Emma Bott-Watermeyer
MA Graphic Arts, 2021
Introduction:
My poster represents 50 ways in which Dyslexia affects me, from the good ways in which it affects me, to the bad ways it affects me. The 50 facts are placed into various triangles, which a different colour. For example, the word 'organisation' is placed in a purple triangle, which represents that it is one of the things most negatively affected by Dyslexia. Whereas, the word 'creative' is in a yellow triangle, which represents the most positive ways Dyslexia affects me, therefore I am very creative. I used basic infographics to represent the patterns in which dyslexia affects me.
One big factor of dyslexia is my inability to read accurately or at a decent speed. So I wanted to replicate this in my poster, by making the words harder to access and read. I did this through turning them upside down, adding one or more typeface within a word, splitting the word up, and so on. This produces movement within a word, and it is this movement that I see when I read that affects my reading ability. Words jump all over the place, some grow, some get bolder, some letters seem to disappear. Its like an illusion and the overall effect means it is always a challenge.
I always made my poster visually interactive. There in no order in the words, except in the way they are put in different coloured triangles which have different colour codes. The lack of order means the viewer can start wherever they choose to on the poster, they can decide how they read it and decipher it. The colour key represents which colours represent negative and which represent positive. The viewer has to use this key to understand the information within the shapes and in what way are they affected by Dyslexia. As a Dyslexic person, understanding information is not always easy for me. I usually start off by being confused and take time to decipher the information I have been given, often getting it wrong. I wanted the viewer to experience this, by having to interact with the poster a bit before they are able to understand it.
I used bright and bold colours to make the poster stand out and appeal to people. I wanted it to be loud and abstract. The triangles represent how my brain is a bit like shattered glass, it's kind of put together a bit wrong, which is a result of being Dyslexic.
Research
Design Research:
When I thought about the visuals for my poster, I wanted to create a poster that was bold and bright, yet minimalistic and simple. I thought about looking at this piece called 'Run', 2016 by Antony Gormley's. This simplistic, yet complicated structure.
Antony Gormley, 'Run', 2016, Cast Iron, White Cube.
I like how Gormley explores space through sculptures of people and of abstract lines exploring the space, turning the space into something that is geometric. I like the visuals of this piece because its minimalistic, and the idea that it is dynamic, it changes depending on what angle you use to look at it from. I like the geometric theme within this sculpture, which has made me think about possibly using geometry in my poster as a way to create structure.
Furthermore, in this image we can see that the continuous line in this piece overlaps itself and creates little sculptures within itself. The little sculptures are geometric shapes, which can be seen separately and as a whole piece.
I like how it makes the eye travel, as you follow the lines, count the shapes, investigate what each shape is. You can use the line and make up the route in which to explore or choreograph the piece. The geometric exploration of physical space shows how space can be arranged and split up.
I am thinking about creating a simple design in my poster which explores the space in a 2D format. I want it to provoke a feeling of interaction and movement between the shapes.
Bauhaus
I thought about how Bauhaus makes objects into simple forms, how they recreate objects such as chairs as turn them into simpler chairs which are basic and made out of industrial objects which can be mass produced at a cheap cost. They oppose the movement 'Art Deco', which focused on opulence and excessiveness, as well as traditional art and art hierarchies.
I was thinking about using the idea of taking something like an object and turning it into simple forms, like taking a chair and turning it into a shape. Using the Bauhaus approach to get rid of any excess and decoration. Using image or design to inform and present information. Also taking a lot of information and make it seem minimal and simple, therefore easy to access.
The Bauhaus style is very geometric. Being a dyslexic person, I find that order is very important to me when reading or understanding information. I find that shapes can order things nicely without allowing text and information to get messy or confusing. It could be a good way to design my poster and structure my information.
Josef Albers
Josef Albers created simplistic, geometric shape paintings, which contained bright colours.
His work 'Homage to the square', shows 4 squares, in different colours. We look at the interaction between the squares and the interaction between all the colour. "This is a series defined by an un-mitigating adherence to one pictorial formula: the square. The optical effects Albers created- shimmering colour contrasts and the illusion of receding and advancing planes - were meant not so much to deceive the eye as to challenge the viewer's facilities of visual reception." (Guggenheim, 2021) "Albers tried to teach the mechanisms of vision"(Guggenheim, 2021).
