OUGD501: COP Lecture (censorship & truth)

The lecture began by speaking about the editing of Ansel Adams photographs (see below). His photographs are edited using traditional methods of exposure by the use of different chemicals to create the affects he wanted. These traditional techniques of editing photographs are still true today with the use of software such as photoshop and the rest of the adobe suite images can be easily manipulated to the artists wants and needs whether that be for artwork or an ulterior motive such as cropping and changing messages/ the portray of people and events in the media (newspapers ect) 

The idea of hiding the truth and manipulating images for goal is seen below, the photograph has been edited so that the woman's body is conforming to dominant ideas of sexuality and appearance. This is incredibly common in magazines that focus on beauty both in women and men, they can often be found with editing to the body and face to cover bruises, scars but also large changes in body shape too such as making a woman's waist smaller or the body look taller/ slimmer. 

Throughout the lecture we were shown images banned from advertising were which included nudity or some form of sexual content. From the ending questions I'm unsure as to whether fine art is allowed to sit outside this censorship because it is seen as craft/ beautiful. Just because it has been painted instead of photographed doesn't necessarily mean that is allowed to sit outside law. The problem with censorship is that it depends on culture and community as to what is allowed to be shown, for instance what is allowed to be shown in the UK is very different to what is allowed in the media in other countries and cultures as our opinions on what should/should not be censored are extremely dependent on our own culture and people. 

OUGD501: COP task 5

This is a task to complete during interview week (9th March - 13th March).

1. Go to the library

2. Find BA (hons) Graphic Design dissertations from 2013/14 - hint: upstairs and to the right

3. Grab at least 2 dissertations

4. Study each of the dissertations and focus particularly on their written FORM paying close attention to punctuation, grammar, tone-of-voice, referencing, vocabulary.

NOTE: not all the dissertations are "perfect" but studying a number of them will help to demonstrate how written work should be presented at undergraduate study.

5. Write a blog entry for this task - discuss 3 things that you have learned, observed, noted about the dissertations that you looked at and how this will help when addressing your own written piece.

I looked at: 

Bethany Yates 'what role does social media play in the future of brand communication' (2012/13)

Nathan Bolton 'Is print still relevant within the digital age?' (2013/14)

and Alisa Marrs 'A discussion of originality and innovation in type design with rise of mass culture and consumerism' (2011/12)

I found that from looking at the dissertations they were incredibly well planned out and presented. The language was incredibly formal and sounded professional in terms of art and design. The referencing was done correctly which is something I need to improve on within my own essay as I do find this difficult but given time I will be able to do this properly. There were also consistent links between the theory and the imagery or examples they were studying which provides a consistency in their discussion or argument which is something I need to ensure I do in my own essay both this year and in preparation for next year. I found that the most successful dissertations I looked at were those that wrote quite confidently with a range of vocabulary instead of just descriptions. 

OUGD501: COP- Essay to practise workshop!

Question: 'How do traditional printmaking methods affect contemporary Graphic Design?'

Technique: In my essay I discussed a range of different theories based on how printmaking is used in current graphic design and art. So therefore to continue this I will need to learn new printmaking techniques and practise these myself. So therefore the techniques I will need to use will be using traditional methods such as screen printing and letterpress which are examples I have previously looked at in my essay. 

Content: The content for printmaking is incredibly broad so therefore I need to research further myself into what kind of designs I will want to create. For instance traditional techniques can often also link to ethics and crafts which are quite artistic instead of commercial. 

Communication: Within this project I need to communicate the idea that print is not competing with digital print methods or new media. It has its own uses and as stated previously it is has an 'aura' which cannot be created through any other medium. So perhaps it would be useful to show a digitally printed piece of work alongside a screen print to clearly show the differences. 

Research/analysis- Research into the different print methods and how they are created. Research into current artists who use traditional methods and perhaps ask them about their work. Look in detail at screen prints and letter press designs and how they differ to similar work created on the computer so I can see what I need to include within my designs.

Exploration/ evaluation- What different methods can I use to create my design? hand rendered first or computer created? Colours/ finishes? 

Testing- Primary research asking others about the designs I will be creating/ ideas and on going crits. I would need to test whether my ideas are relevant for the project and if the concept is representative in the artwork. Would any changes be necessary? 

My research question for the practical part will follow along the same lines as my essay question- 'How do traditional printmaking methods affect contemporary Graphic Design?

However when I begin to research I will probably find that I prefer one or a couple of techniques more than others. As I have said above a lot of the primary research will be talking to those who create using traditional techniques and also practising these techniques myself. The conclusion in my essay was that print has its own purpose and it doesn't compete but create something different and therefore I need show these differences through stock used and inks by changing the perception of the artwork to be something important or worth keeping. The deadline for this work is within May however between then and now I need to thoroughly look into current artwork and techniques. The next interview week would be a perfect time to allow for experimentation as well as the easter break- although at some points I will need access to the screen print workshop and vernon street.