InDesign / Project Layout / Aidan Nolan

This indesign tutorial was very useful in terms of constructing project presentations and presenting them in the best way possible. Before this tutorial, I was always very confused when applying my project research and development to grid systems. I always over complicated the grid system and tried to apply all elements to correspond to the guides of the grid structure. Where as, today I was advised the grid system is more for creating a guideline to place elements, not a be all end all structure to place elements.

I created a grid layout of 12 columns, this is the best grid structure to use and this number is best divisible by a lot of numbers that match the dimensions of the page I am working on.  I was shown two channels of layout, web and print. Also, Aidan Nolan showed us some of his project presentations he presented in industry and how he worked to grid structures to guide his work.

A3 print document settings

Web print screen 1080px - 1920px

To determine which document set up to use, first determine how the client wants work channeled to them, whether that is print or web based. You do not want to set up a document that is A4 and present it on a computer screen. This will display huge black panels filling the rest of the space on the computer screen, potentially ruining the display of the idea you are trying to sell. Whereas, if the client wants to quickly scan through the project idea them-self, it is always handy to have a printed A4 document to physically discuss ideas.

Here I have worked to a 12 column, 8 row grid system to act as a guideline to structure elements. In this lesson, I created all of my own graphics to build up a publication, using the grid as my advantage to visually structure the elements. I created a publication built with shapes and place holder text, all in a retro colour scheme. Aidan advised me to not be distracted by the horizontal guides, at least not as much as I was doing before. This was great advice and has really helped me understand how grid systems are used.

Below, I will place a link to one of my project presentations that follows the same rules I have learnt in this tutorial. All in all, I have enjoyed learning the processes and productions that Indesign has to offer and coming out of these tutorials with Aidan Nolan I feel much more confident setting up and displaying my future presentations and projects.

Self Publication 3 / Nick Deakin / Process and Production

In this tutorial, I learnt interesting ways to present physical work. What I explored creatively connects the journey between the development and the outcome. This whole concept of presenting work in a resourceful and invigorating manner was illustrated to me in a fun and methodically clear way.

First of all, I was handed an A2 piece of plain paper that I was instructed to fold in half, in half again, and then again, in some sense similar to the zine. Creating an A5 hand sized publication that opens up to reveal the final A2 poster. Its a great way to present an idea or concept.

On the front of the A5 folded publication, I stuck an A5 black and white printed photograph of myself. Creating the face to the publication, and expressing the content inside this publication. Everything inside will be based around this photograph. This was to give us the insight in terms of how to present a design or idea, by presenting the focal point as the face of the A5 folded publication.

On the reverse side of the A5 fold, I drew my the contours of my face with black fine liner. The idea was to recreate that of my face in the photograph and show different processes to the outcome. This conveys the ideas of how I would present ideas and development that build up to the main poster.

Next, I pressed my face against the photocopier scanner and printed the scan to stick in my publication. I unfolded/opened the A5 part and creating an A4 surface that I stuck the A4 scan of my face in this area. Again, this was to communicate to me the process and production to presenting an idea in this format, to include development and ideas that lead up to the outcome.

After, I unfolded the A4 section, creating an A3 surface to work on. Here I was given lots of emoji's to cut out of paper and stick and place onto the A3 surface. I was provided a selection of different emoji's and when placed beside each other they created different shades. I had to try and build my face, as seen in the photograph, with these emojis and above is the result. I used the darker 'poo' emoji's to illustrate the darker areas of my face and I used the lighter 'thinking face' emoji's to reveal the brightyer areas of my face, with the 'laughing face' emoji's to illustrate the thinner darker areas on my face, as half of the emoji was light and the dark smile created a contrast to the other half.

Finally, I was provided with A4 prints that had different weights of dots that filled each page and created different contrasts when placed beside one another. I cut the prints according to the weight of dots into shapes that created elements within my face, each cons tasting to the print of dots beside it.

All in all, I have learnt a new method to present a small project. Each section folds to reveal development and ideas towards a final design. I could potentially create a CV or try to present one of my projects in this fashion. Using each compartment of the publication to my advantage to present research, exploration, ideas, development and outcome.

Self Publishing / Process and Production / Nick Deakin

Today, we further explored the process and production of stencil printing. However, this time we used our creative minds to manipulate type into symbolic designs. Around the room there was three different fonts, 'Baskerville Bold', 'DIN Alternate' and 'Cooper Std', each font was presented in a full, A-Z and numeral display. What I had to do was take elements from the font letters and create an interesting stencil filled with, cut out serifs, ascenders, bowls, legs, descenders, arms and stems. extracting and rearranging all of the components of type, basically.

