OUGD603 - Client/Collab - Red Brick Roads - Type Research

Having looked at album and single cover designs, aswell as considering the preferences of the musician, I have undertaken research into type which could be used.

Through the research into musicians single and album covers which are relevant I have seen that the best routes are often the simplest ones, making sure that the image is a real eye catcher, this means I need to chose a type that is clear, modern and in ways subtle, only helping the image of the single cover rather than taking away from it.

Thinking of typefaces which could work I considered a range of simple type faces (Including ones used on the musicians previous releases) this meant looking mainly at typefaces which are san-serif, structured types that I have seen used through research and by the musician.

I also considered typefaces which will look good in different whites and sizes (having to have the musicians name as small type and the title track in larger more bolder type)

• Futura
• Helvetica
• Akzidenz Grotesk
• Univers
• Sporting Grotesk 
• Avant Garde
• Gotham
• Arial
• Calibri

Looking closer - It felt that Futura/Helvetica or Univers offered a wide selection of weights and styles of there typeface. Both Futura and Helvetica are fonts used on From White To Grays previous visuals and would be a safe option. Though through researching the type faces I found that Univers offers a huge range of typefaces which are san-serif and structured, while also offering weights such as extra black, this particular typeface is bold and playful without looking cheap. 

For added variation I also looked at Velvetyne.Fr (A french type foundry who offer free modern typefaces/fonts - these typefaces, such as Sporting Grotesk are different and fun, Sporting shares similarities with Akzidenz or Helvetica but with minor differences such as, a more extended letterform than the more well known san-serifs and more flourished round letter forms. 

Sporting Grotesk + In use

Univers In Use (Idea Generation)

-Explore the combination of type and image

- Look at how smoke could be incorporated

OUGD603 - 27 Club - Research- Jacob 'Killer' Miller

Jacob Miller - Born Mandeville Jamaica 1952 (4th May) Died Kingston Jamaica 1980 (23rd March)

Miller moved to Kingston at the age of eight, whilst growing up there he spent much time at the many music studios, most notably Clement Dodd's Studio One (Whos signed artists were such names as: The Skatalites, The Ethiopians, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Burning Spear, Toots & the Maytals, John Holt, Horace Andy, Ken Boothe, Freddie McGregor, Dennis Brown, Jackie Mittoo, Gladiators, Michigan & Smiley, Wailing Souls, Dillinger, Delroy Wilson, Heptones, Johnny Osbourne, Marcia Griffiths (of the I-Threes) Sugar Minott, The Abyssinians, Culture, Soul Vendors, Lone Ranger, Carlton and The Shoes, Alton Ellis, Willi Williams). 

Miller recorded a few solo songs during the early 1970's but his break came when emerging reggae band Inner Circle hired his as a replacement lead singer. Inner Circle with Miller signed for Capitol records in 1976 and went on to release Reggae Thing, and Ready for the World the following year. Miller released his own solo debut album Dread Dread in 1978. That same year Miller performed live at the One Love Peace Concert in Jamaica, the concert was held in the aftermath of the Green Bay Massacre where 5 Jamaica Labour Party supporters were shot dead after being lured into an ambush at the Green Bay Firing Range by members of the Jamaica Defence Force. The Concert was made famous for a number of things, firstly Bob Marleys first live performance in Jamaica since being shot there 3 years previous, it was also known for its highly politicised tension, Marley himself brought on the opposing political leaders (whos parties were causing unrest and conflict) and made them shake hands, lesser known is that Miller brought on stage leaders of rival street gangs during his performance, again in attempt to show peace and re-unite the country. 

Miller released a number of solo projects beside working with the inner circle. Jacob Miller passed away 23rd of March 1980 in a car accident in Kingston Jamaica.

Jacob Miller & Inner Circle -

Looking at the different artwork of the music releases by Miller and Inner circle, an understanding of the visual identity of Miller's music became apparent. The bright colours used such as reds, greens and yellows show the positivity of the music and also are colours recognized with reggae and Rastafarian music, and both green and yellow make up parts of the Jamaican flag, a common choice for reggae album art. 

