Ben's Graphic Design Blog

Here right in the centre of my boards is my main, hand drawn...

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 07:06:03 -0400

Here right in the centre of my boards is my main, hand drawn poster that i blogged earlier on, im really happy with my final outcome and think it looked really professional and clean. It went a lot better than i thought!!

For the floor i didn’t want just normal floor that we see...

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 07:04:10 -0400

For the floor i didn’t want just normal floor that we see everyday in college, so i went to a local carpet shop and bought some vinyl, i feel that the floor i have chosen only goes to add even more the feel of a shop.

I also added a brief description of what my work is and why, i...

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 07:02:49 -0400

I also added a brief description of what my work is and why, i think this just adds a bit more professionalism to the display.

Here is an addition item in my exhibition as i made the bike...

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 07:01:00 -0400

Here is an addition item in my exhibition as i made the bike edit i wanted to play it but still manage to make everything look professional. I think i managed this by making a plinth for a Apple Mac to sit on and display the edit. gain on the plinth i carried on the colour scheme of black and grey tape.

Here shows again how i displayed my T-Shirts that i made using...

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 07:00:00 -0400

Here shows again how i displayed my T-Shirts that i made using screen printing and heat press. i hung 2 up on the right hand side of my booth and folded the others in the middle so it had the theme of a shop, just like i planned. Throughout all of my boards i thought it would be a really nice & classy idea to have some colour on my boards so i bought a thin grey tape and big thick black tape and displayed them as such. Again i think it just adds a different dimension to the boards and makes the stand out a lot more.

Here shows how i displayed all my work and how i managed...

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 06:58:00 -0400

Here shows how i displayed all my work and how i managed to exhibit my bike. Also an addition to what i drew was i took my handle bars of my bike and put them below my frame for a real bike orientated feel.

Here i came up with a rough sketch of the what i...

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 06:52:16 -0400

Here i came up with a rough sketch of the what i wanted/ imagined what the boards would look like for my final exhibition. i thought the bike on the left, 2 T- Shirts hanging on the right, and in the centre have a shelf with folded T-Shirts so it had a shop feel to it, with the frame i made at work placement at cobra frames right in the centre with my final poster in it.

Here shows that i have clearly showed how i have done digital...

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 06:47:59 -0400

Here shows that i have clearly showed how i have done digital work throughout my sketchbook. using screen shots & grabs with annotation makes it easy to understand.

Here i conducted a questionnaire for other students to fill in...

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 06:39:34 -0400

Here i conducted a questionnaire for other students to fill in around college after watching my bike edit. Due to the results that i got back there wasn’t any tweaking that needed doing in order for it to be successful. The picture below shows how i displayed the DVD in my book.

to get the grades i would like for this particular project, i...

Thu, 10 May 2012 08:58:33 -0400

to get the grades i would like for this particular project, i felt it was only necessary to produce a bike edit of my friend Tom Yates doing tricks, here is me doing a storyboard in order for my edit to be fitting and to work well.

Previously in my blog you can see my t shirts i made using...

Thu, 10 May 2012 08:54:26 -0400

Previously in my blog you can see my t shirts i made using screen printing but i wanted to make another 2 designs and actually produce them.

Here are my 2 design ideas that i sent to 5 bike companies via email.

I really like the design ideas as there really basic in colour and actual design, which shows diversity as my other t shirt was very complex and big.

I then got my head down and produced another 9 designs using the...

Thu, 10 May 2012 08:50:57 -0400

I then got my head down and produced another 9 designs using the same imagery. i chose the top left one as i feel it makes him a lot more clear, the top half is the inverse color as the bottom half and i also got rid of the ‘By Ben Halsall’ as it looked unprofessional, i really like the final ideas and feel it works really well.

I then printed off 12 questionnaires so i could see what my...

Thu, 10 May 2012 08:49:00 -0400

I then printed off 12 questionnaires so i could see what my piers thought of my final poster. I got a lot of positive feedback just there was a few minor things to change, like ;

Take away the ‘by Ben Halsall’

Make him more of a focal point.

make the floor the inverse colour of the green.

Make his more clear.

Heres me going at doing an Adams Carvalho piece myself by going...

Thu, 10 May 2012 08:46:17 -0400

Heres me going at doing an Adams Carvalho piece myself by going out initially by taking the photos of my friend Tom Yates and then free handing the picture with a pen and paper. i then later on and put it on photoshop as well as i sketch of buildings, i did the whole piece in one colour and really liked the final outcome.

Here i was just messing around in my sketchbook and came up with...

Thu, 10 May 2012 08:43:51 -0400

Here i was just messing around in my sketchbook and came up with this quick design mock up, using concrete poetry, i have named every part of the bike appropriately and feel it looks really cool. And i havent yet seen anything like this.

Here i looked at an artists that was very bike based called...

Thu, 10 May 2012 08:42:16 -0400

Here i looked at an artists that was very bike based called Adams Carvalho, his work is all on the subject of fixed wheel bikes. He really inspired me to do work simular to, but he performs his work by using a a drawing tablet and taking it away from there on photoshop, but as i am not as skilled as Adams Carvalho on a drawing tablet, i was thinking i could do work simular to his but using just a pen and paper, his work really inspiring to me, i really like the colors he uses and the way everything looks so still and just the bike is the focal point looks really sleek and fresh.

I then looked at artists such as Julian Opie because ei feel his...

Thu, 10 May 2012 08:30:36 -0400

I then looked at artists such as Julian Opie because ei feel his limited colour use relates to mine with the logo, he uses suttle colours but never shading, i like the simplicity behind his design and really like his work, i did a response to his work with a illustration in his style of a picture of me.

Again i feel i have captured the simplicity of his work in my own and feel it works really well.

I then started researching bike logos, to see what would work...

Thu, 10 May 2012 08:28:24 -0400

I then started researching bike logos, to see what would work and what wouldn’t. after debating for a while i thought that a hand drawn logo and font would suite the style of fixed wheel well, i then drew a cog on illustrator, then added the font and background on photoshop using a scanner. then added suitable colors that would fit, such as a dull blue and grey with a yellow font with a stroke on which a made black and feels it fits really well.

I then looked at a street artist called Blek Le Rat who is the...

Thu, 10 May 2012 08:23:14 -0400

I then looked at a street artist called Blek Le Rat who is the original street artist, i really like his work and feel my work targets the same audience as his does, he uses stencil for his work, but i felt that if i used screen printing its almost the same effect just a lot more consistent and neater. so i took 2 images of me in college, one with a hat on, and one without, then changed the threshold on photoshop, and get them ready to put on a screen ready to print.

Here i did a yellow/orange print which i feel the colour against the white really pops and makes it look really clear. i then used a mixed range of inks, mostly really bright for a different abstract feel to it, i really like the final outcome and I am really happy with what they look like.

I did a marbling effect piece of paper for the background of...

Thu, 10 May 2012 08:19:00 -0400

I did a marbling effect piece of paper for the background of this piece, i performed this by filling a sink of water, then added food colouring to make the colour spiral, in a uncontrollable way, i really enjoyed it as every time you perform this technique it never ever ends up the same, after i left it to dry i then hand drew a bike on it in pencil then ent round with graphic inks and made the wheels all black and made them drip, which i took inspiration from Dave White.