OUGD505 Module Evaluation

OUGD505 Module Evaluation

Overall, OUGD505 has taught me a lot and I've been able to learn new skills as well as progress in my current skills. Studio brief one refreshed my memory into screen printing and going onto studio brief two really allowed me to deepen my knowledge of screen printing. I have always felt confident in it but not in each individual step of prepping, printing and cleaning the screen. However, now I feel really confident in screen printing and believe I've really progressed in my technical skills. I also took the opportunity in studio brief two to print with fabric as its another skill I wanted to achieve. I even now feel completely confident in this as I have expanded my knowledge of printing. Screen printing is something I want to do much more of in third year and I'm happy to say I can finish second year feeling very confident in printing. 

I believe my time management has drastically improved when comparing this module to the previous one. I've been able to stick to my time plan and plan ahead, allowing me to get an early digital print slot and also giving me enough time to print onto a tote bag which was more for my own benefit so I could learn. However, as my interviews did get back to me, I was optimistic that I could get at least one more by this week, resulting in me cancelling my digital print to allow enough time for people to get back to me. Unfortunately though they didn't and looking back I think I was just to optimistic. However I still was able to print by arriving two hours early to a drop in session to ensure that I could print. My timing was slightly off for screen printing for studio brief in, but I immediately learnt from this and was able then to schedule myself and for screen printing and juggle three different screens all at different stages successfully. I have found that I have been stricter on myself for this module, and creating schedules and my own personal targets have really helped me improve. 

I have throughly enjoyed studio brief two particularly as it was a topic of my own personal interests, in addition there are so many outcomes that you can produce when creating a campaign. I would love to take this further if we had more time and actually create a physical festival pack, but this has motivated me to start earlier with my designs for third year so I can really spend a lot of time producing different variables. I was quite surprised of how quickly I managed to complete some areas of the designs, which I think proves that having a clear concept and a substantial amount of research really does go on to inform your work and help you produce better, and faster work. 

Professionalism is something I believe I have also improved on but I think there is still room for improvement. I would of liked to of created a campaign pitch/presentation boards but as I took on the opportunity to create a tote bag I didn't have time. However, I feel that as I said before, starting earlier and having my concept down earlier could of led me to of starting my work earlier on therefore having spare time to do final ideas. 

I took it upon myself to do a more substantial amount of research for this module which has really helped to inform my ideas. I also undertook primary research by interviewing collectives/groups which had really similar aims to my campaign. This really gave me a greater insight and led me to the direction of creating a unisex campaign which is open to everyone. I was even able to offer my graphic design skills to then being promisingly asked for my website after having a chat. This primary research has therefore allowed me to network and get an insiders view of the industry. This is an approach I will definitely take in all my next modules, and will look into how I can take this further.

OUGD505 Studio Brief 2 - Product, Range & Distribution

OUGD505 Studio Brief 2 - Product, Range & Distribution

The target audience of this campaign is students and also an 18-26 age range as this campaign will help encourage more people to pursue the music career and shift the male heavy percentage. Therefore the digital platform is the main platform of the campaign, supported as well by social media to reach the target audience as it is so accessible and free. 

Also supporting this is editorial content - a zine which will be distributed at universities, exhibitions and bars/gigs such as Belgrave & Headrow House. The zine will be sold at £2 per book, as it is to be cheaply made and produced. Ideally the zine would be photocopied to be reproduced and will be bound using staples to keep the production methods down. These zines will be widely distributed but will be limited to the account that will be produced as a lot of the content will be available via the website as well. 

Posters will be widely distributed around cities for gigs and events by Mash Up. These will be found predominately mounted onto walls whereas bigger events such as festivals will be found there and also on billboards in cities. As these are small festivals they will only be found in a selected few cities. The digital platform will heavily advertise these events also to gain exposure. 

