wk12 talking point: Course Reflection

I'd say this course has broadened my understanding of typography and publication design mainly through the online lectures. Overall I've found them to be informative, easy to read and understand through its somewhat casual tone of voice. They have covered a nice broad range of topics within publication and typography, and have been a nice balance of theory, technical aspects, society and trend analysis. I must admit though, Lecture 7 on page layout (particularly the Golden Mean etc) I found a bit hard to understand in terms of how exactly they were suggesting to divide the page and would have liked some further explanation to be able to actually implement the methods described. Similarly, Lecture 8 on setting up files for printing with terms such as 'RIP', 'lossy' and 'loss-less', which until then I either hadn't heard before/didn't understand.

The projects themselves have also been quite eye-opening, however I think this has mainly come from hindsight, realising what would have been a better way(s) to approach the brief and project. For instance, the letterpress project – only after completing the project did I probably begin to understand the limitations of the letterpress, what compositions work and look best, and the best ways to physically set up the characters within the frame. At present I'm also finding the class-based publication project to be quite insightful. Predominantly in terms of what it's like to work on the one project as part of a large team sub-divided into smaller teams, the challenges that are faced in decision-making, and how the smaller teams tend to interact with each other. I'd say in both of these projects, due to the method and set-up involved, we will probably learn the most through the process itself.

Katherine (z3235050)

PROMOTIONS: WRITTEN PIECE FOR NEW YORK I LOVE YOU

Please listen/watch song at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JkBiP7rPt0

Promotions Group took inspiration for their artwork from a song entitled “New York I love you” by LCD Soundsystem. The following is my written dedication. Thanks for choosing such a sweet piece guys! xx tj.

New York Hymn

The sun screams loud as it dusty’s in,
the dusty louvres let him in.
If only they had kept at bay
that hymn that to this very day
can paint me black, lure me away,
force my heart to yesterday.
I can’t resist that fist, but then,
nor could you – and now again:
I am five and you are ten.

A can of coke as evidence,
your nobly meek confession.
An eternal moment’s sweet silence,
then we, are taught, a lesson.
We kneel before our brutal hymn
and sing in shame until Amen.
Outside the maid finds coke cans missing:
I took five and you took ten.

Blinking hard I return to now
with calm and dread I dial somehow.
She knows before I’ve even dared,
her babies fatally unpaired.
Your bruises hidden in sparkled snow,
the New York blizzard your final show.
I laugh out loud, my clever big bro!
For never again, shall you be ten.

ATTN: ALL TEAMS

Hi everyone,

Make sure all your typographic pieces are uploaded tonight on the Google Group.

Label them properly so that the Typographic team can access them and understand who they are from and what they are for.

Thanks.

Adrian.

MORRISON’S END.

I had reached the end much too early,

Not late for once but still not on time.

We were so close but so far in this frame of mind.

You were on the highway into the sunset,

I cruised in the slow.

Less enjoyment, less pain,

Still had an open and powdery brain.

Junk up then collapse,

That was your thing.

It did such a good job of relieving your sting,

In the smack you were wrapped

The more restless you napped,

Was that how you watched me die?

Through a numb face

And a near closed eye?

You pulled the belt for me,

And told me I'd drown,

I was already more than coming down.

Further derailing my life,

Thinking Nirvana was close.

Pretty springtime, natural energy,

So many arms to make me a dose.

Your dead flowers brought genius

Of a million degrees,

Mind spilled into music

When we were just fusin'.

I'd dumped and snorted only hours ago,

It was then that you offered,

You needn't have bothered,

I had premonitions I'd be feeling abhorred.

(to go with Joanna's piece, hopefully to be changed to morrison..)

ATTN: Promotion/Style Guide Team

Hi Promotion/Style Guide Team,

I didn't want to do this but I have decided to take a hard line.

I was going to take that 150mm by 150mm promotion piece to the printer, but honestly it's not worth getting everyone to spend their money on getting it printed.

So come Saturday at 8pm, I want you to send me your finished products that you have designed for this publication.

I will be printing ONE of each to hand in to Wing alongside this assessment task.

I expect you to think about what you have done so far, reference the style guide and in these next few days produce promotion collateral that:

a. People will be interested in picking up/looking at.
b. Is representative of the publication.
c. Something that both you and the class would be proud of.

Style Guide will look at your submission on Saturday and they will give you feedback. You will then have until Sunday 8pm to finalise your designs and submit them for me to print on Monday morning for Tuesday.

***Style: Give honest, critical feedback and make sure it is up to your standards.

Adrian.

CLICKER TEXT FOR ARLENE AND EDITORIAL

Guys my ride is a few minutes away so I'm going to post this but then I won't have access to your feedback until this afternoon, but I can answer my phone if you want to call me/sms.

Arlene here you go my sweet:

LIFE INSIDE THE MUSIC BOX AIN’T EASY
- Well Regina Spektor it’s a hell smoother ride than living here within the strict confines of the typographic grid, with all its rules and regulation – ‘don’t show emotion/avoid sensation’ - a virtual dictatorship nation. So baby fly from your radio station while I stage a page evasion, and together: a revelation.

For Twenty ten’s ‘revelation’ we’ve worked typography into paying homage to that thing that sounds better with you, it makes the sound of the city disappear, ABBA thanked us for it, the Village People warned us we couldn’t stop it and remember what it did to the bourgoise and the rebels?

MUSIC and typography are a complementary marriage of opposites. Where kerning turns, a yearning note burns. Where plain lowercase fills visual space, its heavy weight plays pure deep bass. And so, what copy cannot express alone, typography brings to life with deafening resonance.

ATTENTION ARLENE

(Arlene... I think that was Garfield's bird's name.)

Listen sugar I just want to keep communication open for us and let you know I just hit myself up with some of the good beans so you'll have your "click" information in about a half hour.

I have a site visit this morning, home about... 1pm? So I'll have the rest of the main introduction to you by the afternoon.

After that I won't check my computer until Thursday arvo as I have a funeral in the morning.

I'm quite excited about my clicker copy - I've got some deadlies bouncing as we speak!

TILL THEN
tj