Week 8: Skills & Making

What are your skills? Where are the gaps?

Not only is this weeks workshop challenge about exploring our current key skills and how they may help us in our projects, it is also about acknowledging the gaps- the skills that we would like to evolve or develop throughout our MA course and our careers.

With this in mind, our task for this week is to create a list of our current skills, and a separate list that outlines the skills we want to acquire, and then create a 'process model' which summarises these lists.

This 'process model' can be anything from a diagram, a 3D model, a statement or a tool. Overall, this piece had to be something that we could either use or refer back to as we evolve and develop throughout this MA.

Workshop Challenge

First thing that I needed to do when approaching this weeks challenge was to acknowledge the skills I have and the skills that I would like to develop over time.

My Skills:

- Drawing

- Illustration

- Filmmaking

- Storytelling

- Imagination

- Humour

- Open-mindedness

- Observational

- Communication

- Optimism

- Independence

- Working under pressure

The Gaps:

- Confidence

- Editorial Design

- Animation

- 3D Design

- Typography

- Bravery to try new things/ take risks

- Experience working collaboratively

- Organisational Skills

Initial Ideas

Initially, I decided to challenge myself and draw up a couple of ideas right off the bat. At first I wanted to have a look into diagrams, and decided to create my own version of a flow chart.

Flow charts are a simple and useful tool that can be used to help people follow a particular process- which can be really helpful when designing and creating a product for a businesses and/or clients.

However, as someone whose work process is the definition of hectic, I thought it would be interesting and funny to recap my process when working through a workshop challenge.

The process overall reveals a lot about me as a person and the gaps in my skills that I hope to develop on- my confidence in my work and my questionable organisational skills. However, I felt that I was being too self-critical and wanted to create something that also highlighted the skills I currently have.

I drew my silhouette from what of my pictures and decided to list all of the skills I do have within the silhouette, and all the skills I want to develop and achieve in the space around me. I felt that this could be good in an interactive way as I could eventually fill the empty space in my silhouette as I gain and achieve the skills over time.

However, I also decided to scrap this idea as I felt that it was too safe and simple.

And so I also tried to think of ways that I could make it more interesting.

I was thinking of ways in which I could make the poster have a more 3D effect, and so I cut out my silhouette so that the words would overlay the image. I wasn't so sure as to what I would put in the space where my silhouette was and tried to improvise a little- but even so, this whole 3d concept was something that I was interested to try out properly.

Inspiration:

Overall, after some more consideration, I decided to focus on one or two of my skills; my ability to work under pressure and my optimism.

The reason why is because these skills are what I am proud of the most- for more personal reasons.

I have GAD (Generalised Anxiety Disorder) and although I manage it a lot better now than I did before, a few years ago I was struggling with it quite a bit. I would overthink everything to the point that it started to severely effect my life and my confidence in my work.

My counsellor at the time showed me a diagram and had used this analogy which I still remember to this day:

Envision yourself in a bubble or deep in the ocean- everything is calm, quiet and still. Every now and then you can swim up to the surface and face your challenges, but whenever you feel like it's getting too much or if you're getting too overwhelmed- it's okay to submerge yourself again for a while until you're ready to face another.

This has taught be that although there are a lot of skills I want to develop, a lot of goals and opportunities that I want to work towards, that it's okay to take your time and face one challenge and goal after another.

And so, this leads me on to my idea for this weeks challenge- to create a motivational poster that not only reminds me of my goals, but at the same time, reminds me that I don't need to rush to achieve them.

Research

Design Manifestos/ Statements:

Since I was doing a motivational poster, I decided that I should have a look into some different design manifestos and statements.

The general consensus I had regarding these manifestos, were that they were declarations that either informed others on a problem/ situation, announced the key principles of design, or explored a designers personal core values.

Dain Williams

The first design manifesto I was drawn to as inspiration for my poster was Dain Williams, who had created a series of manifesto posters that depicted his values as a designer.

Fig. 1- Design Manifesto 1, Dain Williams http://www.dainwilliams.com/new-gallery

Fig. 2-Design Manifesto 2, Dain Williams http://www.dainwilliams.com/new-gallery

Fig. 3-Design Manifesto 3, Dain Williams http://www.dainwilliams.com/new-gallery

What drew me to these posters was the simplicity and boldness of the drawings- the combination of the simple thick black lines, the block colours, and the touches of white helps create a vibrant and eye-catching design. The witty statements reflect upon the imagery really well and offers a really nice touch of humour.

Riot Grrrl

Riot Grrrl is an underground feminist punk movement that began in 1990's by Washington State band Bikini Kill and lead singer Kathleen Hanna.

With the movement came a manifesto that was published in the BIKINI KILL ZINE 2. This manifesto highlighted the injustices that women were facing not just within the music industry, but also within society and encouraged many young women and men to start speaking out against sexism and oppression.

In turn, this had inspired many designers to continue creating fanzines, posters and flyers that emphasised and celebrated the movement- (which has now been collected and combined into one book).

