium and Coliseum, was brought into design an elaborate Victorian Arcade. He used rich marbles, gilded mosaics, handsome cast and wrought iron, as well as carved and polished mahogany, to create two streets, an arcade and the Empire Theatre (now the site of Harvey Nichols)."

Target Audience: Female, aged between 20-40/ or older. 

The use of age and an era supplies and fulfils a need for history and an established sense of normality. The use of history allows the audience to feel comfortable, especially of a particular target audience. British history is highly important to its people, this has proved to be incredibly popular through TV series' such as Downton Abbey (Begins Edwardian ear 1912) and Mr Selfridge (begins 1908), which are now aired on ITV as some of the most highly viewed drama's. This allows not only for older people to understand and appreciate but also educate and fascinate young people with culture. Especially within the art and creative industry it has allowed designers to produce work that includes an established set of rules but allows them to break them and push their ideas to create a modern form of twist.