Women in Film // Research: Changing the perspective on prostitution

Posters created by the design studio Anti to raise awareness of how sex workers are dehumanized and deserve respect.

The posters have been purposefully placed to seem like they are falling apart and out of place - similar to how prostitutes are seen in modern society.

Just because someone is in sex work, doesn't mean that they don't deserve respect or to be treated rightfully. So often women working in this way are put in danger and quite often killed or badly hurt.

No company would present their products in an advertisement this way, which is why they stand out so vividly.

No words even need to be used apart from 'prostitute' as it is so clear straight away what it is trying to convey.

The women are dressed in plain black clothing as to create a contrast against how people imagine prostitutes to look and present themselves. It makes them seem more 'ordinary'.

However, this also suggests that women are only to be respected when dressing plainly and modestly, which should not be the case. Clothing has nothing to do with self respect, and should have nothing to do with how other people respect women.

https://www.behance.net/gallery/20736687/Changing-the-perspective-on-PROSTITUTION

Responsive // Secret 7": Submissions

A reflection of the difficulty portrayed in the lyrics; a relationship slipping out of their grasp.

'The skins we've known no longer fit us' This song represents two people slipping away from each other, and he doesn't recognise the person anymore.

"Left you there in the sunlight" This dark imagery depicts the sunlight flooding in - like rain, and the situation is like a storm, so I incorporated both these concepts together.
-
I think that this design is missing something, however I was limited with time and I took too long to get to this point. If I had longer I would have tried to add a figure or face to complete it.

Women in film // Research: Overthinkingit.com

Female character flowchart

I came across a really interesting female character flowchart, which is to help determine whether a character is well developed, rather than a stereotype or typical trope. I have taken screenshots of certain parts of it.

The idea is that if a woman a prominent part of the film and has traits that make her three dimensional, she is likely to be a strong female character.

http://www.overthinkingit.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Overthinking-It-Female-Character-Flowchart.png

This flowchart is very informative, although a lot of this is up in the air and depends on individual opinions. Maybe some of these female character tropes are realistic in that there are people out there like them. But the point being made is that their key characteristics are not enough to make them fully developed people. Basically, women deserve more than this.

I have to say, I don't agree with the 'fickle woman' being Kate from LOST. Although she was the typical attractive and physically strong young woman, she had a past of her own that is deeply delved into, such as her criminal past. But maybe this feeds into the idea of her having a 'masculine trait' to make her watchable? And her place in the show does become more and more defined by her relationships with the two main male characters.

To sum up, female character development is complex and tricky.

'Strong female characters'

I found an interesting article on "strong" female characters on the same website.

It took a while, but some writers in Hollywood got the idea. No more would female characters be Damsels in Distress. No, there should be Strong Female Characters in cinema– emphasis on “Strong.” While these women would still be young and hot, they’d also have one characteristic that made them more masculine. It could be physical strength or a superpower (see Liz Sherman in the first Hellboy movie), or the ability to shoot a gun properly (Princess Leia).

Yeah, trouble is, while these characters were marginally better than the original Damsels in Distress, they still ended up having to be saved in the final act by the male hero. And even when she was being strong, she was always doing it in the sexiest way possible. She’d never, say, get a black eye or a broken nose in a fight. Her ability to fix cars (a powerful, masculine trait) would allow her to get sexy grease all over her slippery body. Her ability to shoot a gun was so the film’s advertisers could put her on a poster wearing a skimpy outfit with a big gun between her legs. In short, the “strength” of her character was to make her a better prize for the hero at the end – and for the horny male audience throughout.

http://www.overthinkingit.com/2008/08/18/why-strong-female-characters-are-bad-for-women/?utm_source=oti&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=related_posts

This viewpoint is saying that just because a woman is physically strong or powerful, or even a little masculine in a skill, does not mean it isn't sexist. They used the example of Megan Fox in Transformers, who is very obviously a sexualised character, but they try to trick the audience into thinking she is a developed character by making her fix a car... nope, she is still glorified as something to keep the male audience entertained. She is there to look attractive, and not much else.

Responsive // Feathr: Winner announcements

My flamingo design for Feathr was announced as one of the 100 to be featured and sold on their website! This means that for every sale I will get a 5% commission. 

I was then asked to send personal information and a high quality file to them with a bleed, which I did (and found quite a difficult process with having a seamless pattern).

This was followed up with requests for colour variations - something I took on board straight away. They sent moodboards featuring on trend colours palettes - I looked at them, but I decided to take my own route - the colours were completely up to the artists.

