OUGD505 - SB2 - Design Decisions - Graffiti Lettering & Extras

After some more thinking about the feedback achieved in the prior feedback session it had become apparent that taking the feedback on board would really further my publication. Instead of branding the magazine like a one off issue that discussed different Hip-Hop resistance related book, it would be much more appropriate to brand the book as the first issue of a series of magazines in which each magazine issue is centred around a specific genre. This would allow me instead implement a aspect discovered in the research stage in which solo photography and minimal typography can be used as the main focus to convey the notion of raw power associated with Hip-Hop culture photography.

The second part of the feedback convinced me to continue with my original plan and experiment with creating a graffiti style typeface to be used throughout the publication, and further more an additional set of graffiti style illustrations that could be used to illustrate the content of the body copy along side photography. To complete this I bought an industry standard graffiti paint pen, in order to ensure that my illustrations and lettering drawn was as appropriate and realistic as possible. After some time experimenting, below you can see the range of different graffiti style additions drawn to help illustrate the text... at this stage due to the content of the publication the brand name of the magazine had been decided, the name selected was origins as this paid homage to the concept of the book to educate on a music genre as resistance from its roots to modern day society.

After a large amount of experimentation with the paint bed a number of different branding options has been design, and to go along side that three different graffiti lettering alphabets have also been designed in conjunction to the branding, so that graffiti lettering could be used around the publication. The reason behind designing three different variations centres around the fact they were all of different sizes, ensuring that there was an appropriate lettering group for any application within the publication.

The contextual link with the graffiti was to bridge to gap between the clean and structures format of the editorial and pay homage to the vintage urban aspect desired for the design, creating the contrast of  the old and the oder that was implemented through the aesthetic styling to back up the concept of the publication. The contextual link to why the graffiti was overplayed throughout the design work was, to give the illusion that the original publication was clean and cut and minimal alone, and someone had come along as defaced it with graffiti, ensuring this contrasting realisation.

Addition random marks were also designed to be used throughout the design stage to create consistency and therefore professionalism through the use of the graffiti in the publication, these were mainly drawn from iconic symbolism used vastly though graffiti such as the five pointed star, and the three pointed crown and paint splatters and smudges. Addison graffiti illustrations were complete that linked more to the content within each article, to help further illustrate the point within the article. Adding to the aesthetic value of the publication but also assisting the reader in understanding the content of the publication. These were linked more specifically to the article them selves such as the 'swag bag' for the article centred around commercialism and the 'boombox' for the article centred around the street parties creating visual and conceptual consistency.