3 weeks exhibition preparation and finishing off work: - (Monday 16th May – Friday 3rd June):

So far as part of the exhibition preparation, we have put together the boards to display our work on, painted them white, painted the edges of the boards white, cleaned the clamps, and painted the floor. It’s really interesting and exciting to see how the exhibition space is coming together. The work will look so much more professional and will really show off everyone’s talents with such a professional looking exhibition space. I have also been given my place to display my work which I think is a nice area as my posters will be able to be seen straight on, as well as to the side (to see the 3D type, etc). Also there is a socket right behind my boards, so I will able to plug my lights in there to backlight my posters. I like my area, but will have to see how it looks when everything is put together, and also if my work works well with the work around it.

As part of my project, I have also taken some photos of my 3D type in interesting ways and added these to my photo book. I thought it was important to explore the letters from all angles and this is how it will be able to be viewed in the exhibition. They look interesting and unique and actually remind me a lot of Viktor and Rolf’s work.

I also had a look at my ‘mould’ experiments, where I had put yoghurt onto the words ‘ugly’ and ‘beautiful’. Unfortunately, hardly anything has happened, and so this hasn’t worked as well as I thought. I think I will just have to forget this idea as there isn’t much time left and it isn’t really needed as part of my final pieces. However, in the future, I will allow more time to make changes to something which doesn’t appear to be working and to find new solutions.

I have also chosen my final designs for the logo, letterhead, business card and fact sheet. I had to make a few changes (such as changing the contact number, to a ‘free-phone’ number), but I feel that they are how I want them to look now. I will need to get these printed to see if they need any further adjustments. I’m not sure if these will be displayed at the exhibition, but I will need to print a few copies of each in case they are.

I’ve decided to go with the logo which has the organisation name, ‘Sticks and Stones’, in the centre of the hand instead of underneath, because after asking, most people seemed to like this one best. Although I like both, I still feel that perhaps the logo works best with the writing underneath as it makes ‘Sticks and Stones’ easier to read. However, I do understand where the other opinions are coming from as perhaps the hand is too busy with all the other writing in and this needs to be broken up, and that this makes the logo more interesting. Ultimately, I went with this design and the opinions of others over my own, as the people I asked were my target audience and so I am trying to appeal to them. I would say that this was a ‘professional’ decision, and is a useful experience for the future.

Also, I have bought all of the LED lights, frames, acetate, etc, to put my final posters together and to give them a backlight. Although I haven’t assembled it all yet, it seems so far that it should work quite well. The LED lights should work quite well to give a bright white/blue light, and also they emit very little heat, but last a long time, which is appropriate for the exhibition. I will also need to attach some material and frosted sheet of plastic to diffuse the light in order for the effect to be like that of a backlight rather than shining out of the poster.

Thursday 26^th May 2011: We have now gotten to the point where we are able to start putting our work up for the exhibition next week. I was able to put my work up yesterday after some deliberations of how to best go about this. It was quite hard trying to figure out where to place my posters on the boards as the LED lights wire connects the posters, and so to pick one poster up, someone else needs to hold the other poster too. After some help, I eventually decided on where to place my posters and made markings. The next issue was deciding how to best hang them up. It would need to be on something strong enough to hold the posters (as they are heavier than just paper on its own), but small enough to not stick out the back of the board. I asked for some advice and came back the next time with some picture hanging fixings which could be hammered into the board. It was quite hard trying to get these into the board as they kept bending backwards and then wouldn’t go into the board any further, but eventually I was able to fix these to the board properly. I then hung my posters on these using the picture hanging wire, which I had attached to the back. These fixings seemed to hold the posters strongly enough and they work well. I then had to figure out where to place the wire, etc, to keep my space neat and safe. I used double-sided tape to stick the wires in place, which I then covered with masking tape, which I then painted white. I went on to then patch up any parts on my board, which needed white paint, and I then used a spirit level to check that my posters were straight. I also asked for opinions and people said that they appeared to be straight and level. My only concern is that perhaps they are slightly too high (I was given advice on where to place them), however, they are easy to read and still work well, so this shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

I am pleased with how these look. I have also asked if my letterhead, business card and fact sheet (and perhaps my sketchbook, etc) should be displayed, but I will wait to hear back on this.