Josef Albers, 'Homage to the Square: Apparition', 1959, oil on masonite, 120.6 x 120.6 cm, Guggenheim Museum, https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/173
This series of work has made me consider how to use colour and basic forms and geometric shapes in my poster as a way of showing the text in a clear and comprehendible way. The colour theory, which makes your eye go from one square to the next teaches the viewer how t see it also means that the eye does not rest. I want my poster to contain lots of colour which makes the eye jump around the page. This work has made me think about the simple combination of shape and colour, as well as overlapping colour and creating a collage out of shapes and colours.
Lazlo Moholy-Nagy
Lazlo Moholy-Nagy's lithographs have inspired the design for my poster. I like how the shapes all interact with each other and how some of them overlap. The shapes seem to stand out more, especially where you can see the overlap shading on the white block, which is overlapping the black one. The overlapping really brings the shapes and lines to life. This is something I will consider doing in my poster with the shapes.
The simplicity of this piece makes it easy to view visually but also opens up space for deeper meanings and for various interpretation.
Lazlo Moholgy-Nagy, 'Untitled from Konstruktionen. Kestnermappe 6 (Constructions. Kestner Portfolio 6)', 1923, one from a portfolio of lithographs, 60x44cm, MoMA: https://www.moma.org/collection/works/68718?artist_id=4048&page=1&sov_referrer=artist
Suprematism
This art movement is based on shapes and geometric forms, I thought would help me think about the design of my poster even further. Suprematists removed "the real world entirely, and leaving the viewer to contemplate what kind of picture the world is offered by, for instance, a black square". (TheArtStory, 2021) Therefore, they left most of their work up to interpretation of the viewer.
I like this movement as it tests the boundaries of art and design and has a certain disregard for traditional art.
In my poster, I want to focus only on shapes and look at how I can use shapes to reflect the 50 things about myself. I want to make basic infographics so that the information on my poster is accessible and relatively easy to read. I like the style of Suprematism, its generally very aggressive and confrontational. The shapes act like they are attacking something.
Kazimir Malevich
'Dynamic Suprematism', 1915-16 by Malevich, is an exciting piece made up of various shapes which interact with each other. It is very playful and simplistic. I really like this style of geometric design, and think I could take inspiration from it, when I come to look at the layout of the shapes for my poster.
Kazimir Malevich, 'Dynamic Suprematism', 1915-16, oil paint on canvas, 803 x 800 mm, Tate, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/malevich-dynamic-suprematism-t02319
The shapes are active and playful. They explore the page in a kind of a dance. It is visually fun and appealing to look at.
I think that somehow storing information into something geometric like this could organise the information whilst also making the information look fun and eye catching.
One thing to consider is that shapes are not very personal and my poster is based on a personal subject. However they are personal on some level to me as I am very much into art movements that use shapes and geometric designs like Bauhaus and Suprematism, so it represents my art style and taste whilst also being a good way to organise facts that has structure.
Malevich was also interested in searching "for arts bare essentials" and searched for "zero degree of painting". (TheArtStory, 2021) He liberates painting and art from any form of nature or any relatable aspect in the real world. He challenges painting and art to their boundaries.
Kasimir Malevich, 'White Square on White', 1917-18, oil on canvas, The Art Story, https://www.theartstory.org/movement/suprematism/
I like this painting as a concept. The idea of taking away everything from painting, and freeing art from the everyday world produces a sense of relief almost I find. It challenges what actually is the purpose of art, and I think that is to challenge the viewer and to extend the boundaries. It is a "geometric abstraction without reference to reality" (MoMA, 2021). "The square is not exactly symmetrical and its lines, imprecisely rules have a breathing quality, generating a feeling not of borders defining a shape but of a space without limits" (MoMA, 2021).
I feel like this work is quite impersonal and something I need to think about within my poster. As my poster is based on a personal subject, I want to make sure it has a personal quality about it and make sure that I don't make it too abstract. It has made me think about using colour and lots of shapes in order to create character and excitement. However, I have also learnt that using shapes is a good way to explore space. I want the shapes in my poster to explore the space and show there is no boundaries to represent how dyslexia affects many aspects of my life, it is not just simple reading and writing which many people think it only affects. I also want the shapes to explore the space a bit to show how they are interacting with each other, to show how parts of my life connects and flow in and out of each other.
