Emma Bott-Watermeyer
Graphic Arts MA, 2021
Introduction:
In this project, we were meant to create a manifesto based off earlier ideas from the other projects to form a declaration for our future work.
In my previous work I have struggled to let go of control, I find it hard to be spontaneous and make a piece of art or design without preplanning, etc.
My manifesto is about letting go of control, trusting in the process and being happy about making mistakes (which helps with the development process).
I have always struggled making abstract art, as I have personally experienced that it is often not accepted by people. I am often confronted with the people telling me that contemporary and abstract art isn't 'real art', due to people believing that art should be a highly skilled making process, where artists replicate things to the exact.
I want my manifesto to change this traditional and old fashioned way of thinking. This will aim to make modern/abstract art acceptable amongst more people. I want to inform people that art does not have to be replicating that of a cameras job. For a long time I decided to conform to the 'correct' way of making art, where I would perfect my drawing skills in order to draw perfectly. I recently have decided that art is bigger than drawing a nice picture. It's about reflecting new ideas and challenging realities.
I took an anti-art approach in my manifesto, where I take away the highly valued artist skill and art aesthetic and thereby ignore traditional art values.
I shall develop a drawing style which reflects my abstract approach to art making. This shall also be reflected through the design of the leaflet and how the text will interact with the shapes and illustrations. I shall experiment with typography, as I have little experience with typography and it would be good to get a decent grasp of it. I want to experiment with making some fun typography out of different materials.
Overall my manifesto is about the idea of play, having fun and being spontaneous when making art/design work. It is also about having a healthier approach to art making, where it's okay to take time out, its okay to make mistakes, and its okay to make work that you don't necessarily understand as long as you experiment and develop the work and have fun. I think play is a very important part of development, it encourages testing new things as well as being open minded and experimental.
I am going to create a leaflet manifesto, which will contain the following ideas:
Spontaneity
Experiment with different materials
Have fun
Dance/move
Mood-board:
"Manifestos often mark the adoption of a new vision, approach, program or genre. They criticise present state of affairs but also announce it's passing, proclaiming the advent of new movement" (Munro, 2019).
I am taking the avant-garde art approach to making a manifesto, which is based on how I create work. This is work which challenges and denounces traditional art ideas and creating a new form of work and processes. I want to make a manifesto that focuses on fun, letting go of the strict boundaries that art and design traditionally have, and making the process enjoyable.
The modern art movements usually attempt to reduce art down to minimalistic or simplistic forms or trying to renounce traditional, 'high art' and it's institutions. It's about freeing art, making fun of art, stretching it boundaries.
Research:
I have conducted some research in Art Manifestos to improve my own understanding of how they are used and why. I have looked into the manifestos of Dada, Bauhaus and the Guerrilla Girls. I shall look at how this influenced their work.
Manifestos outline how the artists declare to create new art. They often go against traditions and 'high art' values.
I have found that in all the avant-garde art movements, they all denounce the idea of traditional, high art. They come up with a way to either devalue art or create a new concept for art. I found that art manifestos are mainly a way of formally denouncing art and ridiculing its institutions. Therefore, manifestos can be a way of challenging or provoking something, or get us to expand our minds.
I have also looked at how manifestos are like advertisements, they advertise the art/design work. They are a way of promoting something. This made me think about commercial advertisements and how they link in with manifestos (in a shorter, more to the point kind of way).
(At the end of my research, I looked at artists and designers that have inspired me in my manifesto development.)
Manifesto Definition:
A manifesto, as described by the critic John Elderfield as a set of "'artistic intentions", which is a "valuable insight into the mind of the artist" (Baker, 2015).
In art manifestos, the artists outlines their intentions and rules.
Anti Art: "Anti Art was based on disgust and used art to unsettle the ruling conventions, to negate art and to play with its pretensions and to expose its oppression of the public imagination" (Peters, 2019).
Dada was formed as a revolt against war. It formed in Zurich during WW1. They created satirical, nonsensical artwork which often was silly, mocking or random. They created poems, which didn't make sense. This was an anti-art movement, acting against the horrors of war and the pointlessness in it. "In addition to being anti-war, dada was also anti-bourgeois and had political affinities with the radical left" (Tate, 2021). They looked for "alternative modes of social functioning that would disengage them from the un-savory reality of the times" (Anapur, 2016). So they were very anti-artistic to show their disgust of the war.
