Music Project Evaluation

What primary research have you done for this project?

I went to MakeItWorkshop at Cambridge Walk in Southport, and I looked at the vintage album covers in the shop to use as inspiration for my work.

What secondary research have you done for this project?

At home, I researched one of the most iconic album covers and their designers, including In The Court of the Crimson King (design by Barry Godber), Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures (designed by Peter Saville) and The Velvet Underground & Nico – Underground (designed by Andy Warhol). Some album covers were intricate and complicated like The Court of the Crimson King, and some were minimalistic, like the album covers for Joy Division and The Velvet Underground.

Secondly, I listened to and analysed Set It Off’s music. I’ve been a fan of the band for years, but I revisited their latest album, Midnight, listened to all the tracks, and made some mental thoughts on their music. I watched YouTube clips about the making of their album too.

In class, we looked at how you define a logo. We looked at the five principles of a logo: Simple, Memorable, Versatile, Appropriate, and Timeless. Then, we looked at exsiting band logos through the eras, and analysed them in groups.

How did your research help develop your ideas?

The logo research helped me to identify the best elements to use in my design by identifying the five principles in my work.

Analysing Set It Off’s music helped me to come up with designs that were appropriate to the band and their general image. I used imagery from their albums and songs in my designs, such as the glitch effected for my Hypnotized tote bag, posters and badges.

Looking at album covers online and in a shop helped me to understand what was already out there. I got to see the array of designs from minimalistic to intricate. Since I went for minimalistic designs, those types of album covers helped me to realise that I didn’t have to make something intricate for it to be effective.

What Artists, Designers or Brands have you looked at as part of your research?

I looked at printmakers Andrew Campe and Nick Rhodes. Andrew Campe creates linoprint work, where as Nick Rhodes created bitmap posters.

How have these Artists, Designers or Brands inspired and influenced your work?

Looking at how Andrew Campe created shadow and higlights in his carving technique inspired me to use the same style.

What Traditional materials and techniques have you experimented and developed with during this project?

In this project, we experimented with Linoprinting, Silk screen printing, Making badges and Drawing to Music.

What Digital Software and techniques have you experimented and developed with during this project?

Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, and functions such as Image Trace, and I have perfected knowing how to use a Clipping Mask, and how to use Free Transform to resize images on Photoshop. I have continued to use mock ups, and have gotten better at creating them.

What materials and techniques have been most successful?

Mock ups have been successful because they always look so professional when they’re finished.

Were your final outcome(s) successful? How and why? If not, explain why.

Overall, I would say that my final outcomes were very successful. The only issue lied with my badges, some were off centre and one didn’t attach to the plastic film and the backing.

What did you learn during this project?

I learnt that design doesn’t have to be intricate for it to be successful. I shared this worry with my classmates, who told me that the simplicity of my work makes it effective. Plus, looking at minimalistic existing album covers allowed me to realise this too.

What new skills, knowledge, techniques and processes have you learned during this project?

I learnt what linoprint and silk screen printing are and how to do it, I learnt how to design and create my own badges, and I learnt the process of transferring a design onto silk screen. Through this project, I was able to improve my knowledge of Photoshop and Illustrator, and I found new functions I didn’t know existed.

Is there anything you could have done differently to make your project more successful?

To make the project more successful, I think I would have given myself more time to create outcomes and write evaluations by dedicating more time to this on my days off, whether that’s coming into college or doing more work from home. I was able to come into college on a day off to finalise my project, which I found very beneficial.