OUGD505: Covered/GF Smith Samples

OUGD505: Covered: Initial Ideas/Crit Feedback

Initial thoughts and ideas on the book cover brief. For such a philosophical classic written in 380BC I would like to create a contemporary cover for it. From the crit it was suggested that I look further into the theory of forms for inspiration. Overall, my peers liked my book choice and the theorys within it. I would love to do some illustration for this project.

Workshop: My Methodology

Methodology- a system of methods used in a particular area of study or activity.

My Methodology 

My methodology needs to be improved before entering third year. I do tend research a lot (I am constantly looking at design) but very loosely, hoping what I take in eventually re-surfaces itself at a later, more appropriate date. I do analysis images and but I don't critical analysis my work critically or in depth. However, this method does often work but I know its not the most ideal method of producing informed and critically, efficient work. This was clear from my responsive submission I got a 55% for research/blogging yet 70%'s for my outcomes and idea generation. If I wasn't so stubborn about research/blogging and just got on with it I know I could be aiming for a first. However, I have a real attitude towards blogging with the thought of 'I am at an art college to create, not blog step by step about my thoughts and feelings' it tends to frustrates me as this is not how it works in the real design world. Before third year I need a real attitude change towards blogging, and just get on with it, but I find it so dry. 

I have always been a visual learner. I prefer using images, pictures, colours, and maps to organise information and communicate with others. I find creating mind maps incredibly useful. 

Sketching to me is essential, I am always sketching down my first initial ideas. I always use pen and paper before moving onto the screen.

Time management is something I seriously need to improve on, I tend to leave work until the last minute and I feel this is something which is clear in m execution and finishing processes. I have found myself rushing and doing things for the sake of them rather than enjoying the process from start to finish. I need to develop the perfect balance between work and play. I have started to treat my degree like a 9 - 5 job , working an extra couple hours in the day and a day on the weekend , I have found that I am a lot less stressed and I am able to relax.  

I find crits incredibly useful, getting honest feedback on my work helps me produce stronger outcomes. Overall, I feel I have made a vast improvement on my methodology from last year, I find my designs are a lot more conceptual. 

Aspects of your feedback/ assessment that you wish to develop and identify.

critically informed work involves significant research and contextualisation which seems to be the area lacking in your submission.

I need to actually blog the research I do, which I do do, but not all of it or in depth. When I am blogging I tend to think will other people find what I am writing interesting? or is this necessary? or will the tutors even read this. 

A greater level of focus on specific areas of Graphic Design would help inform your design decisions more consistently.

I would like to investigate further into different aspects of design in the future such as coding/design for the web as this is something I am interested in and I feel would develop my design. I need to experiment further with my ideas. 

The body of work that you have presented demonstrates an excellent understanding of the roles and responsibilities of a contemporary Graphic Designer. You have shown a consistently high level of project management, organisation and documentation of individual and collaborative projects. Your opinions, reflections and solutions are communicated clearly, professionally and effectively through a
range of appropriate methods.

I was really pleased with this piece of feedback, it made me feel a lot more confident in my abilities and clarified to me that I am on the right track.

OUGD505: Product Range Distribution: Irish Times

http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/regional/cross-border-campaign-to-oppose-sex-trade-and-trafficking-1-6703021

This is a news report from Ireland. Almost one in 10 men in Ireland north and south have paid for sex but not on a regular basis, a poll has found as part of a campaign against the sex trade.

The Red C poll surveyed 1,033 over-18s in mid-March as part of the European Commission’s Reach Project to raise awareness of trafficking as a form of violence against women and girls. It found:

• 88 per cent of Irish men have never bought sex – eight per cent have, but not regularly;

• 72 per cent of those surveyed believe women who sell sex were forced into it by difficult circumstances;

• 62 per cent believe that women who sell sex have been pimped or trafficked into the sex industry;

• 60 per cent believe that the primary reason men buy sex is because of sexual practices their partners are not willing to engage in;

• 79 per cent of people believe criminal gangs or pimps profit most from prostitution and trafficking in Ireland while only eight per cent believe the women who sell sex are the main beneficiaries.