Overall, this project has been a really interesting and exciting learning process. I have learnt many new skills, improved previous knowledge and skills, and it has reinforced the importance of constant evaluation and the value of asking for opinions, etc. I am pleased with my development work and final outcome. I hope that others like my work and can see how bullying is and how important it is to minimise this as much as possible by helping both the bully and the victim.

Friday 13th May 2011:

I decided to carry out an idea from a peer review of ‘photoshopping’ my posters into relevant places (eg: school corridors, the underground, bus stops, etc), to see my posters ‘in context’. This was quite an interesting and exciting process to see how my posters could look if actually produced professionally and used. I think they work quite well in these surroundings and stand out in a professional way without being too over the top. I think that this was an important part of reviewing my work as without looking at my posters in context, and only in isolation, it’s hard to imagine how well they would work professionally.

Target for today: Carry out idea from peer review of seeing my posters ‘in context’ by ‘photoshopping’ them into relevant places (eg: school corridors).

Target for tomorrow: 3 weeks exhibition preparation and finishing off work.

Thursday 12th May 2011:

Today, as our work should be almost complete, I just put together all the ‘paperwork’ to go with my project, such as peer reviews, target sheets, resources, etc.. It was quite interesting to see all of the things I have used to help my project come together in my Visual Reference Folder. It also helped me to see how my project has developed from the initial research to the final pieces, which I think shows well how my work has been inspired by others and how it’s developed from my initial ideas. I also completed my sketchbook annotations.

Target for today: Put all work together and complete annotations in sketchbook, etc.

Target for tomorrow: Carry out idea from peer review of seeing my posters ‘in context’ by ‘photoshopping’ them into relevant places (eg: school corridors).

Wednesday 11th May 2011:

Today, I went through the process of creating my 3D type. Firstly I had to saw the oasis foam to the width I wanted. I didn’t want the 3D type to stand out too much on my poster, but I also wanted it to be noticed. I then drew out the letters onto the oasis foam and cut these out using a craft knife. This was quite easy and was an easy way to make 3D letters. I then painted them with PVA glue, which would make them stronger. Lastly I painted them black. Initially I had intended to cover each letter with black card to neaten it up. However, it looks quite good how it is, but perhaps I could just add the top part of the letter in black card. I may need to experiment with this or ask for advice/opinions.

I also cut out the words from my poster. It’s quite delicate so I will maybe need to attach them to a transparent backing to prevent them from ripping, etc.

I then created my final ideas for the business card and letterhead. I am quite pleased with these and feel that, although they don’t have the exact same design on the business card and the letterhead, they still work well together. I also noticed that my logo and fact/statistics sheet is similar to the work of M&C Saatchi (for Cyber Mentors, which I looked at at the very beginning of the project) as there is a mix of type and image. This works well and also the colours look nice together (eg: vibrant colours against black).

Target for today: Create 3D letters for the word ‘UGLY’ and cut out the words ‘beautiful’ and ‘lost your voice?’ from poster. Finalise letterhead and business card.

Target for tomorrow: Put all work together and complete annotations in sketchbook, etc.

Tuesday 10th May 2011:

I sketched out a few more ideas for my fact/statistics sheet. I decided to try a design similar to one of my other poster designs (where a word was spelt out from all the sentences). I’ve made the word ‘statistics’ out of the facts. This is quite a good concept, but isn’t very easy to see or read and so this probably wouldn’t work very well.

I also tried a design where there was a handprint in the background and then the writing would change colour as it hit the image of the hand. This could work, but I would need to produce this digitally to see how it turns out.

After creating these ideas digitally, my favourite is the design which uses the photo and then has the facts on her fingers/hands. I think this works well because it’s unique and would make you want to read it. Also, I like the use of minimal colour.

The other ideas also work quite well, but are quite dull and don’t give out the message strongly enough. Furthermore, some of the designs (ie: the handprint design and the ‘statistics’ design), are quite hard to read and so these wouldn’t work too well.

Target for today: Create more sketchbook and digital ideas for fact/statistic sheet and create final one. Put together blog, research and peer review/target sheets, etc.

Target for tomorrow: Create 3D letters for the word ‘UGLY’ and cut out the words ‘beautiful’ and ‘lost your voice?’ from poster. Finalise letterhead and business card.