The screen print posters aim to expose some of the things that happen behind closed doors. These will also be distributed to a selected range of cities but would only be mounted on walls rather than billboards to save of costs. These posters will exposure and raise awareness of these issues, but also prompt audiences to seek out the digital platform, where Mash Up aims to gain a representation of featuring an equal balance in line ups and features. These posters will be for a limited time of half a year, then the posters will be redesigned so the posters run through a cycle of different designs. 

Tote bags and merchandise will be sold exclusively at the events ran by Mash Up i.e gigs and festivals. Such merchandise will include CDs, mixtape, badges, tote bags etc. The tote bags will be screen printed and will be sold at £3.50 each to gain production costs back. 

OUGD505 Studio Brief 2 - Final Outcomes

OUGD505 Studio Brief 2 - Final Outcomes

OUGD505 Studio Brief 2 - Development - Digital Platform

OUGD505 Studio Brief 2 -  Digital Platform

A digital platform for this campaign was crucial as so many young people are connected with social media and use their computers/phones frequently. Therefore a website, app and social media were created as the main platform for the campaign. The aesthetic was best kept minimal and simple to keep the focus on the music, with a clean, contemporary feel. However having a manifesto seemed logical to expose the fact that Mash Up aim to promote equality in the EDM music industry. Wording was difficult however, as I still didn't want to be specific and put people into categories. 

The website is then supported by posters, flyers, merchandise and a zine to expose the website. All of which contain the #mashuptheindustry to support the social media, which will then take you to the website and also show upcoming events. 

Features of these will be - 

• Upcoming Events
• Radio with Featured artists
• Information on Mash Up the Zine and where you can get a copy
• Blog with news and upcoming gigs
• Merchandise and Mixtapes 
• Interviews and talks with artists, producers etc 

Website -

App -

Social Media -

OUGD505 Studio Brief 2 - Development - Festival/Gig Posters

OUGD505 Studio Brief 2 - Development - Festival/Gig Posters

It was necessary to reinforce the campaign with events where these featured artists can be seen. Therefore I created a gig posters, in the style of New Wave as that was an aesthetic aim of mine. I believe it works as the use of geometric shapes and randomness works within a music gig poster and creates quite an exciting vibe. In addition I created a festival poster and pack which will again, reinforce the campaign by exposing the artists. Each poster is in a different city as Mash Up aims to be worldwide one day. Furthermore I felt it best not to clearly state that these events feature underrepresented artists such as women, transgender etc. If I were to do this then I would be categorising them, therefore creating a poster and using the majority of unisex names on the line up, this therefore acts as a completely regular flyer but has exposure to these artists. As these artists should just been seen as DJs, not 'female or trans DJs.' These would be distributed by having flyers up all around cities, also using the digital platform as well which will heavily advertise these events to gain exposure for ultimately, more awareness.

Final Posters -

          
Festival Pack -

Distribution - 

OUGD505 Studio Brief 2 - Shesaid.so Interview

OUGD505 Studio Brief 2 - Shesaid.so Interview

This was a really great interview as shesaid.so is a collective with very similar aims to my campaign, so it was interesting to hear their insight. This comes as useful research as they state they are planning to expand further by social media and editorial content. These are two important factors which I plan to include in my campaign.

Interview - 

1. Could you tell me about the origins of shesaid.so?

shesaid.so was born in London in September 2014 with the aim of bringing together women who were active in the industry, creating a collaborative space for them to share ideas, projects, skills and, ultimately, increase the number of women across all verticals in music.

We got started as an email-based community and then started organizing a series of speaker events that tackled various industry topics beyond the gender conversation. The network quickly grew through word of mouth and is now active in various cities around the world, including Los Angeles, New York, Berlin, Barcelona, Cape Town etc. The goal with our events is to ensure more women are represented on stage and to enable our members to connect locally, empower each other and inspire generations of young women to come.

2. What are your objectives? How do you aim to encourage women in the industry and do you have any advice?

Our vision is to create an environment that supports collaboration, creativity and positive values. We value professionalism and high standard work ethics. Through our network, we share opportunities and provide a safe space for discussion and exchanging ideas. Our community encourages women to be confident and strive to achieve success through hard work and determination.