Raoul Hausmann, 'The Art Critic', 1919-20, lithograph and printed paper on paper, 318 x 254mm, Tate, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hausmann-the-art-critic-t01918
For example, this piece by Hausmann, uses collage to mock political figures. The collage is silly, humours and un-aesthetic. It shows disregard towards powerful figures, war and art. It also contains a lack of art/technical skill.
One of the members of DADA, Tristan Tzara, claimed that art was "meaningless, merely 'a tool for self purification' based on stale morality." (Peters, 2019).
"Dadaists made work that followed no logic, that defied allegiances or descriptions, that rejected any unifying philosophy and resisted any kind of logical cultural critique" (IDEELART, 2016).
Dada has made me think about anti-art and how it totally mocks traditional art values. This actually inspired me to think about creating a manifesto that looks at challenging traditional art. I like the randomness and silliness of this movement, where they turn art into something to laugh at and mock.
I have found in general that people tend to expect a deep meaning in art. So e.g. if the artwork is a chair they will try to find the deep meaning of that chair. When actually that chair could literally mean it is a chair, nothing deeper. Creating anti-art reduces or gets rid of the need for meaning, aesthetics, etc, in art.
So if I invite play into art, it does not allow for any form of deep meaning, it literally means that the art is no controlled by boundaries or hierarchies. It is free to do what it wants, without thinking about whether it is a good representation of something or involves highly skilled craftsmanship.
For example, Marcel Duchamp created 'Fountain', 1917, which is a readymade or a found object. He claimed it to be a piece of art. This work goes totally against traditional art standards and values. It dismisses the artists technical skills and shows that art does not have to be something impossible to replicate or create. It can be something simple and easy as long as it makes people think and react.
Marcel Duchamp, 'Fountain', 1917 replica 1964, porcelain, 360 x 480 x 610 mm, Tate, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/duchamp-fountain-t07573
Another work that is anti art and anti art values is this piece called 'Artists Shit', 1961 by artist Piero Manzoni.
This idea made me think about turning art on its head and making a manifesto which accepts anything as art.
Piero Manzoni, 'Artists Shit', 1961, metal paper and 'artists shit', 17/8" (4.8cm) x 21/2" (6.5cm) in diameter, MoMA, https://www.moma.org/collection/works/80768
I looked at other art movements to see how they sought about changing art and moving away from traditional values.
The Bauhaus denied the idea of the decorative arts and made the Bauhaus school focus more prominently on making art something more practical that focused on craftsmanship. They created work based on functionality, bring back the importance of manufacturing, industry and mass production. Their furniture designs for example were simple, focusing on the minimal, functional aspects rather than the decorative and the aesthetic.
Peter Keler, 'Baby Cradle', 1923, https://www.dezeen.com/2018/11/08/bauhaus-furniture-designs-chair-tables-chess-set-baby-cradle/
This cradle, designed by Peter Keler, is a very simplistic, functional piece of furniture. It consists of basic shapes, materials and colours. The circles on either side of the cradle enables the cradle to rock. It is like a piece of architecture than a piece of furniture. I can see how the manifesto shaped the production of work, by outlining their aims they were able to create simple designs like this.
Unlike Bauhaus, I am thinking about creating a manifesto that is focused on opening up the art world, enabling it to be anything and everything. Therefore, looking at Bauhaus has made me consider the style of art and design I want my manifesto to promote. Unlike DADA, Bauhaus in my opinion has a very clear style and design. In my manifesto I think I will take a DADA approach in allowing any design or style to be a form of art.
Guerrilla Girls
There are also Manifesto's related to feminist ideas and concepts. Including the Guerrilla Girls. They created advertisement to confront the sexist problems in the male dominated art world. This has made me think about how a manifesto is like an advert for the art that people produce; with a mixture of rules and instructions.
