It's really interesting how Clarendon is used for a vanilla yoghurt I had whilst in Iceland but is also used on the turf of the NFL football games. Although it probably smells quite classic and vanilla, tastes quite smooth and milky it could also sound like the rowdy cheers at a football game. I think this will make the final outcome much more interesting to interactive in comparison to the direction i seemed to be heading with associating typefaces to scenarios. This was more like 'setting a scene' whereas I now seem to be treating each sense differently. I'm happy i've taken this turn as i think with the senses not being related (e.g. what you will smell is not the same as you will taste - which is usually the case in situations) the participator can focus on each indivual sense more, and be able to focus on whether or not they agree that Clarendon smells of vanilla.
REFLECTION
02.04.17
After agreeing that the previous typefaces i was looking at were too cliche, I've now chosen as set of different typefaces - ones which I have come across often and have many uses but are also, in my opinion, not the completely cliches ones such as Helvetica or Comic Sans. I've begun by looking at where these typefaces are used. This is made it much easier to think about what they would taste, smell and sound like.
24.03.17
Today I spoke to my personal tutor and proposed the plans for my final outcome. Although she was pleased that I had adopted a more ambitious approach and that i've moved away from print, she felt that I was being too cliche with my choice of typeface and the associations that came with them - which i completely agree with. I usually have quite a conceptual approach to project but i do worry sometimes that I can make something too complicated. I think I was also worried that my project would not make sense to someone who had never studied/doesn't know anything about graphic design/typography. However, my tutor has encouraged me to move away completely from the cliches and become more abstract (not sure if this is the right word) with my approach - which looking back at my proposal, I did actually specify that I wanted to avoid cliches completely. She suggested that it would be more interesting and more of a challenge for me to look at typefaces which have a lot of associations to them e.g. instead of looking at Blackoak Std which will only ever be associated to wild west posters. Due to this meeting, I'm leaving the typefaces that I was looking at before and am now going to look into some which are used more often/have more associations and think about what my associations are to them - where have i seen them?
I was also unaware prior to this meeting at potentially how much space we would be allowed - apparently its very negotiable if you do request a large space in the exhibition for your final outcome. Due to this I am going to be more ambitious when planning my exhibition piece and i want to really focus on how the installation will look in the exhibition.
21.03.17
This week a came across an interesting campaign by Dunkin' Donuts - a coffee scented infuser placed in buses in Seoul to try and rebrand themselves as a cafe that also sells coffee alongside donuts - sensory branding was something that i touched on during research and something that actually really interests me - sensory branding engages with people on a subconscious level. Brands are now understanding that sound/smell/taste/touch have a far greater influence on perception than visual material does as it engages with our brains subconsciously. Sara Hyndman voiced a similar notion, explaining how although we may not always realise it, typefaces evoke emotion and set a seen - 'hidden in plain sight'.
I then discovered many brands were taking on this sensory technique such as Holiday Autos who set up a vending machine which sold bottles that had captured holiday scents in them such as suncream or freshly cut grass. This research inspired me to set up an installation in the exhibition in which you can go and listen/taste/smell things - all obviously associated to a typeface. I think now i need to focus on how i am going to do this and also really think about how it is going to be set up/what the installation will look like. I also need to obviously decide which typefaces will be featured - at the moment I am thinking of using three typefaces.
20.03.17
I think i have somehow got a bit lost during this project and feel as though i have been neglecting a major part of it: the typefaces.
Recently, I attended a talk by Jonathan Barnbrook and i found it really interesting listening to him talk about his typeface Mason and how his inspirations behind it are complete opposites to what the type is used for - which is the case with many typefaces. This week I have really tried to focus on looking at where certain typefaces and used/who uses it. I've also started placing certain typefaces into scenarios based upon their associations and uses - i think this has really helped start to shape my final outcome.
I'm also considering putting together a survey in which people have to answer what their sensory perceptions would be to specific scenes - the scenes being ones I have already matched or associate with typefaces. I've then done a quiz in which people match the typeface to the quiz just as primary research to test whether what i associate is similiar to others.
Recently, I attended a talk by Jonathan Barnbrook and i found it really interesting listening to him talk about his typeface Mason and how his inspirations behind it are complete opposites to what the type is used for - which is the case with many typefaces. This week I have really tried to focus on looking at where certain typefaces and used/who uses it. I've also started placing certain typefaces into scenarios based upon their associations and uses - i think this has really helped start to shape my final outcome.
