Products of Our Influences

Following the uproar of the Brexit amendment of bringing EU legislation into UK law, I wanted to respond to the issue that the vote did not pass, that the UK recognises that animals are sentient beings. On the 2nd December, a demonstration in support of all animals who do feel pain took place at Trafalgar Square, walking down to the Houses of Parliament. 

Utilising this opportunity, I took direct inspiration from campaign designs and also textiles - in particular, The Pussy Hat Project, which I discovered during my visit to the Design Museum’s ‘Beazley Designs of the Year 2017’ exhibition. 

I had never attended a protest before, nor created designs/art to be used in a live protest/crowd. I wanted to participate to gain experience and inspiration, while also advocating for a cause that I believe in (animal rights). In addition to this, as I was heavily inspired by The Pussy Hat Project, I decided that I wanted to incorporate textiles and fabric within my outcome, as this is something that I hadn’t dabbled into, and wanted to experience. 

I decided to produce a collection of bandanas, which could be worn by humans and also animals, as I consider humans to be part of the animal kingdom. I wanted to unite us, and our emotions, to communicate that animals can feel emotions and pain just as we do, as we are not that different. This is symbolised not only in the act of wearing the same bandana as your pet but also in the artwork, as I have used a paw print and a human print to signify our unity. The on black on yellow is quite striking, and so I think this works well for being used during a protest, as it’s bold and eye-catching.

The last time I used a sewing machine was back in 2011, so it was challenging to remember how to operate a sewing machine, and also to create my pattern pieces from scratch - something which I had never done before. I decided to dye my fabric as opposed to purchasing yellow rolls as this is something that I had no prior knowledge or experience with, and so I wanted to challenge myself with these pieces thoroughly. 

Ideally, I would have liked to have screen printed the artwork that I created so that it had a more permanent and durable finish. However I was conscious of the mistakes that arise with screen printing (due to my limited experience); thus I didn’t want to risk ruining my limited batch of bandanas (as hand dying, cutting and stitching

 these myself, was very time consuming and resulted in a limited number of pieces of different sizes for different pets). Instead, I opted for transfer paper which was finicky and quite awkward. 

In addition to the bandanas, I printed stickers, ordered a vinyl banner to accommodate our protesting, and also a series of limited risograph prints. This includes the original artwork, as well as using the paw/handprints as a recurring tile pattern. I wanted to use the risograph during this project as I wanted to put myself as far out of my comfort zone and usual practices as possible. Following from this, I collaborated with a classmate, to illustrate UK animals that would be in danger, if the animal sentient law did not pass; this includes foxes and badgers due to hunting. These illustrations were then designed so that they would animate, and imitate your facial expressions and movement when you look at the screen (with the use of a webcam). This further emphasises our similarities, as the animal reflects your own human emotion. 

My process has been documented photographically in a collection of polaroids, screenshots and Instagram posts that have been collated within an A5 photo album. This gives it quite a human, and personal touch, as I consider this project to be a reflection of my own beliefs and issues, I believe to be of importance. 

Container Principle

I live in a walking proximity to the Thames as I am based just outside of London, and the university campus is situated along the edge of the Gallions Point Marina. Usually, when thinking of the River Thames, the words disgusting, diseased and polluted come to mind (along with an image of very foul, dirty sewage water). However, to my surprise, after a little research, I discovered that the estuary is no longer biologically dead and actually contains species that are only present in non-polluted waters. The Thames is also the cleanest river that runs through a major city. 

This information fascinated me, and I furthered my research by exploring sea life that is present in the water. I was even more shocked to discover that aquatic mammals such as seals, dolphins and porpoises have been spotted throughout London. After acquiring this information, I asked a large number of people (who are local to the city) if they knew of any life present, and also their thoughts on the Thames. All of those who I asked assumed that no life other than eels and ‘undesirable’ fish roamed the stream, thus when they were then told about the surprisingly diverse discoveries in the Thames, they were shocked, and some in utter disbelief. 

I found it surprising that as locals, we know so little about our own city and surroundings, and as a result of this lack of knowledge, the area can often be abused with littering and fly tipping.

In response to this, I have proposed the design that a shipping container (which has negative impacts on the environment) can be reused and repurposed to actually give back to the situation. I have proposed that the container is shocked with an electrical current, so that limestone crystalises on the surface, making it suitable to be eventually submerged within the river and used as an artificial algae reef, to increase the biodiversity within the estuary. However before it reaches that point, the container will be utilised as an informative gallery space, to exhibit infographics, film, art etc. that educates visitors on the life within our river. 

