Summary of AF101

I have reached the end of the unit AF101 and created a book cover for the book "The Big Sleep" and an A2 poster to accompany it. I have really enjoyed the project and found it quite challenging and inspirational too. I think that both of the designs I have made fit the brief really well. They are a modern, unique, original take on the source material whilst still staying true to it's roots. I think the aesthetic qualities of both pieces are really strong and the typographical elements really succeed.

What I will take Forward:

After the propaganda posters project I had a basic understanding of Illustrator and I also think that I acquired a style that I could call my own. It is quite blocky and cartoony whilst still retaining a hint of sharpness and realism. I really expanded that style and pushed it to it's limits with this project. I found that I stretched my artistic ability with designing something that was both nostalgic and contemporary, soft and sharp. I really enjoyed the process.

I also really cherished the research portion of the project by extensively looking into the work of Jessica Hische and Jon C. Lund. This was one of the greatest revelations in this project I think. The in depth research really allowed me to finesse my designs and form a strong aesthetic presence. I was able to feed off work the artists had done in the past and put my own spin on techniques they have previously used. I found that really fun and really useful and is definitely something I will take forward into future projects.

I also learnt Illustrator far more comprehensively and some of the techniques I learnt are invaluable and will come in very useful in the future. One in particular is the smoke brush I created. Creating such photo-real smoke in such an elegant manor is something that I will be able to take forward and put to use in a plethora of different pieces of work and that is exciting.

All in all this project has been really good I feel I have expanded creatively and technically and have picked up a load of techniques and skills that will come in handy both in future projects and work outside of class.