Whilst considering the symbols of life and death- the philosophies, what makes them be, I also contemplated how, despite the fact that it is potentially the extremist form of an "opposite" imaginable, they are intrinsically linked- without one, the other does not exist.
After gathering research, both secondary and primary, and reviewing people's thoughts and philosophies on the subjects of life and death- it seemed that one thing truly bound these statements together: love.
On one's deathbed, people talk about love- not how much money they wish they had, or that promotion they regret not persuing- love is within all of us, and without it, life is shallow and empty.
I started to create designs to reflect this thought process- perhaps to be sandwiched between posters of 'life' and 'death'-acting as the in-between stage...
Using text as image in a heart shape (instantly symbolic of love), constructed using a wide variety of famous quotes- creating a wide over view of the perseptions of love- I liked the idea, but colour was definately needed- a red or pink shade.
I used the typeface 'Gill Sans' -a relatively new but favourable typeface I have been using recently and found really versatile and effective- looking great in all it's forms- regular, bold, italic, condensed. Best of all, in this condensed image each letter is bold and legible- no fuss sans serif text.
As I imagined, I think the design looks a lot better in red- though I regret the addition of the type at the bottom. I think this alone looks to forced and greetings-card-esque- not very inspiring to look at.
...Again, a similar feeling towards this design. I think, however, it could be improved even by slightly raising the distance between the text and the double lines- the bottom looks too heavy in comparison to the top of the image- the negative space between the two looks too large.
By simply changing the case of the typeface, I think this already looks far more effective- more boldness and assertiveness- the design looks as if it has more of a purpose and message now, as I intend.
...Experimenting with a crimson tone- I much prefer this colouring- far less "in your face" bright, softer, and more subtle- more suitable for my theme and content now, I believe.
A zoomed-in version of the type as image heart design, here, using people's idealogies of love, and what they consider love to be (found in secondary sources, see context blog for more details). Because of the anatomy of the letters and the forms they take, it was always going to be quite hard to align and to create a perfect symmetrical shape. Whilst it isn't too noticeable, this is my greatest issue in the design, and if I were to persue this idea, I would definately experiment with the increasing and decreasing of the point size of the text to ensure that it was "just right" in it's final stage.
More variations...experimenting with colour, layout, background and type.
I have really enjoyed the process, and whilst it has by no means been quick-and-easy it has inspired me in the sense that I realise just how many potential route can be explored and developed with one single design- a really exciting starting point in the develpoment of my final designs.
No comments:
Post a Comment