Dave Hancock design blog

2nd year Graphic Design student at the University of Salford.

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Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor

 

BBC.CO.UK i really like the general bbc site, it just looks really clean and contemporary with great navigation, with all the bbc websites in a navigation bar at the top which is consistentent throughout all of their sub-sites and bbc.co.uk just does a really good job of summarising all of their services as well as an overview of everything that is going on as well as links to articiles and similar articles etc and overall it is just a great gateway to all the information you could need.

BBC.CO.UK

i really like the general bbc site, it just looks really clean and contemporary with great navigation, with all the bbc websites in a navigation bar at the top which is consistentent throughout all of their sub-sites and bbc.co.uk just does a really good job of summarising all of their services as well as an overview of everything that is going on as well as links to articiles and similar articles etc and overall it is just a great gateway to all the information you could need.

BBC Football - good website the bbc football site recently changed to fit in more the bbc’s format, the previous format was very useable and user friendly but it didnt look very good with so much navigation on the left hand side now they have consolidated all this navigation into several drop downs at the top of the page while at the same time looking much clearer than before - it is obviously difficult to adjust to a completely new layout when youre used to something else but after a while of using it, it is just so much simpler and cleaner and far more contemporary than the old one.

BBC Football - good website

the bbc football site recently changed to fit in more the bbc’s format, the previous format was very useable and user friendly but it didnt look very good with so much navigation on the left hand side now they have consolidated all this navigation into several drop downs at the top of the page while at the same time looking much clearer than before - it is obviously difficult to adjust to a completely new layout when youre used to something else but after a while of using it, it is just so much simpler and cleaner and far more contemporary than the old one.

JK Rowling - bad website i straight up hate websites like this, theyre ok when used for films etc to generate hype but this isnt needed for an author, first of all the navigation is horrific, i understand the point of having the links hidden within objects and the animation is actually pretty good but having the hunt for links is just really bad when the website is about an author - there just isnt any point to it. Also it automatically plays sounds / music in the background which is just a huge negative for me - it can annoy the viewer so much - they could go on the website to look for updates on what JK Rowling is doing but they are instantly bombarded with horrible sounds and the user could be listening to music etc and when there is other background noise i personally find it extremely annoying, you can turn the sounds off but you need to go to the settings - often sites with noises and music just have a simple mute button but with the combined jumbled navigation as well as extra settings at the top you might spend time hunting for this button by hovering over all the objects. This website could just do with some simplifying and cleaning up and it wouldnt be that mad - make the links more obvious would go a huge way to making this website better.

JK Rowling - bad website

i straight up hate websites like this, theyre ok when used for films etc to generate hype but this isnt needed for an author, first of all the navigation is horrific, i understand the point of having the links hidden within objects and the animation is actually pretty good but having the hunt for links is just really bad when the website is about an author - there just isnt any point to it.

Also it automatically plays sounds / music in the background which is just a huge negative for me - it can annoy the viewer so much - they could go on the website to look for updates on what JK Rowling is doing but they are instantly bombarded with horrible sounds and the user could be listening to music etc and when there is other background noise i personally find it extremely annoying, you can turn the sounds off but you need to go to the settings - often sites with noises and music just have a simple mute button but with the combined jumbled navigation as well as extra settings at the top you might spend time hunting for this button by hovering over all the objects.

This website could just do with some simplifying and cleaning up and it wouldnt be that mad - make the links more obvious would go a huge way to making this website better.

DCFC website I think a lot of championship clubs get forced to used a certain design for their websites as i checked a few of them out and theyre either the same or very similar, the problem i have with this design is that it is just really cluttered with minimal focus on what the viewer actually wants to see. The navigation is pretty small with little focus - more attention should be paid to the navigation and should be the focal point at the top of the page and the advertising / affiliates navigation is bigger than the main website navigation! The page is riddled with adverts which not only take up valuable front page space but also they make the page just look ugly and cluttered - i understand that it is probably an obligation that clubs have to fulfil but the placing is just so bad, would be much better if it was put on the sides so the central column can be used for actual content. The worst thing for me is how the latest headlines just take up so little space, i would make it take up much more of the front page and show more images / more description because that is what i want to see. Think this is the website that i am going to re design because a nice clean layout would benefit it really well.

DCFC website

I think a lot of championship clubs get forced to used a certain design for their websites as i checked a few of them out and theyre either the same or very similar, the problem i have with this design is that it is just really cluttered with minimal focus on what the viewer actually wants to see.