I have designed the container in two stages. Stage one being above water, alongside the Docklands, to be used as the education gallery and stage two being submerged in water as the artificial algae reef. This increase in primary producers will increase the primary consumers such as bottom feeders and crustaceans, which will, in turn, increase the population of small fish and then aquatic mammals. To visualise this space, I have designed the container within Unity and hope for people to be able to experience this proposal through the use of an oculus rift. This was my first time using a 3D programme, and I enjoyed the challenge of experiencing something new and learning more skills along the way.

States of Europe

I aimed for the publication to have emotion and context, even without the final images or text to communicate the language, and so I used abstract expressionist artists such as Franz Kline as a seed for inspiration. I created hand rendered, as opposed to digitally rendered (for an organic and more personal effect), aggressive brush strokes, scribbles and splatters to communicate the anger that I feel towards the current politics. I originally designed the publication with a minimalist aesthetic in mind, so that the design could be visually appealing, uncluttered and ultimately, contemporary and current, as these issues surrounding Europe are very much in the present day. However I felt that this clean and sleek design was far too pristine for such a dark and negative subject matter, which is ultimately destroying and affecting lives. To juxtapose this perfectly organised document that had been created entirely on InDesign (making the publication entirely digital and quite separate from humanity), I ripped characters from newspaper headers and created a variety of hand made collages to make up the title ‘States of Europe’. After scanning these, I made the informed decision to whack up the contrast and transform the language of the type by applying the threshold effect. This gave the type some grittiness and a rawness that resembled that of stamped type or letterpress. These bold and organic characters helped the design to feel more anarchist, especially when I overlaid red characters on top of the black. 

The use of red and black helps the design to communicate the political narrative throughout the publication without being too colourful and overpowering. I settled on a limited colour palette as I knew the photographs and text would be the main focus, and so I didn’t want to clash with any colours that may also be present within the photographs. 

There are place holder images and text at the present, but the design can accommodate for more or less images, if and when the selected and final elements are provided. Images can be repeated by enlarging certain points of focus within the image, as well as displaying the full, credited photograph. Alternatively, there is also the option to remove images so that there is more negative space, which is also suitable as there is a minimalist hint within the design. 

The use of courier gives the publication a sense of immediacy which could suggest guerrilla marketing and positive social anarchism while also being modern and current. The use of columns enables the audience to digest the information in more bitesized portions as opposed to large blocks of text that could turn people off, while the exaggerated margins help to bring some space and breathing room to the design, to help it feel less dense and overwhelming. For the headers, I opted for Bureau Grotesque as I wanted something quite heavy to compliment the minimalist style juxtaposed with the bold, emotive strokes. The collaged characters hold similarities to that of the use of letterpress and so I wanted to use a font that was intended for print, to further enforce this. 

From an audience perspective I think the information has been divided into considerable sections without being overwhelming or off-putting. The design has enough flexibility to adapt to the clients suggestions and opinions and so I am happy with the current outcome. I think the design is successful in communicate the subject matter, even without the narrative photographs or written language, and so I consider it to be successful from a design prospected.

As a response to designing a newspaper publication that will incorporate photographic essays, I decided to use the subject matter as my inspiration: States of Europe, and as such, the current geopolitical, cultural, economic and socio-political state of Europe. 

A Statement to LIVE and WORK by | Final

Who am I as a designer? During my presentation I acknowledged and expressed how my own personal works tend to have lots of depth and meaning, as I like to use my skills as a visual communication designer to provoke thought and expose social issues. I have identified my own personal reasons to why I have a passionate approach towards social equality (as identified in my previous post, click here to read) so that I can better understand where this drive comes from and why am I this way as a designer as well as a human. I also feel that as a millennial, we are the future generation and we have the power and voices to be heard if we want ideologies to be altered. Expanding on this, I feel as though my generation are more exposed to issues than previous, due to the internet playing a dominating role within our age. We are able to speak anonymously (or not) and freely, to reach an intercontinental audience with information and opinions, which is a unique aspect compared to previous generations.


For this project I began with basic, standard manifestos - a set of rules that I will aim and aspire to follow throughout the remainder of my time at university as well as my life. However I felt that these manifestos/rules were too standard and didn't say anything about me personally, as a unique and individual designer or what I stand for. Thus recapping on my presentation where I identified that social issues tend to drive most of my more passionate works, I realised that this project and any project from here on shouldn't be any different.

