Experimenting with low ink designs

 Low ink design

Due to my publication exploring climate change activism, it is essential that my final outcome is sustainable and uses sustainable design methods; in order to explore this, I wanted to use a different design style that uses lower amounts of ink and can be printed using only one colour. These designs only stick to black ink; I was thinking I could also look into sustainable ink methods or organic inks that could be biodegradable. 

I wanted to continue using my witty and playful illustrations, but in a more minimal and sustainable way; in a sense, I feel like this minimal style works better as it allows for a cleaner publication that is also more sustainable. I need to find a balance between maintaining my fun visual language whilst also aligning the publications' ethos with the sustainable values of environmental activism. 

I also wanted to apply this method to my front cover design, by using more negative space to reduce ink usage. Instead of using illustrations, I decided top explore using photo based design, that still continues the witty sense of humour I want the book to have. This example works as the image fits that tone of voice, and also the concept of a garden gnome fits into the context of environmental activism; I want the imagery I use to be related to nature, etc. I think this front cover works well in how the negative space places emphasis on the image, compared to my previous chaotic designs; I think I want to stray away from using super chaotic imagery, as it uses a lot more ink and takes away from the visual hierarchy of the book. 

These versions explored how I could use minimal printing methods but with coloured paper stock; the paper stock could possibly be recycled paper in order to continue a sustainable work practise. As well as this, adding colour through the paper stock would make the design seem more fun and colourful, without using loads of coloured ink. Furthermore, I really like this neon green colour as it relates to the tone of environmental activism as it is quite a garish and loud colour hue; I want the materials I use in the final outcome to be bold and share the angry tone of voice involved in activism and protest.

These examples of the publication also play around with cooper black as a typeface; I feel like cooper black is the perfect typeface for the publication, as it feels friendly and rounded which shares the non violent attitude I want the book to have. As well as this, it definitely fits with the visuals I'm including in the layout of the book, as it feels somewhat lighthearted - this juxtaposes the serious undertones within the book, but isn't overpowering or illegible. Legibility is very important in the book as I want it to be easily accessible, in the same sense that protest posters need to be easily read from far away. 

These are just some more experiments with how I could use type and image together to relate to the themes of my publication; I don't think these two work as the type distracts from the visuals. I definitely need to work on typesetting, as the types' role is to be informative and can't be distracted from the imagery used throughout the book. I was thinking that I could expand on this issue by possibly having the type completely separate from the imagery, to establish a better visual hierarchy. 

Has British politics gone beyond satire?

 Has British politics gone beyond satire? - Stephen Smith interviews Gerald Scarfe 

Has British politics gone beyond satire?. 2019. [video] Directed by S. Smith. BBC.

(Has British politics gone beyond satire?, 2019)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yss8JHZpyDw

• 'I stand in judgement of the people I criticise' - Scarfe
• 'The current state of affairs in politics is almost beyond parody. It's more surreal' - Smith
• 'Some people (like Boris), are cartoons of themselves' - Scarfe
• 'Drawing politicians as animals is always good fun' - Scarfe 
• Scarfe drew Churchill in The House of Commons in the 1960s; 'we the public had only known Churchill as the British bulldog on the cliffs of Dover'. Scarfe drew him as a 'Senile wreck'
• 'The whole point of being an artist, hopefully, is to tell the truth'
• 'A cartoonists image paints a thousand words that a writer would probably get sued for' - Smith