The staple design is the red flamingo, so I decided to make a version with an off-white background to give customers more flexibility. I understand that a grey background will not go with everything, unlike white. I didn't choose pure white as that would be a little too bright, making the flamingoes too harsh against it. It may be 'art' but it still has to be on somebody's wall permanently!

I then chose to completely change the colour of the birds - choosing pink and blue, giving the design versatility. The blue gives it a completely new feel and style, which will let the flamingoes attract more than one type of customer. I wanted to give a range of colours because red will not necessarily go with everybody's home interior. Hopefully this makes the design more appealing and I get some sales.

Responsive // Secret 7": Development

I experimented with my ideas by sketching using a gel pen and watercolour pencils.

Drawing hands has proved difficult, so I've quickly given up on that idea, as I don't want to spend too long on this brief. I sketched some general things that spawned from the song's themes. I drew curled up bodies which came out alright.

I sketched lots of small scribbled faces while trying to signify the emotion in the song and the darkness of the situation. These are to be used to create how the face becomes unclear. The smudged black face will be the other person, who feels guilty about not recognising them.
I used watercolour pencils for the coloured faces, but they didn't turn out great as I smudged them too much.

Next I sketched faces that show obvious distress and emotion. I used water to make them warped and act as tears running down the faces. The blue face is a little too unclear. The black pen faces are stronger as they are bold and clearer.

I created this design on illustrator, inspired by simple illustrations I have come across. I have tried to depict a stormy setting crossed with the sunlight beating down, forming this dark puddle which could be interpreted as what is left of the person. The small lines at the bottom are to show a ground of some kind.

I moved the sun beams to make them more of the focus, and made the puddle bigger with a brighter colour so that it is a more important feature.
I also recoloured the bottom line green, to give the subtle effect of grass/ground.

Responsive // Secret 7": inspiration

Secret 7"

https://www.pinterest.com/secret7s/gallery-2014/

I looked at last year's Secret 7" winners, and picked out the most effective designs.

I want to create a setting for my 'sunlight storm' idea, and a few of these have scenery, plants and buildings in them which has opened my eyes a little. Each is very expressive and clearly has a story behind it, which shows that a successful design can be sketchy and quick, as well as clean cut.

Illustration

https://www.behance.net/gallery/23676695/Disorder

These illustratinos are conveying mental disorders through very simple imagery. The strict black on white does this effectively by not distracting and showing the bare minimum that is needed. I will try to take this on in my work by not overdoing things and focusing on what I am trying to convey.

https://www.behance.net/gallery/20648413/the-legend-of-Yin-Yang-

These illustrations are more decorative, which is what firstly draws someone to a music design. The colours are restricted yet it gives it a clear personality. The subtle use of patterns will inform how I come up with my imagery to show a storm and sunlight.

https://www.behance.net/gallery/23287007/Anochece

This is another example of successfully conveyed landscape, as the colours are so carefully picked and create vibrant and contrasting scenery. The attention to detail is what makes it captivating.

OUGD505 // Studio Brief 01: Feminism

After having talks with tutors about going down the feminism route, I have decided to go make it more specific and explore the representation of women in the film industry.

I'm very interested in films, and also in women's rights, so it seems like a very interesting route to take and research.

• I have come across many movies that are sexist and use women purely for views and sex appeal.
• Some movies are more subtle and don't include female characters that are developed enough like men are. 
• Most movies are based around men and their lives: women are purely girlfriends, wives or mothers.
• There is a very unequal amount of male and female protagonists.

I have rewritten the brief tailored to my research subject:

Brief

Design a deliverable that raises awareness of equality in the film industry.

Research
Explore theory and analysis of the representation of women in the film industry. Specifically:

• feminist film theory
• specific films or directors
• statistics in the industry
• stereotypical characters and tropes seen regularly

Look at feminist and gender equality material such as:

• campaigns
• posters
• publications

Practical
Create an output based on the research gathered.

Responsive // Secret 7": initial ideas

I have chosen to respond to the Secret 7" competition because I had a lot of fun working on it last year and it's for a good cause. I didn't make it in last year, but I went to the opening night and felt very inspired by all the amazing work on show, so hopefully I have a better chance this year.

Go - The Maccabees

I chose this song to design a cover for because it is already a favourite song of mine and I love the energy about it.