Infographics:
David MCcandles
I looked at David MCcandles work, and visited his website 'Information is Beautiful', a couple of times. I like his work because it's very simple, bright, fun and effective. It is easy to understand and access the data that he collects and presents in one image. Within my own poster, I want to use a lot of bright colours and I feel they are inviting to the viewers eye. His work has made me think about making my poster fun and inviting through using vibrant colours and basic shapes, which also makes the information accessible and easy to understand. I don't want my poster to contain too much fuss or mess, so it was interesting seeing how he represents a lot of information in a 'clean' way.
'Cool Infographics: Effective Communication with Data', 2013, Randy Krum
"Data visualisations are the visual representations of numerical values. Charts and graphs are data visualisations and create a picture from a given set of data" (Krum, 2013). I wanted to find out why we actually need infographics and data visualisations and I read that "we are all confronted with an immense amount of data and information everyday... The challenge we face is to filter out the junk, focus on the information and remember the important stuff". So infographics is a way of making memorable data that stands out. By making information and data visual, it stands out to us. Being dyslexic, I am a very visual person and rely highly on visual aids in order to understand something or even remember something. So I can understand how important this is.
Graphic designer, Sam Loman designed a piece called 'Underskin', 2010, where she applied the map designs of the underground to the human body. As this design is so famous and well known, it already stood out, especially as it was in the style of a human body. "Loman effectively applied an existing design style to a new set of information to create a visualisation that was new and different"(Krum, 2013), which also makes it memorable.
Map Infographics
I looked on the 'WorldMapper' website and found this map below which represents GDP per capita. This map is a 'cartogram', this is where "territories are resized on each map according to the subject of interest" (worldmapper, 2021). I found it interesting how colour is used to represent the different parts of the world, like a way of organising it. Using colour is an easy way to understand a piece of information, so does not require too much concentration. It also grabs the viewers attention.
Here is another map I found on WorldMapper.org which shows 'COVID-19 Case Mortality Rates', across the world. In this infographic, the use of different shades of purple, represent the mortality rates, so dark purple represents high and light purple represents low mortality rates. The expansion of some the countries on this map also visually represents the laces most affects and with the highest and lowest mortality rates. This has made me think about using colour code or a colour key in my poster, to represent what each colour means. It is a simple and easy to understand system, in which the information is easily accessible and comprehendible.
Design and text
Paula Scher
Paula Scher, 'The Diva is Dismissed' poster, 1994, Design Week, https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/25-november-1-december-2019/paula-scher-profile/
I really like how Paula Scher used typography in her posters. Often in her works, the text is jumping around the page and interacting with each other. It becomes confusing and slightly difficult to read, however I find that this style reminds me a bit of what it is like reading as a person with dyslexia and therefore having reading difficulties. When I read, words jump all over the page, some enlarge, some become bold, sometimes the letters within one word can change and jump around. I am thinking about using a similar technique in my poster, to represent what it's visually like reading as a dyslexic. I shall think about using various typefaces and having varying sizes of text which jumps around my poster.
Saul Bass
Saul Bass, an American Graphic Designer inspired me to think about shape and colour. His block shapes along with the block colours create very simplistic yet memorable pieces of work. They stand out and grab the viewers attention. I like how in his work, he is not afraid to leave white space. I think that the white space adds greater contrast and enables the image to stand out more. His works tend to consist of basic block colours, which makes the work easy to comprehend, whilst producing an abstract effect. I particularly like the piece, 'The Man With The Golden Arm' (1955) poster. The black arm is the centre piece of the overall image, it jumps out and pulls in the viewer. It is a very simple image of an arm, which is easy to comprehend. It is also quite geometrical which produces this robotic energy. The arm reaches through the text, nearly pushing it out of the way. This represents force, and power and looks like it is grabbing for something. It is a very simple poster but produces a powerful experience.
This poster made me think about using basic forms and shapes in my work, and go for the less is more approach. It also made me think about using block colours within the shapes. I think that the shapes dotted around my poster will create a visual map in which the eyes can follow and jump around. It could produce a fun and visually interactive experience that includes the viewer.
Saul Bass, 'Poster for the film The Man With The Golden Arm', 1955, Lithograph, 102.4x68.5 cm, MoMA, https://www.moma.org/collection/works/5665
Text Inspiration
David Carson
David Carson is a Graphic Designer. He creates playful, experimental work which I find exciting and fresh. The approach he takes to me seems random and this invites space for interpretation and fun. His work has really interested me in thinking about how to display text on my poster. I want the text to represent what a dyslexic person see's when they read text. In his work, the text is often jumping around, merging together, and getting jumbled up. This in my mind simulates reading as a dyslexic. I like how in his work, the words almost jump out towards the viewer in a loud and obnoxious way, saying 'look at me!" And then not really knowing where to look, which becomes confusing, similar to how I feel when I read text, when parts of the text jump out and confuse me. I found it interesting that in order to read the text in the work, sometimes you have to get up close to the work to read what the smaller, lighter text is about. I like the fact that the work makes the viewer move in order to comprehend what it is about. I am interested in testing this concept out in the text on my poster.
