Wednesday 31 October 2012

.Gallucci.

Looking through Magdalena Czarnecki's website and found this wonderful piece of packaging for the independent Punk band ‘Gallucci', i need to consider with my Hubble publication how the audience will interact with the book, the designer also allowed the band to use the tape on anything they wanted, this gives the item a more personal touch.





Cocoon

Lovely typographic work used within these Cocoon posters, an electronic music night set up in Leeds, the movement created with the use of type is something I need to create for the logo, we want to create an aesthetic that looks structured but at the same time contains a lot of character and movement. The logo needs to represent the night which is very experimental and 'funky'. The vibrancy also does a lot for these posters and flyers although we will be creating our own artwork rather than using images from space, this will give our project more individuality.





The last magazine.

Another bit of inspiration found on Bonhomme A studio based in the UK and the US, this magazine i great the front cover is similar to a logo design i created for LOCO but it's the numbers inside that caught my eye, i have been thinking about manipulating letter forms by slicing them in illustrator to create a cut effect, if i were to do this i would use a san serif font whereas i feel the branding needs to be more traditional.

Rizzoli published book about the end of boutique magazines.



The hubble story.

Whilst searching for the content of my book i couldn't have stumbled across a source, NASA have a section on their website dedicated to 'The Hubble story', this piece of writing do exactly what it says, it tells the story from the man it is named after up until the launch which is what my publication will cover in the first half, now it's my job to take this information and do the telescope justice with my piece of design.

In the Beginning
Since the dawn of civilization, man was limited by his vision and imagination about his understanding of the universe. The telescope enhanced his vision and tempered his pride, as observations by Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler in the 16th and 17th centuries A.D. rebuffed the millennia-old conceit that the Earth is the center of the universe, spearheading the Scientific Revolution.

By the 18th century, the telescope would become the indispensable instrument for investigations of the cosmos. Bigger and better telescopes were built all over the world. Planets, stars, and nebulae which could not be seen by the naked eye were now being routinely noted and logged. Advances in spectroscopy, photography, and photometry increased telescope versatility, sensitivity, and discovery power.

Enter Edwin Hubble
By the turn of the 20th century, most astronomers believed that the observable universe consisted of one galaxy, our Milky Way Galaxy, an oasis of stars, dust, and gas in the vastness of space. However, in 1924, American astronomer Edwin Hubble used the 100-inch Hooker Telescope (see image below) on Mount Wilson near Los Angeles, California, to observe billions of other galaxies besides our own Milky Way, almost all moving away from each other. This suggested that the universe is expanding, unleashing a Pandora's box of seminal inquiries—such as the Big Bang theory—about the possible beginning and end of the universe—issues which are still being debated to this day.

image of Edwin HubbleImage left: American astronomer Edwin Hubble in 1924 - used the 100-inch Hooker Telescope. Image credit: NASA

Astronomers like Edwin Hubble (before and after his time), toiled long, frigid nights inside enormous dome-shaped "observatories" pointing their telescopes skyward, yearning for the best possible snapshot of the heavens. However they faced a major obstacle that stood between them and a clear view of the universe: the Earth's atmosphere. The Earth's atmosphere is a fluid, chaotic soup of gas and dust. It blurs visible light, causing stars to twinkle and making it difficult to see faint stars. It hinders or even totally absorbs other wavelengths of light, making observations of such wavelength ranges as infrared, ultraviolet, gamma rays and X-rays difficult or virtually impossible (it is also these properties which protect us from the harmful effect of these rays).

Observatories with the largest of telescopes in various continents have been perched upon mountain tops and away from distracting city lights, from Caucasus Mountains in Europe to the Australian outback, with varying levels of success. Adaptive optics and other image processing techniques have minimized - but not totally eliminated - the effects of the atmosphere.

A Telescope in Space?
In 1923, German scientist Hermann Oberth, one of the three fathers of modern rocketry (Oberth, Robert Goddard and Konstantin Tsiolkovsky), published "Die Rakete zu den Planetenraumen" ("The Rocket into Planetary Space"), which mentioned how a telescope could be propelled into Earth orbit by a rocket. In 1946, Princeton astrophysicist Lyman Spitzer wrote about the scientific benefits of a telescope in space, above Earth's turbulent atmosphere.