Guerrilla Girls, part of 'Guerrilla Girls Talk Back', 1988, screenprint on paper, 430 x 560mm, Tate, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/guerrilla-girls-the-advantages-of-being-a-woman-artist-p78796
The boldness of the font on this poster, means that it is easy and clear to read, and it also stands out. As there is a lot of text on this poster, the legibility of it is very important. This will be interesting to consider when I start looking at typography.
"The Guerrilla girls appropriated the visual language of advertising , specifically fly-posting , to convey their messages in a quick and accessible manner." (Tate, 2021) Making posters and small adverts makes this work very accessible to the public, it means it can be put on walls, billboards, etc. The posters each act as a part of the manifesto, to express their opinions. "They have been working to expose sexual and discrimination in the art world, particularly in New York" (Tate, 2021) "Dubbing themselves as the 'conscience of the art world', in 1985, the Guerrilla Girls began a poster campaign that targeted museums, dealers, curators, critics and artists, who they felt were responsible for, or complicit in, the exclusion of women and non-white artists from mainstream exhibitions and publications" (Tate, 2021).
Guerrilla Girls, 'Do Women Have To Be Naked To Get Into The Met Museum?', part of 'Guerrilla Girls Talk Back', 1989, screenprint on paper, 280 x 710 mm, Tate, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/guerrilla-girls-do-women-have-to-be-naked-to-get-into-the-met-museum-p78793
This piece confronts the viewers, it makes them question the art world, and how it works. It uses bold text and bright colours as a way of attracting attention. Again it acts like an advert for what they believe in and what they stand for.
Initially when I started this project, I was confused as to what was the point in a manifesto, and what could a manifesto contain. So looking at different art movements and their manifestos and concepts behind their movements has helped me to think about what my manifesto shall be based on. It has shown me the breadth of manifestos that are out there, and how they can support anything.
'The Manifesto Handbook', 2020, Julian Hanna
"All manifestos are in some sense distorted and extreme. They are wish lists of the overly ambitious, the public dreams of private Napoleons. This is especially true of the avant-garde manifesto."(Hanna, 2019) For example, Bauhaus focused on eradicating aesthetic art/design, and replacing this with functionalism. Dada wanted to give up on art altogether by mocking it, and creating a kind of 'anti-art'. I think that these modern manifestos are a way of changing how we see art, by innovating it and throwing away traditions and art hierarchies.
"Manifestos are refreshingly biased" (Hanna, 2019), is something I found when researching different art movements manifestos. They give their own opinions on what art should be, which is new and exciting. This idea has given given me freedom in creating a manifesto based on what I think art and design should be and what it should focus on. Manifestos are open to anything, they do not restrict. "Manifestos are mere vessels, they can be about or promote anything" (Hanna, 2019) and they "present alternative visions" (Hanna, 2019).
So far this book has taught me that manifestos are deliberately built and designed for change and for new ways of thinking. They offer an alternative view, they are biased and subjective. It has made me think about how I might consider changing the world of art/design, and how I want to progress my work in a certain way. I have thought about making my style more playful and open to interpretation and allowing spontaneity. I think that this kind of art, like the work of Jackson Pollock enables the artist/designer to be set free from limitations and rules. It will make art fun and light and carefree. I think the creative world is a place where anything should be possible and I want to show this idea in my manifesto.
Design/Concept Influence:
As I want to produce a manifesto on turning art and design into a fun, spontaneous process, I have looked at these artists as design influences. I also want to look at art as an open minded concept, where people can make whatever they want and turn it into art.
Jackson Pollock:
This artist has always inspired my work and made me think about process behind my work.
Pollock famously created large scale paintings, which consisted of "flinging and dripping thinned enamel paint" (MoMA, 2021) onto a canvas. "The direct physical engagement with his materials welcomed gravity, velocity and improvisation into the artistic process and allowed line and colour to stand alone" (MoMA, 2021) Pollock's paintings reflect the importance of the process. They represent the movement of the artist whilst creating these paintings, it emphasises body movement. I've always thought his paintings look fun and exciting, and I am really inspired by his idea of focusing on the process of the art rather than its outcome. I think this is a really good way to look at creating new works which are not fussy on the outcome, therefore easing control a bit.
Jackson Pollock, 'Autumn Rhythm (Number 30)', 1950, enamel on canvas, 266.7x525.8cm), The Met Museum.
