Kat Sullivan - External Positioning Unit Portfolio

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EXTERNAL POSITIONING KAT SULLIVAN

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Kat Sullivan - External Positioning Unit Portfolio

Transcript of Kat Sullivan - External Positioning Unit Portfolio

Page 1: Kat Sullivan - External Positioning Unit Portfolio

EXTERNAL POSITIONINGKAT SULLIVAN

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RSA Stamps - World With A Future

My first interpretation of the ‘World With A Future’ brief was to create a series of stamps showing positive environmental change.

I therefore created a lino print and isolated differentillustrations to create a set of stamps.

After re-reading the brief and by having discussions and feedback on my original idea, I felt that I needed to focus on personal environmental changes - rather than society as a whole.

By working on the RSA Stamps brief I aim to improve my illustration, typography and layout skills. I have found working on such a small scale beneficial to my understanding of communication in design.

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After my initial ideas I decided to start again by sketching out new concepts - looking at the steps people could change in their own lives.

My research included looking at designers who use negative space within their work, such as Noma Bar.

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Through experimenting with sketches, I decided that I wanted to include aspects of negative space design within the stamps. I created this series of stamps with clear slogans in mind and associated each one with a colour and positive change.

Afterwards I designed a collectors stamp book to further communicate the message of personal environmental change.

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RSA Stamps - Social Mail

I also experimented with the other stamp theme, Social Mail.

I chose to look at the reasons why people send letters and then I looked at the common phrases people use when writing a letter.

The colour of the queens head in the stamps reflects the colour of ink, crayon or biro used.

My reserach included looking at famous love letters in history such as, Beethoven and The Immortal Beloved, Winston and Clementine Churchill, Voltaire and Olympe Dunover, etc...

I wanted to celebrate these famous letters in a series of stamps depicting an extract from the letter itself, along with the names of the two lovers.

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Penguin Adult Book Cover -One Flew Over The

Cuckoo’s Nest

My original sketches to illustrate my initial thoughts.

In the story I am particularly drawn to

the notion of medication, lobotomy, memory and hierarchy systems.

I attended a drypoint print workshop this year and decided to create an

image that I could use for one of the book covers.

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Variations of an idea based upon two of the book’s characters - Nurse Ratched and The Chief. I found both to be each other’s opposite in many ways and wanted to reflect this and the notion of memory loss.

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I chose to do this brief by Penguin as I wanted to improve my typography and illustration skills. I also have a passion for self publishing and by designing alternative covers for ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’ I will take the experience and feedback I received about the different layouts and apply them to my own book designs.

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For the ISTD awards this year I chose the brief 4”33 (4 Minutes 33 Seconds) composed by John Cage. 4”33 is an inspiring three-movement composition. The piece is a silent piece, which consists of three movements. The idea was that although the piece was silent, you can in fact never be silent; no matter how hard we try.

We are always breathing, moving and there is always background noise. The piece purports to consist of the sounds of the environment that the listeners hear while it is performed, although it is commonly perceived as “four minutes thirty-three seconds of silence”. I looked at several desingers and typographers for my research:

Alan Kitching -

Alan Kitching is one of my most inspirational desigers. He has a passion for letter pressing an eye for typographical layout and storytelling.

I am particularly drawn to his work because of his ability to see the potential in typefacesand the process of letterpressing he uses.

Sarah King -

Sarah King uses ink/pen to create her typographic images before digitally editing them.

She predominantly works in designing print media and poster design.

Elle Jeong Eun Kim -

Elle Kim works with custom typography, free form lettering and illustrations both in print and installations.

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Luke Lucas -

Luke Lucas is freelancer who specialises in designing typefaces and creating typograpic posters.

His typogrpahic work often conveys a sense of depth and 3D quality.

Stefan Sagmeister -

I am a drawn to Stefan Sagmeister’s use of hand rendered type and his bold experssionism.

His motto is “Design that needed guts from the creator and still carries the ghost of these guts in the final execution.”

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Development work for 4”33 - focusing on white noise and the notion that pure silence does not exist.

I would like to come back to this brief and experiment with some other ideas I have researched into, such as onomatopoeia and poetry.

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I was contacted by a UK record label and asked to design the illustrations and layout for their next release - a compilation tape by the American pop-punk band, Think Big.

The record label wanted to produce to different tape packages, with one being a limited edition cover.