Colours used - Bright reds

- Vibrant yellows

- Multiple greens

- Blacks to break up colours

The bright colours can be utilized to celebrate Miller's life, one of the main objectives of the briefs. The black can represent a deep undertone, to make the artwork look also like a remembrance of the man's life and work.

OUGD603 - Client/Collab - Red Brick Roads - Images and Idea Generation

Having chosen and edited the 5 images which were agreed on following the shoot, it was time to generate ideas based on research and specifications laid out by the musician. I will outline considerations and ideas;

5 Images (Edited and Agreed on)

These images were chosen for there rough aesthetic which also manages to get a wider view of Leeds centre in the distance. Charlie and I agreed on this because of the rawness of the images, they clearly encapsulate the Hyde Park/ Woodhouse areas of Leeds. 

Considering the ideas we had for the shoot we have tried these five variations which look at

-The streets of Leeds

- The people (Girl passing by)

-The motion of the music video (Man passing on bike) 

- Red brick walls and styles.

Considerations Outline in the brief to consider (though these boundaries can be pushed if they look good)

Required text

- Artist Name - 'From White To Gray' 

(This should be subtle and not the main focus but also must be seen. Consider past branding and weights in comparison to the single title type) 

-Track Title - 'Red Brick Roads' 

(This must be in lower case lettering - as specified by the musician - though he will happily look at other ideas)

(The track title should be the main text on the cover - 

consider - shades of red

-can smoke be incorporated into the design

-Dont over obscure the cover image but can work into it. 

As it is only for digital release the musician only requires the front of the cover producing. 

Look at music Design

Look at type design (choose a correct type) 

OUGD603 - Collab/Client - Red Brick Roads - Discussion and Image choosing

Together Charlie and I, together with people chosen for the music video/cover photos. chose the streets and visuals we wanted, taking photos throughout the music video shoot of places we felt were best for the cover photo.

The video -

The music video is inspired by Charlie's time in Leeds with it being swift/exciting and at times uncertain. Charlie has chosen to have himself driving through Woodhouse streets on a Bike with a red smoke grenade attached to it. Through editing he will make the red smoke the only colour within the video with the surroundings being monochromatic.

The Photos - with the video aesthetic in mind we decided that the photos for the cover should be black and white, with the type possibly incorporating a red smoke look (or just a bold red type).

Photos -

• Streets
• Red Brick Houses/walls
• Feature the musician?
• Feature people on the street?
• Feature a scene from the video
• be still image/ or / represent the motion in the video

With these ideas we took a range of Photos and from this chose 4 or 5 which we edited to produce black and white finals which Charlie settled on, from this he wants me now to design a wide range of single covers for us to decide on a relevant and bold final outcome. 

OUGD603 - Collab/Client - Red Brick Roads - Research

Through discussion with the musician he has given me a list of musicians to look at and take visual inspiration from. By looking at these I will get a feel of tone of voice and aesthetic, as well as being able to understand the visuals, which Charlie believes will help understand the target audience.

William Philips is an English Electronic musician and songwriter, known by the stage name 'Tourist'. His music shares many similarities with Charlie's and his visual output for his music follows a continuous strict branding which allows the audience to recognise a release by this musician with ease. By placing a white boarder around the main images of his single covers each single cover looks like its own composition with the musicians branding being in the centre of the page. 

Consider:

Consistency

Colour

Balance of the design

Typography (Both for the single title and the artist title)

Frank Ocean is an Frank Ocean is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer and photographer. Known for his idiosyncratic musical style, Ocean first embarked on a career as a ghostwriter, and in 2010 he became a member of hip hop collective Odd Future. His album and single cover visuals are some of the most recognisable in modern music. 

For his album 'Blond' Ocean released a number of visuals including a publication to build up the release of the album, the visual identity of the album was applied to a number of designs and images of the musician. 

The simplicity of the album cover visuals give it simplicity, the custom type which is used for the album title becomes the continuous element of the musians releases. Again a technique already looked at by having an image be central on the cover with white space surrounding allows type placement to be easy and applied in a range of ways within supporting material.

