Moment of Inspiration

I have been thinking about the work that I have produced for the rebranding of Fargo Village so far. I think that the concept of creating patterns to go onto the front of the buildings is strong, but the whole design is becoming too corporate. I want a handmade feel to the patterns and I want more texture in the design, like my research.

I need to further explore the way in which I am creating and using pattern. I want a rougher edged feel to the designs. I will further explore the way that I can use the patterns that I have found on the historic buildings down Far Gosford Street. I have an idea that involves artists of the community to get involved with the redevelopment of the site.

FINAL CONCEPT TO DEVELOP

 I would like to design a set of stencils/pattern templates and text that could be used, and then allow local artists to create their own designs on the buildings that cover the complete facia. I would like to create 4-5 stencils, and then allow the artists to make their own adaptations of them/ use them in interesting ways. I will produce examples of how the stencils should be used, and a general style guide for producing the artwork. The result will be a colourful, vibrant place to be, much like London’s Brick Lane which the developers of Fargo Village have been heavily inspired by. It will heavily involve the local community, and will be fun to create.

branding development

This is the development work for my initial concept for the branding of Fargo Village.

The background pattern here derives from a pattern that I found on the top of a wall in Far Gosford Street. I thought that the stone shapes were interesting. I definately think that this pattern needs development because at the moment it is not very visually dynamic. It is just a series of circles repeated. 

This was an idea where I would place a large letter in the typeface that I have designed onto the front of the warehouses as a way of catagorising them. I really dont think that this idea is successful, but it was worth a try. There is too much going on in the letterform and it becomes very confusing. Plus the texture I have put over it is too large which doesnt help. Its starting to look a little child like and a little circus like. 

I do quite like where this idea is going. It has reference to both the Industrial Victorian steriotypical signage and also the modern reinvented pattern. 

Here, I have started putting colour into the work. I have created an arrow as a sign that would be placed near Fargo Village to direct people to the site. I could create a range of these with different patterns and designs. The text is the typeface that I developed but without the drop shadow. I actually think that this typeface works really well. It is structurally sound, easy to read and has a contemporary feel to it. I am trying to create an asymmetrical feel to the layout of the type, hence why it is right aligned. 

I do not like the idea here of putting colour in the drop shadow of the name Fargo Village. This is overcomplicating the idea far too much. 

This is a mock up of one of the warehouses and an example of where I could place the pattern. I have also created a seating area outside the warehouse that could be created out of plastic/cast and that match the pattern on the building. Each building could have a different pattern and colour and this could be the way that they are visually separated, rather than having a large name across the front. 

Initial development of patterns/concepts

This shows my thinking process and development to one of the patterns that I am creating. Fargo Village has historic houses with really interesting roof guttering/underlining (I am not sure of the technical term). I replicated this through vector imagery and then starting experimenting with repeating it, deleting areas of design and playing around with divide tools and merge tools in illustrator until I was happy with the end product/pattern. I quite like the black and yellow ochre coloured pattern, second from the bottom. I think this is getting somewhere. Perhaps I could put these patterns under the roof edge of the warehouses in Fargo Village? Then I would really be bringing the history of Far Gosford Street into the design of Fargo Village, though I worry that this would perhaps suggest that I am being ironic. As I have said before, I do not want Fargo Village to start looking like a toy town. 

This is another attempt at the same process. This time has not been as successful, the final pattern lacks the conviction of an interesting repeated pattern. 

pattern research

Corinne Wasmuht 1986-2001

This is the collage style of Corinne Wasmuht. She takes photographs and turns them into really intersting photo montages. The randomness to the composition of these montages give them an unedited feel to them that i particularly like. I have already discussed that I want to highlight a handmade feel and quality to the patterns that I am going to create. Perhaps this is the way to go about it. The photos are arranged in a pareticularly aesemetic, rather random way. Each collage is completely different in appearance and visually dynamic. Although the collages look like they have been completed hastily on first impressions, further analysis shows that in actual fact a great attention has gone into constructing the compositions. Colours in every collage work well together. Hues of photographs have been carefully selected so that they compliment each other. 

I am going to experiment in creating patterns and then lay them out onto buildings in a similar way to Wasmuht's collages. I could create the patterns, and then crop areas to then drop onto buildings in an interesting collaged way. 

