ITAP LECTURE WEEK 3

Legibility

Legibility means how well you can read the text and information on a poster or website for example and how well it communicates. This image shows how the colour yellow is very legible on black but against a white background it becomes quite hard to read which makes it illegible so it would not be suitable to use on a piece of visual communication because people just wouldn't look at it. If something isn't legible the audience won't take their time to read it therefore you can't communicate the message. Big bold headings would be legible as they are easy to read and draw your attention.

Tone of Voice

Type and images can have a 'tone of voice'. It is obvious that this image is showing 'peace' and it communicates this well as you know what it's about as soon as you look at it. Another example is text written in large letters in a bold simple font can be seen as 'loud' or 'shouting' where as a soft font can be shown as a whisper, if these were the other way round it wouldn't look right. It is important to think about this while creating a piece of visual communication as you want to communicate the right message to the audience and using different fonts for different moods for example will help you do this. Symbols, images and colour choice will also suit different moods and subjects but it needs to be approached in the right way, for example the colour red could be seen as anger and it could also be seen as love. You also need to be careful not to offend as some symbols or colours can mean different things in other religions.

ITAP LECTURE WEEK 2

Visual Practise (Research)

Research is when you explore, investigate, study etc. There are two different types of research - primary and secondary. Primary research is when you start with nothing and start from scratch with no information to already help you. Where as secondary research is when you already have certain points and information to give you an idea of what to do. There are advantages and disadvantages for both.

Illustrators research mainly by drawing, collecting things, reading and observing to get inspiration. They can get inspiration literally from anything like previous artists work or even something they may see on the street or while doing normal every-day things. All illustrators keep a sketchbook which is their main source of research where they draw all their ideas. Some may describe it as their mind and imagination displayed in a book. Research is very important as it gives you a deeper understanding of the subject and it makes us observe more. It also makes us look at things in different ways and by researching may give us a different opinion on something we may thought of in a different way previously.

Notion of Inspiration

Artists can be inspired by absolutely anything, for example someone may see the first cloud which has naturally formed in the shape of a heart, then decide to create an image like the second cloud. Illustrators find inspiration by collecting things, observing and drawing. One quote from an illustrator is, 'I get inspiration from anything and everything' which shows you need an open mind and you need to take risks. Another quote is, 'Collecting things stimulates the brain. It helps you think of something fresher', this also refers back to the importance of research as collecting thing is part of that process and this is what gives you the inspiration to create new things. Therefore inspiration comes from lots of research, observation, recording and experimentation.

ITAP LECTURE WEEK 1

Notions of Originality

Many famous pieces of artwork are influenced by previous artists work and when looked at closely are very similar using the same layout and design. Many have also obviously just been copied using the exact same idea but maybe changing it slightly, for example using different people but the same pose. Therefore some people would say this doesn't make them original because they are just using old ideas. For example, you would look at this image of Marilyn Monroe and instantly think of Andy Warhol’s version done in 1962 where as this image is done by a different artist in 2004 but he has used the same idea using the same colours. However some people may argue that it is original because he hasn’t used the same technique, he has only modernised it using the same pose and colours and used it for a different purpose. I think to be original you need to try and think of your own ideas, you are not being original if you just practically copy someone else’s idea, however I think it is also a good idea to look at previous artists work to get some inspiration.

Can Recontextualised Ideas be Contemporary?

In my opinion, recontextualised ideas can be contemporary because for example, this idea has been taken and used again by many artists and the newest ones still look contemporary. However I think this only works with certain ideas because other pieces of work done years ago are classed as old fashioned. I also think the idea of showing what happens in a certain time in one image has worked well when the idea has been copied. The original idea was done in 1425 and completed in the 1480’s and shows a story from the Bible in one image, that idea was taken and many artists used it just to show someone walking down a set of stairs but the image looking more contemporary.