BRIAN MULHALL

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL

REFLECTIVE JOURNAL

Brian MulhallHNC in Graphic DesignRichmond Upon Thames College, 2014

This project is academic workon the specific course. Reproduction or use of content requires prior permission.

Typeset in: Alte Din 1451, Times New Roman.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

PROJECTS

EXHIBITIONS & INDUSTRY VISITS

NON-COLLEGE WORK

RESOURCES

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0909

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SECRET PLACE 21

TYPOGRAPHIC SKILLS 25

ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS

TYPOGRAPHIC IDEAS

WEB DESIGN

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COLLECTIONS

STOP & START

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SHOW & PORTFOLIO 49

OTHER COLLEGE PROJECTS 53

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CONCLUSION 77

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I started this course two years ago. While I never claimed to know it all, I did come in with a certain sense of self-worth. Over time whatever skills I came in with were tested, deconstructed, and put together again with the result that I became a stronger designer. I go through this process, but the end result always meant that I emerged with something…more. Whether I learned more on Illustrator, learned more about working within a team, or even learned not to be hurt by criticism (criticism will always be

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around and it’s part and parcel of this particular industry).

Each unit carried their own challenges but they always gave something back – whether that was room to improve my drawing abilities, or to develop a project beyond a print based medium. There was always a sense that I would learn something from each project. So even if some projects worked out better than others, I always enjoyed each unit purely because I knew I would get something from them.

Within this journal is a compendium of the college (and self-initiated) projects I carried out during my time here. As I carried out this course over two years there will be a mix of project work from Year 1 and what I like to call Year 1.5 (and sometimes overlap on both years depending on the project). Also included will be other elements of the course I found useful, whether that was industry visits or things I learned from my classmates.

I hope for you the reader, that this reflective journal does what

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it sets out to - show my thoughts on the course, the subjects and my development as a designer over the last two years.

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We were asked to bring in something we collect and create a magazine around that assortment.

In year 1 I brought in concert tickets and created a magazine cover and double page spread based on that collection. In year 1.5 I brought in cinema tickets and created a magazine cover with a USP based on that collection. On paper there may not seem like there was much of a point to doing the same brief again, but generally when I cam back to college in late September 2013, I felt like I could greatly improve upon my attempt of this brief from back in 2012. Also, it would be good for me to look at how I have developed my design abilities between one year and the next with essentially the same brief kicking off each respective year.

In terms of magazine styles I was and am inspired by magazines that have a clean look to them and are not cluttered with text. I think the cleaner the cover is, then the more sophisticated the magazine looks and in turn would probably appeal to a sophisticated audience. Magazine covers like the examples to the right of this page exhibit space and give the viewers a chance for their eyes to take in everything. At least that’s my take on it.

When I did this back in 2012 I look back at it and while it’s visually ugly I felt think the biggest problem was that I was trying to convey too much, which in

Brief: Use Your Collection To Inspire A Magazine Design.

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essence contradicts the style I go for. Also looking back at it I knew some things on Illustrator at the time but I was not confident enough to draw them without a little help. So I looked up on the net ‘how to draw an eye’, and images like that, I managed to follow those tutorials but they do go towards explaining why some of the images of the original cover don’t seem like they ‘belong together’.

The double page spread also suffered because it never looked like it belonged in the same sphere as the cover. Still the article was probably the best thing to come from this element.

My biggest mistake was that I began this, without really drawing or

brainstorming enough initially.

With a chance to rectify previous mistakes made in year 1, I really set out to expand my horizons - both in terms of drawing and in terms of scope for the project. I keep a lot of my cinema tickets so I created an alternative movie magazine. Each limited issue would hold a ticket to a movie. Also, each ticket was designed with the intention of it being a souvenir piece. One perspective I gained from this particular brief was that by drawing

and making things like the gravity text out of wool, I could see potential outcomes (and pitfalls) for the project. I got a better handle on my work before immediately jumping onto the first piece of software in sight.

I looked at how tickets were designed over the years. I wanted to create something that would have a unique look and selling point. A ticket would be tucked in behind the masthead of each magazine (the magazine would be wrapped up in a transparent pocket thereby preventing easy theft).

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In terms of specific things that have helped me along with this project, well the A4 Rhodia sketchbook I used throughout this brief has helped in terms of using the dots on the page to draw in a certain geometrical way.

Also, and tellingly, I really made a point of making things as simple as possible in terms of creating shapes and making the images easy on the eye.

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Brief: Produce A Three Dimensional Graphic Outcome, Which When Viewed Will Compel The Audience To Either Stop Or Start An Action.

