Brief 8 - End of Year Show - Research - University Building

Looking at the new build images, the mix of building materials has been kept but applied in a more contemporary style, using different metals, and textures, even just within the outside and entrance of the building. 

 The different styles of lighting has been kept, however maybe just one consistent style throughout would work best, and making the most out of natural lighting, especially so in studios. 

It looks like they are going to apply more wall art and icons using imagery on the walls. 

The golden materials on the outside of the building and the pattern on this is very reminiscent of the arts and craft movement, playing on the history of the university, and tying in with the Vernon street building. 

Common colours within the building are metallic gold.

The new building continues the use of suspended lighting (LED strip lighting etc) which is necessary because of the high ceilings within many of the rooms.
Sky lights will also be a feature allowing natural light to enter the building.  
Common materials within the new building are concrete (flooring in galleries etc and ceilings and surfaces), anodised golden metal (with details for external walls), grey carpet tiles, timber surfaces, wood wool (acoustic baffles), steel, plasterboard, aluminium (trims), galvanised (pipes).  
Other interesting features suggested in plans magnetised paint on the walls (grey in colour), large scale wall art, hanging art, spray painted timber (to match gold of building).

• Sky Lights
• Large windows.
• Strip lighting and suspended ceiling lighting.
• Wall art.
• Golden anodised metals.
• Mix of materials. 

As part of our group research we went around the university, taking pictures and highlighting the key features of the existing building. Analysing what works and what doesn't and how it can be manipulated and changed. 

 First impressions of the building, is definitely not an arts university, more of an engineering or academic university, due to the lack of colour, artwork and contemporary build and materials.

 Quite a lot of the aspects of the building are mundane, boring and do not represent the qualities or personality of the university or the students within it.

 The different mixes of materials works as it shows the range of materials and media used within art and across the different courses, however it could definitely be done in a more modern and contemporary way, which looks purposefully done, rather than all over the place. 

 The building looks very industrial and doesn't really allow for change or artisitc flair or personality to be shown through the building. 

In many of the studios large windows allow lots of natural light into the rooms. Also, there’s quite a mix of interesting shapes and sizes of windows throughout the college. The building is quite complex and has evolved over time, meaning it can be difficult to find your way around initially and that there’s an inconsistent layout around the university.Throughout the university there is an eclectic mix of lighting from wall mounted lights to hanging ceiling lights with reflective metal.

Plants are heavily used in Printed textiles however not so much around the rest of the building.There is exposed pipes, vents and other structural elements everywhere in the building particularly on the ceiling.

Common materials around the college include foil (from the extraction system), metal (stainless steel, galvanised sheet metal, reflective metal), plasterboard (on walls).The main colours around the building are grey (doors and lines on walls) and white (walls in studios) and blue (shade used on doors).

• Large Windows
• Mix of materials, such as metal, tiles, wood and glass. 
• Mix of different types of lighting.
• Strip lighting, hanging descending lighting, neon lighting. 
• Lots of white around the building, blank canvas. 
• The plants in printed textiles, everyone is a fan of these and the space in printed textiles and why can't the rest of the university and studios look like that. 
• Mix of colours, turquoise, pink, yellow and dark blue, purple, silver. 
• Different textures and materials. 

Brief 4 - Childline - Gifs

Below shows a selection of the developed gifs, for both key themes Looking at simple, but effective movements and keeping to the same illustrations and colour schemes applied across both the illustrations and animations. Feedback suggested that the designs are successful in communicating difficult subjects in more engaging and abstract ways.

The next steps were to select the most successful gifs and develop them around each of the themes to create a cohesive set of illustrations and animations, using the same shapes, layout and colours, bringing the illustrations to life. 

Brief 4 - Childline - Development

Below shows development, focusing on the theme of difficult feelings, experimenting with the layout, proportion and colours of the shapes and designs. Feedback suggested that the designs were successful as how the shapes are displayed and the close proximity of them, the closer together they are the more effective the designs are in meeting the brief, without being too triggering to young people, it has been done and achieved in a much more abstract way. 

Looking at the different colour ways and schemes, the most successful design used the darker colours as a background colour which makes the shapes stand out a lot more. The colours used also relate to the theme well, without being too harsh, for example staying away from the use of black works well. 

Below show the other design development for the key theme of hope and positivity. Feedback suggested that using a smaller number of colours worked best as it wasn't too busy, also using more gender neutral colours, staying away from the pink as well, this made the design look too immature. 