Furthermore, he rips up paper and text and different materials. The work is sometimes created out of collages and looks as if you could touch it as it is made out of tangible mediums such as paper. This brings it to life. His work is intriguing to look at and presents a challenge to the viewer of trying to solve it, and make sense of what each work means.
Overall, this has made me think about using more than one typeface as well as looking at collage, using different materials and mediums to get to my final poster.
In an interview, he said his design work is "experimental, intuitive and personal" (Design Boom, 2013).
His style also influenced me to loosen my style up a bit within the experimenting with text phase I went through. I felt that using materials I could hold and manipulate with my hands, I was able to become more free and experimental. I played with text and paper and looked closely at how they interacted with each other.
Book research:
'Visual Communication Design', 2017, Meredith Davis, Jamer Hunt
In my poster, I want to communicate effectively the 50 things about me. I want the visuals to be clear and simple, so it does not confuse or create mess. The visuals should only act as an aid to the information and make the information fun and accessible. "Design influences the efficiency, effectiveness and character of communication experiences"(Davis, Hunt, 2017), therefore I want the design of my poster to make the poster effective in its communication. The design shapes the "interaction with information"(Davis, Hunt, 2017). This book mentioned how design creates the experience and without it the experience may not be as intended. Thinking about my own poster, I want the viewers to learn something from it, to interact with it in some way that will draw them in and to most importantly understand it. If these three aspects are fulfilled then I believe the experience of the poster will have been effective.
"All visual messages share a similar inventory of components through which designers shape the conditions for interpretive experiences. They are made up of elements arranged in compositions, which audiences interpret through visual codes or a grammar of form appropriate to the surrounding culture." (Davis, hunt, 2017) This made me think about the audience of my poster. Ideally I want my poster to be accessible to everyone, therefore I want to use basic shapes or images which are comprehensible and not difficult to decipher. There will be space for interpretation if I use simple shapes, but equally this could narrow interpretation. For example, if I used squares and triangles, this could have connotations of maths or baby toys. But because of the simplicity of the shapes, the viewer may not try to find different interpretations and just use it as a guide to viewing the information.
"Elements are the physical signs and symbols used to communicate the subject matter of a message" (Davis, Hunt, 2017), so the elements in my poster will be the visual images, the text and maybe a key to represent the colours or images. I think having a sort of key will help communicate my ideas, especially if I want to make my poster visually interactive, or make the viewer work a little bit to get the information.
"Type/image relationships present additional opportunities for the construct of meaning. Under the simplest relationship, words "label" images and "illustrate" words" (Davis, hunt, 2017), therefore type and image help to reinforce each other. Using only image could confuse the viewer, and may not allow the viewer to understand what the images actually mean. The words reinforce what the images mean, in more detail or could explain why they are there in the first place. Images make the words more visually appealing and also allow further understanding.
I am thinking about the composition of my poster and exactly what I want it to look like and how I want this to come across to the viewer. "Composition determines which elements the audience encounters first and last" (Davis, Hunt, 2017). In my work, I have a key in a colour order, of things that are most affected by my Dyslexia to the least. This gives some kind of direction in order of read, but there is a freedom to start wherever the viewer wants. The point of the Design of the poster is to represent in a visual way, Dyslexia, so by giving no clear order of read, it almost replicates having Dyslexia. The messiness of Dyslexia and how, especially in my case everything is confusing to me especially when I read text. I want the viewer to experience this, even if its a little bit.
I have no included any illustrations of objects or things that are affected by my Dyslexia, such as difficulty telling the time, as it may confuse the viewer or make the poster overly or unnecessarily messy. I want the main focus to be on the theme of Dyslexia, which is why I have no included other images, incase they take away from this or change interpretation.
Furthermore, in my composition, I wanted the colour to be bright and bold, to attract viewers attention. This will come across first in what the audience encounters. "Something can draw attention to one element over others, to a hierarchy of importance among units of information"(Davis, Hunt, 2017), in this case the hierarchy of my poster will be: colour, image, key and finally text. The bold text will be seen first and the lighter text will be seen last. This variation of bold and light is to represent what it is like to read text as a dyslexic person, where the text randomly increases or decreases in size, as well as jumping around the page.