I had to come up with an idea I would present to the class in line with the idea of getting someone to stop, and emit an emotion or action. I came up with a couple of arty ideas having being inspired by an exhibition called The Art of Change. I wanted to create something in model format first of all. I thought about setting my idea in a street environment.

I came up with the idea of having a person shaped hole through a wall. After doing some research I found that there was a full size installation of this created in New York titled Homage to Bruce Lee.

I also came up with the idea of having a catapult (giant clothes peg!) adjacent to hole as if to suggest a person was thrown towards the wall. I also thought that it would be a good idea if it appeared like somebody was coming from the other side of the wall but didn’t fully make it through.

A separate idea of a bin with papers or waste in animated suspension above a bin was also created. I set this in the same model space as the street corner model I set the hole in the wall at. I figured that if any of these things existed on a regular street it would make them stop and take notice, hence the little red man.

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I brought the model into class and along with others had to present my idea. Whoever’s idea got the highest votes was chosen.

In the end mine didn’t get enough votes for it to be developed and to be honest there were some problems. There was too much to look at and also would anyone even stop and do anything if they saw this in a real world setting?

I was paired up with Claire who had the idea to construct doors that would be in somebody’s way and they would have to find a way around them.

While the idea seemed to have potential we made some big steps, and almost had some pitfalls - the doors would become part of the environment was a great idea. However, making too many doors, or giving each door a characteristic, were ideas that could potentially drown the core idea.

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After banging our heads against the wall several times Claire said look lets just camouflage the doors into the environment and the desired effect is for people to walk into them as they do not realise they are there. We went outside and took photos of an area. We marked the specific areas the doors (and camera) were positioned with masking tape so that we could return to the camera to the specific spot take photos with the doors and without the doors. The zoomed in photos would then be used to print out the areas that would cover the doors as camouflage.

This brief was an insightful experience and a huge learning curve. It gave me a better understanding of how to approach tasks. To elaborate I really need to consider my audience before I jump into a task. Also, while I am well able to come up with ideas I learned that I really need to avoid overcomplicating ideas. I also learned to accept criticism and let ideas go if they simply just don’t cut it. This last lesson will help me in the long term when it comes to dealing with peers and clients.

It was an interesting juxtaposition to go from working on my own idea, to working on somebody else’s idea. I managed the transition quite well. I think Claire and I made a decent team.

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Brief: Visualise Elements Taken From The Notes Of Another Person’s Perspective On A Place,

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A year 1 project - I found it to be a painful experience as I did not really enjoy it. I revised my original stencil and was adamant that I could make the objects as imagery as typography work. The idea of the glowing doorway allowed me to push on with the original direction.

I was adamant to create the image in this style as I felt it was a reflection on the way April wrote her piece – colourful but with no consistent theme. That is not a criticism of her writing; I merely wanted to create something the way I interpreted the tone of the piece. For me it was more interesting to do some lateral thinking and create something like this rather than try and recreate the room she had entered. Besides, her piece seemed to suggest she had not been in just one room, but at least several. This aim of this piece was to suggest the potential excitement that was in store for her and reflect the inconsistency of the narration.

I like to think that I referred to April’s observations during her time at her secret place. I just added in some colour and variation to it.

Conclusively, I really had to push myself with this one and came out with a better image than I originally started with. Looking back at this brief though it took a lot out of me, and it was some time before I got back into design following this one.

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Brief: Develop Your Understanding And Skills In The Application Of And Use Of Typography Within Interpreted Norms And Conventions, For Print, Digital And Screen-Based Outcomes.

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This project carried a variety of tasks which were all related to typography.

The first task was to make an A5 Typographic card, which communicates key qualities, and information about a typeface. The typeface given to me was a random one and in this case the typeface was Frutiger. This typeface would also appear in a later stage of this brief.

Following on from that task we each had to make a circus inspired typographic poster, which explores the limits of kerning, tracking, line length and leading. With the circus poster I really began to pay attention to grids and how words lined up with each other. A big challenge was also to use various typefaces and make them look like they could all work together and not cheapen the overall piece.

Another challenge I faced was to really make this piece come to life with colour (but not use imagery), especially

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I looked at various posters from that era and was very much inspired by boxing posters.

keeping in mind that the underlying concept was that this would be a circus poster so it had to be eye-popping.

The next task was to create a poster for a lecture series about contemporary design. Like the circus poster this would be without imagery, but unlike the circus poster this had to be inspired by a certain era. In this case the era was 1965, so the poster had to seem like it was created in that time and use typefaces from that time (but crucially no later than 1965).

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With the poster I had to avoid making it a pastiche of the era. It came from and it was also inspired by modern day festival posters.

