Secret 7" - Diana Ross & The Supremes

Brief: Design the album cover for Diana Ross and The Supremes' album - Reflections. Avoid using any direct imagery or type which gives away the identity of the artist or name of the song. Really get to the core of the message of the song and translate that to imagery.

Background: Diana Ross was a motown ifluenced singer who at the time of the release of this song was involved with the psychedelic influences of the 60s.

Considerations: The song constantly refers to reflections of bygone times. Consider what emotions are evoked by reminiscing. Also consider the time of the release of the song, and how since then further reflection has occured on how times have changed.

Mandatory Requirements: A print-ready document to be submitted to Secret 7".

Target Audience: Anyone and everyone. The judges of Secret 7" specifically.

Tone of Voice: Bright, engaging, a true reflection of the song.

Deliverables: Print ready document, any supporting information / developmental material.

reflections youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nV72YrB1454

previous album cover for reflections:

released 1968, album clearly combines motown with psychedelic influences.

my cover should seek to do the same.

other diana ross and the supremes covers:

key lyrics in song:

reflection
mirror of my mind
time after time, reflections of how life used to be with lover
love you took from me

all alone now, trapped in a distorted reality
happiness you took from me,
left alone with memories,
reflections on a hurt, although you're gone,
keep holding on to good memories

everywhere i turn everything i see reflects a love of you and me
lonely nights, sat alone and wept

reflections of the way life used to be
right before my eyes, turns to dust
reflections of the love that used to be


what i get from song:

surrealism
longing for another time
lost happiness
reflection and reminiscing
viewing the past through a lens/distortion
hippy vibes
inescapable reflections of past times

i decided to go with the theme of the clock, and reflections of the past are distorted through the lens of time.

Desptie being happy with the theme of the design etc. the current background/colour combination was too flat.

Marbling was included as it fits with the theme of distortion and reflection. Furthermore the aesthetic of much of her promotional work and album covers featured psychedelic imagery.

as much as i love marbling,  i did not have time to do it my self, so i experimented with images from the web:

development:

below is the final design i chose to submit. although i feel it would have been better represented hand rendered, i am happy with the theme and overall concept behind it.

Evaluation :

While I feel that the concept for this brief was strong, its aesthetic outcome was not as I pictured it in my mind's eye. The outcome was  too flat (even after the inclusion of the marbling), furthermore the technical term for the light manipulation occuring in the imagery is refraction, not reflection. While this was meant to communicate the distortion caused by reminiscing over bygone times, I feel the direct impact may have been lost without a deeper understanding of the song.

If I had the chance to resubmit the brief, I would probably follow a similar concept, however i would make the reflection more explicit, and use hand rendered techniques to create the imagery on top of the marbling.

BRIEF - YCN - SyFy

BA (Hons.) GRAPHIC DESIGN	Level	6
Module Code: OUGD603	Module Title:	Learning Outcomes:

BRIEF TITLE: CHARITABLE?

Brief: Create a series of promotional posters and images which communicate how much the SyFy Channel is a part of Science Fiction culture. Do this by expressing the all encompassing nature of the SyFy Galaxy, and demonstrating the multitude of genre-based planets within it.  Extend the SyFy Galaxy content to the Channel's website through navigation or simply imagery.

Background: Despite having high brand recognition among its target audience, the SyFy brand considers its audience to be lacking in enthusiasm when it comes to the brand. This is partly due to the fact that higher levels of programming are available on other TV networks such as HBO, particularly as they have the high budgets to pay for such programming. For this reason the focus is not on the programming, but rather on the SyFy brand as a package.

Considerations: What do science fiction fans like? What sort of visual clues will excite their imaginations and inspire brand loyalty? A balance must be struck between lighthearted fun promotion and serious brand projection.  It is easy for Science Fiction imagery to fall down the trap of appearing cliched and irrelevant, so efforts must be taken to ensure that the material is relatable and yet professional

Mandatory Requirements: Multiple poster images ready for application in print or web settings. Basic application of promotional material in sync with the brand's current website.

Target Audience: Existing science fiction fans. Particularly those with a knowledge of the Syfy Brand who have lost enthusiasm and do not see the brand as being a key part of the Science Fiction scene.

Tone of Voice: Fun and yet proffesional. Suggestive of further information and further content if the viewer engages and delved deeper.

Deliverables: Printed Posters Developmental material Website synchronisation proposals.

http://www.ycn.org/awards/ycn-student-awards/2014-15-ycn-student-awards/briefs/syfy-uk

syfy website:

http://www.syfy.co.uk/

logo:

IDEA:

Create a Syfy galaxy, where the syfy logo is placed on the star/sun at the centre. Planets revolving around it be named after different genres of scifi. This imagery will form the basis of a series. The rest of the series will be close ups of the planets, with programming indicated as countries/planetary features.