We Don't Buy it Campaign 

http://bcove.me/sy8cvg83

OUGD505: Product Range and Distribution/Logo Development

example of logo applied onto tote bags 

After having a chat with Danny and presenting my idea about having the logo just a circle as I had some worries about using the colour pink as it can be seen as girly-ish and the logo being too simple. However, this is a campaign about raising awareness about trafficking, a disgusting and unseen crime, and its physical and mental effects on women so it needs to be a somewhat feminine sensitive colour due to the nature of the issue. I also felt having a simple logo it would be more rememberable and stand out and make an impression in marches etc. Due to the serious nature of my topic, I need to tackle it appropriately, making sure I am sensitive, considerate and tasteful with my work.

I am going to have two logos for my campaign, the main logo being a pink circle. The concept behind the other logo is that it is meant to be a rose. Seeking symbolic meaning of the rose from an esoteric perspective, I looked at the Tarot, in which the rose is considered a symbol of balance. Here the beauty of the rose expresses promise, new beginnings and hope. This I can relate to my campaign, a new beginning, no to slavery and hope. Another perhaps more obvious concept, is that stereotypically men give roses to women as a sign of love and affection. 

I have my negatives of the logo and my tote bags ready to screen print. 

Final Logos

 

OUGD505: Product Range and Distrubution/Initial Ideas

We Are Human Beings campaign: 

• Poster Series
• Website
• Publication 
• Leaflet 
• Badges 
• Tote Bags 
• Wristbands
• Stickers

I had the idea about the logo being a pink circle to represent unity and putting a full stop on trafficking and raise awareness about trafficking happening in the UK. I do have some worries about using the colour pink as it can be seen as girly-ish. However, this is a campaign about raising awareness about trafficking, a disgusting and unseen crime, and its physical and mental effects on women so it needs to be a somewhat feminine sensitive colour due to the nature of the issue. In colour psychology, pink is a sign of hope and compassion. I think by having a simple yet really recognisable logo it will make the word spread quicker and perhaps make things go viral. On social media people could change their profile picture to the logo, for trafficking awareness week?! an idea I need to revisit. 

I have ordered some cotton tote bags, the plan is to screen-print the logo (once I have one!) on to the bags as well as this my housemate and I have ordered a badge machine! haha. The idea is that these tote bags and badges will be sold on the website and profits go towards the cause. 

I want to create a small publication on trafficking in the UK to raise awareness and educate people about human trafficking. The tone of voice will be formal and easy to understand. I seriously need to consider who the audience is for these publications and where they be seen and displayed in order to raise awareness, perhaps by creating a theoretical event? 

I have a lot of things to take into consideration, and due to the serious nature of my topic, I need to tackle it appropriately, making sure I am sensitive, considerate and tasteful with my work. Over the coming week its just a matter of compiling all my research into my design practice, a challenge I am looking forwards to! 

OUGD505: We are Humans Campaign

I thought of calling my trafficking awareness campaign, we are humans with the idea that I could use the campaign name 'we are humans' but ending it differently, for example:

We are humans... not objects
We are humans...not for sale
We are humans...not toys
etc.

This could work across across a poster series. I will present the idea in a crit for feedback.

OUGD505: Statement of Intent

OUGD505 Statement of Intent

Problem I aim to resolve: There are an estimated 35.8 million people enslaved in the world, it is the worlds fastest growing crime. Every 30 seconds, another person becomes a victim of human trafficking.

Aim: My aim is to raise awareness about trafficking in the uk as well as worldwide.

Research so far: My research so far started with researching into existing campaigns and charities indepth. I've been researching the shocking statistics, keeping up to date with trafficking in the news as well as watching documentaries.

Time scale: Final submission for this brief is on Friday 22nd May. I have already booked myself in for a printing slot on the 20th May.

Avenues for practical development: I am going to create a campaign which will include; poster (series), Badges, wristbands, tote bags, leaflets, and a publication (explaining the facts).