Max Ernst- Frottages

I was in the library researching and i found this really old book showcasing work by Max Ernst. I was going to overlook it until I opened it and started to read it. It showcased Max Ernst Frottage work. A style of rubbing that creates pattern out of texture. This is such a fantastic idea. Some of the textures and patterns that he has created through this process are amazing. Plus, it has the heavily textured, handmade quality that I really like and am trying to highlight through design. 

Adding colour to these rubbings, like above, create even more interesting and dynamic patterns. He carefully selected the surface before starting. They included floors, walls and embossed and debossed typography. 

Above is exactly the the type of feel of pattern that I want to create for the walls of the warehouses in Fargo Village. The pattern here is a repeat pattern, but because it has been created by manually moving the paper along, areas do not line up perfectly. This creates a beautiful rough feel to the pattern design. Perhaps this rubbing idea is a concept that I should explore when considering pattern construction for Fargo Village? I could make rubbings of the old walls, woodwork, flooring and typography that is down the street. 

Soft Surfaces- Judy A. Juracek

I have found this book most inspiring for producing patterns. It is a book that shows the potential of pattern making onto fabric. I think it is great source of research for my Coventry patterns. Above- Although these partterns are really intricate and illustrate floral which I am not really after, I have documented these images because of their use of colour. The colours compliment each other. This gives the patterns a more sophisticated feel. 

I really love the bleed effect that these died fabric patterns have. They look like they have been dragged to the left as they have gone through a photocopier (a trend at the minute in design). I particularly like the top image that is made of blue and white circular shapes. 

The image on the second row down, left side is exactly the type of pattern I want to aim to produce with my Fargo Village advertisement. It is an interesting repeat pattern that I think would look great on the walls of the warehouses in Fargo Village. I also love the colours used in this piece. Patterns look great when the background colour is a lighter tint of the forground colour. 

The typeface in illustrator

I have started to put my typeface into illustrator. To do this, I have created a grid that is constructed by 2mm intervals, like the gridded paper that I used to design the typeface by hand. This will create a digital typeface that relates directly to the typeface that I have designed by hand.

This is me initially experimenting with the typeface and a logo. I wanted to quickly design a logo to get a general feel for the typeface in digital form and see if it was working. I believe that it is. I quite like the condensed feel and slightly high x-hheight. However, I am not sure about the drop shadow. I think that it looks a little weak and appologetic. So does the word 'village', but this is early days and just an initial concept. I do not know why I have not put the drop shadow lines on the g or o. I have added a texture over the image to make it look like the type has been printed. In actual fact, the texture should have been created using a white fill, but this is something that I can experiment with in future designs. I think that the type is looking balanced and clean. 

The entire digitalised typeface- Capital letters

I am going to show the alphabet letting but also the grid lines and the guides that I used to cosntruct the type. 

I then put a drop shadow on this typeface. I decided that I no longer like the single line drop shadow, so I have created a drop shadow which is fuller and has perspective lines. 

#

I am now going to use this typeface to experiment with possible logos and the creation of patterns. 

Secondary research for typeface and typeface development

My research into Victorian type and industrial Victorian signage has made me want to develop a typeface for the rebranding of Fargo Village. However, I do not want it to be a direct copy of a Victorian typeface, I want it to have aesthetic qualities of an industrial Victorian typeface but I want it to have the a modern overall presence.

Therefore, there are two major influences that I am going to use in the creation of this type. 

I found this on the side of a roof down Far Gosfrod Street. It is an origional Victorian sign that once advertised a tobacco company. Ok, so the actual typeface is not well designed, the K looks very awkward and there is a varying width of stroke width on letterforms which I do not think works. However, I quite like the proportions of the type. It is fairly condensed, and I also really like the way that the drop shadow works. It is the drop shadow that gives it its Victorian quality. 

The other typeface that I am going to use as influence to develop my typeface is a modern design. It is called Gotham and produced by Hoeffler and Frere Jones. In particular, I am interested in the medium weight letters and numbers. 