The navigation is pretty small with little focus - more attention should be paid to the navigation and should be the focal point at the top of the page and the advertising / affiliates navigation is bigger than the main website navigation!

The page is riddled with adverts which not only take up valuable front page space but also they make the page just look ugly and cluttered - i understand that it is probably an obligation that clubs have to fulfil but the placing is just so bad, would be much better if it was put on the sides so the central column can be used for actual content.

The worst thing for me is how the latest headlines just take up so little space, i would make it take up much more of the front page and show more images / more description because that is what i want to see.

Think this is the website that i am going to re design because a nice clean layout would benefit it really well.

Youtube - good and bad website Im using youtube as both a good website and a bad website, from the perspective of somebody who doesnt have an account and doesnt subscribe to multiple people i think the layout is great and its usually really easy to find what you want. For me the personal issues arise when you subscribe to multiple people - since they changed the layout on the homepage all your subscribtions are in one bar and there is one per line meaning you have to scroll down lots to try and catch up on content and the more people you follow the worse it gets and i find that you often miss videos which is annoying and personally i think that the previous layout was better where you could see all recent videos by a user in one bar meaning that you are less likely to miss videos. I also think that the playlist format could use some work because if you have multiple playlists its sort of awkward to navigate

Youtube - good and bad website

Im using youtube as both a good website and a bad website, from the perspective of somebody who doesnt have an account and doesnt subscribe to multiple people i think the layout is great and its usually really easy to find what you want.

For me the personal issues arise when you subscribe to multiple people - since they changed the layout on the homepage all your subscribtions are in one bar and there is one per line meaning you have to scroll down lots to try and catch up on content and the more people you follow the worse it gets and i find that you often miss videos which is annoying and personally i think that the previous layout was better where you could see all recent videos by a user in one bar meaning that you are less likely to miss videos.

I also think that the playlist format could use some work because if you have multiple playlists its sort of awkward to navigate
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy reflection The third film that i wanted to watch before i made my decision for this brief was Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, the film is about the search for a soviet double agent working at the very top of the British intelligence based in the cold war period. Compared to the other two films I have reflected upon there isnt as much that is visually exciting in this film, the others are very stylized and have had a lot of thought put into their aesthetic while this film is far more about the story and how it is told as opposed the aesthetic. I think this would be very a film hard film to get 6 weeks worth of work out of as there isn’t that much source material directly in the film like there is in black swan and tinker tailor soldier spy, but there is a whole lot of design etc from the cold war era as was as there being a book which the film was based on but as it stands i am much more drawn to the others which I feel i could get so much more stuck into than this.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy reflection

The third film that i wanted to watch before i made my decision for this brief was Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, the film is about the search for a soviet double agent working at the very top of the British intelligence based in the cold war period.

Compared to the other two films I have reflected upon there isnt as much that is visually exciting in this film, the others are very stylized and have had a lot of thought put into their aesthetic while this film is far more about the story and how it is told as opposed the aesthetic.

I think this would be very a film hard film to get 6 weeks worth of work out of as there isn’t that much source material directly in the film like there is in black swan and tinker tailor soldier spy, but there is a whole lot of design etc from the cold war era as was as there being a book which the film was based on but as it stands i am much more drawn to the others which I feel i could get so much more stuck into than this.

Black Swan Reflection The first of the film that i have watched is Black Swan, to summarise the film is about a ballet dancer competing for the lead role of both the black swan and white swan in a new production of swan lake and as she practices to become the black swan as well as the white swan she has to confront her own inner demons in the pursuit of the perfect performance. Visually the film is very exciting there are a lot of themes that could inspire my illustration such as the conflict between black and white - dark and light etc as well as ones personal struggle to keep it together with her new found attention/fame and the pressure that comes along with it as well as her own personal problems in her life which make her feel like she is on a downwards spiral. I did enjoy the film quite a bit, it was very stylistic and the camera work was brilliant which really encapsulated with themes within the film, but the story was a bit dodgy in places and they sort of tried to use too many elements such as the whole rival dancers, then the mental and physical illness with some fantasy elements as well as some sexual themes too and it almost feels that there is a lack of depth in some of these elements. If i did this film it would be a good choice to illustrate as visually it is so easy to explore and the themes of the film suit my own illustrative style but the outcome could be a bit generic, after watching the other films i will make a conclusion.

Black Swan Reflection

The first of the film that i have watched is Black Swan, to summarise the film is about a ballet dancer competing for the lead role of both the black swan and white swan in a new production of swan lake and as she practices to become the black swan as well as the white swan she has to confront her own inner demons in the pursuit of the perfect performance.

