For my typography poster, I decided to go with the idea of a “type tree.” I felt that the use of a tree helped to display each section of type in an orderly fashion which was simple, but yet understandable. For colour, I originally planned to add some more variety on the bottom text and the background though, I felt this would be much more overwhelming. I decided to stick with the simple colour tone and planned to focus mainly on the type itself.

I feel that my idea could have been a little bit more creative so I rank myself an overall 7/10. I spent approximately 6 to 7 hours finishing the entire thing, the majority of the time spent in writing on the typefaces themselves.

Welcome to the Moon

Back in 1902, a silent, French short film called “Le Voyage dans la Lune” (A Trip to the Moon) was produced. The movie was written and directed by French director and actor, Georges Méliès. This movie was created during a time where technology was very new and the concept of “sci-fi” hardly even existed. It follows a group of astronomers throughout their journey to the moon, travelling via a canon-propelled capsule that launches towards the surface of the moon.

Filming the Moon

The budget for the film was ₣10,000 (French Franc) and took approximately 3 months for the 13-minute film to be completed. The majority of the budget for the film went towards the making of the scenery and the costumes. For the costumes, Méliès himself would create the costume prototypes for the head, knees and feet in terracotta and then create plaster moulds for them. For filming, most of the special effects in the film used the substitution splice technique. This was a technique in which the cameraman would stop filming for a moment and an object would be altered, added, or removed before filming resumed. In a way, much like stop motion.

A Legacy for Sci-Fi

As a personal fan of sci-fi, I have yet to even view the film, I would like to watch it. This film would be even more intriguing to watch during the time it was released. The concept and the visuals surrounding the film itself were very unique for the date it was released, yet it opened up another world to the sci-fi movie industry, despite there not being much for technology. The sci-fi and fantasy themes showed the viewers that reality itself could be altered behind the camera for cinematic purposes. Today, “A Trip to the Moon” remains to be Méliès’s most popular film. The image of the moon with the capsule stuck in its right eye remains to be the most iconic scene from the film, it has been referenced in present-day films such as “Hugo.”

Sources

http://brainknowsbetter.com/news/2014/2/21/georges-melies-a-trip-to-the-moon-reveals-the-psychology-of-film

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Trip_to_the_Moon#Legacy

For my historical artifact, I chose to do an Ancient Egyptian book of the dead. I chose this artifact to learn more about the book of the dead and to convey my interest in ancient Egypt. My approach to begin the “papyrus scroll” was to cut out a longer, slimmer strand of paper and proceed to draw on it. I tried to keep the images true to the historical illustrations and match the hieroglyphs to the best of my ability. After I finished drawing and then inking, I soaked the pages into some black tea for a few minutes and then hung them to dry, this process helped to stain the pages to make them look older. I felt applying this final stain was the easiest method to “age” the pages with the materials I had in my own dorm.

Overall, I am quite satisfied with the final product. I wish I could’ve aged the pages a little more to make them older and more yellow to appear more like papyrus. I’ve spent approximately a total of 5 hours putting it together, not including the drying time for the pages. Personally, I would evaluate about an 8out of 10 for myself, I feel like more thought could’ve gone into my museum sign.

Sources:

https://www.arce.org/resource/book-dead-guidebook-afterlife

https://www.worldhistory.org/Egyptian_Book_of_the_Dead/

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA9901-3

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Book-of-the-Dead-ancient-Egyptian-text

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_the_Dead

Hokusai’s Artistic Characteristics

His very distinct style, use of line and colour are notable to many. In the nineteenth century, his influences spread over to western cultures, reaching Europe to create what we know as Japonism. Japonism was a massive craze known for collecting traditional Japanese art. When the Europeans collected these prints, Hokusai had an impact on the Impressionist movement. His themes often contributed to the works of Claude Monét and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

The Wave Present Today

Hokusai’s work today is widely known, even by those who are nowhere near artists. Today, The Great Wave remains his most iconic work, often seen on clothing and posters. I, myself have seen the piece countless times before and have always admired it. Often when traditional Japanese art is mentioned, this is the very first one to come to mind, alongside the simplistic art style. As stated in Encyclopedia Britannica, “since the later 19th century, impressed Western artists, critics, and art lovers alike, more, possibly, than any other single Asian artist.”