"Breaking the rules or undermining the accepted code is a typical strategy for design movements that challenge the status quo. In the early part of the 20th Century, the futurists experimented with fragmenting the linear reading order or syntax of text. By breaking apart the logical sequencing of words in sentences and paragraphs designers sought to "wake up" readers" (Davis, Hunt, 2017). In my work, I have ignored "clear typographical hierarchies"(Davis, Hunt, 2017), to replicate the way dyslexics read and see text. The text in my poster is fragmented and dotted around fairly randomly, as if it is some trick of the mind. Some words stand out, some don't, some words as so small that they purposely encourage the viewer to get physically closer to the poster in order to read it. The words themselves are fragmented, through size and different typefaces. This creates visual movement within the words, which makes the reader have to concentrate more to comprehend what the word is.
"Categories are useful in orientating readers or viewers to the structure of the information"(Davis, hunt, 2017). I have four different categories in my poster, which show the four ways that dyslexia affects the various things about me. The categories are split up using four different colours, and are mapped around the poster. The shapes on the poster which hold the colours, remind me of a map almost and made me think about how maps display information through colours to represent categories.
Book: 'Design For Information', 2013, Isabel Meirelles
Spatial structures are "a diagram or collection of date showing the spatial distribution of something or the relative positions of its components" (Meirelles, 2013), like for example a map. "Thematic maps display a theme that can be a number of phenomena such as social, political, economic or cultural issues with the purpose of revealing patterns or frequencies" (Meirelles, 2013). I used colour to represent the variations of my dyslexia and how it affects different aspects of my life.
My poster overall simulates what it is like to read as a dyslexic person, a large factor of being dyslexic. As well as, informing the viewers 50 ways that dyslexia affects me, both good and bad.
Practical Work:
In the introduction to this project, we started off with having 5 minutes to continuously write things about ourselves. We weren't supposed to lift our pens from the paper. I actually found this surprisingly difficult without any visual props or looking around my room for ideas. But I did enjoy the process.
After the session, I decided to look around my room for ideas and then write down more things about myself: hamster, cosy, fairy lights, clothes, shoes, technology, record player, art stuff, candles, makeup.
I also started searching my Pinterest account, facebook and instagram account to find other things about myself that I missed.
My saved pins on Pinterest:
Mind-mapping:
I created a mind map to jot down everything I could think about that related to my interests, and myself in general. I find they organise ideas in my head.
I collected the information and tried to sort it into a sort of category, but the things about myself were very random and didn't categorise well. I therefore, decided to sum myself up using one word. Thinking about what I want the poster to say about me overall. I thought about the fact that I am very dyslexic.
Being dyslexic affects most things I do in my daily life, and often, things that people find easy, I find difficult. But on the other hand, it also means that I am very creative, very visual and have tendencies to think outside the box. I also suffer from anxiety as a result of being dyslexic, especially in the academic world, where I struggle a lot more. So I decided to create a day diary to see exactly how being dyslexic affects me during the day, doing normal everyday things.
From this diary, I discovered that I am fairly forgetful, find it hard to organise myself and am fairly all over the place due to being bad with time. Seeing as dyslexia affects me in many areas of my life, I think it will be a good foundation for my poster and the information I collect.
Purpose of my poster: To inform people about dyslexia, to reflect on how dyslexia affects me, to collect and represent information about myself.
Good and bad traits of dyslexia:
I started listing good and bad traits of dyslexia that I experience.
Good-
Artistic, Creative, innovative, Think out outside the box, divergent, visual, caring, empathetic, patient, open minded, intelligent, funny, intuitive, long term memory, good work ethic, dedicated, determined, multitasker, sees patterns, perfectionist,
Bad-
-Cant spell, read, writing is difficult, poor handwriting, disorganised, messy, difficulty telling the time, poor short term memory, struggle with instructions, directions, cant map read, poor oral reading, concentration, literal, spelling, mispronunciation, poor maths, sequential tasks,
Next, I thought about the visual aspect of being dyslexic. I thought about my living space and my bedroom, and took images of its current state. It's a constant effort to keep my room tidy as I am not one bit a tidy person and I struggle to organise myself in this way. It almost represents my brain and how I struggle to organise information, instructions, thoughts, etc.