Monday 9th May 2011:

Today I was able to print out my posters (A2 sized). They came out quite well and I also added a website address on to them (digitally, before they were printed) so that anyone who’s interested is able to contact/receive more information from the organisation. I really like the effect from my lino prints on the poster as this makes it more interesting, and could perhaps encourage the viewer to read it. I will just need to cut out the words ‘beautiful’ and ‘lost your voice?’, and then create and add the 3D type for the word ‘ugly’ and then the posters will be complete. I also asked more people about how to display the posters and there was a suggestion of somehow mounting a piece of Perspex off the wall and then having a strip light behind this, and my poster put on top of the Perspex. This could work well, but I will need to see how this all goes when putting the exhibition together.

I also annotated my photo book, which was a useful process, and gave me a few ideas for my fact/statistics sheet.

I then sketched a few of these fact/statistics sheet ideas in my sketchbook. I quite like the idea of using a photo and then writing the facts onto the hands etc, as this would be a unique and interesting way to display information.

I think that the idea of just bullet points and writing, is a bit too bland and could discourage someone to read the statistics given. However, I quite like the minimal use of colour and the dark background.

I will continue with more ideas tomorrow exploring how to display the statistics (from my questionnaire results) in an attractive way.

Target for today: Print out posters A2 size, annotate photo book and come up with ideas in sketchbook for fact/statistics sheet.

Target for tomorrow: Create more sketchbook and digital ideas for fact/statistic sheet and create final one. Put together blog, research and peer review/target sheets, etc.

Sunday 8th May 2011:

Today I mainly researched how I could display my work at the exhibition, as I want to have a light behind my posters to show through the cut out words. I first got this idea by holding my mini posters against my laptop screen, and so perhaps a screen would be a good option. I want the light to be a blue/white light and so a normal lamp wouldn’t really work. I also considered LED lights and one person suggested having strips of LED lights and then a frosted piece of Perspex to diffuse the light. This is quite a good idea and I could then stick my poster to this, giving it more strength. I think I will need to wait until I make a decision, and firstly see how my work could be displayed in the exhibition, before purchasing anything.

I then thought of the best way to create the 3D type (for the word ‘ugly’), for my poster. After trying both card and foam, I thought that I would need to use something stronger in order for the shape to stay. I came across some ‘oasis’ foam which I think will actually work quite well for this task.

I will keep researching how to best display my work, because this can be just as important as the work itself.

Target for today: Research lighting to backlight my posters and 3D letters to use on poster, look through research and include anything used in project to update visual reference folder, check through specification to check that I am meeting the requirements.

Target for tomorrow: Print out posters A2 size, annotate photo book and come up with ideas in sketchbook for fact/statistics sheet.

Saturday 7th May 2011:

I decided that using my own handprint in my logo was a good idea and therefore decided to create some handprints (both using my hand and someone else’s hand to get a variety to choose from). I also tried the idea of having the writing in the middle/across the hand. This works quite well, but I’m not sure what it would look like on my final pieces and it might be too close to the other writing in the hand which might make it too complex. However, this brings it all together nicely, so I will need to think about this and try it out on my different pieces to see what looks better.

I also feel that the logo looks much better with my own handprint and that this makes it more personal. The hand also looks smaller making it seem more fragile and vulnerable but still aggressive enough to give the message of ‘stop’.

I then updated my poster designs so that the writing hadn’t been created by being typed out but by using my lino prints. I think that this looks a lot better and more personal as it includes more hand processes. Also, it adds a more ‘messy/rough’ effect which I think works well with the words on the poster. I have also changed some of the colours around so that ‘me’ and ‘you’ are in colour and the other in white. I think that this works well and puts more of an emphasis on these words, which is important.

I’ve also edited my ‘lost your voice?’ poster slightly. I have slightly changed the tears, etc, to make them look more realistic (it was suggested in the peer review that I ‘curve’ the tears slightly where they go down the cheek). I’ve also added ‘can’t speak up?’ to the top of the poster next to my logo and tagline. Overall, I think that this (and the other poster), works well and looks better with these improvements. Hopefully they will print out well and that the 3D type and cut out letters will also look good and ‘complete’ the posters nicely.

Target for today: Create handprints and incorporate with new logo design and update poster designs (with lino print and new logo, etc) ready for printing.

Target for tomorrow: Research lighting to backlight my posters and 3D letters to use on poster, look through research and include anything used in project to update visual reference folder, check through specification to check that I am meeting the requirements.

