Tell an Untold Story - Project Proposal

Notes from Critique

I found the feedback from this critique useful in deciding what the next stage of my project will be. It raised some points I hadn't considered properly yet such as the tone of voice and what media I will use. I think it will be useful to work in the size that the book will be to get a better idea of scale and level of detail required earlier on. 

Project Proposal

What is your picture book about?

The difference between western and eastern perceptions of tea, specifically how western culture sees tea as a warming, comforting drink whereas tea pickers in India are faces with issues of poverty, kidnappings, human trafficking and slavery.

Intent: What are you trying to achieve?

The book will primarily be to inform people of the story behind a cup of tea and making them realise the harsh reality of tea picking. In the process of informing, I think the book will shock and potentially persuade people to think more about what they are buying. However, my primary intentions are not to produce a hard hitting, overly dramatic picture book.

Structure: How might this book function?

At the moment, I am thinking either a book that tells two contrasting stories compiled into the same book in some way or a series of images which show a gradual realisation of the harsh truth behind a comforting cup of tea.

These ideas are based on my research into...

My drawings of people in coffee shops sparked this idea initially, I then tried to think of a more interesting angle to approach to topic of tea. I have done research into the issues of human trafficking, poverty and slavery in Assam (main area for tea plantations in India) which has formed the basis of the concept for my book.

In order to develop these ideas, my research over Christmas will be...

I need to continue my research into issues tea pickers are facing. I also feel I need to do more research into western, particularly British, perceptions of tea. The UK brews 165 million cups of tea a day and imports 10% of the world's tea production so I feel this would be the best country to use to contrast India.

Self Evaluation

What have you discovered about research over the last two weeks?

I have realised that it is easy to get carried away with one or two ideas that you think have potential, but when you revisit them they seem to have a dead end. This proved to be quite frustrating for me so I took a step back to look at everything I had done to then make an informed decision of how to progress. I have also discovered that visual research can be equally or even more valuable than factual research - I previously considered research to be about reading books and browsing the internet but during this project, visual research has been the main way I have generated ideas. 

Which approaches to research did you struggle with?

I struggled with starting conversations with people about a topic just because I find this quite intimidating. The people I did speak tended not to be that helpful with my project so I think, in future, I need to have a clear idea of what I am going to ask them. It was also difficult to record what they are saying - writing while someone is talking can be off-putting but remembering everything they are saying to write down afterwards is also a challenge. 

Which approaches to research did you find beneficial?

I think I used drawing quite exhaustively and this helped me to come up with and develop ideas. The internet has been really helpful in my later stages of factual research into tea picking in India because I couldn't find many books which were based on such a specific topic. 

What do you regret about your approach to research during this brief?

I regret not having a clear idea of what I was doing on my first day of research. I suppose this couldn't be helped because I was struggling for ideas at this point, but looking back at this day, a lot of my drawings and research seem irrelevant to the current direction of my project. I don't like to think of this as a waste of time because without it I wouldn't have thought of my current idea, however, I feel that this day could have been used more effectively if I had had a clear plan. 

What kind of media, skills, tools and processes are you going to explore?
My initial thoughts for this project was the use of watercolours because I feel these could capture the sensitivity and warmth of western perceptions of tea. However, I am unsure whether this medium would be appropriate for the entire book so I will need to experiment with this. I intend to experiment with pencil crayons, way crayons, gouache and inks as a starting point for my experimentation.

Tell an Untold Story - Swiss Cottage and drawing from reference

Working with the idea of tea, I wanted to build up a bank of tea related imagery from western culture.  I visited Swiss Cottage Antiques in Leeds and they kindly let me take photographs and do some drawings from the items in their store.

I am happy with the drawings I did at Swiss Cottage and I have learnt a bit more about more traditional ceramics. There was so many objects in Swiss Cottage that I had to be really selective with what I was drawing. Overall, I feel this visit has been successful drawing wise but I don't know whether the outcomes from today will influence my final book that much. 

Drawing from reference - Tea related imagery from eastern culture

(http://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2013/jul/20/child-slavery-india-assam-trafficking)

I think I need to broaden the range of imagery I am looking at for this subject so I intend to keep researching online and checking if there are any relevant books in the library. 

I am happy that my project now has a clear direction and I can start thinking about the actual imagery that will appear in the book. I did a few quick sketches to try and visualise how this book could work and show the distinction between the two different approaches.

Tell an Untold Story - Continued Research

In response to what I did on Friday, I did some research into some of the subjects I was looking at. 

Nutcrackers research - I learnt that nutcrackers are part of German folklore and were given as keepsakes as they were believed to protect your home. They represent power and strength which is why you usually see them decorated as soldiers, knights or kings. 

