Heroes of Science

Ok so this is what I have so far for the Heroes of Science brief. Sensing that this could take up a large portion of my time purely developing a visual style/approach for the deliverables, not to a lack of context research but skills on my behalf.

Grace Hopper - World renown as the mother of computing and advanced program, here she sits immortalised in one of the clunky 1950s DAR computers.

Charles Darwin - Self explanatory really, but here he is with many of the creatures he unified with his theory of evolution.

Oswald Avery - Essentially discovered the structure of DNA but actually discovered that DNA is composed of a variety of elements, not just proteins. He also contributed to a multitude of biological related medicines and studies.

Niels Bohr - Discovered the truth behind atomic structure and laid down the foundations for the study of quantum theory.

Finally, Nikola Tesla the godfather of all things electric. The final image is the sort of direction I want to take all the images, but this one alone took long enough to get to grip with in terms of its production so I would of rather started another brief that could be started and finished in a matter of weeks. This is only because I know how I work and I know what it takes to through me off getting a brief finished. Dwelling unnecessarily on a subject tends to get me stuck in a rut, as well as looking around to see that everyone else is producing work at a much quicker rate, as opposed to just producing pretty pictures I wanted to see a project with some weight behind it finish. So I will be picking this brief up again later on.

 Getting used to a Wacom tablet is rather baffling and is taking up a large portion of my time just figuring out how to use it! I did however sketch up some rough ideas for each of my 5 heroes as to develop when I get my own tablet (hoping Friday) so I can see the full potential of my new hardware, as I see it becoming a fundamental aspect to my work.

Games Aid

After an hour and a bit on this side of the digital inking process, I started choosing out colours that would stand out as well as serving the basic purpose of giving the characters their personality as identified by their apparel. It started to become apparent that this style of illustration should have been inked round before taking it into illustrator, not only would it make it miles easier to trace, but it would of given the piece a better sense of proportions which could have ended up taking me ages to rectify at the expense of me progressing with the brief. So I opted out and decided to take a leaf out of the minimal game design/illustrators I had been looking into, by merely taking key elements from a selection of characters from cult classics to massive selling franchises and putting them onto circular templates on which to build upon. Suffice to say the outcome may need some tweaking, but ultimately the results are great. Majority vote suggests that the heads are easy enough to identify and could have a premise for selling at the bookfair. HOORAY! The next stage is estimating costs and defining what else could be put into the pack I will be selling at the book fair.

Some initial work from the GamesAid brief. I wanted to try keep basic primary colours involved, as it would translate well into some nice tones for print. I also wanted to experiment using 2 colours for screen in the next stages of development but we shall see.

I think I will need to consider how I will package this, could well do with some smart ideas.... Thinking maybe taking a leaf from my project at the end of yr2, the packaging could be console-style wrapping or a box...

Crit

Yesterday gave me the chance to find out if my rationale, statement of intent and the briefs I had chosen had some connection to each other in terms of subject, clarity and had a focus. My first actual crit in over a year, I was nervous at first in terms of what to expect but it turned out it was not a session to show our work and discuss it at length but one to put our rationale, SoI and briefs out in front of the group to get some feedback.

In previous years I was always one for losing sight of what it is I wanted to do and not developing work early enough to provide some form of result, this turned itself on its head, as it was I who - as per - got too giddy and ended up rabbiting on into some work I had already been working on.

The crit as a whole went really well, I came across as clear, cohesive and had an obvious link between my briefs and my rationale which everyone else agreed that there was no problem concerning my choices. 

The one downside however was that the deliverables are not clear enough and I need to take an optimistic look at the options available. This was probably down to me trying to be logical about what I could/may/could not/may not get done with the time I have left, then again I should of already guessed that this year would be a focus on production and professional application that will be reflected in the range and distribution methods of the outcomes of my briefs. This is based upon the last 2 briefs of second year which focus was on product-range-distribution.

