Contextual Studies Project

The contextual Studies Project fulfils the written requirement piece of the course; we were asked to write a 1000+ word essay on a designer/practitioner/artist (or a group/design company) or a current exhibition which inspires us. I based my essay on the late Graphic Designer Alan Fletcher because I find his work visually brilliant and inspiring. I am also fond of his book, "The Art of Looking Sideways" and so thought there was no other practitioner better suited to write about. He revolutionised the way in which 'design' is perceived and pioneered and transformed design as we know it today, rejecting conventionalism and conformity, Fletcher's work breaks away from traditional and mainstream work and in doing so he paved the way for a newer, more approachable graphic design.

The Booklet

I designed and made the book on both paper and then acetate in the hope that I could layer the two and create a three dimensional effect. unfortunately this would have meant that the text and typography would largely become illegible and so I decided to make them both separately. The acetate version is my final version and I intend to create a lightbox for this to be placed in.

the paper version

the acetate version

Friday Project- 'Where Am I?'

Where Am I?
As a self-directed Friday project we were asked to make a set of
10 notifiers/cards, items, objects that could be placed in our studio spaces to notify the tutors of our whereabouts when we are not present at our desks- I decided to link this project to my subject matters project, and wanted them to run on side by side.

I also wanted my notifiers to be practical so that tutors would know when I have gone to use the mac suites or the library or the sewing/batik room for example.

Method

Firstly, I dyed white cotton fabric using a range of different hues- both in ink and powder dyes; once the the fabric had dried I drew 6 headscarf head characters, (which represent me) and outlined these in
black gutta outliner. The next stage was to then cut the headscarf characters out, but I made sure to leave enough fabric on the back so that I could stitch the two pieces together and make them look slightly 3D by stuffing it with excess fabric. The final stage was to draw the little icons and images in the space where the face is- this acts as a symbol and signal as to my whereabouts.

To diversify the project a bit more, I decided to make the remaining 4 notifiers in the shape of tags (rectangular-ish luggage tags), I covered these in different silk papers and then illustrated them with the same headscarf character but in a slightly smaller size and added silver, alphabet stickers to form the typography.

The Finished Piece

Subject Matters- unveiling the veil

For my Subject Matters Project I decided to chose the subject of the headscarf and Hijab Culture, hence my project is appropriately titled 'unveiling the veil'. I wanted this project to be personal to me and about a subject that I felt passionate about. I started to wear a headscarf when I was nine years old and I have adapted myself to become comfortable and confident in wearing one ever since, I wanted my project to be a personal memoir of my experiences since I started wearing a headscarf, and things that go alongside it such as the social Hijab and how I represent myself as a Muslim woman in the west today.

Mind map
I wanted to create a three-dimensional mind map that could perhaps be made wearable. I created individual words using illustrator and photoshop and then placed around 60 of these words on a silk headscarf using image maker and PVA glue.

All the words on the headscarf are words/names/numbers associated with the Hijab

50 Facts about Hijab

Studio Shots

This is what my studio space looked like on the first day back after Christmas, all the work displayed in the area was completed over the 3 week break. Over Christmas I also organised two photo shoots, the aim was to to reach 75 different styles of tying a headscarf- I managed to photograph 45 different styles on my model.

A4 quote

Darkroom Induction

Before christmas, I took part in a darkroom induction so that I could learn to develop my own film and photographs. Here are the scanned versions of some photographs that I took around the university campus.

Studio Shots and Letterpress

Studio shots

Here are some photographs of what my studio space looked like at the end of the twelfth project, for the final review before Christmas, I decided to work on grey-board for this project instead of white cartridge because it gave my work a dull 'grungey' look which worked well with the given subject matter- the Iraq War

Letterpress Induction

Whilst completing this project, I also engaged in a letterpress induction, I thoroughly enjoyed learning how to use this facility and am eager to use it more frequently in my work in the future. What interested me the most about the letterpress technique is the fact that it gives a technical finish even though it is a hand-made art.

6 of 1 and Half a Dozen of another

For our Twelfth project, titled '6 of 1 and half a dozen of another', we were asked complete several tasks for the brief: we were firstly asked to to work on and extend a previous project- I decided to extend my 'Big Issues Project' and create new designs as well as placing my final billboard design into different formats and distribution methods.

For my 6 extensions I decided that I wanted to portray and illustrate my thoughts about the Iraq War from the perspective of an Iraqi civilian and wanted the designs to be urban and contemporary so that every generation could understand the message I was trying to communicate.I decided to explore graffiti and the connotations of graffiti, this seemed to be the best way of creating a contemporary design that could be quickly interpreted. I analysed Banksy's work, since some of his work has a political agenda also.

This is an A3 research sheet that I created to summarise Bansky's styles

I also researched Arabic calligraphy and decorative typography, to explore which style would give the most effective aesthetic.

6 of 1

Here are my 6 graffiti stencil extensions, of soldiers which have been juxtaposed with Arabic typography that says 'Freedom', I particularly like the way in which the red spray paint has created a spluttered effect which resembles blood, this makes the images emotive and strong.

I then further developed the graffiti designs to create one final billboard design

and placed this within an actual billboard, using photoshop

I also placed some of my other designs into different billboards and formats for distribution

and...Half a dozen of another

For the second half of the project we were asked to research various artists, companies and design magazines and create summary sheets about them. The first A3 sheet analysed 4 design magazines: these were 'Design Week', 'EYE Magazine', 'Grafik' and 'Creative Review'

And a summary sheet about, David Carson, Sony Bravia, BBC channel Idents and Nick Knight

Studio Shots- Peer Group Review (1)

Here are a few photographs of my studio space when we were asked to put up our work from the 'Big Issues' and 'Idioms Project' for a peer group review. I selected some of my favourite pieces from both projects and exhibited them in my studio space.

The top, horizontal section displays work from the 'Idioms Project', whilst the bottom horizonal section displays work from the 'Big Issues Project'