Images of my room:
Looking at these images, I was reminded of collage. Due to the mess and lack of any organisation in my room, the objects became less like individual things and more of a cluster of shapes or a collage. This represents how dyslexia manifests itself in me visually.
I drew over these images on procreate, which helped me see patterns and shapes, rather than the objects. I repeated this process with some other objects including a fruit bowl and a plant.
I like the idea of focusing on shapes rather than an actual object. It makes an abstract construct of the objects. I am thinking about applying this to my work somehow. I shall first complete some quick drawings of my room, using an abstract style.
Drawings:
I decided to do some rough drawings of my room on procreate. I spent 1 minute on each one, to make sure I wasn't focusing too much on the detail of each objects and more on the overall picture.
Reflection: No great detail, just a collage of shapes. Could look at using shapes instead of objects? I am going to continue investigating objects for now.
More observational drawings:
I thought about ways in which I could describe my room.
-Messy, unorganised, things everywhere, no structure or order. I feel like the rawness of the drawings represented the messiness of my room. It feels no need to be perfect, it is representational.
The messiness of my room reminded me of that instillation piece by Tracey Emin, 'My Bed', 1998. I like how it's like a collage of objects messed up together into one heap. The objects she collected represent her in a bad time in her life. I find it interesting how just a collection of objects can become so personal and how when arranged together they can represent a period of time. Whereas one object on its own doesn't necessarily represent anything except itself, there aren't as many emotions attached. It's like a scene from a play.
Tracey Emin, 'My Bed', 1998, box frame, mattress, linens, pillows, Tate, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/emin-my-bed-l03662
I looked at Tracey Emin's piece of work, 'My Bed' (1998). It is a very personal piece of work, and reminded me a bit of my bedroom, with the mess everywhere and the disorganised aesthetic. I found it really interesting how a collection of objects can reflect so much about a person and what they are experiencing. It's like a visual autobiography, or a visual diary of days piled into one. Her bed represents a bad time in her life, and we can see this through the dirt on the floor, the cigarette butts, the empty alcohol bottles, and the untidy bed. Using this idea, I thought about how my room represents me. My room, also being incredibly messy, (for a different reason) represents a lot about who I am as a person. It shows I am probably quite laid back, not bothered about mess, disorganised and poor at tidying. It also reflects my dyslexia and dyspraxia which affects my ability to organise and keep things neat.
Creating collages of shapes: watercolour paints
Here, I am looking at how I can display shapes and lines and with what kind of medium. I am not sure whether to use a more traditional art approach to this, by hand drawing or painting the shapes or drawing them digitally. These were just some quick experimentations I created using watercolours and pen. They reminded me vaguely of Wassily Kandinsky and how he arranged his paintings.
Although I liked them, I felt like I needed to focus on bolder shapes, using brighter colours and experiment more using different materials to develop these initial drawings.
Collage ideas
I created a collage out of foam sheets which I cut into random shapes of different sizes. I rearranged them multiple times. I really liked the block colour effect, and the boldness of the colours, which I felt really allowed the images to stand out.
Practise editing shapes and geometric collages on Procreate
This was my first time really using digital drawing software, so I was trying to get the hang of it. I experimented first of all by creating basic shapes. I used bold colours again to make the shapes stand out and simply look fun and aesthetic. I thought about the idea of colours representing different moods and maybe somehow using colour to represent the ways that dyslexia affects me in my everyday life.
Below, I am drawing over a picture I had made out of colourful paper.
Reflection: I feel more confident now using digital drawing softwares, such as Procreate. I will start thinking about adding more shapes to my design in order to create that shattered effect. I shall also create some observational drawings of things in my room for more shape inspiration and exploraiton.
Quick observational sketches
I drew some quick observational sketches of the objects and turned it into a collage drawing. Firstly, I used pencil and only allowed myself a minute to draw the objects, so that I focused more on the shapes rather than the detail in the objects. I then looked at using colour and seeing how this impacted the shapes. What I found interesting was that when I added colour, the shapes stood out more but still remained in the collage. I allowed myself 30 seconds to draw the objects and I started creating very basic, raw shapes, creating an abstract outcome.
Here, I looked at format and layout of the shapes, which represented some objects in my room.
I chose this layout and used different mediums to experiment with the aesthetics. I decided to fill in the colour instead of leaving it as an outline. I felt like the block colours stood out more.
I edited the images on my Procreate, a software which I am still learning to use. I combined all the geometric collages I had so far created below to see if they would look good together as an overall collage.