Plan of action: My plan is to create my own trafficking campaign, the idea at the moment is calling it 'we are human' with the use bold type with shocking statistics to get the uk public aware. 

Week 1: Finalise any research and sketch out ideas for the campaign
Week 2: Experimentation
Week 3: Design
Week 4: Finalise Campaign, design boards, blog up-to-date
Week 5: Print slot booked for campaign material printed ready for hand in and photographed.

OUGD505: Covered/Research

I've been looking through the book cover archive as a source of inspiration. As Platos, The Republic is quite a philosophy classic with ideas and ideologies presented within the book that are incredibly profound and breath-taking, especially given how long ago the original text was written.  For a classic book it would be interesting to see a contemporary cover design, and I would like to use some illustration. The book  is meant to be an absolutely essential read about justice, society and the self so I think about buying it!

I picked out a few contemporary covers I especially liked. It would be good to use some hand-rendered elements to the cover. 

OUGD505: Covered/Research/Plato, The Republic Book V11

The Republic is a Socratic dialogue, written by Plato around 380 BC, concerning the definition of justice, the order and character of the just city-state and the just man.

“How could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads?”  Plato, The Allegory of the Cave

In Book VII, Socrates presents the most beautiful and famous metaphor in Western philosophy: the allegory of the cave. This metaphor is meant to illustrate the effects of education on the human soul. Education moves the philosopher through the stages on the divided line, and ultimately brings him to the Form of the Good.

Theory of Forms

One of Socrates' (and Plato's) chief ideas was that of Forms, which explains that the world is made up of reflections of more perfect and ideal 'forms.' The material world--the one we can see, touch, hear, and smell--is really just half-seen images of the reality of the Forms. Relying on your physical senses alone--trusting what you see, for instance--is, to Socrates, making yourself effectively blind. The world we see is only a reflection of the Forms the world represents (and not even that accurately). A Form--whether it's a circle, or a table, or a tree, or a dog--is, for Socrates, the answer to the question, 'What is that?' Only understanding Forms can lead to true knowledge. Plato uses a parable, a short informative story, to illustrate 'forms' and the 'cave,' in his main work, The Republic (which first appeared around 380 BC).

The Allegory of the Cave 

Plato imagines a group of people who have lived chained in a cave all of their lives, facing a blank wall. The people watch shadows projected on the wall by things passing in front of the cave entrance, and begin to ascribe forms to these shadows. According to Plato, the shadows are as close as the prisoners get to seeing reality. He then explains how the philosopher is like a prisoner who is freed from the cave and comes to understand that the shadows on the wall are not constitutive of reality at all, as he can perceive the true form of reality rather than the mere shadows seen by the prisoners.

The Allegory is related to Plato's Theory of Forms, wherein Plato asserts that "Forms" (or "Ideas"), and not the material world of change known to us through sensation, possess the highest and most fundamental kind of reality. Only knowledge of the Forms constitutes real knowledge. In addition, the allegory of the cave is an attempt to explain the philosopher's place in society.

The Allegory of the Cave is related to Plato's metaphor of the sun (507b509c) and the analogy of the divided line (509d513e), which immediately precede it at the end of Book VI. Allegories are summarized in the viewpoint of dialectic at the end of Book VII and VIII (531d-534e). This relates to the idea of forms as people struggle to see the reality beyond illusion.




What is really impressive that 2500 years later and it is still relevant today.

OUGD505: Covered/Existing Covers

Initially I began by looking at existing covers for Plato's Republic, to see what was there and how I can make my cover different. All the existing covers use very dull colours and done of them look particularly interesting to read for such an iconic important philosophy book.  All the covers use serif fonts and traditional imagery so it could be interesting to see a contemporary cover with more vibrant colours.

OUDG505: Covered/Waterstones

Primary Search: 

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OUGD505: Covered/Chosen Book/The Republic, Plato

As I don't know much about philosophy, I spoke to Helen as she studied philosophy and suggested that I look at Plato. I already knew a bit about Plato's Cave. Plato was a famous Greek philosopher who has had a great influence on Western thought and civilisation.

