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Sacha Childs ‑Clarke Fda Design for graphic communicationA to Z Research book

AnalysisBaseline

CropData

EphemeraFont

GrotesqueHyphenation

IterationJaggies

KnowledgeLogic

ModuleNostalgia

OrnamentPunctuationQualification

RhythmSymmetry

TangibleUse

VisceralWhite Space

XYellow

Zero

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When choosing my words I made sure I was choosing words that not only captured my imagination but words that were not to closely related to graphic design. This was to ensure that I would not get too trapped in a format early on in the ideas. I also wanted to make sure that the ideas that I would come too would be something that I could be enthusiastic about.

Initial word choice

3Image selection

Images for ideas had to be deeper than just what comes up on google, though it did become one of main sources. To try and get a better meaning and more interesting thread to pull on, I went to the ‘compact’ Oxford dictionary and then looked up the etymology of each word.

This was a really useful technique and I loved not having to stare at a computer screen for hours looking at a never ending stream of ‘de motivational posters’. The facts I found led me to intriguing ideas that allowed me to develop new paths for words.

4Crop

The word crop kept coming back to the same concept for me. It was to remove or to act negatively in

order to enhance the what was left behind. I had a photograph of a child crying, the connection being that they were being disciplined and though they were sad, it was for their own good.

I did not know where i was heading with my experiments but I wanted to just play with processes that removed to improve(d).   Above there is the first actual experiment I undertook. It was electrolysis of copper sulphate to create sulphuric acid. I would the use the acid in various ways to make visual things. Sadly though I am not really a scientist and due to lack of carbon cathodes and anodes acid was not made.

5Crop

In the search for removing processes, at least ones that were not hazardous to my health, I came across scratch foil. This is a really interesting medium where it starts black and using a special tool, you scratch away to make the image. I bought some to play with, it came with a ready made guide for me to scratch away but I was more interested in doing something with type.

The final images ended up having a lovely unique style but I could not see much more depth in it. Though I had found a process that I felt was quite intriguing I chose to leave it there and maybe use it again in the future.

6Grotesque

Whilst researching the word grotesque I had found it was about paintings from caves or grottos. This lead me to scary monsters and childhood fears. Then I

became interested in how you can see shapes and your imagination can make something scary appear from something harmless. I began by just putting some objects in front of a lamp and taking photographs of the shadows. It was great how many things would pop out of nothing. I then looked at how paper takes the shape of my face. The results became quite scary.

7Grotesque

I did the darkroom workshop and found photograms to be a really appropriate process for this idea. I shot a black and white film and when exposing the pictures laid objects on top of the paper. Again like the scratch foil, it created an interesting visual outcome but in comparison to other ideas, I did not feel I could go much further.

8Punctuation

How dare you!How dare you!

How dare you!

Not being a fan of reading, I thought that a system to aid you in understanding the tone of a written piece of speech would be very welcome.

I played with the idea of making new punctuation marks, some based literally on expressions and some more abstract.

9Punctuation

Hi, Mom.Is that Dr. Bennett's car?Yes. He's up with your father now.And how is he?Well... No, I got it.He's impossible. He won't eat.Because he doesn't eat, he's weaker. Because he's weak, he doesn't want to eat. How much time does he have left?You don't talk about that.Not yet. Will.Dr. Bennett. Oh, it's good to see you.My wife, Josephine.A pleasure. You're seven months.To the day!It's a boy.Try to get him to drink one of these.He won't, but go ahead and try.Dad?You want some water?You are in for a surprise.Am I?Having a kid changes everything.There's the diapers and the burping and the midnight feeding.Did you do any of that?No. But I hear it's terrible.Then you spend years trying to corrupt and mislead this child......fill its head with nonsense, and still it turns out perfectly fine.You think I'm up for it?You learned from the best.Drink half the can.I'll tell Mom you drank it all.Everyone wins.

Having played with different methods it became quickly evident that this idea was much larger than I could do justice in the scale of this project.

10Qualification

Ps

Ai

ID Having recently seen a lot of documentaries on the army an its structure I had become fascinated by its order and machine like opperation. The ranking system and acheivements to gained made me thing that a similar system could be adapted to

11Qualification

I played around with making different badges and medals, but in the end I found that compared to other ideas this one would not produce much fruit.

12Visceral

I found visceral meant a powerful gut feeling. I started to think about what it is that makes me passionate and what do I find much splendour.  Being a Christian I find those amazing things in life 

that astound people are so much richer knowing that God carefully made it and made it for a purpose.

13Visceral

This idea led me to a format where I could put forward my point of view and ask what it is that the other view is based on. However though I was very keen to stick with this idea, it became clear that it would need a lot of careful panning and if done wrong would be worse than not doing it.

14Analysis

The word analysis led me to forensic science. I wanted to look at the subject of forensic science and

typography and see where it went. I started by macro shots of printed type.

15Analysis

I made letters using certain CSI techniques to find what interesting results came out. It was really fun coming up with many different processes.

16Analysis

To give the letters some glue I chose to analyse something, that something was me. My habits, abilities thoughts etc. all in a “toungue in cheek” forensic report.

17Baseline

Baseline made me think of a baseline grid. I then saw what the baseline grid is like when applied to a human environment. I saw the baseline grid as a secret system of control and manipulation, sitting in the background telling the type where to sit. With this I looked at invisible inks and ways of making hidden messages. I heard that lemon juice will dry clear but when heated would burn and become visible. I wanted to control it so I bought a cheap printer from a charity shop and managed to get it to print with lemon juice.

18Baseline

Using this process I made messages that would sit in the background. But it needed substance. I knew of a man called Edward Bernays, he was famous for using psychoanalytic methods to control the masses of people in a population and got them buy what they were selling

I then went on to design a poster that gave this idea and used this method. I screen printed with the lemon juice to give a nod to his most famous trick which got women to start smoking.

19Baseline

20Ephemera

I was playing with different short lived materials to  reflect something that is ephemeral.

21Ephemera

A daylilly will often only last for twenty four hours. To play with this I made it into a twenty four frame animation, one frame for each hour. I made a flipbook that went in a circle to highlight that though it is ephemeral it is also constantly repeating.

22Ephemera

23Font

Font made me think of when I first heard the word typeface. I played with different ways of making

childish letters printing with them. The thought that typography is as important as the alphabet I wanted a way of bringing it closer to childhood I really wanted to make a toy for children and then I thought why not make a printing press for kids. It would take a while but I knew It would be possible.

24Font

25Font

It was not the easiest process and the design changed a couple of times. But It got done and in some form or another it does actually print.

26Hyphenation

27Hyphenation

The element of hyphenation I liked was the way that it joined two things to make one. With this

in mind I played with different joining techniques and mixed them with typography. One of the most interesting outcomes was this woven type above. I then needed to take it and give the process a deeper meaning.

28Hyphenation

After a few different ideas I decided to take a letter from me to my girlfriend and one from her to me, print them on a strong material and weave them together.