Fig. 5- Jigsaw Mind, Tobi Vail https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2013/07/30/grrrl-collected/

Fig. 6- Riot Grrrl no. 1, Molly Neuman and Allison Wolfe https://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2013/jun/30/punk-music

Fig. 7- The Revolution Starts Here Flyer, Kathleen Hanna https://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2013/jun/30/punk-music

Overall, I love the vibrancy of the design, the hand-made/ printed style, the griminess, and the brutal honesty of the message that had helped to empower people to speak up against prejudice.

Development

I came up with a rough design of the final piece. I was really excited to create it because I felt that I connected with this piece that little bit more than any of the previous pieces I've made- likely because the story behind it hits close to home and because, overall, it is a reflection on one of the most vulnerable times in my life.

I had two ideas as to how I wanted to make this; the first idea I had was a little different than usual, but I wanted to craft it by hand. I had the idea to paint the character/ bubble in the middle and to then create a boarder around the bubble using multple layers that contain my statements.

The other idea I had was to create this design digitally. Although a much more simpler idea, it could allow me the opportunity to play around with typography, and learn how to use InDesign more effectively, especially when combining illustration with editorial design.

I feel like the most important aspect of the piece is the statement 'you have time'.

Which, in poster form, will help serve as a constant reminder that I don't need to rush or overwork myself in order to reach my goals.

I decided that I was going to experiment a little with the 3d effect again and had the idea to overlay the words around the illustration of me in the bubble.

I used watercolours to paint the bubble before using fine liners to draw out my character. I had the idea to make the shine of the bubble into a window to emphasise the fact that I am still aware of my goals even if I'm submerged in my bubble.

What I like the most about this piece is the depth I was able to create with the different levels- I had the idea to use levers to elevate the different layers which had really helped to achieve the desired affect.

Overall I had mixed feelings about the end result- in some ways I really liked it but I wasnt completely satisfied.

I feel like if I had more time this week, I would have made sure that the circles were cut out neater and I would have put a bit more thought into the lettering.

I also had the thought that I would have worked out a way to make those words moveable/ turnable.

Final Piece

Overall, I decided that I would recreate this piece in a more digital format (in which I hope to print in the near future).

I decided that I would recreate this piece in a more digital format (in which I hope to print in the near future).

Before this course, I was fairly new to InDesign, and considering that we had to use InDesign to create our studio PDF presentations, I felt that it was really important to start getting to grips with the software.

I was particularly interested in how I could combine illustration with editorial design.

Overall, I really like how this piece turned out- I feel like it is bold, clean and sharp.

The colour scheme allows it to pop and the contrast between the font of the words surrounding the bubble and the font of the statement is quite prominent.

I think the only thing I would say that I could edit would be the layout and the colour of the text in the bubble. I feel like the layout is slightly off-kilter and the text within the bubble is a little hard to read.

(Edited: I decided to change the colour of the text and I think this works better- direct contrast to the black text and better readability).

Overall however, what I like the most about this piece, is that it has a allowed me the chance to experiment with combining illustration with editorial design- which is something that I want to do more of during this MA/ in the future of my career as a graphic designer.

Reflection

I really loved this challenge for a multitude of reasons.

For one thing, I feel like I was experimenting a little more and taking more risks- with the context of the piece I had managed to delve quite deeply and as a result, I felt like I was able to create a piece that I felt more connected to.

Overtime, as my goals change and my skills develop, I can revisit the poster and reflect upon how far I have come- maybe I can even start crossing them off, or exchanging them for brand new goals.

It's very common for us to get so caught up in the skills we have yet to work on or develop, or for us to focus purely on our flaws/ gaps, and to only ever acknowledge these flaws as weaknesses. However, what I have learnt over time, is that our honesty, vulnerability and acknowledgement of these flaws can actually be turned into strength; it can add a lot of fuel and depth to our work, it can allow us to create pieces that inspire and connect with others, and it can give us the go ahead to be proud of who we are- despite our imperfections.

References

Beth (2013) 11 Design Manifestos You Must Read Today, Redbubble Blog. [Online] Available at: https://blog.redbubble.com/2013/10/11-design-manifestos-you-must-read-today/ (Accessed: March 14, 2023).

Darms, L. (2013) Grrrl, Collected, The Paris Review. [Online] Available at: https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2013/07/30/grrrl-collected/ (Accessed: March 15, 2023).

Hanna, K. (no date) RIOT GRRRL MANIFESTO. [Online] Available at: https://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/riotgrrrlmanifesto.html (Accessed: March 15, 2023).

Laing, O. (2013) Riot grrrl: when teen sisters were doing it for themselves, The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. [Online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/jun/30/riot-grrrl-collection-zine-olivia-laing (Accessed: March 15, 2023).

Laing, O. (2013) The art and politics of riot grrrl - in pictures, The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. [Online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2013/jun/30/punk-music (Accessed: March 15, 2023).

Williams, D. (no date) Design Manifesto poster series, Dain Williams. Dain Williams. [Online] Available at: http://www.dainwilliams.com/new-gallery (Accessed: March 14, 2023).