The Allegory of the Cave 
The Allegory of the Cave (also titled Plato's Cave or Parable of the Cave) is presented by the Greek philosopher Plato in his work The Republic (514a–520a) to compare "...the effect of education and the lack of it on our nature". It is written as a dialogue between Plato's brother Glaucon and his mentor Socrates, narrated by the latter. The allegory is presented after the Analogy of the Sun(508b–509c) and the Analogy of the Divided Line (509d–513e). All three are characterised in relation to dialectic at the end of Books VII and VIII (531d–534e).

Plato has Socrates describe a gathering of people who have lived chained to the wall of a cave all of their lives, facing a blank wall. The people watch shadows projected on the wall by things passing in front of a fire behind them, and begin to designate names to these shadows. The shadows are as close as the prisoners get to viewing reality. He then explains how the philosopher is like a prisoner who is freed from the cave and comes to understand that the shadows on the wall do not make up reality at all, as he can perceive the true form of reality rather than the mere shadows seen by the prisoners.

Socrates remarks that this allegory can be taken with what was said before, namely the Analogy of the Sun and the Analogy of the Divided Line. In particular, he likens our perception of the world around us "to the habitation in prison, the firelight there to the sunlight here, the ascent and the view of the upper world is the rising of the soul into the world of the mind" (517b)

What it means!
Plato's Allegory of the Cave can seem  bleak, but it's meant to be a wake-up call for everyone to stop settling for an imperfect, unexplored life. Since Plato believed that human beings could eventually free themselves and head upwards to the real world by leading a life of philosophical consideration, the Allegory's bleakness is really meant to be motivational, to make people understand how limiting and self-defeating an "unexamined life" can be.

It's also meant to remind people that they should be skeptical of everything. The key to being a philosophical person is to take everything you encounter in life as an opportunity for scrutiny and self-improvement.

Plato was definitely going for shock value with this haunting image—and shock is what he got. The Allegory of Cave has become one of the most unforgettable, talked-about moments in the history of philosophy. In one way or another, almost every major philosophical viewpoint since Plato has responded to, attacked, or reimagined this foundational image of human existence.

My thoughts

I find plato's allegory of the cave incredibly interesting and thought provoking. As well as this Plato is one of the world's best known and most widely read and studied philosophers. He was the student of Socrates and the teacher of Aristotle, and he wrote in the middle of the fourth century B.C.E. in ancient Greece. I have decided to re design the book cover of Platos, The Republic. 

OUGD505: Covered

Undertake research to uncover a notable ‘thinker’ – a theorist or philosopher – whose concepts or views resonate with you. While not an exhaustive list, you could, for example, consider any of the following:

Following your initial engagement, locate one publication that documents the work of your chosen thinker and develop a design for a book cover that capably communicates something about its content. Your submission is in two parts:

• An A4 poster print of your proposed cover that is produced using a process of your choice. This should be limited to two colours plus stock.
• A completed jacket design including front, back and spine complete with blurb, publisher logos, ISBN numbers, etc. Again, reflecting some of the constraints in book publishing, this should also be a two colour (plus stock) design.

I am looking forward to starting this brief, as I am interested in learning about philosophy. I am also interested in book cover design, editorial and publishing.

OUGD505: Product Range Distribution: Trafficking UK Stats

General Stats

• There are an estimated 35.8 million people enslaved in the world. (The Global Slavery Index 2014)
• There are an estimated 20.9 million people that are victims of forced labor. (ILO)
• There are more people in slavery today than at any other time in history. (Polaris)
• It is difficult to know an exact number of people enslaved, as victims are often hidden. Whether they be locked in a house or business, or hidden in plain view, “disguised” as farm workers, prostitutes, or house keepers, modern day slaves are not always easy to identify.
• Every 30 seconds, another person becomes a victim of human trafficking. (UN.GIFT)

UK Trafficking Statistics 

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/sep/30/thousands-trafficked-uk-slavery-police-report
It’s a growing issue, affecting men, women and children.1,746 CASES REPORTED in the UK in 2013 - a 47% increase on the number of cases reported in 2012**. But these are just the victims we know about. Slavery’s hidden nature means actual numbers are likely to be far, far higher.