I also visited the Visitor Centre in Leeds Train Station to see if I could find any more information about City Square or other statues or sculpture locations in the city or nearby. This was quite a disappointing trip as I left with not much more than I came with and they didn't have any knowledge or information leaflets relating to what I was asking about. I found a few leaflets about places to see birds which I took in case this was the route I decided to take. 

Drawing from reference

Nutcrackers and wooden figures - drawn from photos from German Market

Birds - drawn from photos from museum

Even after continued factual research and drawing, I felt like I had no clear idea of what I was doing for this brief. I found it frustrating that I was doing all of this work and it wasn't going anywhere so I took a step back from everything I had done to try and pinpoint something I could progress with.

I think getting this down onto paper was what made me realise what I was actually interested in and helped me to find a specific topic that I would be willing to work with and research over the coming weeks. In relation to my drawings of people in coffee shops, I came up with the idea of how we consider tea to be this warming, cosy drink which people (especially British) find appropriate for any situation. 

The idea of a book of beautifully crafted images relating to tea did seem tempting but I know that this has been done before many times and I wanted something more interesting to make it more unique. I want the book to actually tell a story or highlight an issue. 

These roughs led me to explore tea further and I started to research the tea making process and people involved. My online research led me to an article and video on The Guardian website titled: 'The Tea Pickers Sold into Slavery.' Tea pickers in India, specifically the Assam region, are paid so poorly by companies that they often resort to selling their children to 'agencies' who promise them work and a better life in cities such as Delhi, they are told they will earn money to bring back to their families. The reality of this is that they are trafficked as slaves, not paid for their work and treated very badly by a lot of their rich owners.

This research has given me the basis of the concept of my book and the aim of it will be to make people realise the harsh story behind their comforting cup of tea. 

Links for research

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/mar/02/tea-workers-sold-into-slavery

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/20/poverty-tea-pickers-india-child-slavery

http://www.odanadi.org

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/28/trafficked-india-red-light-districts

http://www.theguardian.com/law/video/2013/sep/28/taken-exposing-sex-trafficking-and-slavery-in-india-video

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/01/india-tea-firms-urged-tackle-slave-traffic-plantations

Indesign Workshop Week 2

Recap of photoshop specifications: 300dpi, actual size, CMYK or greyscale, .tif or .psd.

Image preparation technique - 1

Rectangle frame tool.

Arrange desired layout on page.

Options bar -> check dimensions and make a note of them (W=133mm H=169mm).

Import photo into Photoshop.

Image -> Image size.

If the resolution is 300, tick the resample box. Resample means the resolution doesn't change which is what we want if it is already 300. 

Put dimensions in (largest dimension if you want it to fill the frame).

Save image. 

Go back to InDesign. File -> Place -> Select Image. 

Check image information on links palette: actual ppi and effective pip should be 300. 

Image Preparation Technique - 2

Image has been scanned at 300dpi.

File -> Place -> Drop onto page.

Resize frame (not image) to desired size.

(Select image frame) Object -> Fitting -> Fill frame proportionally.

The resolution has been lowered because the image has been enlarged.

Links palette -> Link info -> Scale: 172.7% (How much we have enlarged this in InDesign).

Select image -> Right click -> Edit with -> Photoshop.

Image -> Image size.

Change units to percent and type in scale percentage (172.7%).

Save image (not Save As). 

Image in InDesign automatically updates because of link. 

Check links palette - scale should be 100%, actual size. 

If you want to enlarge any image by a lot, make sure to scan it in at a much higher resolution so this can cancel out the lowering in resolution during enlargement.  

Three Book Formats

Saddle stitch book

8 pages in this example (facing pages).

Custom paper size.

3mm bleed. 

Readers spreads - wee see it on screen in the same way we will see it printed. 

It is best to have the size less than A4 for one page so the double page can be printed on an A3 sheet including the bleed. 

With this format of book, the number of pages must be a multiple of four because each sheet of paper has four pages on it. 

When printing the book, we work with printers spreads where the pages are rearranged in order to make the book. 

L          R

8          1

2          7

6          3

4          5

When working out the order of printers spreads, go down the table in a zig zag with the first half of the pages and fill in the gaps going back up the table with the second half of the pages. Pairs of page numbers should add up to to the total number of pages plus one. 

File -> Print booklet.
Booklet type -> 2up addle stitch.
Print settings: make sure 'Print blank pages' is ticked.
Setup: Printer -> Black and white or colour.
Paper size selection and orientation of spread.
Page position -> Centred (this is so the pages line up when printed double sided).
Marks and bleed: Make sure 'crop marks' are ticked and 'use document bleed settings are ticked'.