The Simpsons, satire, and American Culture - Matthew Henry

 The Simpsons, Satire, and American Culture by Matthew. A. Henry

• 'Mr. Spritz goes to Washington' is a perfect example of satire used within The Simpsons, featuring an overtly propagandist series of cliche images; 'an example of the self-conscious humour so common on The Simpsons'. PG19
• 'Satire is protected speech. Even if the object of the satire doesn't get it' - comedian Al Franken PG20
• The Simpsons often use satire in light of Fox, especially in the Fox News segments of the show, with the irony that The Simpsons were owned by Fox. The satire featured in the show 'raises awareness of partisan politics and media bias' PG21
• Within the context of television, the satire in The Simpsons 'helps illuminate the potential for oppositional content and the limitations to that imposed by the shows' position as part of a global media empire and merchandising phenomenon' PG22
• Technologies' impact on the forms of satire is prevalent in how The Simpsons became a massive cultural icon; Amanda Lotz explores the changes in technology from 1985-1995 and the dramatic shifts in consumer behaviour in the US. Fox became a dominant television presence due to the 'new era of industry competition' and 'the emergence of new technologies' PG22
• The Simpsons 'turned out to be the kind of 'edgy' show that the network needed to make a name for itself' PG26
• 'Satire is a complex art form, one that relies upon contemporary issues, a high level of literacy, and a healthy sense of irony to be understood' PG28
• Filmmaker Michael Moore comments on how The Simpsons may be deemed controversial as Americans are 'ironically illiterate' PG28
• 'We now live in a world defined not by the word but by the image' PG29
• 'Satire has been long associated with the editorial cartoon' PG29
• 'Cartoonists have contributed to the political and social fabric of America since the founding of the republic, when Benjamin Franklins' crude drawing 'Join, or Die' called for a united front against England in 1754' - Chris Lamb 'Drawn to Extremes: The Use and Abuse of Editorial Cartoons' (2003)
• The Simpsons is credited as being a 'postmodern text that draws upon multiple forms of popular culture.. situated within a tradition of satirical art that goes well beyond cartooning' PG30
• The Simpsons draws inspiration from earlier 20th Century satirical films such as Kubricks' 'Dr. Strangelove (1964) or Terry Gilliams' 'Brazil' (1985). Satire has been employed by a multitude of filmmakers and writers in order to 'address a wide range of important contemporary issues, including war-mongering, commercialised violence, poverty, abortion, racism, and political corruption' PG31
• The Simpsons 'skilfully' combines both slapstick humour and political satire, enabling it to appeal to 'adults and children alike' PG33
• Vladimir Nabokov was very anti satire, preferring parody over the latter; 'he was much more interested in 'the game' than 'the lesson'. Nabokov rejected the idea of political or satirical art; 'A work of art has no importance whatever to society. It is only important to the individual' PG34
• William Irwin and J.R. Lombardo highlight how the show is 'rife with satire, sarcasm, irony, and caricature' - "The Simpsons" and philosophy (2000)
• Matt Groeing, the shows creator, has 'repeatedly stated the he intends the Simpsons to be political, satirical, and subversive' PG37
• 'TV is a barrage of urgent imagery and alarms interspersed with urgent imagery trying to sell you something. So, to operate in that arena, you've got to be garish, bold and physical. No matter how clever you are, you've got to have Homer slam into a brick wall at some point' - Matt Groeing PG 37
• According to media scholar Douglas Rushkoff in his book 'media virus' the key to The Simpsons' success in how it has become a 'media virus' is its' use of 'counterculture missiles' and 'subversive messages' PG 38
• Rushkoff elaborates on how 'media controllers' are those (in the words of Noam Chomsky) whom 'manufacture consent'; media activists consequently are 'rebels' against societal norms. According to Rushkoff, these media activists use 'viruses' in order to 'promote countercultural agendas'. Despite the negative connotations of 'viruses', Rushkoff focuses on the positives in terms of subverting the status quo, thus leading to 'some sort of evolution'. However it is important to take the negative aspects of viral media into consideration. 'A popular children's show is the perfect virus' PG38
• 'Entertain and subvert. Thats my motto' - Matt Groeing PG39
• The issue with viral media like The Simpsons is that it's younger audiences are exposed to things 'they didn't sign up for' according to producer Mike Reiss PG39
• Henry Matthew concludes that 'it is imperative that we develop a media literacy', noting how it helps cope with a 'seductive cultural environment, a method for resisting media manipulation and an invitation for creating emancipatory popular culture' PG42
• 'Oh Marge, cartoons don't have any deep meaning. They're just stupid drawings that give you a cheap laugh' - Homer Simpson

Henry, M., 2012. The Simpsons, Satire, And American Culture. Palgrave Macmillan.

(Henry, 2012)

Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead - Rick Meyerowitz

 Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead by Rick Meyerowitz

• 'Humanity has unquestionably one really effective weapon- laughter. Power, money, persuasion, supplication, persecution- these can lift at a colossal humbug- push it a little- weaken it a little, century by century; but only laughter can blow it to rags and atoms at a blast. Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand' - Mark Twain PG9
• 'Making people laugh is the lowest form of humour' - Michael O'Donoghue PG9
• In April 1970, the first issue of The National Lampoon was published
• 'It was smarter than anything else out there, and it boldly proclaimed that this magazine would be totally, gleefully, perversely, socially, politically, infamously, every way possibly, incorrect' PG12
• Animal House, which appeared in 1978, was the Lampoons last contribution to our culture PG13
• Founded by Henry Beard, Doug Kenney and Rob Hoffman at Harvard
• The 'Mona Gorilla' created by Meyerowitz in 1971; 'The Mona Gorilla became the magazine's mascot. She has been widely reproduced and ripped off. One critic said it was "the best Mona Lisa parody ever". Another called it "one of the enduring icons of American humour" - Rick Meyerowitz PG86
• Rick Meyerowitz on caricature: 'what resources do we really have to affect the flow of events?' Rick elaborates on how 'our leaders are frequently awful and there's not a thing we as individuals can do about it beyond casting our quadrennial vote' PG90
• Ricks' goal within the caricatures he drew was to 'get the attention of my subject by publishing an image that they would see, and to make them wince with recognition. If I couldn't change the course of events, I could at least give them a virtual smack in the nose' PG90
• Animal House (1978), the first National Lampoon movie; posters created by Rick Meyerowitz. PG97
• Anne Beats' Volkswagen advert parody, featured in the Encyclopedia of Humour, 'If Ted Kennedy drove a Volkswagen, he'd be President today'. VK sued the National Lampoon 11 million dollars; ironically, they were more upset about the use of their logo than the parody ad's actual message PG149
• Gahan Wilson worked as a cartoonist for the Lampoon during the 70's; 'he created fiery social satire, an antireligious, antimilitary, antiauthoritarian, oversize dose of distrust of all authority'. Meyerowitz notes how 'every day we see proof that we live in Gahan Wilsons' world. He has, most probably, imagined our real future. Now, isn't that scary?' - Rick Meyerowitz PG186
• 'How to Spell Conspiracy' by Gahan Wilson (January 1990)
• Ron Barrett's 'Meat is Funny' (1973). Photo collages of meat; 'meat is the paradigm of mindless consumerism' PG269
• Fred Graver 'Tntin in Lebanon' (1984). Following a suicide bombing in Beirut in 1983, Graver created an anti war cartoon depicting familiar character Tintin; 'I thought to myself: Boys adventure gone very, very wrong' PG 284

Meyerowitz, R., 2019. Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead. New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang.

(Meyerowitz, 2019)

Visual experimentation

 Visual experimentation

Wireframe developments

 Layout developments

Binding with plant labels

 Sketched concept

Crit feedback

 Crit notes - things to focus on

• What is the purpose of the book when the stickers are removed? Could I add content behind the stickers so that the book still has purpose when the stickers are removed?
• The format of the book could be played around with; instead of having the whole thing on sticker paper, the book could consist of regular paper with sticker tip-ins - the stickers could correspond to messages in the content of the book e.g. veganism 
• The materials used could have a second purpose after the book is read e.g. compostable paper/ seeded paper 
• The book could be bigger?
• Experiment more with layout and how the stickers are placed throughout the book; it feels a bit sticker overboard at the moment

What I'm going to do now

I think at the moment I'm pretty set on the tone of voice and imagery I want to use for the book, as I've got a strong colour scheme and a style that relates to the fun and witty tone I want to convey. The key area for improvement now is the layout of my book and its' purpose when the stickers are removed; it needs to share the sustainable ethos of environmental activism, so needs to be something that isn't just a one use product. Due to this I'm now going to look at paper stocks and formats that could make my book reusable, and concentrate on experimenting with the layout and physicalities of the book.

Adam Griffiths talk notes

 Notes

Initial posterzine ideas

 Posterzine concepts

I wanted to start designing some initial concepts for the posterzine element of the Stick it to The Man publication; its a pretty important part of both the design and the user experience as it is intended to wrap the publication and serve as another element of protest/ activism. The poster format is extremely relevant to the idea of protests, as its a format that can be used in the context of a protest, or to be stuck up to send a message of activism. The idea behind using a poster format is also massively influenced by this tactility of user experience; it is something that the user can take away and stick up, like the stickers within the book.

In order to maintain a fun and witty sense of voice, the visuals used for the poster relate to the format of bumper stickers; serving as an interactive experience, the user can take the stickers out of the book and stick them on the bumper of the car on the poster. I like how this whole concept is also ironic, as cars are one of the biggest contributors to global warming; due to this, the format of a bumper sticker rebels against this idea, and even pushes the user to stick the stickers on cars in an act of rebellion. 

The posters' visuals also have a witty reference to the book itself, with 'ST13K 1T' as the cars' registrations, thus hinting at the title Stick it to The Man. Also, the designs' colour palette uses the same colours from the publication in order to provide visual consistency and a somewhat ugly/clashing visual language. 

The other side of the poster is split into four sections in order to divide it up into 4 different mini posters/ flyers in order to further amplify the references to protests and activist campaigns. I feel like its super important to use every surface of the publication as a way to rebel/ protest, as it needs to fully explore this idea of tactility within activism and stickers. Despite this, the actual designs used in this mockup can definitely be improved - I was thinking I could create similar imagery to the cover by focusing more on type?

Making an initial physical copy

These are just some images of how the book would work physically in terms of how the pages will be split into stickers and how the book will be wrapped; obviously there will be a lot more pages but it conveys the idea of the pages being broken up both physically and visually. I think the main areas for improvement could be the double page spread, as the typesetting is pretty crap. As well as this, I need to develop some stickers to hold the posterzine wrap together (the mushroom one was a quick test). Also, it could be interesting to use stickers to hold the cover together initially?