Another artist who uses a continuous branding is Childish Gambino (Stage name of musician and writer Donald Glover) Again using photography combined with simplistic type seems like the most appropriate form of visual style for a single/album cover. Once again we see image/white space/ text combining well. 

Looking at the other musicians given to me by Charlie I have explored a number of visual styles which he wants to aline himself with. The image (WHEN CHOSEN) should work well with a chosen typeface, of which I have been given free reign. 

OUGD603 - Client/Collab - Red Brick Roads - Photo Shoot and Video Shoot - Ideas

Through conversations with Charlie (Musician), we have decided to combine what will be the video shoot for the single will also be an opportunity to shoot for an image for the cover, having drawn up a range of ideas for the single cover, we both felt it was best and would produce a stronger cover if the image used was something we had chosen and that it incorporates the setting of the music video to create a continuous look and aesthetic for the release.


The music video (planned by Charlie) will be a biker riding through Hyde Park Leeds with a red smoke grenade attached to the back of the bike releasing a thick cloud smoke with the filmer following behind also on a bike.

Though Charlie had already planned on shooting his video in such a style and had already prepared it previously, we still needed the best location for the video to work, this meant walking around Hyde Park for a few hours getting what would be the best looking and most practical area to shoot both a 3 minute music video and get clear and clean shots of areas of Hyde Park Leeds.

We decided too look for some quieter alternatives around the Woodhouse area just next to Hyde Park, here the houses were majorly red brick houses so worked really well with the aesthetic of the video and the title of the single.

PROBLEM - Finding an area of Hyde Park Leeds to shoot a 3 minute music. Issues such as crowded streets/ traffic and people would prove difficult. The streets were covered in cars and would prove difficult to shoot a free flowing on the go music video.

SOLUTION - We found that Woodhouse Leeds which is located right next to the Hyde Park Area, is quieter and would look more visually relevant to the song.

OUGD603 - Client/Collab - Red Brick Roads - Initial Ideas and Emails

Having been given the brief of designing a single cover for Brighton based musician 'From White To Gray' I immediately wanted to build a professional relationship with him, by this I mean regular conversations about the design, over email or in person or through phone calls, by doing this it will help the design of the covers will be what is desired. This constant contact will also mean, regular critique of the work i'm producing and the possibility of a future collaboration and work.

Through asking questions about the musician I built an initial list of concepts and research points which could be travelled down as the brief goes on. This list includes quotes and conversation points which I feel will be useful. 

Artist - 'From White To Gray' 

Name - Charlie Gray 

Locations - Brighton/Leeds

Song - Red Brick Roads - "The song is a throwback to my years spent living in the Hyde Park/Woodhouse areas of Leeds during my music MA." 

With the above in mind the cover could be visually representative of this and feature images or graphics that show or relate to the Hyde Park area of Leeds. 

Hyde Park Leeds 

- Park

- Streets

- Significant areas/street where musician lived/ worked

- Bars / shops / buildings

- People/ Students/

- Roads (Song Title - Could be built of red bricks? Images of brick/cobble streets in the area

Other considerations were found through conversing with the musician such as the type of music and the visual styles that he relates. Together we broke down the music styles he resonates with and other key words which may help fuel the research and project further:

Music style -

• Electronic/Indie
• Soothing
• Soulful
• Tech
• Electronic beats
• Guitar rythms
• Bass
• Powerful Vocals
• Calm with edge
• Fun
• Playful
• Deep Lyrics

He also gave me examples of musicians which both inspire him and that he thinks will help me with the visual research (Listing of musicians he has recommended me to look at for visual research and aesthetic research:

• Frank Ocean
• The Weekend
• Childish Gambino
• Post Malone
• Sampha
• Tycho
• D'Angelo
• Ata Kak
• Soft Hair
• Title Fight

Through this initial Conversation I have established a good understanding of what is being asked of me and through keeping in close contact with the musician I will be able to see the process and keep upto date with things that go on through the project up until the release of the single. 

