Planet Illustration

Open publication - Free publishing

E4 Brief Properly Outlined

Open publication - Free publishing

Draft Layouts

Ok so I did a whole heap of sketched out layouts and I only included the ones I thought were worth taking forward as there is no point in polishing a turd. I think that they are good enough to start fiddling around with programs, as I can get a feel for a grid and how I would utilise the type etc. I have the dimensions and I have some initial illustrations I want to take forward, so lets see if I can design for editorial and restrictions rather than just making it up as I go along.

HoS Revamp

Open publication - Free publishing

Eureka! Editorial Sketches

I thought that the only and best way to start a brief is to look at the stories I had selected and how they relate to possible imagery.
The stories themselves are linked in to the DC posts for this brief, but just in case you get lost here they are....

Guardian Guide

Heroes of Science needs some context and due to the nature of the size of the publication, it only seems fitting to look at the dimensions and colour profile of the Guardian's The Guide.

CMYK values:

Text: PSO SNP Paper (ECI) FOGRA42L Max TAC 260
Covers: ISO Coated v2 300% (ECI) FOGRA39L Max TAC 300

According to the European Colour Initiative, the Offset Profiles for the supplements are in regards to mass production. This is when using Offset Lithography as the primary methodology for the manufacturing of the publication/supplement. These values are used for colour-accurate proofs, the FOGRA
"represents the expected result of a standardized offset print on coated paper... with subsequent matte film lamination." (Usage in practice/Pre-press)


The profile in question is a good choice when the intended printing conditions are not yet know. The advantage of the coated profile with a maximum total ink coverage of 300% is it's higher flexibility regarding the use of sheetfed and web offset printing.
The best results for professional printing are achieved with cmyk prepress data prepared with the profile that matches the printing condition exactly.

Their deadlines for Display Copy are 8 days prior to publication.
Inside copy is 5 days prior to publication.


The double page spread specifications are:

Trim: W 290mm x H 230mm
Bleed: W 300mm x H 240mm
Type: W 270 x H 205mm

Some other handy specifications for pages are as follows:

Half Horizontal - W 130mm x H 100mm

Half Vertical - W 63mm x H 200mm

Quarter Page - W 63mm x H 100mm

Half Height Double Page Spread - W 270mm x H 100mm

Page Bleed -

Trim: W 2145mm x H 230mm
Bleed: W 155mm x H 240mm
Type: W 130mm x H 205mm

2 + 2 Column Fireplace - W 146mm x H 200mm





These will be handy for both the Eureka! brief and the Heroes of Science brief, as I will have to play around with different layouts to maximise the overall look of the publication/editorial. It will also help to demonstrate my capabilities in regards to type and layout as it is a skill I need to develop more so I can become more employable.

Source:
http://specle.net/uk/guardian-news-media/guardian-guide
http://www.eci.org/en/colorstandards/offset?DokuWiki=05fb5cbe3a467293eef0422c6f2192b0

Top Ten of the Five

Superhero Films:

1. Dark Knight
2. Iron Man
3. The Incredibles
4. Spider Man 2
5. Kick Ass
6. Incredible Hulk
7. Darkman
8. Superman
9. Watchmen
10. The Rocketeer


sources (1-8):
(http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/movies/articles/2011/05/27/20110527goody0603superheroes.html?page=4)

sources (9-10):
(http://entertainment.time.com/2011/06/03/top-10-superhero-movies/#end)



Action Films:

1. Die Hard
2. 300
3. The Expendables
4. Kill Bill
5. Raiders of the Lost Ark
6. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
7. Goldfinger
8. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
9. Enter the Dragon
10.


Sources (1-10):
(http://www.gayot.com/lifestyle/movies/top10/action/terminator_judgment_day.html)




Sci-Fi

1. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
2. Blade Runner
3. 2001: A Space Odyssey
4. The Day The Earth Stood Still
5. Matrix
6. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
7. Aliens
8. Avatar
9. District 9
10. Cloverfield


Source (1-6)
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/news/page/0,12983,1290764,00.html)

Sources (7-8):
(http://science.discovery.com/top-ten/sci-fi/films/sci-fi-films-10.html)

Sources (9-10):
(http://listverse.com/2010/01/23/top-20-science-fiction-movies-of-the-2000s/)


Horror


1. 28 Days Later
2. Let The Right One In
3. American Werewolf In London
4. Dawn of the Dead
5. Nightmare on Elm Street
6. Texas Chainsaw Massacre
7. The Shining
8. Silence of the Lambs
9. Saw
10. The Ring

Sources:
http://movies.ign.com/articles/662/662450p5.html
http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2009/06/15/the-10-best-horror-films-of-the-last-10-years/


Comedy


1. Big Lebowski
2. Animal House
3. Anchorman
4. Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
5. 40 Year Old Virgin
6. The Princess Bride
7. South Park The Movie
8. Ferris Beuller's Day Off
9. This Is Spinal Tap
10. Holy Grail

Sources:
http://movies.ign.com/articles/674/674712p23.html

SOI Adjustment

"An investigation into publication and print with a focus on content, delivery and illustration/image making"

Is the original statement, but due to the digital nature of some of my briefs, it can be rectified to this:

"An investigation into publication and print with a focus on content and illustration, with the potential to transfer onto digital mediums."

This is due to the  fact I do talk about how certain briefs require websites as well as translating assets into animations. It is not a main focus, as I do like to work with other people for the digital side of things, but I do not want tit to be the predominant factor when considering the outcome of certain briefs.

Crit Feedback

OK so basically it was acknowledged that the collective needed to rationalise the deliverables and their significance to the rest of the SOI and the briefs included in the umbrella statement.

The Heroes of Science brief needs more of a range, with the possibility of accompanying posters or promoted so it adheres more to my SOI.

Bottom of the Bottle needs to be rationalised as to certain outcomes at my discretion. This is to avoid doing too much work for the sake of doing work. Also to make sure I create some "sexy" design as to give my work more impact.
"The illustrations are looking great, but what else could be applied to make it better?" - I think the content of the drawings need to be reconsidered as I was only thinking of the small scale impact over the actual A1 solution that is needed. I will need to draw bigger and much more detailed. More time needs to be spent on my illustrations to ensure the application is relevant to the brief.
"You could do a launch night, tickets, promotion etc..." this was a brilliant idea, despite the client not wanting to spend too much, I think this would be a highly beneficial exercise to give me more range and create a solution that is weighty and demonstrate my ability to think on a larger scale.

Tomb Raider needs to be clarified, less objects and more design. Focus on elements that will support my SOI and my intentions. A special edition publication would be much more appropriate so I will focus on trying to create more specialised print based solutions for this brief.

DROZD

Lonny Unitus

I love Lonny's work, he has such a broad application of skill and you can definitely see the level of careful consideration although he does not always used illustrative type, his skill is unprecedented. He mainly just produces posters for bands and various gig venues, but also works with self-publishing, comic books and many other illustrative endeavours. Weird thing is alot of his jobs are from overseas, he lives in the USA but he gets a lot of work from the UK  and europe. Now that is the dream, producing work overseas and gaining notoriety in places you cant see. 

DWITT

I obviously could not illustrate quite this way, nor to the level of perfection just yet as I have not had the chance to fully develop my own sort of style, but I think the use of a limited colour palette really aids in the overall effectiveness of the posters. The illustrative type is the main port of call for Dwitt, as it is something I really enjoy and would love to take further given the direction of the brief. Compositionally they are all perfect and take into consideration the scale at which they are produced, something I will have to take on board if I am to make a decent go at this.

Brief 5: Review

Open publication - Free publishing - More design

Change of Plan

Open publication - Free publishing