While the circus poster used many typefaces, with this poster I had to go in an almost opposite direction and use a maximum of three typefaces (which were, Trade Gothic, League Gothic and Clarendon).

Like the circus poster though I began to look at and appreciate grids much more and appreciated how much they added to design and provided an underlying structure to both text and imagery.

We were asked to explore a typeface and display it in any form we wanted so long as we paid respect to it’s anatomy.

My typeface was Frutiger. Initially I just recreated the display as an anatomy of a typeface. I began to explore creating the typeface with respect to Frutiger’s original usage.

I created a flight board keeping in mind how Frutiger was first commissioned in 1968 for signage use in Charles de Gaulle International Airport.

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The result image ended being one of my more successful outputs at the time. That’s not me throwing my ego around, but the flight board (and the circus poster) ended up being quite well-received.

I think part of the success of these projects was very much based on two things. The first being that after I felt that the last couple of projects had been hit and miss, the tasks within this brief gave me a chance to basically look at what I might have done wrong in previous projects and learn form the mistakes of the past.

Perhaps some of these projects had been successful because I only had to really concentrate on typography? I could focus my efforts on making the typography work with respect to colour and layout, and not have to worry too much about imagery.

This brief (a live brief as part of the annual competition set by YCN) was for savings company Standard Life. The aim of the brief was to switch younger audiences onto the importance of financially planning for their futures. Standard Life wanted a fun concept and something that would shake young people out of apathy. Crucially they wanted a concept that would work across various channels of media.

My concept incorporated the Standard Life triangular icon and involved allowing a young person to see it as a heroic symbol, and how they could be their own hero if they saved a little a lot over time and curbed their unnecessary spending habits. The overall campaign was called Your Future Needs Today, adding a sense of daring urgency to the campaign.

I created three storyboards based on the characters below, each had a different superpower (speed, the ability to fly, and strength) and each would find their alter ego and help them overcome bad spending habits.

Brief: Switch Younger Audiences On To The Importance Of Planning For Their Financial Futures With Standard Life.

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The overall concept looked at how someone could save a little a lot by putting a little bit away of money away on a regular basis.

The above storyboard is inspired a recent interactive campaign developed by Pepsi where the incorporated augmented reality is defined as a technology that superimposes a computer-generated image on a user’s view of the real world, thus providing a composite view.

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I created two posters for the project. The two were inspired by simple vector posters I had seen on Behance. I chose two put them in a mock-up scenario so as to make them look more like they could be imagined in a real setting. I chose to make the faces almost ambiguous so that anybody could like they could be their own hero.

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Aside from the print element of the campaign there would also be an app developed that would help young people once they joined Standard Life. This would be a monthly savings scheme that would show someone how much they were saving. The more they saved that month, then the more the Standard Life symbol would be filled in with yellow.

For this project I drew up various storyboards and ideas and I utilised Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign and After Effects. I am proud of this brief as it allowed me to expand my thought process and really think about how a concept can work across various platforms, thus coming up with a campaign that could be quite adaptable.

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The project (also known as The Heretic) was for each of us to pick a rule that is applicable to design as a guideline. We would then research it and write about it in an article arguing on the merits and demerits of this rule. Each article would then be revised until it was ready to be formatted to be ready to be published via The Newspaper Club. An illustration would be added if necessary and would tie into the article. A masthead titled

Brief: Produce A Typographic Response Arguing Against Your Design Rule.

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The Heretic would also be created to correlate with the article. After some thought I chose to dissect the rule ‘Less Is More’.

Once I had written a draft of the article, and questioned what Less is More means I came up with the idea of depicting the phrase as an equation on a board. I thought it would be good to have Einstein as an authority figure questioning the equation.

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At an early stage this was used in my article (please see layout for this) and I also added in Less is More as the equation, even though at that point I had not fully organised the text to be in line with the slant of the blackboard. At the stage it was at I felt the drawing was okay (just okay mind you) but generally the overall look of the piece was drab and needed some more life in it. I decided to concentrate on the article and I left the illustration side alone momentarily, and came back to it sometime later.

I looked the wording of Less is More to see if I could convey those words in an illustrative and intricate way that would complement the body. I found some typefaces that I felt could possibly illustrate the message of the article.

Finally I found a typeface called Drop-stitch which I felt was exactly what I wanted – it was originally based on Din-bold typeface. I felt that with this typeface I could add vibrancy to the piece and still complement the article.

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I then went about using six basic colours for the text Less is More – green, blue, red, orange, purple and yellow. I then added gradients to these and sometimes the colours were placed randomly but often I ensured two letters beside each

other would not have too much of the same colour. Even where letters appeared in multiple places no two letter types were the exact same. This was done for the sake of variety. The masthead was also created in this style.