So to make my briefs even clearer I will answer:

What am I getting out of a brief?

What do I want to get out of it?


and...


Who is my audience, why do they need to know?

Heroes of Science

- A set of magazine covers as 5x A3 CMYK prints in context, 5x A2 Screenprints

- Imagery based upon the subject's specialism/invention

- Gaining knowledge of contemporary science

+ A set of prints that can be sold or transferred onto another medium like t shirts and be sold for my own personal profit

+ Screenprints to be proud of, and some illustration that I can put in my portfolio




Audience/Tone


18-45yr olds who read regularly about science, world events, current affairs. Papers like The Times, Guardian, Telegraph and magazines like New Scientist.
Mainly lower-higher middle class as well as lower upper class. Have a thing for new ideas and can be swayed by an image. Tongue in cheek, sarcasm, black humour and a blunt sort of tone would suit this audience best.

Games Aid

- A series of A2 posters 

- Promotional stickers, packaging, prints

- Press pack that is a PDF

+ Organisational skills that could lead into potential collaborations in both professional practice and industry

+ A delivery solution presented to a high standard

+ A print that will be seen, used and distributed by people all over the UK

Audience/Tone


14-30 yr old gamers, have a knowledge of contemporary games, as well as some knowledge on some of the older titles. They read magazines like PSM, OXM, Games Master and Nintendo Magazine as well as thriving in stores like Gamestation, GAME and CeX. Range of classes, as more or less anyone can afford a console in some form. Mainly appealing to the younger audience as they are more likely to be able to get time off to play on the appointed days. Tone should aim to be sarcastic, dry, with a form of humour best described as nerd humour.

Manual of Unconventional Weaponry

- Bound book in full CMYK

- A2/A1 Print of all weapons used in the book

+ A good looking publication with no real flaws. For once.

+ An installation of some kind

+ Paper toy gun

Audience/Tone


18-25yr old gamers, students and nerds, have an extensive knowledge of gaming history and have clear memories of playing some of the classic titles. They thrive on critic's opinions in gaming magazines and on websites like the escapist. The tone of voice should be relatively witty, formally structured but delivered with an air of pompous sarcasm.

Time Thief

- 5x Screenshots of game

- A2 print of cover

- Sleeve design

- Advertising in context

+ An esoteric interpretation of what a game is, stripping away traditional notions of gaming through a innovative smartphone game.


Audience/Tone


16-25yr old smartphone users. Have grown bored of resurgence of games that plague the nation, eg tower defense, catapult, puzzle etc. Have played games like Robotek HD, Plants vs Zombies, Geometry Wars and DeeC. Tone should be casual yet informed and funny like GLaDOS.

Book Fair Brief

Initial development from design sheets, after looking at top secret documents sourced on google images since it is near to impossible to find a reliable source I just took on board what I already knew and applied it to what skills I had. I like the logo development and tried to stick to the regimental format of the US federal government style iconography but with a not-so-subtle elements added; the key. I made sure that the logos I did like had the recurrent 13 theme in almost all aspects of the Federal logos that have indication of secrecy of some sorts.

I did enjoy doing this at first, however it is becoming apparent that it is a rather dry subject which is hard to dress up into something that it isnt. After working on this for a few days now it has come to my attention that I am slowly losing interest in the project and does not really fit in with my statement of intent or rationale, so I may drop it in favour of a more image based endeavour, maybe using imagery from my science brief instead, as it is a display of my skills that is taken into account, which I would much rather be known for something more inspirational and more importantly will sell.

Cover Process

Since I changed my mind within about 2 days of starting the 'Stop the Blame, Play the Game' I decided to re-brief myself and change the topic to something that instantly filled my head with imagery and possibilities that simply would not come to me when I was considering the Game brief. All I got from 'stop the blame...' was infographics and a rather clinical uninteresting reproduction of something that has been done before and constantly put out into the public eye, with no results. 