Feedback also suggested not using darker colours as it didn’t represent the feelings of hope in a good light, the lighter colours were more effective. However staying away from white as it kind of made the illustrations get lost, the designs look a lot better and more suited on a coloured background. 

It was also stated in feedback that the designs looked too busy to be representing hope and positivity and calm, positive space. Therefore it was decided to create more white space between the shapes, creating a better breathing, calm space for young people, so that the shapes weren't suffocating each other and the space around them. 

Brief 6 - Research Brief - Readings in Primary Art Education

• What is art's unique contribution to the education of young children?
• Makes unique contributions to the individual's experiences with and understanding of the world.
• Deals with human consciousness.
• Focuses on individuals and a regard for individuality. 
• Visual aspect of art education. 
• Children need to know the syntax of line, colour, shape, space, texture and so on. 
• Teachers need to teach children to see. 
• Children need to be taught to observe and investigate the visual world. 
• Drawing is the art of discovery. 
• Interest, curiosity, awe, wonder, analysis, discussion, recording, sharing, tactile experience, expression. 
• Art makes significant contributors to the child's ability to observe, investigate and communicate. 
• In some schools children are told or shown in ways which are neutralising that they bear little relation to true sensory experiences. 
• The development of visual intelligence and imagination. 
• Teach the child to look, which is to observe, to see which is to understand and to make which is to transform. 
• The visual arts deal with an aspect of human life that no other area does.
• Art is an intellectual activity in its own special way.  
• Art should attempt to embrace the individual's contribution. 
• Individuality isn't just rates of progress, it is to do with identity, personality traits, qualities, experimental understanding, social realities and forms of expression.
• Individuality involves personal expression. 
• Children learn the power of art as a form of communication.
• Art is an activity where feelings and ideas become forms which are transformed into images which can then be communicated to others. 
• Visual aspect, individuality, consciousness.
• Balanced educational diet. 
• Art is under emphasised. 
• Provides the child with a chance to develop rather more of his faculties and senses.
• To exclude children from knowing and understanding is to deny them access to whole areas of learning. 
• We can't restrict consciousness and sensibility. 
• Art is both a form of communication and a means of expression of feeling which ought to permeate the whole curriculum and the whole life of the school. 
• Art activity constitutes a mode of knowing. 

Brief 4 - Childline - Development

These designs stemmed from the idea and research into the likes of pathetic fallacy and how weather can affect moods and feelings, which is relatable to anyone and everyone as it also affects everyone in some shape or form. Therefore the idea focuses on using bad or scary weather such as lightning, clouds and rain but created in a more abstract way, using sharp edges and corners to further iterate the idea. Obviously this idea is for the key theme of representing dark thoughts and difficult experiences. 

Trying out different textures and colours, and layouts brought me to the idea of making it look more illustrative to fit in with the existing styles of the Childline website and also to make it more suitable and relatable to the target audience. 

Therefore the idea was developed to create repeat patterns and beginning to use and experiment with different colours, again taken from the childline website, ensuring that the illustrations and animations wouldn't be miles away from their existing brand. 

Experimentations with the other key theme of showing hope and positivity, looking at weather which is associated with these things usually, such as clouds, sun and rainbows and illustrating these in a similar style to above, creating repeat patters which could be broken u or added to depending on where they are going to be used across the Childline platform. 

Different colours and shadows, textured have been experimented with, before beginning to experiment with gifs and animations. 

Experimenting with different colours taken from the Childline brand seeing which work well together and how it can be made gender neutral and target the broad audience. The most successful colours are those the emit positivity such as yellow, orange. Also the more gender neutral colours work successfully as this allows the illustrations and gifs to be relatable to everyone. 

Below shows initial experimentations with gifs, looking at small simple movements, experimenting with different colours and directions of movements. Each appropriate to each of the key themes. Feedback suggested to use a wider range of colours rather than monochrome to make the designs and animations stand out more. 

Next steps were to continue to experiment and develop with colour choices and layouts, as well as different gifs and animations, using different movements and shapes. 

Brief 4 - Childline - Research

• Abstract shapes and patterns. 
• Monsters/creatures. 
• Weather, pathetic fallacy. 
• Shadows
• Ink
• Unsaturated colours.

• Weather
• Hands/fingers
• Wishing, stars, space. 
• Faith/belief. 
• Achievement, badges.
• Ambition, careers, future.