OUGD603 - LIVE BRIEF - Red Brick Roads - Single Covers - Research

The client clearly outlines what he wants within the briefing email, keeping it very simple and direct, wanting me to place the text he has given me in the specifications outlined, this will require me to choose the correct most suitable font/typeface for the artwork. I will also be required to place the image on the screen which will require a grid and set up of the whole art to work. The client also specifies that he wants the type to be in lowercase and partially in red, this means a suitable shade of red needs to be found and a typeface that works in lowercase with good impact.

WHAT I NEED TO DO -

- Look at and choose a suitable typeface
-Search for a good red to use alongside the image
-Experiment with image placement
-Experiment with type placement


The Client has given examples of specific albums and singles artworks, these are ones which he likes the aesthetic of and should be used as inspiration.

WHAT I SHALL DO -

- Research more related album/single artworks
- Experiment with design aspects
-Continue to email and build relationship with the client
- Be clear and stick to the outlines of the brief

OUGD603 - Client/Collab - Red Brick Roads - Brief

Brief -

- In collaboration with musician and photographer Charlie Gray, produce the single cover design and Online social media banner to coincide with the release. The design should represent the style and music of the musician.

Produce a range of single covers for musicians ‘From White To Gray’ new single ‘red brick roads’. This includes collaborating on the photoshoot for the cover single image and singularly working with the image to design covers and social media adverts/banners. The single covers will be going onto online music streamers, such as iTunes, Spotify and Soundcloud, with the online platforms being Instagram, Facebook and Tumblr.

Background - 

- Charlie Gray, stage name ‘From White to Gray’ is a musician, producer and photographer based in Brighton. I have been asked to help with the complete design of a single cover for ‘From White to Gray’s’ new single ‘Red Brick Roads’. The music genre is soft house/techno, something that has always been reflected in the musicians album and single covers in the past.

Produce

-Single Cover (Range for choice)

-Online Social Media content (Banners/Posts)

Considerations/Specifications

- The single title ‘red brick roads’ must be in lowercase

- Incorporate elements of the video into the type chosen for the cover

-Consider the sizes required for images to be put on to streaming services (iTunes/Spotify)

Target Audience - 

-The musician will be posting the tracks online and has only asked for digital advertising material in the form of Facebook Banners and Instagram sized images. This means the target audience will be the musicians social media fan base- which is mainly 18 to 34 year olds.

Aim - 

Through taking this brief on my aims were to work on something professional and new, having done music design for a number of bands this brief gives me the opportunity to explore and design for a different kind of music genre than previously worked on. It also gives me an opportunity to work with a professional on a photoshoot, video shoot and to work with professional images to produce an outcome that will be live online.

OUGD603 - Brief Five - Evaluation

The outset aims of this project was to explore my personal practice and methods. The brief was asking for a collection or individual artworks for the cantina of The Old Red Bus Station. With this being a live brief It was a great opportunity to measure my work against others in Leeds. It was also a great opportunity to get my name out around the area. 

The Postcards produced take inspiration from my context of practice subject of Dada, aswell as incorporating my own interests, influence and practice. The project helped expand the skills which form my personal practice, Collage and traditional print. The designs were inspired by Dada photomontage, all with individual meaning to me the designer but aswell aesthetically pleasing visuals. The project could have been improved by implementing or communicating more of a message, as visual artefacts they are superbly designed and screen printed. Through using this traditional print method I was able to excell the designs by experimenting with colour and stocks.

The designs submitted were unsuccessful for display but have been applied to be used as postcards to send to professionals aswell as being sold at art fairs. 

OUGD603 - Brief Five - Finals and Submission

The final 8 compositions were chosen from a collection of over 50 different screen prints in various colours on various stocks. The chosen finals are individual through design, colour and stock, each giving varying visual results.

The prints work well as individuals or as a collective set, for the purpose of the brief I have chosen to submit the collection of images. 

The final prints are a bold representation of my own personal practice, style and influences. Through the brief I have been able to revisit and reuse contextual research to produce a more visual and impactful project. 

The work was submitted on time and is awaiting response. 

OUGD603 - Brief Five - Production

Each design is influenced by aspects of Dada (through technique and application of reapropriatting existing images to produce new artwork) and also has a focus on personal ideas and interest.