ItZoToM Youtube Design Update

    Artwork Name: ItZoToM
    Client: www.Youtube.com/ItZoToM
    Size: 390 x 270mm 
    Mediums: Derwent soft graphic pencils F &HB,
    Adobe PhotoShop CC and Illustrator CC.
    Date created: 20 December 2014

    

Kick It Out: 'What A Feminist Looks Like'

"I responded to this [the Kick It Out brief] through a variety of mediums, however my final outcome contains influences of The Fawcett Society, UN Women, ELLE magazine amongst others... I wanted something that could be transported and actually placed, in order to inspire people and to alter their perception of the unrightfully hated word, Feminism."

In response to the Kick It Out brief advocating against discrimination, I focused on the topic of sexism, equal rights and thus, feminism. After researching the general subject areas within discrimination, I found myself to be highly moved and inspired by the UN Women campaign, HeForShe - in particular, the speech by Emma Watson; hence why I focused on equal rights for women and men.

I responded to this through a variety of mediums, however my final outcome contains influences of The Fawcett Society, UN Women, ELLE magazine amongst others. I decided to do a 3D typographic piece as I wanted something that could be transported and actually placed, in order to inspire people and to alter their perception of the unrightfully hated word, Feminism. By using the Fawcett Society slogan “THIS IS WHAT A FEMINIST LOOKS LIKE” I collaged the gender-neutral Helvetica font with magazine images of females AND males, to echo the UN campaign, HeForShe.  

I encountered a number of issues when creating this piece. For one, I struggled to use a scalpel when cutting out curves letters, such as the ‘S’ and ‘O’s. It was also difficult to collage the edges of these letters, as the paper would not nearly fold around the edge. Glue was also an issue. PVA glue made the paper too saturated and wet, causing the texture to bubble and look very unprofessional, whole pritt-stick glue was far too weak. Super glue seemed to be a perfect option until it came to attaching the letters to the A2 acetate sheets (so that it could be hung from the ceiling, as the initial idea was to hang the letters using wire, however I could not obtain wire which had the holding power as well as the ability to bend and mould around the letters) as the superglue is visible where I bonded the letters to the sheet. Furthermore, the acetate sheets were actually too small for my intentions, therefore it resulted in arranging the type so that the characters slightly peaked out over the edge; this actually turned out to be successful as it enables the texture of the collage to be more visible.  

I am pleased with how I edited my selection of images that I would use for the collage. There’s a nice mix of men, women, a couple of children, and also I tried to gather a range of ethnicities. I managed this by purchasing Western fashion magazines (such as Vogue, Elle and Cosmopolitan), Men’s Health Magazine and Asian Bride Magazines. I also like how the front of the letters have a collection of small portrait images which perfectly fit the width of the characters, while the reverse of the letters are covered with one large, full face portrait each. This helps to highlight that a Feminist can be anyone and everyone; thus a large population, and that each individual counts towards making a successful difference within equality.  

If I was to improve this piece, I would have used the laser cut machine to accurately cut out the letters and I would have experimented with glue before working directly into the final piece. I would have also manage my time better in order to find suitable wire, so that I could have continued with my original idea as I feel that the message would have been clearer to read as ‘FEMINIST’ would have been on one line, not two. However, the wire could have made the piece look too ‘industrial-like’ in aesthetics, as opposed to clean and professional which was the desired effect. I think this piece responds well to feminism and definitely communicates the message that anyone can be a feminist, and that it’s everyone’s battle, not just that of women. 

Kick it out update 3

The most recent experimentation I have done, is the creation of this take on a Constructivism poster. Using the 3D letters again, I piled each character on top of each other, so that they merge together in a 2D image, making it difficult to see the differences - in fact, we should over-look the differences. I took inspiration from current day magazine covers, and used a traditional font, Baskerville. Using red geometric shapes over a grey scale image is typical within a Constructivist style, and also symbolic due to the colour choice. I used Kremlin type face to communicate 'SAY NO TODISCRIMINATION' as I feel that the font is a very harsh font, as opposed to gentle, and thus brings out the hardness within discrimination - also, as the font resembles the Russian alphabet, this further emphasises Constructivism. I left the Kick It Out logo green, as it works well as a complimentary colour to the red and add a sense of friendliness and less 'serious' approach.

Continuing with my 3D 'WHORE' letters and my exploration with light and shadow, I created a a possible poster design. I used Photoshop effects from the Filter Gallery in order to create a 'rainy window' appearance; thus producing a gloomy and depressing aesthetic due to the black and white combination. I utilised the text "WOMEN'S RIGHTS. EQUAL RIGHTS. SAY NO TO DISCRIMINATION. YES YES TO DIVERSITY.". The short, sharp sentences ensure that the information is concise and straight to the point. I experimented with typefaces such as American Typewriter and also Kremlin, and made the font size small as I wanted the image to be the  communicator. 

Inspired by the following advertisements: 1 and 2,  I decided I wanted to create a series of short adverts which could pop up at the beginning of each advertisement interval of a tv show, almost like a programme sponsor. I began by choosing appropriate type, and finally settled with an 'imperfect' typeface. Using this font, I generated a stencil out of card. I filmed footage around London through the cut out letters of the stencil - this enabled the diversity and movements of London to show through the letters, as a unique and interesting way to capture the footage. I branded the short clips after editing with a distressed typeface 'KICKITOUT.ORG Say no to discrimination'. Again, I wanted to be straight to the point and very concise. 

I also used the stencil in order to spray print designs, I am still in the process of working on this piece