I feel like this piece of work, 'Autumn Rhythm', 1950, is so full of expression and play. It's moving and dancing all, over the canvas, going in every direction possible. I like the freedom in this painting, it has no limits, no expectations, just there to explore space and represent the process. This is something I am thinking about in my manifesto design and ideas, looking at the process rather than the outcome to produce work, and thinking about spontaneity, and so on.
I want my manifesto to represent play and fun. Also the idea of letting go, and not constraining one-self when making art. This has inspired me to make line drawings and potentially use them as illustrations in my manifesto leaflet, to brighten it up. It will also show the kind of design and art work that my manifesto promotes.
Text/Typography
Bruce Nauman
I have looked at Bruce Nauman's work for typography inspiration. I have looked at a lot of his neon signage work. I find it interesting how he has introduced unusual shapes to a range of text and this distorts how we read the text. It turns the text into a shape. He also makes work where the text is interacting with each other, overlapping each other, etc. There's a lot of play within his text that I find exciting. I am looking at how to display my text to make it look fun and interesting, and make the words look like they are playing and misbehaving. I think that introducing shape to text may be the way to go forward.
Bruce Nauman, 'The True Artist Helps The World By Revealing Mystic Truths', 1967, The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/oct/05/bruce-nauman-review-tate-modern
Bruce Nauman, 'Human Nature/Knows Doesn't Know', The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/oct/05/bruce-nauman-review-tate-modern
Tracy Emin
Emin's work is very autobiographical and personal. She uses a large range of mediums, which is something I am looking at promoting within my manifesto. She also creates very interesting and varying pieces of work containing text. They usually tell a true story of something she has previously experienced. I like how she creates text out of textile, it creates a more homely, personal touch. I like the combination of text and colour in her textiles, there is a lot of contrasting patterns which make this work stand out. The words are also very bold and easy to read. This piece of work has made me think about ways I could make my manifesto. With time constraints however, I might have to stick to digital manifesto, but it is something to consider in the future.
Tracey Emin, 'Hate and Power Can be a Terrible Thing', 2004, textiles, 2700 x 2060 x 3mm, Tate, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/emin-hate-and-power-can-be-a-terrible-thing-t11891
I like the design layout of this work, its got a slightly random feel to it with the variety of patterns and colours. I like how the shapes and text interact in this work, sometimes formatting the text in the boxes and sometimes outside. I shall consider using shapes in my leaflet as a way of organising the text.
In 'Everybodies Been There' 1997, Tracey Emin uses her own handwriting to create the text. This produces a very personal affect, it looks like it has come out of her own personal diary. I think using handwritten text is a good way to represent emotions, personal events. It makes the viewer connect a with the text on an emotional, understanding level.
Tracey Emin, 'Everybodies Been There', 1997, ink on paper, 425 x 600 x 26 mm, Tate, https://www.42tate.org.uk/art/artworks/emin-everybodies-been-there-t13206
Edward Ruscha
"Ruscha often combines images of the city with words and phrases from everyday language to communicate a particular urban experience." (Tate, 2021) His work often focuses on words and phrases. He is a form of pop artist as he uses bright imagery/text and connects it to the urban experience and pop culture. He also uses imagery which plays a role in supporting the text. The typography of 'Honk', 1962, allows the word to really stand out. This word describes a sound. The yellow text, surrounded by the red gives the impression of something loud. It makes me think about a car 'honking' at something in the dark. The dark blue allows the text to stand out but it also makes me think this is set in the evening. This piece has made me think about colour in my manifesto. I want my manifesto to be bright and fun as it represents play and thinking about art and design in an open minded way.