Not that I dont like a challenge, but it is because it simply did not go with my statement of intent, or my rationale which would of severely cost me time and effort on my part when I could be applying my skills and efforts into something I deemed more worthwhile as well as applicable to my S.o.I.

Instead I will simply change the brief's subject and context slightly. So instead of having games as the focus it will be on Heroes of Science and their various achievements within their field of study. Not only will it provide a good base for my portfolio, but the audience and the context would be in a publication such as The Times, The Guardian or even New Scientist, although I would say the interest in such heroes of science might go amiss considering that their demographic are people who are generally keyed up in such matters.

The approach I wish to take is reminiscent of 50s advertising, science illustrations with a modern edge. I think it would be best to deliver 5 covers and a full publication on one hero so it shows the content as well as the layout, visual approach and choice of delivery without the need to over produce a variety of time consuming perfect publications.

The sort of typefaces I looked at are obviously going to be similar to 1940s/50s as I wanted it to have the same aesthetics and hopefully find something that would suit the visuals I want. 

Some logos I was working on to identify each scientists individual practice, as to ascertain a basic level of vis. com. and to generate a level of visual coherency.

These are by no means final, but I thought they gave the best visual impact and the use of colour makes everything seem to have a personality rather than existing on a 2d plane of existence.

Design Strategy: Rationale and Statement of Intent

Rationale


"An investigation of image making, focussing on publishing and print" Was the initial statement I made on my selection of briefs and the potential basis for a design strategy into 3rd year. 
Having vested interests in illustration, publication, editorial, website design and promotional delivery I will be trying to include my external interests of videogames,  science, sci fi and socially driven media into a comprehensive portfolio of work evidenced by the work produced this year.
To do this I will need to evidence that I am capable of using the facilities available to demonstrate my abilities when using print-based media, as well as the utilisation of digital software.
Science, science fiction and video games have played a huge part in my life, so it only makes sense to investigate, elaborate and create design that is geared toward these subjects to give me footing into the respective industries.
I ideally want to do 2 regular briefs and 2 wefty briefs as it will allow me ample time to construct and get on with my dissertation which could cause problems if not organised or prepared for beforehand.
So I would say that the overarching statement for the year to come would be:
An investigation of sciences and videogames through experimental image-making, utilising different media with a focus on publication and print finishes.


Statement of Intent


I will be looking at how I can achieve a much more professional outcome when designing for print based solutions at a level I feel reflects my personal ambitions and keep trying to better myself with each project I embark on. 
For publication(s) I will be looking at book-binding/book making for reasons such as the book fair, being able to create - independently - a piece of work suitable to the content and format (restrictions) as in designing for publications, there is rarely one solution; for example a multitude of cover designs, promotional materials like stickers, coupons, links or business cards could be integrated into the format.


Alongside this I will be using image-making/illustration in my design as normal, but would like to keep my illustration that does not fit into a direct context within my professional work a separate portfolio/entity as an output into a separate part of the design industry that could aid  another possible route into a career or placement. Since I have started doing some band flyers/posters already I would like to carry this on after/during my remaining time on the course as it is something I greatly enjoy.


Editorial illustration/design has been a subject I have wanted to do since the image module. Taking form of a restricted exercise in visual communication and image making capabilities, it is also an easy way to get yourself noticed and in the public eye. My interests of editorial are extensive yet limited, potential mini-briefs or illustrations would be directed at: OXM, PS3M, FRONT, Loaded, G2, Gamesmaster and the Escapist.


The last focus/direction would be on design for web, something I touched upon in second year, I believe it to be detrimental to my work as I often get asked to do people's websites, but with complicated requests that I would need much greater assistance with. Flash and HTML5 embedding for media would aid me in creating a range of sites that demonstrates my capabilities as a young edgy designer, but lends that edge to a level of high standard professional design that could contribute to all projects. 


In summary my work will be based on my experiments with print and media based solutions, with the focus on editorial and publishing. On the other hand, my work will also be focused on, but not limited to, my experiences with web design and digital production, which will inform the process of selecting the right way to deliver the project.