There were 549 estimated cases of potentially trafficked children in 2012, though it is thought that this number is likely to be far higher due to the hidden nature of this crime. Statistics show that girls are more likely to be trafficked than boys and that children are most commonly trafficked from South East Asia, West Africa and Eastern Europe.

Statistics released by the National Crime Agency (NCA) show the number of potential victims of trafficking last year increased by 22% on 2012, rising to 2,744 people from more than 86 countries, of whom 602 were children.

Of all known victims of labour trafficking, 78% were European Economic Area nationals legally working in the UK.

There has been a significant rise in the number of UK victims. British people made up 7% of the overall trafficking figures last year, up from 4% in 2012. Nearly 90% of UK children identified as potential victims of trafficking by the NCA had been sexually exploited, an increase of 250% on 2012.

The NCA admitted that people who were trafficked into the UK for criminal exploitation, such as being forced to work in cannabis factories or begging gangs, were still seen as criminals rather than victims in some cases.

The report indicated that some victims had been sold on several times after entering the UK, for amounts ranging from £200-6,000. Nigerian traffickers, who arrange for documentation and travel for women who believe they are coming to the UK for legitimate work, are demanding up to £50,000 from their victims, who are forced into prostitution to pay off their debts.

“Modern slavery is an appalling crime that has no place in today’s society,” Karen Bradley, the modern slavery and organised crime minister, said. “Yet these figures show that it is taking place here – often out of sight – in shops, fields, building sites and behind the curtains of houses on ordinary streets.”

OUGD505: Research/Modern Day Slavery

Modern Slavery is an international crime, affecting an estimated 29.8 million slaves around the world**. It is a global problem that transcends age, gender and ethnicities, including here in the UK and it’s important that we bring this hidden crime into the open.

It can include victims that have been brought from overseas, and vulnerable people in the UK, being forced to illegally work against their will in many different sectors, including brothels, cannabis farms, nail bars and agriculture.

Victims found in the UK come from many different countries, including Romania, Albania, Nigeria, Vietnam and the UK itself, 90 were UK nationals in 2013.

Poverty, limited opportunities at home, lack of education, unstable social and political conditions, economic imbalances and war are some of the key drivers that contribute to trafficking of victims. What’s more victims can often face more than one type of abuse and slavery, for example if they are sold to another trafficker and then forced into another form of exploitation.

This is an incredible advert that really makes trafficking a reality that happens in the UK. It’s a hidden crime that has a terrible impact on the lives of vulnerable children, women and men across the country. Slaves have been exploited in many sectors including agriculture, factory work, food processing, prostitution, cleaning and child care.

OUGD505: Product Range Distribution/News

'I was trafficked into UK prostitution'

Nearly 800 women and girls working in the sex trade were identified as the victims of human trafficking last year, according to National Crime Agency figures seen by the Victoria Derbyshire programme.

OUGD505: Crit Feedback

Comments on research to date: 

• Sex trafficking shocking statistics look at other areas of trafficking
• Tackling a very serious but important issue. Have clearly looked into the variety of types of human trafficking - bring awareness to others about the scale as to what is happening and in what ways.

Areas for improvement:

• Find how more people can relate
• Make it personal, bring it to reality. Look at 'slavery is closer than you think' 

Areas for further development: 

• Find target audience - what would you are producing be used for? focus on incidents in the UK. 
• Compare to slavery - modern day form - how will you communicate this - make it more personal - speak on a personal level - think about format - delivery
• Branding the people behind the trafficking. Create a campaign to widen the exposure of the issue and get people on board to support. 
• expose and research British trafficking- find personal stories. Teach and raise awareness just how bad and how often is happens. 

Today's crit feedback was incredibly useful and I gained some great feedback. A point that was brought up was making the campaign UK based to expose British trafficking and raise awareness on how bad and how often it happens.