I'm also considering putting together a survey in which people have to answer what their sensory perceptions would be to specific scenes - the scenes being ones I have already matched or associate with typefaces. I've then done a quiz in which people match the typeface to the quiz just as primary research to test whether what i associate is similiar to others.
17.03.17
After discussing with my seminar group that i wanted to take a more interactive and experiential approach with FMP, I was encouraged to be more experimental this week.
So I begun exploring different textures of typefaces and how I could physically make them.
Flour inside a balloon - feels quite stiff and hard but still soft/shapeable - probably a sans serif type such as Futura or Avenir?
Shower gel inside a plastic bag - very squidgy, soft and smooth - probably a type such as Bauhaus?
Aesthetically I'm not so convinced that these really work - they would look quite messy/junk shop if they were just sat on a shelf. Due to this I am thinking of removing the element of texture altogether in my final installation. I've also got various opinions on this idea and most people have said that removing textures would not be a huge loss - the general consensus is that to hear, taste and smell a typeface is much more interesting and exciting than it would be to feel it.
So I begun exploring different textures of typefaces and how I could physically make them.
Flour inside a balloon - feels quite stiff and hard but still soft/shapeable - probably a sans serif type such as Futura or Avenir?
Shower gel inside a plastic bag - very squidgy, soft and smooth - probably a type such as Bauhaus?
Aesthetically I'm not so convinced that these really work - they would look quite messy/junk shop if they were just sat on a shelf. Due to this I am thinking of removing the element of texture altogether in my final installation. I've also got various opinions on this idea and most people have said that removing textures would not be a huge loss - the general consensus is that to hear, taste and smell a typeface is much more interesting and exciting than it would be to feel it.
13.03.17
Today I took part in a development workshop run by a recent Chelsea graduate. We asked to come in to the studio with a question regarding our FMP (mine: Can you smell a tyepface?) and then to take three post-it notes from different spots round the room, with either a location, a material or a scale on and to use these to come up with some sketches essentially answering our questions.
I really enjoyed this exercise as it allowed you to be incredibly ambitious and unrealistic which i think was very refreshing and beneficial. I came away from this workshop really wanted to move away from print and into a more interactive installation type piece. I am now going to think about a more physical outcome - probably will start by looking at textures of typefaces.
I really enjoyed this exercise as it allowed you to be incredibly ambitious and unrealistic which i think was very refreshing and beneficial. I came away from this workshop really wanted to move away from print and into a more interactive installation type piece. I am now going to think about a more physical outcome - probably will start by looking at textures of typefaces.
12.03.17
I'm not so sure where to go with my FMP after a somewhat unsuccessful attempt at using forms of mark making to visualise sound - my tutor and I both discussed that the outcomes didn't really do or say anything. We also discussed playing around with print (this is what I had proposed in my brief) and doing a series of controlled collages whilst using uncontrolled methods of print. Thus pushing my FMP into the direction of a poster or book based outcome - this is what I'm not so sure about. It doesn't excite me and I think there other more engaging approaches I could adopt, I just don't know if I have the time/skill/money. In an ambitious world, I'd like to create a sensory experience (referring to the VR I originally spoke about in my proposal) in which you would see the typeface and would be able to taste/hear/smell/touch it.
Later today I begun playing around with print and creating 'controlled collages' in an 'uncontrolled environment'. Annoyingly, I was not able to get into the print workshops this week due to it being fully booked so I played around with paint and sponges onto collages i made using Lucida Calligraphy and its associated form and sound (ancient Chinese chimes > pagoda roof). Although I am quite pleased at how these have turned out, I think i'm just quite unsatisfied at the notion of having a poster or a book as a final outcome. Although if i put a lot of effort into it and was very experimental, it could be a really beautiful piece. But it think at this stage and because we're working effectively towards an exhibition I would rather conclude with something more exciting and memorable.
Later today I begun playing around with print and creating 'controlled collages' in an 'uncontrolled environment'. Annoyingly, I was not able to get into the print workshops this week due to it being fully booked so I played around with paint and sponges onto collages i made using Lucida Calligraphy and its associated form and sound (ancient Chinese chimes > pagoda roof). Although I am quite pleased at how these have turned out, I think i'm just quite unsatisfied at the notion of having a poster or a book as a final outcome. Although if i put a lot of effort into it and was very experimental, it could be a really beautiful piece. But it think at this stage and because we're working effectively towards an exhibition I would rather conclude with something more exciting and memorable.
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