Letting my social activist side take over, I began to write a list of rules that have been set in place due to my gender, class and race, that I feel I am forever trying to break. I always feel the pressure of intersectionality, as every aspect of my identity overlaps with a minority class, such as my gender and ethnicity. These invisible rules that no one talks about but we feel subconsciously pressured to follow have been clearly listed within my piece.

I wanted to spotlight these invisible rules so that they could be reviewed and made visible, so that we can consciously be aware of the perimeters set by those who do not feel the constraints of a minority identity and a society that wants to keep 'us' within our lower position.

I was inspired by the Guerrilla Girls and their use of witty copy to expose issues within the Art community, so as millennial, who's childhood was shaped by the rise of technology, I opted for a list of Terms and Conditions as I am targeting my piece towards a likewise generation who have the power to promote change within our future, and this is a common colloquial that we speak. Utilising this vernacular I then outlined the rules of our oppression that I wanted to expose. Terms and Conditions are a formality that everyone tends to ignore. We scroll straight to the bottom and click "I confirm" just so we can hit next. No one reviews them, and no one questions them; just like our assigned place within society.

A sans-serif typeface is often used when outlining Terms and Conditions, so I adopted this visual language to echo that, as well as to make my work as legible as possible, modern and also aesthetically 'stripped'. I want people to stop and read, not just glance and move on. The concept and subject matter of the information and the copy is stronger and more important than a pretty picture or an interpretation. I want to be as clear as possible and have no visual 'waffle'. By photocopying and printing this poster on standard copier paper in greyscale to redistribute around London, I am emitting a street-art, protest language to prove that power, money and/or status is not required to make a change and to expose issues.

I didn't want this to be a hate piece against those who may enforce these rules upon the lower members of society, so I refer to the force enforcing these rules as 'LIFE' and 'SOCIETY', even though our only rule set by life is to reproduce, evolve and die. Thus by 'LIFE' I do not mean in the biological natural sense, I mean life as in existing as a human within our current conditions.

The thought behind this piece is that when we are born we are instantly categorised and our identities set due to conditions beyond our control such as our sex, where our parents were born, where we are born, how much money our family earns etc. By being assigned a category before we are even born, 'SOCIETY' already assigns these sets of rules despite our wishes; thus my piece exposes not only the rules, but how we play no part in agreeing or disagreeing with our conditions or role within society.

My aim is to break these rules and encourage others to do the same. I want to amend the terms and conditions of 'LIFE' that was agreed to, not by me, but 'SOCIETY' due to conditions that were beyond anyones control. I aspire to be outspoken, bold, loud, fearless. I want to shake the hierarchy and turn it on its side. We are all humans. There is no biological food chain amongst us. Naturally we are all equal in terms of prey and predator, so I want to expose this unnatural hierarchy that humans have self-enforced. My manifesto is that I want to deface the rules (terms and conditions) imposed on me due to my position within this hierarchy and I hope to encourage others to do the same.

A Statement to Live and Work by | WIP

I live by many manifestos; we all do even if you don't notice it or are consciously aware. It's a subconscious ideology that can be found within your depths, thus when you look internally you can begin to understand and analyse why you do some of the things that you do.

I originate from a working class background, I am a female, I am mixed race and I assist with the care of a disabled member within my family. I am the complete opposition of white supremacy, neo-Nazism and obviously 'male privilege' - whatever that is.

Being the underdog voiced in many 'ideal' ideologies, I often felt these pressures, especially whilst at school, as children can be pretty mean and have no filter, voicing their confusion for something that they don't understand, doesn't appear to be the 'norm' or they just want to question. This made me question myself. I questioned my ethnicity, my hair colour, my features, my 'abnormalities'. I disregarded 50% of my ethnicity and replaced it with a more socially acceptable alternative - my Swiss/Italian decent. I became ashamed of being considered a 'paki' due to having a parent from India  and I also became fed up of being a female and all of the things that came with it.

Guys would disrespect me by sexually objectifying me and I went through a period of feeling no self-worth. I've always felt like I had something to prove. I had to prove that I was more than a 'paki', more than a sexual object, more than a 7/10 or whatever they wanted to label me that day and additionally I was fed up of being poor and being subtracted from many activities. This anger, turned into my feisty and fierce ambition to constantly improve myself, learn and grow so that I can validate my worth with my brain and my skills beyond my external features.