3. There are a lot of women who dream of DJing or producing, but don’t because of the inaccessibility of the scene. Would you agree with this statement?  

We are aware of the difficulties women face in electronic music and the industry in general, and aim to foster change through working with both men and women to create equal opportunity within the scene. Our members work in all facets of the industry, from PR to management to agents, including many who are DJs and producers themselves, so we have a well-rounded perspective on these issues and how we can solve them.

4. How do you go about challenging stereotypes surrounding being a female in the music industry?

While sexism is inarguably present in the industry, we choose to frame our conversations around individual accomplishments rather than focus on how they are affected by gender. It’s very important to reject negative stereotypes, however we feel that giving a platform and voice to women who have pushed past these challenges and found success in music will inspire others to do the same. We choose to include men in these conversations as well to create constructive commentaries and uphold a balance that will allow us to work together to break down pre-existing barriers.

5. Do you think the music industry is changing for the better?

We believe wholeheartedly in progress and the potential for positive change, and our members speak very much to the good that is happening in the music industry. Our community is constantly growing (with over 1,000 members worldwide), and with every new voice it’s clear to see that the industry is not just lead by men, but by hard-working people of all genders and backgrounds. We hope to support the efforts of all the talented women seeking roles in music and to form allies in the men we work with too.

6. What’s next for She Said So? What would you like to achieve in the next coming months?

So far we’ve mainly been active behind closed doors, focusing on strengthening our network and establishing our core values. This year we are planning to be more outspoken about our projects and initiatives through social media and editorial content. We now have an official blog that can host this type of content and that will hopefully enable us to spread the word about our mission.

In addition, we are continuing to grow our digital community around the world and are working on establishing a presence in various key cities in the industry. We aim to do that by launching networking events, speaker opportunities and partnerships with other conferences and festivals that are aligned with our vision. Some locations we want to add to the map this year are New York, Lisbon, Barcelona, Berlin, Amsterdam and San Francisco.

OUGD505 Studio Brief 2 - Responses to Interviews

OUGD505 Studio Brief 2 - Responses to Interviews

I did get responses from Sister, FemmeCult and Siren accepting the interview, which I have sent the questions, but unfortunately that have not replied yet. As my print slot was booked in for 16/5/16 I decided the previous weekend that I would go to drop in later in the week to wait and receive these interviews. Unfortunately there was still no reply, but I was able to print my zine with the two interviews despite. It will still be interesting to hear their response if they end up replying later on, and like YSWN I can offer my services as a graphic designer and build up my networks.

OUGD505 Studio Brief 2 - Development - Zine

OUGD505 Studio Brief 2 - Development - Zine

Another aim was to create a zine which would support the campaign by giving audiences editorial content which would be distributed around various outlets but predominately universities, gigs and events. The purpose of this zine is to be cheaply produced so production costs are low and it is easier to widely distribute. Which is why all of the zine is in black and white except for the one spot colour on the front cover. This also gives the zine a more underground feel, and can be viewed by almost anymore. It uses 90gsm A4 which furthermore has a newsprint quality, therefore people can roll it up and place it un theres bags etc to read later. As this is aimed at students, this would appeal more, particularly with content. The zines prompts you however to the digital platform with the repeated use of the hashtag. This then creates further exposure.

The zine features DJ features - one female and one transgender, my interviews with electronic music collectives, an article from a student now designer and her previous experiences on making music, and the posters for further exposure. As it is cheaply produced, I wanted to keep the layouts simple, but I did however create simple photomontages with nightlife imagery to use within the zine. This imagery will appeal to younger generations as these reinforce the EDM nature of the zine/campaign and also suit the whole disjointed style giving the zine an edge. 

Collages for Zine -

Printed Zine - 

OUGD505 Studio Brief 2 - YSWN Interview

OUGD505 Studio Brief 2 - Yorkshire Sound Women Network Interview

It was great to receive another response for my interview, although I was hasty with the replies and didn't tender the questions well for YSWN - something I have now learnt from. However, we were able to have a chat and and they have asked me to send them my website over as they may be in need of a graphic designer which would be a great opportunity. 