Following the launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik in 1957, the fledgling National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) successfully launched two Orbital Astronomical Observatories (OAOs) into orbit. They made a number of ultraviolet observations and provided learning experiences for the manufacture and launch of future space observatories.

The LST - Large Space Telescope
Meanwhile, scientific, governmental, and industrial groups planned the next step beyond the OAO program. Spitzer gathered the support of other astronomers for a "large orbital telescope" and addressed the concerns of its critics. In 1969, the National Academy of Sciences gave its approval for the Large Space Telescope (LST) project, and the hearings and feasibility studies continued.

After Armstrong's "giant leap for mankind" on the moon in 1969, funding for NASA space programs began to dwindle, putting the LST program in jeopardy. LST planners had to design the telescope under budget constraints. A number of downsizing measures were weighed and considered: decrease the size of the primary mirror, the number of scientific instruments, the diameter of the Systems Support Module and the number of spare parts created and tests performed. In 1974, the LST Science Working Group recommended the space telescope carry a large complement of interchangeable instruments. They would have specifications to resolve at least one-tenth of an arcsecond, and have a wavelength range from ultraviolet through visible to infrared light.

 The Space Shuttle
NASA and its industrial partners—called contractors—brought up the option of developing a vehicle that could achieve orbit and return to earth intact and be reused repeatedly; the concept of the Space Shuttle was born. The Space Shuttle could deploy the LST into space and reel it back for return to Earth. The shuttle could, and would, be used for a myriad of other operations for the space program as well.

NASA suggested that the lifetime of the space telescope be fifteen years, which implied that the instruments needed the ability to be replaced on the ground or even serviced in orbit—an ability not afforded to any satellite before or since. Scientists also had to balance the size and quantity of scientific instruments versus their cost. Too many instruments meant financial support was less likely; conversely, instruments of minimal capability would result in the loss of scientific support for the telescope. The European Space Agency (ESA) joined the project in 1975 and provided fifteen percent of the funding of the LST via contribution of the Faint Object Camera (FOC) and the solar arrays. In return, NASA guaranteed at least fifteen percent of telescope time—the amount of time astronomers use the telescope for space observations - to European astronomers. In 1977, Congress approved funding to build one of the most sophisticated satellites ever constructed.

Who Does What?
NASA chose Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, as the lead NASA field center for the design, development, and construction of the renamed Space Telescope (ST). Marshall delegated Perkin-Elmer Corporation (now, Hughes Danbury Optical Systems) the task of developing the Optical Telescope Assembly and the Fine Guidance Sensors. Lockheed Missiles and Space Company (now, Lockheed Martin) was selected by Marshall to build the cylindrical casing and the internal support systems (the Support Systems Module) and assembling the telescope together.

NASA chose Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, to be the lead in scientific instrument design and ground control for the space observatory. Scientists were organized into "Instrument Definition Teams" which would translate scientific aims into scientific devices and incorporate them into the space telescope housing. After an announcement was made to the astronomy community, proposals were received and judged, and five devices were selected as the initial instruments that would be aboard the Space Telescope: the Faint Object Camera, the Wide Field/Planetary Camera, the Faint Object Spectrograph, the High Resolution Spectrograph, and the High Speed Photometer.

The Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida supplied Space Shuttle support. In all, dozens of contractors, a handful of universities, and several NASA centers, spanning 21 states and 12 other countries worldwide, made the dream of a telescope above the clouds and in space a reality.

In 1983, the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) was established at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. The staff of STScI evaluated proposals for telescope time and managed the resulting telescope observations. A number of delays stemming from underestimating the costs and engineering requirements of the state-of-the-art telescope caused the launch date to be moved from December 1983 to the second half of 1986. NASA re-examined interfaces, instruments, and assemblies. The building of the Optical Telescope Assembly encountered engineering challenges. Scientific instruments, like the Wide Field/Planetary Camera (WF/PC), underwent redesign, removing weight and redundancy.