The brief itself was creatively open so I researched the band, their music and lyrics and came up with the final illustrations and layout.

I enjoyed this brief as it enabled me to gain further experience working with a client and developing my design skills that resulted in a physical product.

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I was contacted by a London based promoter to design a poster for one of the shows he was putting on. The overall design of the poster was open to my interpretation, whilst the promoter sent me all the text that needed to be included.

I was also asked if it would be possible to screen print the poster for the band(Foundation), to sell at the show. I printed an edition out of thirty onto different coloured card using black ink.

As I was screen printing I realised that the design itself, whilst suitable as a poster would be difficult to print, due to it’s border that ran to the edges. This created some difficulty at first but I learnt to use print mark ups correctly in the process. Although I was successful in printing the poster, with hindsight I would have chosen to omit the border.

This experience improved my printing and layout skills as well as providing further working experience with clients.

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I submitted two zines to Handmade & Bound this year as a way to externalise my work further into a physical space. Handmade & Bound was an exciting day that not only enabled me to sell my work but also to talk with other exhibitors and students who attended.

Handmade & Bound helped me push myself to create zines that were thought provoking and reflective. It also gave me an opportunity to see my work in a different context and get feedback from others who read my work. I was equally inspired by fellow students’ work and the organisation of Handmade & Bound, which I would have liked to have been more involved in. Handmade & Bound has since inspired me to start up a print collective outside of university and externalise my work further, beyond the internet.

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Set Circles/Lost Motion - http://issuu.com/katsullivan/docs/setcircleslostmotion3

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Print Runner -

I created this zine with the intention of selling it at fairs such as Handmade & Bound (as well as online). I am submitting prints to sell at H&B as I wanted to create a zine that explores my passion for the process of print making as well as displaying examples of my work. Designing ‘Print Runner’ has enabled me to see the different ways in which I use these methods as tools for communication.

http://issuu.com/katsullivan/docs/printrunner

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‘In Print We Trust’ started out as an idea for a zine, which would show examples of current Epsom Graphic Design students’ work that are created by different hands-on methods of printing (lino, screen print, letterpress, etc…) as well as including interviews and articles.

It then developed into organising a day event at university in which students can display/sell/trade their work. I was inspired by the increased submissions by fellow students for Handmade & Bound this year as well as the productivity/success of the LAB in the second year.

The driving point behind ‘In Print We Trust’ is that it would be a collaborative project that would be open to other students who would be able to have input and get involved with planning the print sale.

Due to a similar print sale at the university being organised by the same group of students who set up Handmade & Bound, I have decided to bring the idea of ‘In Print We Trust’ back into it’s original intention, a publication.

Although a work in progress, I hope ‘In Print We Trust’ continues into the next term as I receive more contributions from fellow print makers.

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Due to my interest in book design and zines I visited:

- Critical Tensions conference at St Brides- Tate Britain book collection visit- The London Art Book Fair- Handmade and Bound- Small Publishers Fair- Renegade Craft Fair

The four fairs I’ve visited this term have shown a vast array of bookdesigns and have since inspired me to create more books and research further into self-made publications, as well as the history and different methods of book design.

I also had the opportunity to visit Tate Britain’s artist book collection, in which they showed us examples of books they had bought from artists/designers.

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Tensions -

The Critical Tension conference that I attended gave me an opportunity to see how practicing designers approach and evaluate their work. This deep understanding of their practices influenced me to question my own. I wanted to create a response to my own ‘critical tensions’ that I find within my work, focusing on books/zines, layout and its’ content. These are some of the initial ‘badges’ that I have started creating.

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Studio 8 -

(editorial design, layouts, print, magazines, typography, posters, brand identities)

I was first introduced to Studio 8 at the Critical Tensions conference I attended. I found their approach to design and on being a small design studio inspiring. I am interested in magazine/book and layout design - in particular how type interacts with image. Their work has a formative approach with “the content informing everything we do”. I aspire to create or be a part of a design studio similar to Studio 8 after I have gained more experience with other companies and clientele.

Wolff Olins -

(brand consultants, identities, typography, advertising, charity work)

“Design for change.”

Wolff Olins were not a company I thought I would initially be drawn to, however after hearing them speak at the Critical Tensions Conference and then researching into the work they did I found their approach to branding, compared with other companies - refreshing. I am drawn to their ethics and their interest in how design interacts with society and creates an experience.