Brief 1


Title: Positive Posters


A brief that emphasises the importance of an issue through an investigation of concept and research with a focus on image-making and high impact visuals.


Delivery: Portrait A1 300dpi CMYK poster, although potential for developing into publication.




Brief 2


Title: Heroes of Science


A brief that looks at how certain scientists have had a profound effect on modern society as well as how we communicate with each other.


Delivery: 5 Covers for publication, 1 full set of double page spreads for one scientist.


Brief 3


Title: National Science Foundation 


A focus on image-making and composition at its core, with an investigation of scientific endeavours and engineering prowess. 


Delivery: No real limitations; Photography, illustration, Informational posters/graphics, interactive games and videos.




Brief 4


Title: 25th Anniversary of Zelda


An investigation of image-making, format and delivery with a focus on promotional materials.


Delivery to be considered

DIssertation Rationale and Statement of Intent

Dissertation Title


Is Fallout: New Vegas a simulation that borders on the 'real'?


Dissertation Tutor


Richard Miles


Rationale


With my previous essay being a Baudrillardian reading of Palmer Eldritch... by Philip K Dick, I decided the next logical step would be continuing my study of some of his concepts, as well as lending from other contemporary theologist's studies to support this claim.
Being an avid follower of videogames throughout my child, teen and adult life, I can confidently say that modern games seem to be incorporating many historical, cultural, social and military elements of real life, especially in Role Playing Games. 
Often many people disregard videogames as distractions or something to overlook which is quite the opposite. It seemed a logical step to apply this sort of theory to something that has always been a huge interest in my life.
My reason for this particular game is that not only does the vast arid landscape of the desert give support to Baudrillard's Desert and Utopian ideals, but the game's content is packed full of real life 'simulations' that Baudrillard talked about. It also gives me a chance to understand  a country that is full of general ignorance, whilst eliminating my own.
Since I was hoping to do a lot of work aimed at the video gaming industry, I figured that the best way to go about that would be to do a dissertation that could reflect my interests as well as inform, educate and broaden my learning experience while I'm here at university.


Statement of Intent


I aim to investigate the various factors that affected the outcomes of the Cold War in America, both in the real world and the 'real' world of New Vegas; from the post-war architecture, domestification of appliances, application of military technologies, social/political pysche and the impact upon the player/character relationship. Or to put it simply, the ludoliteracy developed in game.


Unsurprisingly the Cold War mentality that dominated America and Soviet Russia spread like a black cloud of fallout over both nations but from this spawned the ascendency of neo-liberalism and shock capitalism which gave birth to a new age of consumer culture that was introduced subtley to the neighbouring nations.
I have already done some significant research on the subject finding correlation between the real and 'real' which has given me a firm basis for establishing the fiction from fact as well as the startling truth that the fact undermines a relative amount of the fiction.
I will divide the various topics of study into cohesive chapters;

• Social factions - The relationships of both worlds and the subsequent effect of dissonance created in certain social circles
• Technological advances - How the 'domestication of doomsday' along with its production of commodity products, military weapons and boomtown construction had an adverse affect on American psyche
• Architecture of the Cold War - How structures and systems put into place in the Cold War has left traces of its existence on the land as well as looking at the relationship between the prominent American ideologies of today and the past.
• Player/Character relations - Looking at how ludoliteracy can shape, inform, distort and educate the player. Focussing on how certain choice mechanisms, character input, plot and Non Playable Characters create an emotional relationship that is not too far from roles played in real life.

From this I intend to investigate the possibilities that the world of Fallout is no different to the current American mindset; terrorist threat is still a strong cause for concern due to the constant propagating through the mediation of images and news; the use of excessive advertising trying to give consolidation to those who believe their lives could be transformed in an instance of consumerist relief; the secrecy of US military officials and politicians that strive to test or simulate man's ideas of destruction, creation and replenishment of natural resource at the expense of the people they are meant to be protecting by law of the founding fathers and the bill of rights that America was built on.


