Crit Feedback and Research (Ian Hamilton Finlay, Benoit Brun)

Crit with Ben and Pat

Needing to focus the topic more, developing a theme within the conversation, having something more focused would allow for themes to develop further and a visual identity to be better established.

Ideas:

• Develop an interactive typeface, when alterations are made to one it effects the rest of the typeface. 
• Separate text into sections (e.g noun, adjective etc.), allow it to impact the word before.
• Could make alterations to type based off of context the conversation was had in, thinking about the person the conversation is with, or where the conversation was taking place.
• Could do conversations based off of phone calls, could make it generational and analyse the conversations, number of words, type of words etc. 
• Develop visuals based off of the conversation, colour palette, symbols etc.
• Develop a glyph for each conversation, could be from a phrase they say within the conversation.
• Present it in a way similar to earlier on in the project, having a concertina fold, could be could into a book, make it look more formal. The shape would be reminiscent of a mobile phone. 

Action Plan:

1. Record conversations with Felix, Mum and Mama.
2. Cut conversations to 3 mins.
3. Collect information on:
   - repeated words
   - pauses around the words
   - generational words
   - phrases to be generated into a glyph
4. Develop information into a graphic:
   - colour scheme
   - glyphs
   - weight
   - anatomy alterations

Research

Ian Hamilton Finlay

Finlay’s poems, published in books and on postcards, are often no longer than one or two sentences, frequently just one word. Typically his writing relies on a visual component for its meaning, which may come through accompanying images, the layout of the print on the page (‘concrete’ poetry), or through the physical context of its reading.

Most of his works demonstrate a conflict between order and nature - could consider this when looking into differences in the words used between generations. 

• The poems are often short, meaning there is enough space surrounding the words to make small illustrations and designs, these can relate to the works, could make the shapes from doodles made while on the phone. 
• The colours used remind me of a circus, it is clear that they link to the context but also provide an extra layer to the hierarchy of the poem. 
• The arrangement of the text almost presents a scene, think about how this would work when combined into the concertina shape, where to present the information and how.  

• Again here there is a clear message behind the text. It is displayed simply allowing people to really understand the context.
• The use of colour allows for the 'us' section of the ven diagram to make even more sense as it is the combination of the blue and yellow (to make green). 
• The recognisable ven diagram is extremely simple but compliments the type and use of white space very well. 

Benoit Brun

Each letter has its own singularity, but it’s part of a whole and when they interact together, they create a story, take on common meaning.
'For graphic designer Benoît Brun, there is “another dimension” to typography, which goes beyond readability: “[It] can also stimulate, give emotion and excitement," the designer tells It’s Nice That. “Lettering on a poster can give someone walking on the street the opportunity to get an eyeful. I like that we can contemplate a set of letters, give them a certain amount of time and ask ourselves what they mean”, he continues. “In my work, I like to handle drawing, create new formal repertoires and develop my own tools while keeping a strict and rigorous approach,” Benoît says. “That’s why in typography I’m interested in display fonts for their formal and expressive character. Through their abstraction, I see drawings, surface games, full and empty, in the letters.”'

• The addition of the illustrations allows for the personality of the text to come through. It appears more playful and vibrant even though it is only black and white. 
• The orientation of the body text compliments the key features of the magazine - thinking about the way the outer can compliment the inner, colour wise as well as type. 
• The type is given personality through variation in stroke, the letters in the bottom picture are more expressive, they have a sense of speed and urgency about then that is clearly expresses. - think about how to make alterations to own words in relation to the context of the conversation.