Analysing this honesty, I can now pin point why I feel strongly towards social activism and why I am a strong advocate of equal rights. We are not our skin colour, our gender, our class, our physical abilities. We are intelligent humans and there shouldn't be a hierarchy amongst us, we are already at the top of the food chain, so why are we making a food chain within ourselves? Categorising some humans as prey and some as predator. We are all the same, our only differences being environmental variables.

My manifestos are that I will not do what this ridiculous hierarchy expects me to do, as essentially, like many others I am at the bottom of the pecking order. I will acknowledge issues. I will voice my opinions. I will be loud and bold. I will make my own identity. I will be fearless. I will be ambitious. I will take risks. I will cross boundaries and borders.

Driving - Krazee Ft. Maze | (Official Music Video)

Watch Krazee's new video for "Driving".
The new EP #4 is Available Now on Spotify http://spoti.fi/2hQN2Ho.

Music video by © 2017 Sophia Sargeant

Personal Projects

If you read my previous post, you would know that I had some issues between creating art because I love it, and creating art because I was paid to do so. You can get very seduced by the world of design and your clients (not literally of course), and so you end up saying yes to every project, and wearing yourself and your creative spark, out. The issue with working is that you very much spend your day creating what other people want you to create, and you forget what it is that YOU want to create. My summer was packed with assignments which I am entirely grateful for, but I had little time to do my own thing. Luckily, I'm a fast worker, and I have a good relationship with one of the agencies that I work for, and so when I had completed what needed to be done and I had some free time, I picked up the nearest tools around me - a biro pen and some paper - and I began drawing.


I don't think I have ever drawn seriously with a pen before. I have only ever done quick sketches and 'scribble' drawings (my lazy, faster version of cross hatching). So I discovered a new skill that I didn't know I had, and I just drew things that I admire and enjoy. I used to create a lot of fashion illustrations when I was younger, but until now it's probably been around 3 years since I last created anything within my personal work related to fashion.

I'm not going to lie, I love these drawings. They reflect my personal aesthetic which is often high contrast black and white and quite sleek. They match perfectly with my own space now they have been framed, and they are designers and iconic pieces that I personal love and feel inspired/motivated by.

I did also pick up a pencil when I got home, and I created a 'mini' drawing, which is possibly around the size of an A6 card, but not the exact dimensions. I definitely want to do more of these, as they didn't take too long to do and they were quite therapeutic for me mentally and creatively.

I've missed drawing. I've missed loving fashion. And I've missed just sitting down with music blasting and letting my brain spill on a piece of paper with no deadline or second party to please. I 100% vow to do more work for myself in order to keep me sane and to ground me & my creative works back to who I am.

If you're interested in purchasing one of my drawings, I have set up a page where you can do so: http://sophiasargeant.bigcartel.com

It's been a while!

As the title suggests, it has been a hot minute since my last post. I have been enjoying the summer and just focussing on my work and personal projects without putting additional pressure on myself to turn it into something more. Sometimes I forget to create art for me, and I forget why I love it so much; but I'm glad to say I'm back with a fresh mind, the urge to create and the fire.

So lets do a quick recap/run down over the summer :

1. I saw my works on 5th Avenue in New York City - INSANE! I'm pretty sure the employee's in the store thought I was absolutely nuts!
More images and information can be found here: http://sophiasargeant.co.uk/karen-millen-ss17

2. I artwork the window designs for Selfridges on Oxford street which I am still in total shock about! These even featured in TimeOut - of course my name is no where in sight but that's not the point!
More images and information can be found here: 
http://sophiasargeant.co.uk/selfridges

3. I worked at a creative agency in Piccadilly Circus called Red Consultancy. I worked on a long list of clients and thoroughly enjoyed my time there as well as the location. The clients I worked on include:
Activision, Adobe, Aldi, Boots, Caterpillar inc., McDonalds, Robinsons, Slim Fast, Yodel and more.
More images and information can be found here:
http://sophiasargeant.co.uk/red-consultancy

DA&D Brief: Respect for Animals. Fighting against the fur trade.

As a response to my DA&D brief for Respect for Animals, I decided to respond to the task of generating a social media campaign through designing an interactive and subconsciously educational game, that has hard hitting facts - shocking you at the end and provoking emotive and sympathetic reactions. 