• The song gives me a sense of invincibility as it feels so powerful in parts.
• It is very dramatic as it goes quickly from slow to fast at a few points throughout

Lyrics that stood out to me:

"Left you there in the sunlight" - This seems to mean that he neglected the person in the relationship, when he needed to save them and care for them.

"The skins we've known no longer fit us" - They aren't a good match anymore and things have changed for them.

"They'll call out with a name by which I'd never call you" - Showing how the person has changed and grown out of things.

"It was not enough it's never enough and it never was" - Maybe love was not enough for them, or just their relationship was not enough to satisfy them.

These lyrics could give me a good basis for a concept. The song seems to be about a relationship that two people have grown out of, beyond their control. They have both changed and can't make each other happy anymore.

Possible mediums:

• Acrylic paint
• Watercolour
• Pencils
• Digital - graphics tablet

I'd like to try hand rendered mediums to be able to loosely express the emotions of the song.

(Across)

1. Two small hands reaching towards each other, unable to touch anymore. This communicates separation and desperation.
2. "Left you there in the sunlight" - the person is stuck behind bars while the sun beats down on them.
3. On a smaller scale.
4. A skeletal hand inside loose skin - "The skins we've known no longer fit us".
5. Hands reaching out, and fading as they get closer - to show it is impossible to touch again.
6. a blurry face - they don't recognise each other anymore.
7. a heart broken into four parts, it can no longer be whole - the relationship is broken.
8. Similar idea.

1. A rose with thorns on the stalk, but a hand instead of the flower - their touch is delicate and deadly and isn't enjoyable anymore.
2. A hand reaching out with a shattered gradient - similar concept.
3. Sunlight pouring in - "Left you there in the sunlight"
4. small scribbled faces one by one getting less clear - "They're calling you by a name that I've never called you" - He doesn't recognise the person anymore.
5. Sunlight pouring down on somebody, showing how it is overwhelming.
6. Sunlight pouring down on a curled up body to signify distress or sadness, with effects that show a storm-like atmosphere.
7. Variation
8. A smudged crying face to connotate heartbreak.
9. Variations of the sun beam idea.
10. Scribbled faces getting less clear, with a separate face as the other person.

From these ideas I would like to try out the small hands design, as it is very simple and bold, it clearly signifies loss and separation.

The skeletal hand with skin idea could be interesting, along with the ideas with the sun beams, as I could make some colourful vector drawings.

The heart designs are too simple and not clear enough.

OUGD505 // Design problem and solution

Our group received 'technology' as our area of interest.
To spark relevant issues, we visited the Guardian's 'technology' news section and identified some possible areas we could look into:

• privacy
• security
• drones
• driverless cars
• piracy
• glitch
• malware/virus
• space technology
• robots
• hacking

We came across an article about 'the right to be forgotten', meaning Google erasing certain searcch results to websites with information that is no longer relevant to people's lives, or offensive, or stopping them from getting a job.
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/feb/19/google-acknowledges-some-people-want-right-to-be-forgotten

We then thought about the two arguments:

• do people have the right to access any information they want?
• do people have the right to be anonymous and private?

A solution depicting the right to free speech in this context would be:

A google doodle that is just a black box to show censorship in an obvious, visual form. 

It could maybe start off normal and flicker before turning black.

However we thought more about arguments, and found that delisting is only available in Europe, meaning we could pitch it to an American audience.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/09/29/solace-oblivion

In the article above it talks about a teenage girl who was decapitated in a car accident, and photographs from the scene were leaked onto the internet. Instances like this is where the right to be forgotten could be useful in America.

Solution

Use shock value through the internet by creating an interactive video that incorporates peoples details, much like the Lollipop app on facebook - http://www.takethislollipop.com/

Also, a poster campaign.

Women in Film // Research: The Bechdel Test

The Bechdel test is something that is applied to movies to find out if they represent women at a bare minimum.

The rules:

• does the film have two or more women in it?
• do the women have names?
• do they talk to each other about something other than men?

It isn't a test to check if a movie promotes gender equality or is of quality, it is simply to make people think about how gender is represented in the film industry.

This short video effectively rounds up what the Bechdel test is, and how many critically acclaimed movies don't even pass it. Films such as:

• The Dark Knight
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Fight Club
• Lord of the Rings
• a number of the Harry Potter films

http://io9.com/why-the-bechdel-test-is-more-important-than-you-realize-1586135613

The test is based on the comic above by Liz Wallace, that outlines a woman who refuses to watch movies that don't follow these simple rules.