I was happy with my progress with the software but, I am not sure this is how I want my poster to look. Although I think that shapes will be a good way of representing information, as they stand out.
My problem with this layout was that the shapes were almost too orderly and therefore in my mind did not represent the chaotic nature of dyslexia. It wasn't crowded enough or confusing enough. The shapes seemed too calm.
Development ideas: Add more shapes, think about different shape designs, experiment more with making shapes on paper and then make more digital ones. Making shapes using paper is more playful and I think about the process less, so I might make something better and more playful.
Creating abstract geometric drawings on Procreate
I then wanted to experiment a bit more with drawing and making geometric pictures.
I made these abstract drawings on Procreate, I was looking at the play between colour, shapes and medium. I was thinking whether or not to create an abstract poster and whether or not this would work, as my art style is in general very abstract and colourful.
I was happy with how these pictures came out, however I do not think this style will present or hold information well. I think it would be confusing trying to read information off of these. They work better as an artwork, on their own. So I shall continue creating block shapes, which I think will store and present information and text effectively.
Typography experimentation
I looked at experimenting with typography and text. I was thinking about creating a text which reflected what it's like to read as a dyslexic. So I started by writing the word 'Dyslexia' in my own handwriting several times. My handwriting is very messy and often not very legible. I thought about somehow involving this theme in the text.
I then used procreate to develop the text. I thought about using different typefaces and fonts and sizes within one word to simulate what it's like to read as a dyslexic. Or what I personally experience. Often when reading, words merge, enlarge, blur, move and so on.
Using different typefaces and sizes of letters within a word, helped to simulate this experience. Simulate the struggle to read and make sense of a word.
Adding the text to shapes
These are basic initial experiments, where I am introducing text to shapes. I am thinking about whether i want the text in or out of the shapes or even having a mixture of both.
I then looked at ignoring the shape boundaries and using text to transcend the shapes.
I decided to create a new composition of shapes but this time using coloured paper. Instead of putting the shapes on the page myself and decided where to put them, I just dropped the shapes onto the page. This created a less controlled composition of shapes, which looked like they had been scattered. I thought about these pictures more and noticed how they looked like something fragile had been dropped and this was the shattered result of that action. It looked like shattered glass. This reminded me of being dyslexic and how my brain breaks up information and words and messes it up so I cant understand it anymore. The shattered glass was like a metaphor for my dyslexia.
Out of the three pictures, I particularly liked the pink collage on the far right. I think this collage is the most effective as it is less cluttered and contains more white space. Having more white space enables the shapes to stand out more whilst also looking busy. There are also more varied colours which also makes each shape appear more individual.
I edited the my preferred image and turned it into a digital drawing and added text.
I decided to experiment more with text and by using basic materials such as paper and crayon/pen. I felt that having the materials in front of me enabled me to manipulate them and move them around much clearer. I tore up some paper and suck it down. I then wrote the word 'Dyslexia' on top of the collage of torn paper, trying to experiment with different ways in which I could write it, looking at how the text travelled and interacted with its background and with other text. I obscured the text by for example, making half of the word in capitals and the rest lower case, and so on. I felt that this exercise got me to really think about layout and how I can be creative with assembling the text.
I then added digital text to the pervious images and layered the same word a couple of times. I felt that this was very playful and fun.
I also added another layer on top, where I mixed in drawings of shapes and then another layer of text.
This has made me consider having text going in different directions, using different typefaces within one word, and has shown me that I want the typography to be fun and playful, whilst also representing the reading difficulties that a dyslexic person faces.
Basic Poster Form 1
I began to look more at the form of the poster and how the shapes were going to be laid out.
Reflection: Some of the shapes are too small for legible text. Instead may use larger shapes, to reduce the white space. Maybe overlapping colours, idea of transparency?
Below is a quick initial sketch of the layout of my final poster. Reflection: Using all the text within the shapes. The colour of the shape represents how dyslexia affects each of the 50 things about me, as shown by the colour grid.
Here is a quick GIF I made which show my idea of something breaking or shattering.
These animations made me think about only using triangles in my animation. Triangles are very pointy, slightly aggressive shapes. They also interact well with each other.
Development Form 2
Here I made drawings that were just made out of triangles. I looked at different ways of drawing the triangles. I thought about maybe adding a black outline, but then I considered this might interrupt the text, do I decided to stick with simple triangles which were not outlined. I also looked at the possibility of using a different colour background, but I thought that this took away the effectiveness of the white against the bright colours, that contrast that makes the shapes jump out.