"Honk depicts its title word in diagonally- inclined, capitalist serif typography." (Tate, 2021)
Edward Ruscha, 'Honk', 1962, acrylic paint on paper, 455 x 630 x 31 mm, Tate, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/ruscha-honk-ar00184
Edward Ruscha, 'Pretty Eyes, Electric Bills', 1976, pastel and graphite on paper, 726 x 870 x 38mm, Tate, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/ruscha-pretty-eyes-electric-bills-ar00054
'Pretty Eyes, Electric Bills', 1976, is a very simplistic piece by Ruscha. Its simplicity reminds me of the everyday, basic things that people experience in the modern world. The digital typography makes me think about how technology is also a part of our everyday lives, and how it is a large part of our culture. It is fairly mundane and unexciting, showing the reality of life perhaps. The combination of 'pretty eyes' and 'electric bills' is confusing. The two sentences contrast and juxtapose each other. It draws "attention to a particular experience or recall the excesses of Hollywood Culture." (Tate, 2021)
Jenny Holzer
Holzer creates work where she expresses political statements and ideas through text. I find her text work exciting and unusual. It has made me consider how text can be used to transfer ideas and thoughts. Her work is displayed in public spaces, including being projected on buildings, and makes them accessible to the public. In my opinion, it is like a constant manifesto being portrayed in different forms of text. They are very confrontational, and make the viewer question things around them.
'Jenny Holzer', 'Truisms', 1984, metal, light emitting diode units and plastic, 169 x 1539 x 162 mm, Tate, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/holzer-truisms-t03959
This text is displayed on something that would usually display train information in a train station or motorway information. They are pretty common to see in our everyday lives. By using this medium to present her ideas it produces the idea of reflecting on the everyday. Simple things that we don't consider, maybe we should. It's a way of making us think.
Jenny Holzer, part of 'Inflammatory Essays', 1979-82, lithograph on paper, 431 x 431 mm, Tate, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/holzer-no-title-p77396
This is a part of a series of essays by Holzer, which contain her thoughts, opinions which are meant to confront members of the public and make them think about the world, consider different things and to challenge them. They are created like normal posters, and were initially made to be put up in public spaces, like on walls, buildings, etc. This made me think about how ideas in the form of text can be presented. This, I think is like a form of manifesto, which is simultaneously the artwork. It creates this kind of fluid, constantly changing manifesto as her ideas and text progresses.
Alex Trochut
Trochut creates very colourful, fun images and typography. He creates work for superbrands like "Cadbury's, Addidas, Nike and British Airways" (DigitalArts, 2009). He creates striking, geometric images" (DigitalArt,s 2009), which are fun and vibrant. The typography always compliments the images well and acts as part of the image. For example, in his work with the makeup brand mac, he created this piece:
(Alex Trochut, MAC design) Image source:
The typography represents that of a lipstick. The bright colours represents the bold makeup which is created by Mac, and their creative use of makeup. Viewing Trochut's work, I can see a lot of play with the text, turning it into a medium or an image. It has inspired me to play a bit with typography, creating text and words out of different mediums, instead of drawing them. This will help me think about different ways to use text and play with it. I have never really thought about typography or text in this way before so its quite exciting to know that there is a bit of freedom in it.
Alan Fletcher (Graphic Designer)
Alan Fletcher's work (as seen below) really excites me. It's humours and very clever. It has inspired me to play around with my manifesto design, and to think about using bright colours. It has made me think about the relationship between the text and the image and how they contribute to the overall image.
I find it interesting how in much of his work, he uses hand-made mediums and materials to create his work, such as paint and found-objects. He does not often use digital materials. This creates a kind of link between graphic design and fine art, which I find interesting as it is something I am thinking about in my own process. I want to incorporate traditional artistic materials into my manifesto design as it represents that idea of playing, as drawing is a basic form of creating and playing with ideas.
I particularly like Fletcher's piece 'Beware Wet Paint'. It is humours but also plays with typography and manages to effectively combine the typography and image together. I feel like his work represents a lot of fun and play. This is something I want to consider doing in my manifesto, playing with the use of text and image. I shall look at creating my own typography, out of different materials and see how this form of playing generates new forms of text.
Alan Fletcher: 'Beware Wet Paint'
My development:
My Art and Design process
Typography Experimentation
I experimented making my own typography out of unusual materials. As my manifesto is about play, I though it a good idea to play around with creating fonts and typo-graphics.
I started off by using simple materials to create words. The first 'play' is made out of twisted toilet paper, the second is collaged pieces of paper and the third is out of three different chain necklaces. I wanted to look at how text can be created our of materials and how I can play around with these materials.