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Kevin Tong -

(freelance, illustration, typography, posters, screen printing)

Kevin Tong is one of my favourite illustra-tors. This year I met him at the Regenade Craft Fair where he was selling his prints and again at his exhibition ‘Unfamiliar Objects’ at the Flood Gallery.

Although I do not want to solely pursue a career in freelance design I have enjoyed the opportunities to work with different clients so far. Kevin Tong’s work has a clear sense of storytelling running through his designs. He has inspired me to explore this aspect in my own work.

Eye -

(magazines, editorial, layouts, print, typography, visualisations, creative writing and analysis)

Eye magazine is one of the world’s leading critical reviewers of graphic design. By reading Eye for a couple of years now my interest for critical analysis of my own work and others has grown. I found the articles and features in Eye both interesting and thought provoking whilst their layouts are bold and cohesive in each issue.

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Over the summer period I had two weeks work experience with the FA in-house design team.

The FA (Football Association) design team focus on all the digital and print media for the FA. The graphic design team who I was working with are a small eight person team that work alongside a much bigger marketing team.

My roles during the two weeks involved working on a number of projects, such as designing tickets for club matches and creating infographics for coaching diagrams.

The largest project I was involved with was helping design the wall graphics that lead to the FA offices. It was my responsibility to choose and group the photographs that were to be displayed on the walls. Each wall had a theme (England team, the FA cup, coaching, Wembley, etc...) as well as helping create the illustrations that surrounded the photographs.

I found my experience with the FA very beneficial, encouraging and eye opening. The experience helped me understand the skills that similar employers look for in graduates.

- Professionalism- Typography skills- Ability to work in a team- Good knowledge of design software- Understanding of scale and printer mark ups

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The external positioning unit has helped me map out a clearer direction as to where my practice is heading. After university I hope to either go into an internship or go straight into a job, preferably in a design agency or work as part of an in-house design team (similar to the FA).

In the future I would be interested in teaching as well as being part of a design studio. Preferably I would like to continue to exhibit my personal work at fairs and develop my print collective in my spare time and see how they develop - predominately I wish to gain more experience in a work environment.

I have enjoyed taking part in the different competition briefs. I was able to improve my skills in the areas of design I felt needed developing, in order to meet the requirements for a graduate job. I wanted to focus on my typography and layout design in particular as well as improving my illustration and idea generation skills.

I have found external positioning has greatly helped my independent practice. The skills that I have developed through the competition briefs have aided me in my own work. I have found my visits to the different book fairs and the Critical Tensions conference I attended, both exciting and beneficial to my understanding of how I can see my work positioned. I have also had the opportunity to talk with like-minded students and designers at the different fairs and conference.

I now feel I have more confidence and ownership of my work as a result of this unit having; identifed the necessary skills I need to develop, researched the areas of design I am interested in working, companies and designers who work in those areas, evaluating my practice and where I see myself in the future.

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Books:

Left to Right: The Cultural Shift from Words to Pictures by David Crow

Stolen Sharpie Revolution 2: A Diy Resource for Zines and Zine Culture by Alex Wrekk

Whatcha Mean, What’s a Zine?: The Art of Making Zines and Mini Comics by Esther Pearl Watson and Mark Todd

Behind the Zines: Self-publishing Culture by Robert Klanten, A. Mollard and M. Hub-ner Fanzines by Teal Triggs (11 October 2010)

Put About: A Critical Anthology on Independent Publishing by Lucy R. Lippard, Mi-chael Bracewell, Stewart Home and Maria Fusco

Her Blue Body Everything We Know: Earthling Poems, 1965-1990 Complete by Alice Walker

Magazines and zines:

Amelia’s MagazineCreative ReviewOn’t road zineSlingshotJuxtapozGrafikEye

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Fairs/Conferences:

- Critical Tensions conference at St Brides- Tate Britain book collection visit- The London Art Book Fair- Handmade and Bound- Small Publishers Fair- Renegade Craft Fair

Websites:

www.dobi.nu/http://slingshot.tao.ca/www.studio8design.co.uk/ www.randomhouse.co.uk/http://ohyouprettythings.nethttp://www.stackmagazines.com/http://signalsoverair.tumblr.com/www.debutart.com/artist/alan-kitchinghttp://www.londonmet.ac.uk/thewomenslibrary/

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Kat Sullivan 2011/12