Printer: Dont tick two sided, go to the two sided drop down menu and select short edge binding in this case (short or long edge options).

Preview then print. 

If there are a lot of pages or a thick stock which would be difficult to fold together, you would print multiple smaller booklets and then bind them together in a more complex way. This is where you would only print a selection of the pages. 

Concertina Book

If an individual page is A5 and we want 16 of them.

148.5 x 16 = 2376mm

Make a single page with these dimensions. 

Either divide into 16 columns or create guides. 

Layout -> Create guides -> 16 columns. Gutter should be 0 to get a single line. 

Document with guides

File -> Document setup -> Slug: 20mm for printer marks and fold marks. 
Extend the guides so they will be visible after printing. 

Extended guides

File -> Print -> Marks and bleed -> Include slug area. 

Hotdog book

Create the page to the desired dimensions. 

Layout -> Create guides -> 4 columns and 2 rows. Gutter = 0.

Add slug area and extend guides. 

Everything on the top needs to be upside down so you need to design each page facing this way, select its contents and rotate using the options bar at the top. 

Select the centre square in the grid of nine squares because this means the point of rotation is not at the centre and then select 180degree rotation to  turn it upside down. 

Tell an Untold Story - Research Crit

I really don't know where this project is going after this crit. Before the crit, I was quite excited about a few topics but now I feel a bit lost and am unsure in which direction to go. I think I will spend the next few days experimenting with further ideas and then come up with an appropriate location to visit on Thursday which will hopefully help things progress. 

Collage and Ephemera - Fashion Show Poster

I am unsure about how this week's task will go because I think the poster will need to have a strong layout which is something I don't see as a strength of mine. I was unsure of where to begin with this task so I looked through the collection of magazine cuttings and other found images I already had to see if this sparked any ideas. I know that fashion revolves around the seasons so I made two groups of images, one for winter and one for spring. 

Winter

Spring

I started playing around with the winter themed images as I thought I could get a lot of inspiration from around me due to the time of year. I was thinking of a monochrome theme for the poster with shocks of deep red and purples as I feel these colours are festive but also rich, suggesting wealth and class. However, I didn't seem to be progressing with my ideas so I decided to move on to the spring themed images and see what I could do with these.

Some experimentation in my sketchbook led me to the idea of constructing a garment from collaged images and papers. I researched haute couture photography to hopefully get some inspiration for an interesting composition.

A common trait of the images I researched was that a lot of the impact comes from the skirt. It often takes up the most space on the page and is the largest, most dramatic part of the dress. This made me want to play around with having the skirt of a dress as the focal point of my poster.  

I arranged some found images, patterns and textures into the shape of a dress, using a found image for the figure. I wanted to have a contrast between the greyscale of the figure and the spring-like colours of the dress. 

Cut out and scanned in to computer

Experimentation with effects - this drains the image of its life which is what spring represents so I am going to stick with the colour version. 

I scanned in my collage and used it to fill the text to tie the whole poster together as a whole. I used Pages on my mac to do this but I should have planned my time more effectively so I could have done this in the studio using Photoshop as I feel this would have given me more options and produced a more professional outcome.

Mock up on the computer

Final Poster

Evaluation

This is the first week of visual language where I have not enjoyed the task and am not pleased with my overall outcome. 

I think the composition needed to be pushed more to create more drama in the skirt, therefore the figure would need to be smaller and pushed further into the corner. I am feeling better about the collaged skirt after receiving good feedback about this aspect - I think I had maybe been looking at it too much and was noticing all the imperfections whereas other people were pleased with its initial impact. I think the yellow bodice is too bright and doesn't link to much else on the page so I feel like it attracts too much attention to the wrong part of the piece. 

I think the typography is what really let this poster down as it looks very amateur. I feel like I have been really busy with other modules this week so this task took a back seat and unfortunately this has shown in my outcome and I feel that some decisions have been rushed. Looking at my type now, I don't know why I thought it was appropriate for this theme as it is too bold and playful and not elegant and feminine enough. I think the layout of the type is also an issue - I aligned it to the right so it could balance the woman on the left of the page but I don't like the gap this has left beneath it. Also, the contrast between the straight line of the type and the curve of the dress is not easy on the eye. 

I really struggled with this collage and ephemera task and it has highlighted that a clear weakness of mine is typography. I feel that this task has been left to the last minute and I didn't like that this was what I had to show for this week's task. I feel like I really need to develop my skills in Photoshop more than ever, it has become apparent that looking at other people's work that this is a really useful tool even if it is not used extensively.