Sources

https://www.katsushikahokusai.org

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hokusai#ref3258

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokusai#cite_note-42

For the typography zine, Phoebe and I chose to do it on Louis Braille. We selected the colour pallet consisting of pale pink, blues, and violets to represent the blindness those may feel. Although, despite the blindness, we selected these colours to reflect on the “light” that the creating of the braille typeface may have brought. Braille opened up a world for those who cannot see, to have an opportunity to read. Our main concept was figuring out how we can apply the simplicity of braille into design, utilizing the white space to our advantage.

This project was an excellent opportunity to learn about the braille typeface. I’ve known about it my whole life, though never was aware of the origin and the amount of function it served. Phoebe and I have taken approximately 10 total hours, planning included. If I were to grade our own assignment I would perhaps grade us a 9 out of 10. I believe we laid out our facts well and summarized them perfectly. Also, I appreciate the colour pallet we selected and am pleased with the overall layout of our design, though our designs on the first spread could have been thought out more, I will admit.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-Braille

https://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/about/aboutbraille/whoislouis.html

Albrecht Dürer Depicted the Book of Revelations in his 15 paged woodcut, “Apocalypse.” This book would bring fame to Dürer all across Europe. The “Book of Revelations” is a title heard by many, known for its incredibly dramatic and frightening tone. Written by John, it is the final book in the new testament in the Christian holy bible. This book is widely known for its depiction and description of the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.” The Four Horsemen may be the most recognisable and iconic piece from Dürer’s booklet, as shown below.

Originally, Apocalypse was cut onto pearwood, amongst 15 woodcuts and of course, printed beautifully in black and white. The booklet was 15 pages in length, respectfully, although, Dürer initially planned to include every scene from the book. The earlier woodcuts by Dürer were depicted unrealistically, later on, they were to be recreated following his travels to Italy. Travelling to Italy enabled Dürer to combine the iconography of the bible and early ideology with his art skills. This aided him throughout the final products to appear more realistic, practical, and expressive. Dürer depicted the images beautifully, the black and white almost complementing the imagery.

There have been speculations as to the depictions of Dürer’s images. I’ve shared the pieces “Opening of the Seventh Seal” and “The Whore of Babylon.” It’s been speculated the turbaned figures in “The Whore of Babylon” are being seduced by the woman. This results in subjecting them to the Apocalypse. She appears to be represented as a dangerous figure, with the monsters by her side, as if implying that falling for her could be catastrophic.
Through my own observation, “Opening of the Seventh Seal” is a lot to unpack. The angels and the screaming eagle display a strong sense of triumph and a warning, conveying their message to the vast world below. It definetly delivers the energy of an approaching apocalypse or an approaching end.

Sources:

http://www.albrechtdurer.org/opening-of-the-seventh-seal/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Revelation-to-John

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocalypse_(Dürer)

The media I am using are inks and alcohol markers. I made my yearbook spreadsheet to resemble the look of a character reference or a stats sheet. The overall layout is not overly serious and a little bit messy or disorganised as I often tend to lack that seriousness in my own personality. My idea was to reflect some of my energy by using warm but vibrant colours in the background, I like to try to welcome the warmer side of my personality and then convey it with the bright and bubbly side of it to coexist as one. My self-portrait isn’t 110% accurate but it is how I see myself and, in a way, hope it’s how other view me as an individual. I want people reading it to feel like it isn’t something overly serous and is a little bit more fun or interesting to look at.

If I were to give myself a mark on a 10-point scale, I would grade myself a 7 perhaps. Although I spend a total of around 4 hours, I do feel like my use of colour could’ve been thought out a little bit more.