Studio Brief 2: Final Design Development

Following feedback, I looked into finding physical objects that represented each artist and using photography to present them. The objects chosen were: a white glove for Michael Jackson, rosary beads for Madonna, jeans for Bruce Springsteen, an iron-on logo for The Rolling Stones, and a ticket for Genesis. Simply a ticket was chosen for Genesis because no significant object/symbolism could be found for them, however, due to research from the start of the project it showed that they were one of the bigger acts to also play at Roundhay Park, therefore they were newly added to the list of the artists represented.

Due to feedback, I had also decided to base the poster design partly around the audience member as well as the artists themselves. I had researched 1980's denim culture, which revealed that personalisation of denim garments was popular, and because of this, the objects chosen to represent each artist where in mind with the idea that they would fit inside a denim jeans back pocket. The Rolling Stones iron-on, would become not only a representation of the artists, but also a representation of the audience and their personalisation of their garment.

Below are images exploring the composition of those objects within a denim jeans back pocket. The back pocket was chosen as a representation of Bruce Springsteen, derived from his "Born in the USA" album cover, and how he puts a baseball cap in his back pocket. The jeans contain some rips and also a safety pin, this is to reinforce the idea of the 1980's denim culture. Some of the images also contain a Pepsi badge to further reinforce this.
Some of the compositions also contain a £20 note, this is to represent the idea of the audience being at the concert, and how they would bring with them cash to buy food/drink/merchandise, as debit cards were not commonly used at the time. The Genesis ticket is also placed in the pocket to similarly communicate concert attendance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up, I manipulated the images digitally to add textual information and visualise a 2-colour print.
The two colours initially considered were blue to symbolise the denim, and pink or red for it's contrast as well as aesthetic qualities. The colours chosen also play a tribute to concert posters of 1980's which also used bright and contrasting colours. The quote "before the arena" was chosen as part of the heading because this was the quote that got me interested in the event in the first place, and as my feedback had earlier suggested, I should not lose focus on why I wanted to celebrate this event. The location of "Roundhay Park" is stated, with "Leeds" dropped from pervious designs, as the design will be part of a local exhibition, which means that the audience will mostly be locals and therefore recognise Rounhay Park without the need for further geographic guidance. The list of artists has been kept, as a reinforcement to the imagery/photograph and to clarify to the audience which artists are being focused on. The dates of their performances have been added, this is to show that the era I have focused on is within the 80's, and to possibly allow the audience to make connections between the era and the imagery design.

Fig.1

Fig.2

Fig.3

The first image I had chosen was a close up of all the objects, because it allows the audience to see and differentiate between all the objects clearly. Colour was used to further highlight the main objects and make them stand out. The typeface used in each design slightly varies, however, they are all in capitals, I believe this makes the information more legible as well as giving the poster a feel of importance. Fig.1 uses the outline typeface Helvetica I had used in previous designs, and although it creates a flow and cohesiveness throughout the design, it makes the text slightly too illegible. Fig.2 uses Helvetica Bold in white, this makes the text far more legible yet it still has a sense of belonging. Fig.3 also uses Helvetica Bold, however this time it utilises a drop shadow in pink. This was done in an attempt to create more of a flow throughout the design, however it simply feels over-whelming and slightly loses legibility of the type.

Fig.4

Fig.5

The second image I had chosen was a further away shot, and with a slightly different composition. The text sits at the top of the page upon a white background to allow legibility. The typeface used is Helvetica Bold and in capitals, as this allows brings more legibility to the information. "Leeds" was added to the heading to fill negative space and create consistency in the layout of information. Colour was once again used to differentiate and bring to attention the main objects. Fig. 4 uses the quote "before the arena" to show the focus and celebratory nature of the design. Fig.5, however, uses the quote of "80,000 people dancing" like in my previous designs. This is also shows the celebratory nature of the event, as it draws attention to how popular and grand the concerts were at the time. 

Peer Feedback - I presented Fig. 2 and Fig.4 to my peers and asked which they though was the most appropriate and effective at showcasing and celebrating the event. Most of my peers voted for Fig.2 as they said the composition was much better and more interesting. I agreed with my peers, as I believe Fig.2 highlights the imagery and the objects much better, and the manipulation of colour and typeface allows all elements of the design to be communicated with clarity and legibility.

Fig.2 was the chosen final design, which I then went on to create positives for and go through the screen-printing process in order to create my traditional media celebratory print.