The way in which I have tackled this task has been a challenge. I have never created a game before so this project has been a way for me to learn new programmes in depth (Adobe After Effects) and to learn new skills such as frame by frame animation. 

How can I attract a large audience without turning them off by ‘preaching’ about my activist views on the fur trade? I began by sketching my ideas and jotting down varies copywriting phrases, to ensure that I was communicating in the best way possible. I opted for a light, warm, happy game at the opening; that soon has a dramatic turn. 

I designed the beginning of the game to simulate the act of choosing your pet at a shelter: selecting the breed, the gender and to name (and bond with) your pet. This way you become attached to your pet, and you can not wait to bring them home and begin to love them as part of the family. Just as a mother would feel about her baby. However, while you’re in a happy state with bouncy, joyful tunes and playful, innocent colours such as pastel blue and pink, your pet has been ripped away and thrown into a fur farm. The purpose of the game is to help your pet to escape; which you soon find us impossible and once your pet has been caught, he/she is murdered brutally and finally placed on a hanger in stores. The levels throughout the game subconsciously tell you the journey of the slaughterhouse, the conditions of fur farms and also the circumstance in which each breed is slaughtered - just in the name of fashion. 

I chose the typeface ‘daddy’s girl’ as it’s friendly, childlike and thus, innocent, reflecting the animals. 

Fur is not a by product of meat etc. As we do not eat fox, mink etc. Thus they are bred, abused and murdered just for their skin. They are seen as a ‘business’ and not as individual lives with emotions and personalities. We too are animals: if murder among our own breed is wrong, so is murder across species.

Using Photoshop, I transformed my hand rendered illustrations into animated digital art, as each pet has their own personality and trait. For example, the dog raises his ears and tilts his head to you when you hover over him, making him more lovable and realistic, due to the personality. Furthermore, I based the domestic animals on my own pets; this way I hope to emphasise how we should view these animals as family members and individuals, not a fur coat.

I hope to change opinions with my game through education. I do not aim to preach or force spectators into my activist views: but to ask them to be aware of not what they are buying, but who they are buying and the process that animals go through for one unnecessary, luxury item. I aim to teach my spectators, and also provide them with a game that is fun and enjoyable (also frustrating and lacks hope as it’s impossible to win) in the hopes of it becoming viral throughout social media. Even if they play the game just for the game as opposed to the message I am content, as subconsciously they will be being educated. The power of hosting the game on a social platform such as Facebook, gives the project an opportunity to be accessed worldwide. 

Link to game play: http://sophiasargeant.co.uk/secret-project-wip

D Factor design concept

UK garage originated in the early 1990’s as a genre of electronic music; and was a music scene that existed during my childhood. As I was born during the peak of garage, in 1995, I decided to create a garage track using samples, as I wanted to create music inspired by sounds that I appreciate and that would be suitable to be transferred onto a vinyl record (anything that hints more towards pop-culture would have been too modern for it’s purpose). I particularly enjoy Urban music, and so I wanted to follow that, as I appreciate the multi-cultural influences.

In order to make my track recognisable as garage, I used distinctive percussive rhythm, hi-hats and snares - I did also include some beat-skipping kick drums. In order to be entirely truthful to my genre, I incorporated a commonly used feature within garage, pitch-shifted vocal samples that complement the rhythmic structure. 

In order to create this track, I wanted to use DJ style software, as though it was a track being constructed in an underground club in London, there and then. As the 90’s saw the emerge of technology I wanted to use software that exists due to this evolution; thus I decided that I wanted to use an app as opposed to other music production methods. My 2.5 year old brother actually showed me a music making app that he had on his iPad called, LaunchPad. I decided that I wanted to use this, as it was exactly what I was seeking; as you have a selection of samples that you must activate or deactivate while you record the whole track, live. 

I think it’s interesting that in contemporary cultures toddlers now have advanced technological knowledge in comparison to past generations. I wanted to incorporate this ideology within my work, by using the app that is on my toddler-brothers iPad, that he can utilise and actually taught to me. 

Issues that I would like to explore within my design of the record cover and music video include: multi-culturalism, children and technology. I may also like to include nostalgic links between the 90’s and present day, and the London underground scene. 

Link to my song: https://youtu.be/E8oSm1bkcIU

Update:

Hand cut stencil used to hand emboss 300gsm black card