Interview -

1. Could you tell me about the origins of YSWN?

I (Liz Dobson) am a lecture in music technology. I've noticed a significant lack of women applying for courses in these fields and formal research has shown that almost 90% of applications to music tech courses have been male for a long time. I've undertaken interviews myself and studied this topic, and finally (as my PhD is in education and social psychology of collaborative creativity in music technology) I decided to create what Lave and Wenger would maybe call a community of practice. To create mentoring and learning opportunities, access to experienced women, equipment, networks and so on. On July 14th 2015 I tweeted and used other social media to organise a first meeting and you can see what else has happened from that by looking through the website 

 

2. What is YSWN objectives? How do you aim to encourage women in the industry and do you have any advice?

Our mission statement https://yorkshiresoundwomen.wordpress.com/aims/

I encourage the industries themselves (software manufacturers, studios, live sound everything) to make them selves explicitly inclusive for women. To address unconscious bias about who the experts are and might be in sound (composition, engineering, digital signal processing etc.) and to proactively support and encourage pathways for girls and women. This might mean aligning with the values of Athena Swan, WISE or operations like ours to help understand the issues. 

We aim to encourage women not in the industry by connecting them with women who are. My advice would certainly be to find appropriate mentors and settings where you can explore equipment and ideas with people that are motivated to support and enable your practice, at whatever level. This is something we (in particular) are set up to do.

 

3. There are a lot of women who dream of DJing or producing, but don’t because of the inaccessibility of the scene. Would you agree with this statement?  

I couldn't really say anything to comment on those that are not visible and talking, but I can tell you that from our workshop feedback women comment on the need for inclusive and welcoming environments where they are less likely to feel judged. That when they come to meetings they forget that we are all women, and feel unselfconsciously able to just get on with learning and sharing knowledge. 

The scene does appear really very inaccessible for women, especially women that don't have good access to equipment, mentors and networks. Also, it is fairly well known that unconscious (and conscious) bias can lead many to assume that the operators in many technology and engineering domains are men rather than women. I'm not personally gender binary and I've heard a lot of people disassociate with technology and link this with gender. Great examples of positive change include MINT Berlin - who have successfully created portals for women to progress DJing skills. I think it is mainly important to shed the shackles of identity, find good mentors and seek out opportunities. I do think this is more difficult for people where they are conspicuously different - this includes women, trans men, trans women and other genders. 

 

4. How do you go about challenging stereotypes surrounding being a female DJ? 

I/we don't. Our organisation isn't specifically for DJs but for all areas of music tech mentoring. Mint challenge it in their marketing by showing clear images of their DJs - not as sexualised objects (commodities) but as real, interesting, powerful looking individuals ready to hit you with their sound. 

 

5. How would you compare the current UK electronic/dance music scene from 10 years ago and now? Is the scene changing for the better?

I can't comment on this

 

6. What’s next for YSWN? What would you like to achieve in the next coming months?

I'm afraid I can't comment on this as we are a committee of 7 and just at the end of a significant period of workshops and events. We are looking at our portfolio and thinking about the sustainable long term, fundraising and launching the next phase of pending workshop. Beyond that is confidential ;)

OUGD505 Studio Brief 2 - Development - Tote Bag

OUGD505 Studio Brief 2 - Development - Tote Bag

I screen printed the logo onto a tote bag using three different layers and inks. This was really more for my own benefit rather than anything else, as I've always wanted to use the fabric screens and learn that new skill. It was a lot easier than I initially thought, and from printing these and screen printing my posters, I really feel the most confident than I ever have in knowing what I'm doing in the print room and being able to get to work by myself with no assistance. I have learnt a new technique and really advanced my skills in printing in this whole process. Although previously I said that I feel like I need to refresh my memory each time I go in, that's not the case anymore as I feel I now firmly have the whole process down and will not have to ask for assistance in various things anymore. 