Furthermore, I decided to make the shapes look slightly translucent to make the triangles visually look like shattered glass.
I created some more mind-maps to think about the things that my dyslexia affects, as well as just general things.
Once I had thought about the 50 things I was going to include in my poster I bullet pointed them in a list.
The 50 things about me, which are affected in some way by dyslexia. These are in no order or category.
Below are four layout plans for my poster. I shall pick one layout plan I will stick to for now, but I might make a few final drafts so this may not end up being the final layout plan.
The final layout plan:
This layout was a reference which guided me through the development of my final poster. I decided to make it relatively vague, so I could change the poster plan if I wanted to. It was a handy guide.
Below is the design of the poster, but without text. I was really happy with the layout of the shapes, they're bigger and fill up more white space. I used more triangles, adding to the effect of shattered, broken glass.
Reflection: Happy with the way the shapes overlap each other, creating different shades, also producing a transparent effect. Could refer to the many layers of dyslexia. It not just one thing, it affects many things. I am also happy with the shattered glass affect as it also represents my anxiety.
This is my sketch for the colour theory. I looked at warm, happy colours and cold colours, to represent the good and bad effects of dyslexia.
I have organised the text into 6 different colour bubbles. These colours I have decided will range from how dyslexia most positively affects me to how it most negatively affects me. So for example, the text in the yellow are facts about me which are most positively affected by me being dyslexic.
This is how I set about creating my colour key. I used the circles and put them in my specific colour order. I then decided to turn them into squares, as I thought that he circles would contrast too much with the triangles on the page and may create unintended meaning. I also added text to the colour key to show what it represents.
Below is an image of my poster which I shared in the 4th lecture. We had to create our final poster drafts. I got very positive feedback, but one interesting comment I received was about removing the title "Dyslexic", and letting the viewer decipher what the poster is about for themselves. The colour grid at the bottom informs the viewer it is about dyslexia. This way it invites the viewer to investigate the poster, to find out what it means. It enables visual interaction.
Therefore, I moved the title and my name closer to the shapes, to reduce white space and to connect the poster a bit more. I feel happy with this decision and am glad that it has simplified it. Whereas previously, the poster was separated more into 3 parts, it flows better now.
I was also happy with the text. I wrote each word in the same typeface and then changed individual letters in that word to a different size and typeface, to give the impression the word is jumbled, showing what a dyslexic see's when they read. I was happy with how this effect turned out. I was also happy with how the text jumps around the shapes, in no order or structure. The idea of it being random is similar to reading as a dyslexic. Everything is messy and confusing.
Final Poster Draft:
This poster purposely has no borders, I did not want to restrict the shapes by putting them instead a box, I also thought that having a border might take away from the focal point of the poster.
This poster was initially supposed to be my final version, however I decided to change a few things. First of all, I did not like the arrow underneath the colour chart. I thought it was childish and was misleading. It points in a certain direction, suggesting people start at yellow and end at purple, however I do not wish my viewers to view it like an instruction. I want them to view it how they want and in any order.
I brought the title and my name to the bottom of the poster, I decided it looked better and reduced the white space. I also placed the colour chart at the top of the poster. I decided that by doing this, I was able to make the chart larger and also it became part of the aesthetic, rather than an instruction. Before it was hidden by the shapes and the bold colours and now it stands out more.
Final Poster Draft:
However, I did not like how the title was at the bottom of the poster, so I decided to bring it back up to the top in my final poster edition.
Final Poster:
Overall, I am very happy with my final poster outcome. I think I have produced something that is easy to understand, the message is clear and the poster is bright and visually pleasing. It challenges the reader to view the world from a dyslexic perspective by being visually interactive. It confronts the viewer through the bright colours and the splatter of shapes. I feel the text, random typefaces and words jumping around the page simulates what it is like to read as a dyslexic, further adding to the theme.
If I had to change anything about this poster, given more time, I would liked to have spent more time developing my digital drawing abilities, but I am very proud of how far I've managed to come considering I had no previous experience with drawing on technology, there was a lot of learning and mistakes involved. When making this poster, I was not aware of the ability to layer in Procreate or photoshop, so this meant that editing the poster was difficult.
In the future I am interested looking more closely at shape and colour and their relationship. I am considering looking at this theme in my other module; Analysing Practise in Graphic Arts. I like the idea of minimalism and working with the bare minimum to create something interesting.
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