With regard to the Einstein illustration there was definitely a case of letting go of an idea fully to develop a much better idea.

Also, the Einstein idea actually turned out how I imagined it, but fleshing it out also revealed how boring it looked. In the end I felt the overall illustration needed a complete overhaul as opposed to a minor tweak.

In some respect it is hard to challenge a rule as I found out when I initially was going to go with a different rule. Even with the rule I chose it I found myself at odds disagreeing with it. With all

that being said I felt that it is good to hold rules, even fundamental ones, up to scrutiny. I also learned a great deal about the rule before I challenged it.

My article is balanced in terms of approaching both the less is more camp and the more is more camp. In turn I was able to see the benefit of this rule but also see the benefit of breaking from a rule that risks just being habit for the sake of habit. A rule such as this does not always need to be adhered to and in this instance it is more inviting to have variety than a dull lifeless illustration.

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After a presentation by designer Neil Rigby of EQ Media we were asked to update a Kitchen website. Neil had given us a website to look at and improve.

Brief: Modernise A Kitchen Fitters Website.

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We were paired up and we were asked to point out what we felt could be improved upon. James and I noted the problems with the look of the site e.g. the site didn’t reflect the skills of the tradesmen. The pictures did not showcase the capabilities of what else was on offer such as bedroom fittings, bathroom fittings and the design of retail outlets.

We were told to draft up an idea for six web pages and also see how we would improve the website for the fictitious company Kitchen Updaters. Our research initially led us to other kitchen websites to aid us in certain ideas or designs worth pursuing as well as looking at sites that were simply outdated looking or were poorly designed. We started looking at other various sites such as fashion sites and incorporated a modern look.

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I had not designed a website before and so this task was very new to me. Once we had nailed down a particular look for the site I enjoyed working with James on each page and aiming for a visual consistency throughout the design. I was surprised at how involved I got into designing a type of site I would have had very little interest in before.

James and I saw eye to eye on a lot of initial criticisms we had on other sites. Sometimes there was a clash of egos, albeit those clashes were minor. James sort of abandoned the course, so I had finished what we had started. While designing other pages I consulted with James and showed him my progress on the site.

I enjoyed this brief very much and I liked the idea of redesigning a site and considering what aspects that may need to be kept or omitted in rebranding a site. Also this was the first time we looked at logo design in college and so that was also a pleasant experience to be working on.

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The exhibitions for the last couple of years always carry a huge buzz in the buildup to the opening of the exhibition. Oddly enough though when showtime comes around things are pretty quiet and usually it’s only friends or family of design students that come around.

Regardless of this I felt quite happy with how my display had turned out last year (my typography skills being very much my key strength at the time).

When it came around to exhibiting my work for this year I had a lot more work to show and I really felt like my illustrative work had should be put into the spotlight. Of course typography still very much had it’s place.

Also I felt like my portfolio of work was much stronger this year and I actually could pick and choose work to put into it this year as opposed to feeling like I was padding it out last year.

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Colin Wilson, Art Director The Independent newspapers visited our class and held an illuminating graphics workshop (specifically on women recruited into the Syrian Defence Force). Claire and I created the cover above.

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In college we were all given a brick and asked to come up with various ways to use the brick (other than its primary use in construction). A lot of the ideas were inventive and I tied one of my ideas directly to graphic design and that was to create a typeface using the three sides of the brick. I took photos of each side of the brick and recoloured them. I called the typeface Brickface.

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Cath Levett, Head of Graphics at Guardian News & Media, came into college and did a workshop on infographics with us. Our challenge was to research and neatly compile stats on this year’s RBS 6 Nations.

This chart was my graphic outcome.

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A project we had in college was to make a two to three minute horror film. None of us had any film experience so between four of us we put the film together. The experience itself was a bit of fun and it was good to learn about processes such as editing, screenwriting, and even acting.

A poster was also created as a promotional piece along with the film.

The film can be seen here - http://vimeo.com/88829632

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This project is a sort of follow on from the typographic skills brief from year 1. I created this video using After Effects where I chose to explore a typeface through an alternative method.

My chosen typeface was Rockwell and I chose to make a short video on, it while avoiding the any clichés associated with Rockwell.

The video can be seen here - http://vimeo.com/87036904

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Recently in college we each had to go around an area and find out some facts about it. I put them into an infographic format. I focused on the rich history of Brick Lane.

Our very first college trip had us going to the Thomas Heatherwick exhibition in the V&A which displayed all sorts of cutting edge designs, predominantly architectural designs.