Hubble is Born
In regards to the maintenance and upgrading of the space telescope, plans were made to conduct servicing missions in orbit versus returning the telescope to Earth and refurbishing it on the ground. It was an innovative concept that would be even easier on a budget. In the midst of this spirit of renovation, the Space Telescope was renamed the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). By 1985, the telescope was assembled and ready for launch.

However, in 1986 disaster struck. The Challenger accident forced NASA to ground the Space Shuttle fleet for two years. However, these were years well spent by the HST Project. Solar panels were improved with new solar cell technology. The aft shroud was modified to make instrument replacement during servicing easier. Computers and communication systems were upgraded. The HST was subjected to further stress tests in the harsh environments of liftoff and space.

Finally, on April 24, 1990, the Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off from earth with the Hubble Space Telescope nestled securely in its bay. The following day, Hubble was released into space, ready to peer into the vast unknown of space, offering mankind a glimpse upon distant, exotic cosmic shores yet to be described.

Tuesday 30 October 2012

Man 2.

Came across this high impact design by Bonhomme studio, packaging for Paul smith man 2 aftershave, this is the direction i am seeing Gent No. 5 taking, a very minimal approach using little colour to create a striking aesthetic, i decided today to use on colour plus black within my designs, i feel a deep red would work due to barber shops having red, also a deeper red such as burgundy, the colour burgundy is associated with the colour of wine, and red wine is considered a traditional drink, i feel this colour association may be carried through my designs.



Friday 26 October 2012

Cracked ray tube.

Some brilliant inspiration from Jamesh Connolly's blog, just the kind of artwork we want to create for loco, a glitchey digital aesthetic, the night is themed to be abstract and interesting so me and Dom decided to be extremely experimental with our designs for this project.


Wednesday 24 October 2012

Space packaging.

Thinking of how to package my Hubble publication and nothing seems more appropriate than simple silver foiled envelopes with a white sticker minimally designed, I've seen them around on a few websites but only American so far which isn't very helpful really, I want to create an experience for my audience so when they receive the publication they feel part of the journey, especially seen as though it will be a timeline of the telescope, for the publication itself I want to use specific stock and binding techniques to create a mission report style publication.



Monday 22 October 2012

Information & Wayfinding.

I found these series of screen prints on Aisle one, a website which showcases work from various sources as inspiration for other designers, whilst considering my deliverables i decided i would like to design information and way finding for the James Webb launch, i haven't yet started on any designs as i still need to find a layout for inside NASA's building, i want to keep the design fairly simple, consisting of only rooms and the exterior shape of the building apposed to the pathways and doors etc.

These posters of airport runways are similar to the aesthetic i want to use for my way finding, i am looking into disperse printing for the way finding, this is where ink is applied to a metal surface by being heat pressed at high temperatures, this techniques looks best with flat colours.


Wednesday 17 October 2012

Interior

This simple aesthetix inside 'BooksActually' inspired me to consider how the interior of my clients barber shop could look, I've not decided what to design for the interior as of yet, but once I have decided on a solid concept I will start brainstorming ideas.


Thursday 11 October 2012

Sonic

Gorgeous logo design by Proud creative for Sonic editions, the logo is create by eliminating parts of the letter S to creating a great minimal logo creating a sophisticated and upmarket aesthetic, a similar look I want to create for my logo and the same idea I had, finding this has made me feel confident I'm on the right tracks with this project.


Tuesday 9 October 2012

Colour.

Since i have decided to create 3 books, one for each section; Planets, Nebula and Galaxy, i want to colour code each book appropriate to the content, the book will come in a packet of some sort, weather it's folded up in paper or a simple folder, i like the idea of a folder as it is similar to a mission brief given by NASA.

These projects are giving me inspiration for how i would design them, i want to keep the design fairly simple letting the images speak for them selves and the stock used create a professional feel.