Here are my stencils ready to print over. I hand drew the typographic elements from all three of the fonts and carefully cut out the body with a craft knife, creating the stencil. I pressed over the stencil templates with black printing press paint and a roller, pressing on the paint smooth and accurately.

Baskerville Bold stencil print. Here I extracted and drew the arm and stem of the uppercase 'Z', the leg and arm of the lowercase 'k' that is connected to the left arm of a lower case 'x, the cross stroke and ascender of a lowercase 'f', and finally the tittle of an 'i'.

DIN Alternate stencil print. Here I extracted and drew the spur of the letter 'G', the leg and arm of a uppercase 'K', the tittle of the lowercase letter 'j', and finally the head serif and the shoulder of a lowercase 'r'.

Cooper Std stencil print. Here I extracted and drew two thirds of the cross stroke and head serif of a lowercase 't', the base and serif of a lowercase 'j', two thirds of an uppercase 'W' that includes its apex and serifs, two thirds of the body of an uppercase 'M' that includes the vertex and serifs, finally the tittle and head serif of a lowercase 'i'.

Baskerville Bold stencil print two. Here I extracted and drew the lower stem and serif of an uppercase 'L', the ligature extending as the descender of the letter 'q' I drew the spine of the uppercase 's' split into two, the tittle of a lowercase 'i', and finally the arm and upper half of the stem of an uppercase 'Z'.

All in all, this tutorial was a very relaxed yet, invigorating production workshop. I will take these designs further by illustrating them and merging them into Cinema 4D to explore further dimensions to creativity. I could use techniques I learnt in last weeks C4D tutorial to create interesting artwork, to twist of randomly distort the design into unique outcomes.

Cinema 4D Lesson 2 / Jay Payne

There was a lot to take in again in my Cinema 4D tutorial. This is my second tutorial and today I was taught much more interesting processes to create unique Cinema 4D artwork. Cinema 4D is a programme that can randomly generate outcomes, using different processes to do so. Below, I will talk about the processes I applied to create the C4D artwork, using my notes to explain and for me to use as future preference.

BRIDGET RILEY

First of all, I was shown the work of Bridget Riley to clarify what can be achieved using Cinema 4D to create unique artwork. I also found some artwork in my own time to use as a reference to building my own designs. Yomagick and Miquel Rodrigues Estany.

MIQUEL RODRIGUES ESTANY
http://cgterminal.com/2015/06/10/cinema-4d-tip-displacer-blub/

QUICK TIP 05: DISPLACER BLUB from Berd on Vimeo.

YOMAGICK
https://www.behance.net/gallery/24702819/Nice-Posters-Vol-1

THE FIRST TUTORIAL / JAY PAYNE LESSON 2

To begin the process, I clicked on the rectangle to create a shape path. Then I clicked and created an extrude object tool. Next, I dragged the rectangle into the extrude tool and increased the three dimensional movement to '5000cm'. This made the rectangle expand far into the background, filling the 3D space and creating a structure we can work with to create what we want to create. When satisfied with the rectangular extrude, I added a twist tool and dropped it into the extrude tool in the workspace, making sure the twist is dropped beneath the rectangle in the extrude drop box. I edited the twist mode to unlimited and the twist angle to 10 to create a twist effect that suits.

After, I changed the caps on the extrude to none, creating a hollow tube in the twisted shape. Now, I added a texture, making sure to have only luminance selected and I then created a checkerboard surface to the texture. I edited the checkerboard to create stripes by clicking on the colour box beneath the texture. In this box I alterd the 'u' frequency to '0' and the 'v' frequency to '40', this created a black and white stripe effect. To add the texture to my shape, I dragged the texture onto the extrude panel in the work area.

After this I added a sphere shape to the workspace. I altered the shpere radius to '40' and changed the 'z' coordinate to 500cm, the 'R.P' coordinates to '30' and 'R.B' coordinates to '40'. This pushed the sphere into the tubular pattern and gave the shape a slight tilt.

I added colour to the sphere by adding a similar texture to the shape. I 'cmd' and dragged the material to create a copy, clicked on the colour box to change the black stripes to red. With this material, I altered the 'u' frequency to 10, creating a different thickness to the stripes to contrast that of the background. I then added a reflectance to the material. I did this by going to the reflectance tab and added a reflectance legacy option. To enhance the refection effect, I clicked layer colour and selected fresnel. this created a more realistic reflection to the sphere and improved the whole composition of the design.

I saved the designs as jpegs, with the effect of ambient acclusion to enhance the depth of detail. I experimented with different shapes to create different tubular patterns. As you can see, I have applied the flower shape path and the star shape path in the images above, both look great and unique in their own way. My favourite is the star path, it possess a clean and slightly retro appeal to it.