It is a typeface inspired by the industrial heritage of America- the type constructed out of paint, neon, steel and glass that is seen everywhere in the American Urban landscape. The typeface is straight forward and and simple. The letter forms are non-negotable and have a timeless modern feel to them. Hoeffler and Frere Jones describe the typeface as being "assertive but never imposing, friendly but never folksy, confident but never aloof."

I am going to take inspiration for formation of letterforms from this typeface. The way that letterforms curve, the way that ascenders and decenders attatch to the body of the type, the consistant x height of the type and also the thickness of the type stroke. I want a consistant thickness to all lines constructing the typeface and i want a medium/bold weight of font. 

I have also decided that I am only going to produce a capital typeface as my research shows only the use of capital characters in Industrial Victorian signage. 

Initial drawings

To develop all of the letters of the typeface I have drawn them all out by hand. This way I have more control over the minute details of each letter form. One of the most difficult aspects to the type design I have found is determining the x height. For the cross bar of the capital A, so that the letterform looks balanced, I have had to bring it below the x height. Also, curves in letters are particularly hard to get right. In my typeface, each curved line differs slightly. Some rounded areas are tighter than others. The third example page of experimentation here shows a drop shadow which does not connect to the letterform and which is illustrated by just one line. The thinking behind this is that I want the drop shadow of the letters to have a more contemparary feel to them than my Industrial Victorian Research. I am attempting to create a drop shadow with a lighter visual presence. Careful consideration has gone into the thickness of the typeface. On this gridded paper, I have determined that the optimum thickness if the cap height is 50mm to be 8mm. The width of the type varies from 30mm to 40mm. Generally, the type is 35mm in width. This gives the type an overall condensed feel that I am after (inspired by the Victorian type I found on the roof on Far Gosford Street). Some of the generally wider letters including the G and the A look awkward with a width of 35mm, hence the 5mm variance. Also, letterforms such as the L do not have the slight condensed feel that the other letterforms have when designed with a 35mm width, hence the 30mm value to the width of a few of the letterforms. 

Typeface

I have been considering what type face to use for all of my Fargo Village text in the re-design of the branding. My initial thoughts have been to look at sign writing in a Victorian style.

The above two images are particularly interesting to me. They are hand drawn, loosely created type with 'swirly' ends. I think that this style is really visually interesting and dynamic. It would look great with a lino-cut edge. Perhaps one way to approach this project would be to lino cut all of the rebranded elements, the signs, patterns, building frontages etc. This would give a consistancy to the design. However, I think that this does not really have a contemporary feel to it. I could create the type in this style using vivid colours (the colours that will make my colour scheme for the rebranding) but again, I am not sure how effective this will be as a rebranding for the Village. I think that I want a typeface that is both sensitive to the history of the place but also contemporary, clean and modern. This then brings me to the idea of using a typeface that references the victorian industrial era, where type faces such as egyptiennes and wide latins were used. 

This image is really effective because the type is in a completely separate, self contained box that separates the busy image from the type. This is a way which I could separate my text on buildings etc with the patterns, if I want to explore patterns that cover the whole building rather than just small parts or sections of the building .However, one other way to explore the patterns on the buildings would be to just have small references to them embedded in the type or on one of the corners of the type. This is definately something that I need to explore further. 

One aspect of the type that I have looked at here that I am particularly drawn to is the drop shadow on some of the characters. This creates a bold character with a 3 dimensional element.

I really like this logo. It uses a serif victorian styled typeface, and has the effect of being printed. It is very cleverly designed, the serif font for the name is balanced by the light, thin font that is below it. The contrast between the two creates an interesting balance. This is definately something that I wish to explore when developing my type. Also, the fact that the serif font is separated by containing it within a decorated box is also of interest to me. I am wondering what Fargo Village would look like in something similar, with a decorated edge around a containing box? 

The above style of text is a really effective use of a victorian bold serif typeface. The typeface is really powerful set against a black background, and is instantly associated with the era that it origionated. 

It uses the steriotypical light sandy yellow against a black background and horizontal and vertical lines structure the sign. This is typical of Industrial Victorian signage.  

I think that the drop shadow on the typeface above is particularly powerful. It is again typical of Victorian industrial signage. The serif font below this type reading "Jessie's Fold" has the feel of Vicorian industrialism that I am going to try and emulate through the design of a typeface for the rebranding of Fargo Village.