Information & Way finding

Due to me setting up an event for the launch, which the publication will be based upon, i would like to design information and way finding around the event, this will consist of maps on the walls, pocket maps, information stands describing certain pieces of engineering around the exhibition, info guide etc.

I would like to take a very structured approach and create minimal but effective designs to easily navigate with, here are some examples of way finding i feel is appropriate for NASA and the event.




Typeface.

Considering typefaces for this project, i would like to use a sleek serif typeface, to give a traditional aesthetic as NASA was the first space agency to land on the moo.





















Mono typefaces are another option due to the publication containing a lot of information, mono typefaces reflect that of a type writer which is what was once used for every NASA report.



Inserts.

Considering layout and composition for my publication/s, with it being very information based, i want to create an aesthetic that delivers the information fast and simple whilst keeping the reader interested in what else is going on throughout the book, inserts are something i haven't experimented with much since beginning my practice at LCA, i want to explore all possible options when creating this editorial piece due to the last attempt being quite poor.

There will be a lot of information in this publication so layering the pages will create an easier read for the audience.



Extra images.

Having started this brief in second year but not being completely happy with the concept of execution of the brief i would like to re visit it and do a better job, due to blogging i still have all of my research from the previous year but feel i need to extend this, i have been looking through blogs and websites to find interesting pictures of the three sections within this project, Planets, Galaxies and Nebula, these images will be used for inserts, posters, flyers etc.





Monday 8 October 2012

Record Labels.

Begining to research logo's for records labels, our client Ross has asked us to create a logo for the night he is setting up in order to apply it over our product range, such as; Posters, Flyers, t shirts, artwork, album artwork, website etc, record label logo's are usually sleek and simple and i would like to apply this aesthetic to our logo.

It seems the majority of record labels focus mainly on typography for their logo's i will experiment with visuals as well as type but i feel communicating the brand name across is more important than a few extra visuals, i will explore creating my own typeface as part of this project.






















Here is an example of a logo i feel doesn't work at all.


Loco Flyers.

Having had two meetings with our client, Ross Muir, we have an idea of what direction we will be taking this brief, Ross is really enthusiastic and gives a good positive vibe for this project letting us know specifically what he wants and at the same time allowing us to develop our own ideas to coincide with his thoughts.

We began by going out and collecting as many flyers as possible as this will be one of the main deliverables and where we start the platform for building artwork, the majority of flyers we found (around 90%) were terrible but 10% began to give us some good ideas and got the creativity flowing.


Photography.

Whilst thinking about our deliverables and product range we decided a good aspect for a poster would be photography and taking into consideration the abstract characteristic of this project it's only fitting that we keep with this trend throughout, i have found a series of different photographers that all create dynamic creative images from the simplest of things, this is also linked with the music that will be at the night. House music is a very simple form of music, it uses basic repeated beats throughout and has a patterned structure.

Patterns will be another main area of focus whilst creating visuals as it is a key component in the genre.

Neils Christian.

Photography using bubbles to create abstract structured imagery.























Alan Jaras.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanjaras

Abstract imagery formed through experimentation with light.


Davy Evans.

After continuing my research on abstract artwork and forms, my collaborative partner Yafet came across this photographer and his beautiful work, he uses various techniques with deep constructed concepts to create fascinating natural structures and forms this first video is a piece inspired by the oil spill whereby Davy used typical house hold chemicals to see how they reacted with one and other, here is the out come.


//// from davy evans on Vimeo.


A few more examples of his work using different techniques to create interesting outcomes.

Saturday 6 October 2012

Colour and Texture.

Again looking through abstract art images, texture is something we need to consider this could give the artwork a much more abstract/experimental feel, we aim to produce the artwork we'd like to over various medias any way such as wood, metal, fabrics, concrete, plastics etc.



Glitch art.

Looking for more inspiration on our abstract approach for artwork, due to the night being based around both vinyl and digital music we want to combine mixed media art and digital processes such as scanning and vector based imagery to create an effective deliverable.

This piece of design is a perfect example of the kind of art work we would like to create it looks like it combines both digital and paint techniques in order to execute and glitchey abstract aesthetic.