The downfalls of this test is that is is incredibly simple and vague, as best put in the io9 article:

"Let's admit the Bechdel Test is not fool-proof, since Gravity fails and a film where women talk about pedicures for 30 seconds would pass."

"But yes — the Bechdel Test is just the start of a conversation about how marginal women still are (in front of the camera and behind). And that, in turn, is part of an even larger conversation about how to have genre movies that 1) represent the human race more fully and 2) are less boring."

OUGD505 // Studio Brief 01: Initial ideas

Research outlines:

• Examine graphic design outputs relating to social, political and ethical change.
• Aim to increase your awareness of historical examples plus contemporary practice that is responsive to 21st Century issues.
• Be sure to note the relationship between medium and message.
• You should then produce a body of research work that explores the connections between these concepts and their respective design outcomes.

Initial ideas:

• racial police brutality
• feminism
• gentrification
• climate change
• poaching

What interests me most out of these ideas is feminism. I just need to find a specific path to take... so I brainstormed specific gender themes.

• sexualisation vs liberation
• sexism in music: how rap is blamed for the brunt of it, and how it goes unnoticed in 'white' dominated genres.
• portrayal of women in the media eg Daily Mail, and how it is affecting society.
• portrayal of women in the movie industry eg male dominated films, or problematic story lines/characters.
• the importance of masculinity and the hatred of femininity: how men are affected.
• rape culture: 'she was asking for it' and how women are taught to be ashamed.
• lad culture and ingrained sexism in youth.
• how sexuality is shameful in women but proud in men.

OUGD505 // Study task 01

Appropriation in art is the use of pre-existing objects or images with little or no transformation applied to them.

Subversion refers to an attempt to transform the established social order and its structures of power, authority, and hierarchy.

Andy Warhol's work has been appropriated again and again by different artists to convey messages.

by Banksy

But Andy Warhol himself was an appropriator, most of his subjects were photographs, such as Marilyn Monroe and the flowers.

It makes us rethink what exactly an 'original' is. Does it have to be entirely original work by the artist for it to be taken seriously? Or is an original twist on something already existing enough?

Fanzines started in the 1970s and by definition are a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication based around certain cultural phenomenons. They were created by cutting and arranging parts of newspapers and magazines.

Task: Use parts from newspapers and magazines to create a fanzine-style page.

The first words I saw were 'war zone' on the front of the Metro, so I made this the theme by looking for words associated with war. I then found a couple of images of people who look distressed and upset.

Responsive // Design thinking brief

Brief: Encourage the eating of insects in the UK by marketing them effectively.

We were split into groups of 5 and the first thing we did was think of the connotations with insects, and why they are unappealing.

Positive connotations of insects:

• nutritional benefits
• unusual cultural delicacy
• meets food needs of a growing population

Negative connotations of insects:

• seen as unsightly and creepy
• a common phobia
• if eating a whole insect body, its different from 'meat'
• seen as strange or disgusting in our culture to eat them

We thought of what unusual foods in our culture we eat that are socially accepted amongst most people but still have slight negative connotations because of the content:

• pork scratchings - pig skin
• black pudding - pork blood
• caviar - fish eggs
• frogs legs
• snails
• pate - fat/meat/liver

We noticed that most of these have tactful names that disguise the unusual content, making them more appealing and mysterious.

Initial ideas:

• change the colour of the insects with food colouring
• add flavouring
• change the appearance ie remove heads/wings/legs/mash up into a mixture or powder
• attractive/cute packaging
• mix with nuts or some kind of popular snack to make more appealing
• give a discreet name that masks the content
• ground up to make 'insect dust' like bacon dust, or a seasoning
• get health bloggers etc to advertise it

Initial name ideas:

• Poka - means insect in Bengali, which originates back to the delicacy of insect eating in parts of Asia
• Widgets
• Maelng - mean insect in an Asian language
• Kokorro means insect in Yoruba

Flavour ideas:

• barbeque - a popular crisp flavour in the UK
• sour cream and chive - seems up market and sophisticated
• honey roasted
• salted - could be the original flavour of our brand
• wasabi

Final idea

Name: Poka Mix

Poka Mix savoury: insects flavoured with salt, barbeque or wasabi

Poka Mix sweet: insects coated in yoghurt or chocolate

• placed in the dried fruit and nut section
• on sale in mostly delicatessens and health/specialist food shops, where people like to try new things
• packaging would be similar to Tyrell's, and other 'healthy' snacks
• treated as an unusual delicacy that is fun to try and also tasty
• healthy alternative to snacks such as crisps