Different Sci-fi genres:

wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Science_fiction_genres

scifi ideas (could be useful for other info):
http://www.scifiideas.com/writing-2/writing-advice/a-guide-to-science-fiction-subgenres/

further sources:
http://www.writing-world.com/sf/genres.shtml
http://arts.umich.edu/ink/2010/02/28/the-various-types-of-science-fiction/
http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/geekend/know-your-science-fiction-subgenres/

Possible Options:

Robot
Superhero
Realism
Horror
Apocalyptic
Zombie
Alien
Parallel Worlds
Lost Worlds
Military
Steampunk
Space Opera
Religion
Alternate History
Science Fantasy
Romance
Spy-fi
Voyage
Sociological/Soft

Syfy original films:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Syfy_original_films

Syfy original programmes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_programs_broadcast_by_Syfy

someone's favourite titles:
http://uk.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/05/the-25-best-syfy-channel-movies-based-on-title-alone/

popular syfy programmes:
http://www.tv.com/shows/network/syfy/

reasons for loss of fans:
http://www.ew.com/article/2014/10/28/syfy

Having considered the information sources above alongside my own influences, I have chosen the following subgenres to represent as planets:

Robot
Time Travel
Alien
Fantasy
Horror

Now to assign a few Syfy programme/films titles to each subgenre. As Syfy prides itself on original programming, these will be the only programmes included, meaning classics such as star wars and space odyssee cannot be included.

Using the popular syfy programmes link above, I will find the best programmes and use them. It is important to include a mixiture of previously run programmes, programmes being run at the moment, and programmes to be introdcued/reintroduced soon. This will appeal both to previous subscribers but also current ones and potential future ones.

Robots -
Robot Combat League
battlestar galactica
extant

Time Travel -
continuum
12 monkeys

Space Opera -
farscape
stargate sg-1
defiance
the expanse
3001 - the final odyssey

Supernatural -
warehouse 13
haven
dominion
Bitten
lost girl

Horror -
Z Nation
Helix
the originals
ghost hunters
monster
Naoki Urasawa's Monster


Extraordinary reality -
Face Off
Wizard Wars
paranormal witness
tripping the rift
fact or faked-paranormal files

potential strapline for posters of individual planets:

they all started here... on Syfy, the home of sci-fi



Preliminary sketches of ideas:

despite the lack of specifically robot related programming, I have decided to draw one regardless. this is largely due to the visual impact such a drawing could have, but also due to the fact that i will propose illustrations with and without programme references.

as it says in the brief, they don't seek to place an emphasis on their programming, as it cannot compete with high budget competition. giving them the option of including programming adheres to this specification, but also gives room to include more information.

(while the image above is more akin to the idea for space operas, lessons can be learnt)

Use latin name for scifi galaxy:

Scientificus Fictionalis
Fictionalis Scientificus


Could base poster aesthetic on that of scientific planetary posters.

could have stats at the bottom:

av. temp
av. daylight
atmospheric makeup
gravity
density

Latin subtitle, real or mockingly serious?

Reals:

Horror - planeta horriferum

supernatural - planeta supernaturalis

robot - planeta robotum

space opera - planeta operarius


real words but not real:

Horror - horriferum terrificus

supernatural - formidolosa supernaturalis

robot - robotum futurus

space opera - operarius spacii


to put planeta/stella in front or not?

planeta horriferum terrificus

Have simple one for web image and STATS FOR POSTER


USE EXISTING PURPLE AS DUOTONE FOR STARS?

circular type?


FINAL GENRES FOR SYFY GALAXY (imagine planet after each word):

Robot
Superhero
Horror
Apocalyptic
Time Travel
Alien
Parallel Universe
Space Opera
Religion
Alternate History
Fantasy
Supernatural
Romance
Reality
Epic Voyage

issuu link to printready poster:
http://issuu.com/mystikalcrow/docs/planet_posters


Evaluation :

Overall I am happy with this brief. What started out as a simple outlet for my desire to draw something turned into a fully fledged brief with a strong concept at its core. The application of the 'galaxy' to the website was also an important part of this, as it takes the imagery from the promotion and turns it into an immersive experience.

The main drawback to the concept was that it could be seen to be reductive in nature - by defining genres for science fiction programming, one eventually runs out of further options, which is a dangerous situation for a television channel. Time will tell whether the brief wins a prize or not.

If I were to do the brief again, I would print it on different stock. While the stock chosen is friendly and less typical of high budget promotion campaigns, it doesn't allow the rich black of the space behind the planet to show through. Furthermore, use of differently drawn planets for the syfy galaxy diagram/poster/website navigation causes a discrpeancy between closer, more detailed planets and those less professionally drawn. While these differences are purely aesthetic in nature, ameliorating them would allow for a clearer vision of what the design would look like. This issue of the actual galaxy representation is one which I would spend mroe time on in future.