Summative Brief - How It's Coming Along

So, I haven’t wrote a post about my project since the Paul Smith one, but I just wanted to document everything I’ve been getting up to on here. So my trend was applied art, quite a tricky one to research but once I got into it I absolutely loved it! Then my outcome was print which I was so happy with because my career goal is to go into print media!

Applied Art

Applied art is any art that applies aesthetic principles to the design of useful objects. The first view of it was architecture and in particular the seven wonders of the world including the Egyptian pyramids. However, as a trend it has been around for hundreds of years and it really came to the public’s attention in the 19th century during the industrial revolution where it became easier to decorate everyday objects with the use of machines. In addition to this, applied art also covers the decorative arts such as Chinese pottery and porcelain, tapestry, stained glass windows and Celtic metalwork which dates as far back as 2000 BC. This applied arts trend has constantly been developing through the years as different art movements have come to the forefront such as Bauhas and art deco. In more modern times applied art covers graphic design, industrial design, interior design and of course, fashion design. As a fashion trend it looks at fabrics and their textures, for example fur or ruffles, and most recently brands such as Burberry have been using plastic for their garments. It includes print, and brands like Kenzo and House of Holland are well known for their use of print, such as floral, stripes and painterly print. Applied art also includes referencing artists and popular culture, for instance, Raf Simons at Calvin Klein used Andy Warhol’s photos of Dennis Hopper as a print on dresses for the new collection and Versace has recently used images of Marilyn Monroe on garments.

Print

Print is a process in which text and/or images are mass produced. It is the earliest form of fashion advertising and promotion dating back to the eighteenth century. The different forms of print that fashion brands can use include magazine advertising, billboards, posters, swing tags, fashion show invites and look books or catalogues. One of the key aspects of print is how authentic it is, and therefore a genuine representation of the brand. Print can be used to inform an audience or just be aesthetically pleasing, but the main goal is to communicate the brands identity. Prints biggest rival is the digital age as putting something online is so accessible, however, print it beneficial because you can have a physical copy, something that can be kept forever and therefore the reader can appreciate the work that went in to make it. Unfortunately, critics say that print media is outdated and dying out; all the reasons explaining why print media is a dying industry can be summed up into – because of easiness and convenience that digital media is offering. When it comes to print media there are a few things that the brand must think about. First being touch and quality of the paper, as if it’s bad quality the reader will be less inclined to buy from the brand. This leads on to colours, should the brand print in full colours or black and white? Full colour is known to catch the attention of an audience but black and white could be making a statement, also how much will this be costing the brand as they may have to print multiple copies.

Sketchbook Work

I’m finding my sketchbook sooooo hard! I really don’t know why I’ve struggled so much with it but trying to visually present my research is proving a difficult task! I also keep seeing other peoples sketchbooks and its scaring me thinking that mine isn’t ‘pretty’ enough! Although I know that my lecturers are marking the content not the presentation (thank goodness)

InDesign

I’ve loved using indesign! I’m quite advanced with Adobe programmes so this hasn’t been a massive issue for me. I’m just constantly checking it for mistakes because I know its going to cost me money to get it printed so I don’t want to mess it up!

If I’m honest I can’t wait for this project to be over! I’m bored of it now and I can’t wait to have 2 weeks off for reading week and to then go back in February and start a brand new project..

Hollie Rose x