While it’s a cliché to use the term’ think outside the box’ I did feel that the approach the Heatherwick studio used was very interesting. It seemed like their intentions was to transcend the apparent limitations that we put upon ourselves when creating or designing.

We visited the YCN office on Rivington Street twice when tackling the YCN brief. The visit to the YCN environment was always inspiring and our hosts were always helpful.

V&A: Heatherwick Exhibition

YCN Visits

Some of their designs incorporated the landscape while other building designs seemed to bypass the usual blocky 90° style for a more organic look.

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I went the London Transport Museum in Spring 2013 to specifically see the exhibition Poster Art 150 – London Underground’s Greatest Designs. I’ve always enjoyed the various Transport for London posters and they were a

The Pick Me Up Festival had some really great illustrative pieces on display; the work of Hey Studio and Jack Hudson particularly

London Transport Museum

Pick Me Up 2014

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caught my eye (above and above right).

The main criticism I would say of the festival would be that a lot of

huge part of the reason I fell in love with graphic design.

the work was quite twee and that the aftertaste I had leaving the place was that this is where hipsters are made.

I designed the wedding stationery for my sister’s wedding in Ireland. I went through a range of ideas with her.

During this process a range of typefaces were discussed and as you can see certain elements of the stationery had slight differences but overall carry a consistent aesthetic.

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This piece was in this year’s Secret 7” exhibition. The brief was to create a sleeve from a choice of seven songs. Mine was based on the song ‘Virginia Plain’ by Roxy Music.

My concept was based on a grassland. “Virginia Plain” was inspired by a variety of tobacco, so the sun was turned into the lit end of a cigarette.

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These are t-shirt designs I have done for an Irish start-up company.

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I created this poster for an exhibition in Dublin celebrating the work of Bill Murray. The exhibitors requested work that could be as imaginative as possible.

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I created this poster for a competition for the film publication Little White Lies. I wanted to avoid recreating the official poster, or images released for the film, and do something a little more abstract.

This particular project allowed me to use a variety of mediums including pastels, markers and the Adobe suite.

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I am a big fan of Pearl Jam and I wanted to break down their albums to a pure concept. Either through a theme running through each album, or based on something I take from each album.

This project was a chance for me to experiment with Swiss inspired design. The concept was inspired by the work of Jason Munn, and Mike Joyce’s book Swissted.

Before I started this course I had some work experience on AutoCAD, and I think that helped me when I began using Illustrator as there is some common principles between the two. Illustrator is probably my favourite of the main three Adobe design programs, but Indesign is catching up,

Elsewhere I mentioned the A4 Rhodia sketchbook (or dotpads) that I have used since the beginning of year 1.5. These have been somewhat of a lifesaver and really helped improve my drawing abilities.

Software

Materials

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Also I usually carry an A5 squared Moleskine around with me. I usually end up sketching very rough drafts, or take note of simple ideas on that, and because it’s so small it’s easy to bring around basically anywhere.

and it’s always good to do work on Photoshop.

A more recent application I began to delve into is After Effects. It was fun (and initially scary) trying to do anything on AE. I’m still learning and trying new things with it and it was great to look back at the Rockwell

video with a sense of accomplishment on tackling something new and coming away with an end product.

On Behance I have set up an online portfolio that I update (in parallel) to my main site. I find with Behance it’s very communal and the layout is helpful. It’s always good to see various design styles. I am often in awe of what I see, and inspired by the talent and creativity out there.

Online Assets

Advice

I would not have been that interested in Twitter some time ago, but now I think it’s pretty cool. It’s a great way to network with people and keep and eye on current design trends and find out about events through retweets. It’s also a useful way to publicise new designs and interests in a succinct and informal way.

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The most accessible tool of the lot, and sometimes the scariest (depending on the feedback). The way I see it, people are going to give their opinions anyway, so you might as well meet them head-on and ask for it!

I have not always agreed with every piece of

I also listen to podcasts, such as Adventures in Design. The podcasters can be a little OTT, but their opinions often have merit and they are always enthusiastic.

advice I have been given, but I always took it on board, sometimes mulled over what was said, and applied the suggestion to whatever I was trying to achieve at the time.

Regardless, graphic design is an inviting vocation that allows for colleagues and those

not into design to give interesting perspectives.

As I wrap up this course I am emerging as a stronger designer. I still have a lot to learn (the moment I stop learning is the moment I stop being a graphic designer). I have enjoyed my time at Richmond Upon Thames College, and the tutors and classmates have helped in so many ways that I don’t know if I could properly give my thanks to them.

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This is the end of one particular chapter, and I look forward to the next. I now have a clearer sense of purpose with my with newly developed skills and knowledge.