I then went onto making text out of coffee and other food related items. I was happy with the outcome, but I decided to look more at digital forms of text and typographics.
The purpose in doing this way to look at how I can play with and manipulate text. As my manifesto is about play I thought it important to look at how I can play with the words. However, I have decided that I shall probably not use this text style as it may get lost on my manifesto.
I created the text above on procreate. I wanted to look about using different digital materials to create text as well as looking at colour and interaction of colour and text style.
I think the text in my manifesto will be quite playful, it will move in out out drawings and shapes, so it needs to be as readable as possible. The typography needs to be bold and stand out whilst also being clear enough to read, so I need to look at proper forms of typography. For example, typography the that is used for signage needs to be clear and easy to read. Adrian Frutiger was a graphic designer who developed his own typography. One of his creations is called 'Univers', which was "hugely popular during the 1960s and 1970s, embraced by brands like Apple. Its clarity for signage was perfect" (Anderson, 2014). This typeface is used for "Westminster streets in London" (Anderson, 2014).
Adrian Frutiger, 'Univers'
Image Source: https://www.dezeen.com/2015/09/14/adrian-frutiger-obituary-life-work-font-designer-typography-univers-london-street-signs/
I shall start looking at slightly more simple forms of typography, which are clear to read.
In one of our lectures, we got to experiment with typography and looking at type with different personalities. We looked at whether they were masculine/feminine, their hobbies, etc.I found that this was a very useful task, as it made me consider on a deeper level how typography can represent something, rather than representing just the text. I repeated this process and came up with my own typographical characters. I choose 6 typographics, which I limited down to two, which I will use in my manifesto. I decided my favourite were: 'Arial Black' and 'Phosphate', which I got from InDesign. I decided that these typographics represented the theme of play and fun and being confident and bold, which I want to display in my manifesto.
I also decided that after doing the experimentation in the typography, I wanted to have a few simple fonts in my manifesto, so that the focus could be more in the interaction and play between the text, illustrations and layout of the leaflet. Furthermore, because my leaflet is going to be colourful and busy and have things flying all over the place, I want the text to stand out rather than getting lost. This is why I am thinking about using a strong, bold font.
InDesign Workshops:
We were given InDesign workshops which I found very useful, as I had never used InDesign before. I learnt how to create posters, and leaflets. I learnt how to set up an InDesign document and how to add things like borders, images, text, shapes, etc. I also learnt how to manipulate the text, e.g. by making it walk round a circle or along a line.
I feel like these workshops gave me the confidence to work with digital content, as before I was thinking about creating a hand-made manifesto, but I wanted to push myself and make something I hadn't done before.
This is the final poster which we all created with the given instructions.
Manifesto Visual Development:
Here is my first bit of design work for my manifesto. I started by creating quick drawings, which I drew in under 20 seconds. I timed myself whilst creating these drawings, so that I did not focus on their aesthetics, instead under the time constrain, I drew as much as I could. I found that by letting go of aesthetic control I was able to focus more on the drawing process and have more fun being messy, scribbling, playing with line and drawing. I used different mediums to create these drawings, including; charcoal, oil pastel and watercolour paints.
I even started to add text to these images to see how it would look as a composition. I wanted to originally create a manifesto by hand, without the use of computer design software, but I decided that I wanted to challenge myself and develop a new skill on InDesign. I was happy with these outcomes, I feel like the express the playfull-ness of line.
Before working on InDesign, I practised creating the design of my manifesto on ProCreate. I created some digital drawings again looking at line and different mediums that this software offers. I also started to experiment more with text. The challenge, I found was trying to combine the messy scribbles with the formal text, without one overlapping the other. So I created four different compositions. I also looked at which colours I wanted to use, I knew that I wanted to use bright and bold colours. So I started off with pink, blue and yellow as I felt that they complimented each other well.
I also did the same thing but with other pages I was thinking about including in my manifesto. I was not as happy with this second test, I felt that the line did not look experimental or fun enough and that the text cluttered the drawing. I decided to create some new line drawings on procreate, using more colours and mediums, in order to develop my line drawing.
Below, I added green and white to the drawings, as well as using a black background which I thought enabled the line drawings to stand out, almost looking like a light painting.
