OUGD501: Practical piece crit!

Essay question: How do traditional Printmaking methods affect contemporary Graphic Design?

Throughout my essay I focused on Benjamin's theory of authenticity and aura. He suggests- ‘The whole sphere of authenticity eludes technological- and of course, not only technological- reproducibility’. Which therefore suggests that traditional printmaking provides something different, which cannot be replicated by digital printing. 

I posted my essay question onto Linkedin and gained lots of feedback about others thoughts on the traditional print currently, it was suggested often that it is still used because of its process. It is appreciated because time and effort has gone into it. This links to Benjamin’s theory of aura because it suggests that even though there are plenty of other options, traditional print is still considered a worthy method- it provides a process which can’t be fully replicated through digital means. 

I will show the transformation of a digital design into a screen print through a book format. This will show the original digital design through the different stages of the process of screen printing. This will sit alongside a large print of the design. 

There is a distinctive quote from my essay by Dormer, which would incorporate all of these ideas into one: 

“A craft object often reveals much about the skill and the technology used to make it”

- Dormer




It was mentioned about the idea of "Slow Movement" so I had a little research into it and found that it is rather interesting. In simplistic terms it is basically a movement in which people partake in doing things correctly, it aims to combat the issue of speed and that things shouldn't always be produced quickly- so therefore talking about the idea of mass production (ect) which directly links to my own project.

http://www.slowartday.com/about/

The link above mentions 'slow art' which is exactly what I am creating with my own project. I am showing the screen printing process to be something that regular people can understand, I am taking the time to photograph each individual step in my process of creating. 

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One of the differences I have always found with screen print and digital printing is the limitations with the CMYK colour mode- the colours are quite dull and not pigmented as you find with mixing your own colour in screen print. Benjamin's theory suggests that printmaking provides something different in terms of the final product which is what made me think about my colour choices before making my design. With digital printing it is impossible to create bright bold colours unless using a spot colour in commercial print. Let alone creating fluorescent tones. I have found with screen printing in the past you can create multiple affects with halftone patterns and overlapping colour. 

For the background I wanted to experiment with these bold colours and create something with halftone dots. The overlapping of colours here shows how two colours can create three when using a limited colour palette this is something interesting to experiment with. 

http://s3.amazonaws.com/arshop-prod/products/photo/000/023/647/col4_every-day-is-valentine-neon-screenprint_conilab.jpg?1398872647

Again this shows how colour can be completely different with screen printing as the neon tones highlight certain areas of the print. 

http://images.cdn.bigcartel.com/bigcartel/product_images/84639105/max_h-1000+max_w-1000/Neon-fullprint-London.jpg

Beginning the design: I thought initially about different ways in which I could create a background pattern for the design in yellow and pink so instead of using circles like the design above I decided to use striped lines as this may be less distracting. However after experimenting on my graphics tablet I found that they needed to be much thicker. 

These were the thicker halftone dotted lines:

As this will be quite a busy background the text needs to be bold otherwise it wouldn't stand out. I experimented with inverting the background into it too but this made the text illegible and difficult to read. 

I also tried a few different fonts which are much more 'bold' and would stand out on a poster however they don't seem work well with the busy background. 

However after experimenting with a few different ones I have found a font which I think is suitable to take to the crit as it is more hand rendered looking and therefore feels more handmade and is fitting with the theme of traditional printmaking. However the background is incredibly busy for type so therefore I am thinking about using pastel shades instead, this way I will get the high pigmentation but it will make the quote readable. 

Edits: I wanted to make the poster background much softer so therefore I changed the colours to pastel and scanned in some stripes I had made using watercolour. I edited these stripes so they could become black/white for exposing my screen. 

OUGD501: Interim Crit/ Intensions for practical piece

In small groups we had a small crit explaining what our essay question is and what we would like to create for our practical piece. I received positive feedback and some great ideas too. 

Some of the ideas included creating a piece which would recreate something which is purely digital using traditional methods such as screen printing ect. It was also mentioned that I could show how something could be created digitally and traditionally through screen print. However after the crit I thought I had a reread of my essay and the select sections of research I had looked into and I noticed that a large amount of what makes traditional methods appealing is their process.  

I quoted Dormer (1997) in my essay:

 ‘A craft object often reveals much about the skill and the technology used to make it’ (Dormer, 1997, p122) This would be ideal to show the process through photographs of the making in a small booklet alongside the actual screen print. 

'the real value of printmaking today is its vintage appeal and the activity involved in the process of creating prints' (Candence Wu)

Throughout my essay I focused on Benjamin's theory of authenticity and aura. He suggests- ‘The whole sphere of authenticity eludes technological- and of course, not only technological- reproducibility’. Which therefore suggests that traditional printmaking provides something different which cannot be replicated by digital printing. Therefore I will show the transformation through a book from the printed digital design to the final product which will be a beautiful screen print. 

People of print: Print isn't dead

"In a world where screen-based graphics and digital design dominate the mainstream, an international community of independent designers has embraced traditional printmaking techniques to create some of the most innovative graphics ever. For People of Print, Marcroy Smith, founder & director, and designer Andy Cooke, have brought together the work of more than forty-five of the hottest designers, illustrators, and collectives currently committed to the tactility, materiality, and visible craft of print, alongside the gallerists and promoters who are key figures in this creative scene. A dazzling array of work is presented, made to adorn paper, posters, flyers, packaging, fanzines, self-published books, textiles and fashion, and exhibition design, accompanied by profiles of each printer, in-depth interviews, information on innovative design techniques, and a comprehensive reference section. With a broad range of designers from the United States, Brazil, Denmark, Germany, France, Spain, Singapore, and beyond, People of Print will be an essential and inspirational resource for graphic designers and illustrators as well as anyone who appreciates that print is the future."

http://department-store.co

The reason I wrote the essay and also why I wanted complete a traditionally made piece is because there currently seems to be a trend or in fact a new interest in hands on making. Print isn't dead definitely shows that interest as publication of various examples which are bought as limited editions. This idea of limited edition and unique links back to Benjamin's theory of aura and that each piece is an original/ unique. 

I used Linkedin as a tool to ask current design professionals and lecturers what they thought of current digital and traditional methods of making.

I gained lots of different feedback which had mixed opinions similar to my own. But after reading through them all it is definitely clear that what makes printmaking such as screen printing special is the process the individual goes through to make the final product(s). So therefore showing this process visually would appeal to the target audience which would be others who also understand and appreciate traditional printmaking.