Visually the film is very exciting there are a lot of themes that could inspire my illustration such as the conflict between black and white - dark and light etc as well as ones personal struggle to keep it together with her new found attention/fame and the pressure that comes along with it as well as her own personal problems in her life which make her feel like she is on a downwards spiral.

I did enjoy the film quite a bit, it was very stylistic and the camera work was brilliant which really encapsulated with themes within the film, but the story was a bit dodgy in places and they sort of tried to use too many elements such as the whole rival dancers, then the mental and physical illness with some fantasy elements as well as some sexual themes too and it almost feels that there is a lack of depth in some of these elements.

If i did this film it would be a good choice to illustrate as visually it is so easy to explore and the themes of the film suit my own illustrative style but the outcome could be a bit generic, after watching the other films i will make a conclusion.

Drive Film Reflection The second film i have watched out of the Little White Lies biref was Drive, Ive never seen a film like this before, the trailer (which i would avoid if you havent seen the film) depicts the film as a sort of fast and furious clone where its all about the stunts etc and with little story and it ends up being much different, it is sort of a modern day interpretation of old fairy tales and in my opinion is done brilliantly. Ryan Gosling plays a character simply known as ‘The Driver’ who is a stunt driver but also a getaway driver and without spoiling the film it can be summarised as a “classic Los Angeles heist-gone-wrong story”. Gosling has very little diaglogue through the film and often conveys his responses with expressions and body language and plays a sort of knight-in-shining-armour character. I really enjoyed this film and am strongly considering it as the cover to do for the brief, i think that this would be very challenging as i dont think the aesthetic of the film suits my own illustrative style (which is more suited to black swan which is heavily stylized). But there is a lot of background material to research (as the film is based on James Sallis’ 2005 novel of the same name) as well as a load of sources that influenced Nicolas Refn (the director), as well as having some “European Art and grind-house” influences and it has been called a “tough, hard-edged neo-noir art house feature” so there is obviously a load of style that i can research into even if it isn’t immediately obvious. I think if I choose this film it will be a much harder brief for me due to the aesthetic al challenges but with a wealth of background material i think i will come out with a much better outcome, going to watch Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy next and reflect upon that shortly.

Drive Film Reflection

The second film i have watched out of the Little White Lies biref was Drive, Ive never seen a film like this before, the trailer (which i would avoid if you havent seen the film) depicts the film as a sort of fast and furious clone where its all about the stunts etc and with little story and it ends up being much different, it is sort of a modern day interpretation of old fairy tales and in my opinion is done brilliantly.

Ryan Gosling plays a character simply known as ‘The Driver’ who is a stunt driver but also a getaway driver and without spoiling the film it can be summarised as a “classic Los Angeles heist-gone-wrong story”. Gosling has very little diaglogue through the film and often conveys his responses with expressions and body language and plays a sort of knight-in-shining-armour character.

I really enjoyed this film and am strongly considering it as the cover to do for the brief, i think that this would be very challenging as i dont think the aesthetic of the film suits my own illustrative style (which is more suited to black swan which is heavily stylized). But there is a lot of background material to research (as the film is based on James Sallis’ 2005 novel of the same name) as well as a load of sources that influenced Nicolas Refn (the director), as well as having some “European Art and grind-house” influences and it has been called a “tough, hard-edged neo-noir art house feature” so there is obviously a load of style that i can research into even if it isn’t immediately obvious.

I think if I choose this film it will be a much harder brief for me due to the aesthetic al challenges but with a wealth of background material i think i will come out with a much better outcome, going to watch Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy next and reflect upon that shortly.

final set of covers.

more covers.

Here are some little white lies cover, gonna post some more then do a general analysis afterwards.