I created some more line drawings as I felt that the previous ones would have been too overpowering to be combined with any text. So I looked again at using the colours blue, yellow and pink as well as white to create line drawings, with alternate background colours. I feel like these line drawings were more playful and energetic than the previous line drawings, and I felt that the colours worked together nicely. The colours are fun and interact well with each other, producing a sense of play and fun. The lines are loose and spontaneous, which is a theme that I want to include in my manifesto.
Again, I looked at how I could include text. I found this quite difficult, especially as I have not really worked with text and typography before. It was difficult trying to combine the text with the line drawing, so I did a lot of experimentation with the layouts. For example, I looked at whether I was going to have the text going horizontally or vertically. Did I want the text to play and dance along with the line, etc.
Below I started adding light drawings I previously made, and layered them on the line drawings. This was a brief bit of experimentation, and I was happy with the outcome, but I decided to stick to the drawings without the light drawing on top. This is because I felt like they are art pieces in themselves and may overpower my manifesto and the text. However, they are the result of my manifesto rules and values.
I decided that a way to add text was to remove a part of the line drawing and add a blank white space for the text. I drew a few, less confrontational lines on the white space to see how it would look. However I decided after that I did not like this as it looked messy and did not compliment rest of the line drawing. I also drew a few illustrations, such as the tea mug and the alarm clock. But I also decided that by drawing these objects, I am taking away an aspect of the play. The whole point in my manifesto is taking what you want from it as well as letting go of restrictions, boundaries, conventions, etc. So I decided to just stick to the line.
Here is the improved version of the previous designs. It is much cleaner and the text will be easier to access and read. I liked how the white space created geometric shapes, which i felt made it more playful. The shapes are all random and all different, there is no pattern or repetition.
Now happy with my designs, I decided to start using InDesign to create my manifesto leaflet.
I had to experiment a bit with InDesign, to figure out where i wanted the text and the illustrations. I was trying to get a balance between chaos and legibility.
I started to add the illustrations and some basic text onto InDesign. I did'nt have a specific plan for the layout of the manifesto, as I felt that that would defeat the purpose, as my manifesto is about being spontaneous and experimenting. Instead I experimented with what I felt looked good and what colours went well together.
I then added shapes and made the text trail around it. I also added shapes to curvy lines, etc. I felt that this made the text more playful and non-conformist with traditional text/reading style.
Below are some before and after pictures of my design development.
As I developed my work I became more confident with the software and became more experimental with the layout.
Before
After
Before
After
I was very happy with this progress, I felt that there is a significant improvement in my manifesto design since the initial drawings. I also feel that these designs represent fun and play through the playful text and the contrast between colours and the messy line vs the shapes.
I also feel that I have really developed my InDesign skills.
Manifesto Text:
Dance
Have Fun
Be Spontaneous
Use different materials/experiment
These four main parts of my manifesto represent ways to create art that is fun and does not have boundaries. It is in some ways anti-art, as it defies traditional techniques and aesthetic values of art. It focuses on the process rather than the outcome. It also reminds us as artists to not be too hard on ourselves, that its okay to make mistakes and be playful. My best artwork is made through happy accidents and random moments. So my manifesto is about letting go of traditional hierarchies and boundaries as well as the personal boundaries that we put on ourselves. Promoting that artists should take it easy and not be too hard on themselves.
Final Manifesto leaflet layout:
Evaluation:
Overall I am very happy with the final manifesto that I have created. I am also happy with how far my InDesign skills have developed, considering at the start I had never used it before. I think that this poster reflects the idea of fun, play and being spontaneous through the combination of line drawing, shapes, colours and text. The line and text dances around the leaflet, portraying free and easy movement, in no particular direction.
The design of my manifesto is confident and bold through the colour, the text and the strong shapes. I did not add too much text as I wanted to focus more on the design of my manifesto and did not want to clutter it with too many words. I wanted the shapes and illustrations and lines to speak for themselves.
I feel that I have achieved my aims in developing my InDesign technical skills, learning about the different ways to represent text and typography in artwork, adverts, logos, etc. I have also managed to create a fun and playful interaction between the text and the visual elements of my leaflet.
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