Next, I learnt how to add random moving objects into the 3D space and how to add collision paths to make the objects flow through the tube and bounce off of the tube walls during the process.

Moving Sphere Emitter settings/ I clicked simulate to create an emitter. I then edited the emitter settings to make the push shapes across the surface of the floor. I did this by, typing the 'z' coordinates to '70', selected particle and changed the stop emmission to '200f', speed to '200cm' and finally the rotation to '360'. After, I then dragged the sphere into the emitter I have just created and programmed. I changed object properties of the sphere radius to '15', creating an angular spin when emitted.

Colidder settings/ On the extrude object tool in the workspace, I selected tags, simulation tags and clicked 'collider body'. With the setting 'collider mesh' selected. Then we also do the same for the sphere object. Seclect 'collider body', 'rigid body' and moving mesh. Now the balls will be programmed to bounce of the walls of the tube. To make the balls flow all the way through the tube, I edited the gravity of the 3D space. I clicked, project, mode, dynamics, gravity and changed the gravity to '0'.

Cinema 4D / collider / sphere / extrude / pattern from Charlie Hamnett on Vimeo.

C4D ARTWORK / RANDOM GENERATION

Next, I was taught how to create cinema 4D artwork using shapes and the emitter tool. This technique creates interesting and unique designs that are randomly constructed during the process.

First of all, I created opened up a new C4D document and created a new plane. I edited the value of this new plane to, width '1000cm', height '1000cm', width segments '50cm' and height segments to '50cm'. For this document, it was advised I selected display 'gouraud shading lines', this provided me with a better insight to the movement my shapes will make and show me in greater detail the areas that need lift, or other movement edits.

Next, I added a displacer object and edited its settings to, height '50' and its shading. To edit the shading I clicked, shading, shader and then noise. After this, I added colour to the work space. The colour settings I used was, only luminance, Texture, surfaces, checkerboard and changing the 'u' frequency of the checkerboard to '0' and the 'v' frequency to '20'. 

Then, I added a smooth object subdivision surface. I dragged the plane panel and displacer panel into the subdivision surface, ensuring the that the plane panel is above the displacer and the displacer resides within the plane panel. I then dragged my material onto the plane tool and created a gradient texture in the process. The gradient texture allows me to add different colours to be emitted in the simulation. 

Finally, I created a graphic that I could either save as a JPEG or video. I could create lots of quick and interesting artwork using this C4D technique. All I needed to do was alter the projection of the colour and play around with some of the editing techniques with the colour object. I will explore this idea further and create some interesting posters to frame and present.

POST MODERNIST ARTWORK

Here is the final tutorial of the lesson. I was taught how to create a post modern design using the emitter tool and shapes. Plus the edition of text to make it our own.

First of all, I created eight different colours that would represent a post modern scheme to the design. Then I created eight polygons. the first two polygons I created was, one wit the height of '200cm' width with '4cm' height and the other with '4cm' in width and '200cm' in height. The rest (six) of the polygons was '70cm's' by '70cm's'. I then dragged one of each colour to one of each polygon.

Next, I added a particle emitter. I edited the particle emitter coordination units to make sure the tool emits the objects upwards away from the surface of the floor. I did this by changing the R.P coordinates to '90'. I then dragged all of the polygons into the emitter, programming the emitter to fire these polygons up into the 3D space.

I then added a camera to accuratly position the point of view above the emitted shapes. I added a white background and then created text to situate above the emitted polygons to create an effective postmodern graphic. I typed my name and rotated the text to R.P '90' to match that of the emitter. I saved this design as JPEG's and a video to demonstrate the process.

Cinema 4D / Post Moderbism / experimentation from Charlie Hamnett on Vimeo.

All in all, I have learnt a tremendous amount of information to apply within this tutorial. It is up to me to practice with what I have learnt to retain the information and get better with cinema 4D. I will explore what I have learnt further and create more artwork with the Cinema 4D file that we have set up in the lesson.

MY ARTWORK IN RESPONSE

Cinema 4D / Displacer Pattern One from Charlie Hamnett on Vimeo.

C4D Artwork / Displacer Pattern Two from Charlie Hamnett on Vimeo.

C4D Artwork / Displacer Pattern Three from Charlie Hamnett on Vimeo.

C4D Artwork / Displacer Pattern Four from Charlie Hamnett on Vimeo.

C4D Artwork / Displacer Patterns Five from Charlie Hamnett on Vimeo.

C4D Artwork / Displacer Patterns Six from Charlie Hamnett on Vimeo.

MORE WORK