For this project we have been given a set of briefs to choose from from both YCN and D&AD as well as a few more that online that we can choose if we have a good enough reason, there are 3 briefs that interest me: -Ministry of Sound, 3 A2 posters, Typographically focused - ‘Saturday Sessions’ event -Little White Lies, 1 cover, Based on 1 of 5 films - include main character and film title -Sports Interactive, Communication that celebrates SI’s 20th anniversary - football manager creators The ministry of sound one is pretty interesting, fairly open just has to be typographically based and celebrate / advertise the event, pretty cookie cutter work could be hard to get 6+ weeks worth of work out and is a bit shallow and cliche Little White Lies cover brief is really interesting, the films to choose from are: Super 8, Drive, Black Swan, Tree of Life and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. I really enjoy my films and have been wanting to do some illustration for a while and as most (if not all) these films have received critical acclaim so it shouldnt hard to get engrossed in this one. The sports interactive brief is a tricky one and there are a load of restrictions on this one, there arent many artistic assets to go on and you have to advertise an anniversary of a company that creates games (football sims) so isnt particularly visually exciting as its very spreadsheet and text based with minimal visuals, i like the idea of the brief but it could be very difficult to make the event look interesting. After reaind through the briefs i have decided on the Little White Lies brief, after talking with Gary today he gave the ok on the brief as it is illustration based - i think there is a tonne of scope with this project as there are only 3 constrictions, one being that the logo has to be included which is obvious, the next that the film title needs to be included - either on top or integrated which is fine and the last one is that the main character from the film needs to be the main focal point - this is the main restriction and obviously has a massive impact on the image, but the style is completely open as well as the background so the portrait doesnt have to be a perfect representation of the character. Since we have a couple of weeks before we actually start the project i want to do some strong research into the film(s) beforehand so i have something ready for feedback on week one, i want to watch and review all of the films first before i pick one to get the best overall view and to see which one is the most interesting to me and which has the best visual appeal that would suit my style the most. i also know that atleast Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Drive are both based on books (not sure about the others but they might be) so theres a lot of background there that could be explored - i think its key to try and get a strong concept for the image early so theres plenty of time to explore the brief aesthetically and come up with a large body of work.

For this project we have been given a set of briefs to choose from from both YCN and D&AD as well as a few more that online that we can choose if we have a good enough reason, there are 3 briefs that interest me:

-Ministry of Sound, 3 A2 posters, Typographically focused - ‘Saturday Sessions’ event

-Little White Lies, 1 cover, Based on 1 of 5 films - include main character and film title

-Sports Interactive, Communication that celebrates SI’s 20th anniversary - football manager creators

The ministry of sound one is pretty interesting, fairly open just has to be typographically based and celebrate / advertise the event, pretty cookie cutter work could be hard to get 6+ weeks worth of work out and is a bit shallow and cliche

Little White Lies cover brief is really interesting, the films to choose from are: Super 8, Drive, Black Swan, Tree of Life and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. I really enjoy my films and have been wanting to do some illustration for a while and as most (if not all) these films have received critical acclaim so it shouldnt hard to get engrossed in this one.

The sports interactive brief is a tricky one and there are a load of restrictions on this one, there arent many artistic assets to go on and you have to advertise an anniversary of a company that creates games (football sims) so isnt particularly visually exciting as its very spreadsheet and text based with minimal visuals, i like the idea of the brief but it could be very difficult to make the event look interesting.

After reaind through the briefs i have decided on the Little White Lies brief, after talking with Gary today he gave the ok on the brief as it is illustration based - i think there is a tonne of scope with this project as there are only 3 constrictions, one being that the logo has to be included which is obvious, the next that the film title needs to be included - either on top or integrated which is fine and the last one is that the main character from the film needs to be the main focal point - this is the main restriction and obviously has a massive impact on the image, but the style is completely open as well as the background so the portrait doesnt have to be a perfect representation of the character.

Since we have a couple of weeks before we actually start the project i want to do some strong research into the film(s) beforehand so i have something ready for feedback on week one, i want to watch and review all of the films first before i pick one to get the best overall view and to see which one is the most interesting to me and which has the best visual appeal that would suit my style the most. i also know that atleast Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Drive are both based on books (not sure about the others but they might be) so theres a lot of background there that could be explored - i think its key to try and get a strong concept for the image early so theres plenty of time to explore the brief aesthetically and come up with a large body of work.

Here are a couple of images of the carpet map i made, in the end i didn’t really have the time / access to the things i needed to add the text / logo but you get the idea.

Motion Reflection

So far motion has gone alright, i usually really dislike video and i was pretty much totally inexperienced with video editing software such as Final Cut and After Effects, and while i havent used Final Cut still i feel a lot more comfortable with After Effects, i think it has a pretty good interface and while at the start it seems really daunting once you get into it the basics are pretty simple and i actually look forward to using it more.

While my videos arent great this project has been a great learning process so far and i have tried to expand on some of the basic techniques and combine them so some of the effects look quite interesting such as zooming in and out as well as changing size and focus, i would really like to try out some more after effects and would really like to try out animating type as that appeals more to the communication side of my work.

The videos sort of capture the essence i was going for - teaser style trailers with limited information although they arent any where near as impactful as the channel 4 idents or some of the other videos i posted, but this is all down to experience and knowledge of the software i am using, and maybe this time next year i will have a much greater knowledge of after effects.