Friday 6th May 2011:

Today I completed the handprint idea which I had started on Saturday which was inspired by a prepped page. This hadn’t turned out too well, and so I decided to use some materials to create the effect I wanted. This now looks much better and quite effective and interesting to look at. I wanted to include feelings and insults to show the relationship between the bully and the victim as well as the hand to add the idea of bullying feeling personal - this works quite well and I may explore this idea further.

I then updated the annotations in my sketchbook so that I could reflect on my ideas so far.

I then carried out the ideas given to me in the peer review about my letterhead and business card designs. I really like these ideas and feel that they have turned out well and would work well for the final designs. I will just need to make a few changes and change the logo when I decide on my final design. I like how the designs are really simple but are still unique and quite attractive. Also, the colours work nicely together and I like the idea of a double-sided business card as then it stands out but it’s still easy to read the important information and the black only being on one side doesn’t make it too intimidating (as the organisation is there to help). Perhaps, also, it could represent the bully on one side and the victim on the other (and vice-versa), and then them coming together (eg: by the lines continuing onto the other side).

Target for today: Complete handprint piece inspired by prepped page, update annotations in sketchbook and create new business card and letterhead in response to peer review.

Target for tomorrow: Create handprints and incorporate with new logo design and update poster designs (with lino print and new logo, etc) ready for printing.

Thursday 5th May 2011:

I decided that it would be a useful time for another informal peer review and so I spoke to my peers about my new logo, business card and letterhead designs as well as my digital poster designs. I felt that overall I got a good reaction and some useful feedback. I wanted to ask them if they thought that for the victim poster that ‘lost your voice?’ was better than ‘can’t speak up?’. They agreed that ‘lost your voice?’ worked well and that it was easy to understand as well as giving out a strong message. I therefore decided to keep it as ‘lost your voice?’ but to add ‘can’t speak up?’ at the top near my logo and tagline. I then also wanted to ask if they felt that the ‘photoshopped’ tears looked realistic or if an actual photo would work better. They seemed to think that it’s OK how it is. They also liked the idea of having a light behind the posters, the only comment was that perhaps the ‘lost your voice?’ part should come down slightly so that it was more in the place of the mouth rather than the nose. I agreed with this but I’m not sure if this will work visually as it’s balanced quite well as it is.

I then showed them my other digital poster designs, most of which they also liked, but they decided that my choice of the ‘lost your voice?’ and ‘calling me ugly won’t make you beautiful’ was right as these were the two best. However, they quite liked the ‘why do you bully?’ design as it stood out and made you look. It is quite hard to read though and so perhaps this is why it wouldn’t work too well as a final piece. They mentioned that at first glance they thought that the whole thing was a set of writing, eg: a story or a quote, and that this might also work quite nicely. My tutor then also saw these ideas and mentioned perhaps having the sentence ‘why do you bully?’ in colour and the different sentences not in colour instead of the other way around like I’d done it as then this would make it easier to read. This is a good idea which I may test out. She also suggested having the same idea but in the style of a ‘menu board’ where you can change the letters around, etc (like in a fish and chip shop), as this could relate also to schools and would look quite effective. Although it would be quite hard to create this and then take a photo, perhaps I could create this digitally to see what it looks like.

I also spoke to someone about getting my posters printed and what paper I could print on. He suggested semi-gloss and when I asked my peers about this they seemed to think that it would work quite well and also, it’s easy to cut into, and this would be useful for when I cut some of the words out.

I then asked for their opinions on my new logo design as well as my new letterhead and business card designs. They seemed to really like the logo (but suggested using my own handprint instead of an one from an image) and they had a few suggestions for the letterhead and business card designs. For example, combining some of the ideas to create a new idea and having a double-sided business card so that one side could be black (as this looks effective) with the logo, and then the other side white to include the important information (but not on black as this could be too intimidating). I then asked my tutor what she thought about my logo, etc, and she made a few suggestions (eg: having the writing going through the handprint to make it like a stop/’not allowed’ sign) to make it less busy and more integrated (the name and the image), and so I will carry out these ideas and decided from there what logo to choose. My tutor also gave me some really good ideas for my business card so I will take these into account when re-designing them.

I then updated my sketchbook with my digital designs and after doing this, I still feel that the ‘lost your voice?’ and ‘calling me ugly wont make you beautiful’ poster ideas work best.

Target for today: Talk about work so far with peers to hear their opinions and update sketchbook with digital designs, etc.

Target for tomorrow: Complete handprint piece inspired by prepped page, update annotations in sketchbook and create new business card and letterhead in response to peer review.