OUGD505 Studio Brief 2 - Development - Screen Printing

UGD505 Studio Brief 2 - Development - Screen Printing

Part of my aims for my campaign was to produce six A4 screen prints which each have their own issue to expose. I cut this down to four in the end as I found that these four ended up worked as set and included the messages of them, therefore with time - I decided to stick with the four. All the stocks are bright, bold colours, and also used short, snappy slogans - informed from my research to quickly grab peoples attention with and relating to the neon colours which you relate with raves. 

The posters are somewhat ambiguous which I believe is a good thing. This leaves the posters open to interpretation but also leaves a question, which will prompt audiences to follow the hashtag to find more information - then leading them to the digital platform of the campaign. These posters will be features in the zine but would also be distributed as posters to hang up around cities promoting the website/twitter while also raising awareness by sending out a serious message. Being that there a too many men running the booking agents, sexual harassment exists in the music industry, Mash up has no time for bullshit and it open to all artists with one purpose only - to make people dance, and finally, nightclubs are in decline (Clubsterben translates to Death Club which was a slogan in Berlin for the same issue) but nightlife matters.

As these posters needed to be short and sweet to catch audiences attention, I didn't want to overbear the posters with a lot of design, rather minimal and simple instead. When screen printing I ran into some difficulties with the exposures but this worked to my advantage as some I got a nice texture to them, which I much prefer. They look like they have been screen printing which is a much nicer quality to posters. 

                     

 

Final Prints -

OUGD505 Studio Brief 2 - Branding

OUGD505 Studio Brief 2 - Branding

I decided on the name Mash Up as this is a DJ term but can also link to my concept of mashing up all genders of artists. Different experiments were used but overall the logo needed to relate to music - therefore distortion, bright colours and waves were tired and tested. A variation were experimented with and as a result, the logos which overlaid each other worked best. These relate to the subject as the layers are mashing together, in addition layers were purposely placed off centre and stretched to create a loud, bold tone of voice. In the end, a mixture of maroon and purple was used for the final choice of colour. These can also be branded as unisex while also clearly displaying the top layer of text without being to busy. The logo will be available in different variations of colour to suit the outcomes.

Initial Ideas -

Experimentation -

Final Logo -

OUGD505 Studio Brief 2 - Research - Book Research

OUGD505 Studio Brief 2 - Research - Book Research

Sight For Sound - Roger Walton

This book features contemporary graphic design in the field of music promotion, including CDs, sleeves, posters and flyers. This is valuable research as I really admire the post modern styles of the work and this style is definitely a favourite in my own personal preferences. This is an advantage as I can take influence from these works to create my own in this desired style. I believe this style works well within this field as it relates to the vintage acid rave posters in the 90s but with a much more contemporary feel. It still however uses elements that we relate to EDM such as distorted layouts and type, bright colours and trippy imagery. These therefore, are elements I can then translate into my own work to successfully achieve this aesthetic. 

Club Cultures - Sarah Thornton 

This book focuses on youth cultures that revolve around dance clubs and raves but also talks about the flyers and listings created by these movements. This goes onto talking about more historical contexts, such as the role the media played and the discretion of the rave flyers. These flyers would simply have a phone number which you would call to find out where you can get a ticket to the underground raves. These tactics seen alien to us now as fesitvals/gigs etc try to get as much exposure as possible. However, this would interesting as I could create an elusive event which would market more underground events - a potential outcome. 

Clean New World - Maud Lavin

This book is valuable as it explores graphic design in social, political and economic subject matters, seeing the graphic designers role in shaping cultural norms. This is research through looking at guerrilla advertising, anti-Nazi propaganda, feminist campaigns etc. Looking at the work of David Steuer was quite interesting as he was an innovator in using these tactics but using the internet to do so. Context and how to interpret this context is all the more important, as we as the designer must see how we can expand on democracy and vitality of communication.