Books


Ok, my list so far is...


New Left Books (2010) America, Jean Baudrillard, London, Verso. 
Chapters: Vanishing Point, Utopia Achieved, The End of US Power, Desert Forever.


University of Minnesota Press (1995) The Art of The Motor, Paul Virilio, Minneapolis, Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data.
Chapters: The Media Complex, A Terminal Art, From Superman to Hyperactive Man and the Art of the Motor.


Polity Press (2009) Martin Scorcese's America, Ellis Cashmore, London, Polity Books
Chapters: Not started yet.


Biddles ltd (1996) Baudrillard for Beginners, Chris Horrocks, Guildford and Kings Lynn, Icon Books
Chapters: All 


Feral House (2007) Top Secret Tourism, Harry Helms, Port Townsend, WA
Chapters: Alaska - H.A.A.R.P., California, Colorado, Nevada and Texas.


Princeton University Architectural Press (2002) Survival City: Adventures Among the Ruins of Atomic America, Tom Vanderbilt, The University of Chicago Press, London
Chapters: Dead City: The Metropolis Targeted, Survival City: This is only a Test, The Domestication of Doomsday: New Buildings for the Perilous Atomic Age, The Underground  City of Disappearance, Twentieth-Century Castles: Missile Silos in the Heartland, The Secret Landscape: Some Cold War War Traces


V&A Trustees (2008) Cold War Modern, David Crowley and Jane Pavitt, South Kensington, London
Chapters: From Monuments to Fast Cars, Europe Reconstructed, Europe Divided, Design and the Democratic Ideal, The Bomb in the Brain, The High-tech Cold War, Looking down on Spaceship Earth: Cold War Landscapes.


The MIT Press (2007) Persuasive Games: the expressive power of videogames, Ian Bogost, Massachusetts
Chapters: Procedural Rhetoric, Ideological Frames, Advergames, Values and Aspirations, Digital Democracy 


The MIT Press (2007) Second Person: Role Playing in Games and Playable Media, Pat Harrigan and Noah Wardrip-Fruin, Massachusetts
Chapters: Computational Fictions, Real Worlds, Appendices




Texts/Articles


The Political Economy Of Virtual Reality: Pan-Capitalism, 3/15/1994, Arthur Kroker and Michael Weinstein


The Grit Beneath the Glitter: A Collection of Essays on Las Vegas, Hal Rothman and Mike Davis


Spatial Discursions: Flames Of The Digital And Ashes Of The Real, 2/13/2001, Robert Nirre


The Obama Avatar, 6/4/2010, Arthur and Marilouise Kroker


Global Algorithm 1.0: The Global Algorithm, 5/14/1996, Arthur and Marilouise Kroker


Ground Zero: Las Vegas' Luxor, 11/6/1996, Jeffrey Cass and Dion Dennis


Tech Flesh 9: The Secret History of Jessie Gelsinger's Death, 5/9/2001, Jacqueline Stevens


Empire@Play: Virtual Games and Global Capatilism, Nick Dyer-Witheford and Greig de Peuter




Websites/Online resources


ctheory.com - See above


http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/ - HAARP


http://www.mps.mpg.de/en/projekte/helios/ - Solar Satellite Systems


http://www.norad.mil/ - NORAD 


http://www.ugo.com/games/fallout-retrospective - Fallout Timeline, Scroll at bottom of reference box to navigate


http://www.nv.doe.gov/default.htm / http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/photos/default.aspx- Nevada Test Site, READ FIRST


http://www.lanl.gov/ - Los Alamos Lab


http://www.atomictourist.com/nts.htm - For general information.


I have cited so many website throughout my blog also. Will keep updating I suppose.




Additional Activities


Research Visits, if possible to Bethesda Ireland and hopefully a bunker in the UK.