#digitalvsanalogue

[vassilikivasiliki]

The Street Life Social Network

The Street Life Social Network

[mirthofjoestrummersmidwife]

Lizard Tail Autonomy

“LOL.” I closed the card, from an ex-boyfriend. It was funny calling him that, and reading the sentiments he had expressed in the card, because he hadn’t felt like a boyfriend—not in the way an actual boyfriend I had for years had felt, and not in the way I could see my current lover becoming, boyfriend-like for being admirable and dependable and his own self (an identity of steady indifference…

[jamierobertsonfmp-blog]

Handmade Cons

There are limited cons for producing handmade work in regards to the quality of the work. However the main drawback to it is the re-production of the work. For example if you were screen printing a piece the finish on each print will ultimately be different every time. Further more due to the piece being handmade it also means it will take a long time to reproduce individually, making it hard to produce many in a limited amount of time. This isn't always a problem but in a time pressure situation the production of multiple copies is not always possible. If you have the time to create the product it isn’t a problem. The final con is that you cannot undo anything, if you make a mistake then you will either have to start again or try to fix it. Unlike with a computer you can just press a button to undo it. This is one of the biggest benefits I can see to using a computer when it comes to design as well as it being quicker to experiment with things like colour and a range of material outcomes. However if you are doing mock ups for designs you will likely be using Photoshop anyway.  

[jamierobertsonfmp-blog]

Handmade Pros

Cambridge Dictionary Definition:

Made using the hands rather than a machine: handmade chocolates / paper / shoes 

‘handcrafted’. Suggests that handmade products are perhaps more unrefined, less of a precise and reproducible finish

“So many designers learn to remove the imperfections that come with doing things by hand. But those imperfections are what make the work human.”     -  Robynne Raye 

The art of the handmade is still very relevant in graphic design even in this digital age. This is especially reflected in areas like typography, because the formation of characters is directly connected to the way you make marks on paper with the material in your hand. Type should nearly always be designed by hand. Only then should the computer be used to refine the text if necessary. This is something that I have learnt on my foundation course and grown to enjoy practicing a lot in other projects when writing titles and doing general text layouts. For instance a typography project where I was given a location in Britain, which I then had to create a typeface based around the place and local accent. I found when experimenting and creating my typography it was a lot easy to do so by hand as it bought a playfulness and fluidity to the ideas. Only after the design was finalised by hand I found it helpful to bring it into a digital environment to manipulate and copy it for the final typography piece.  

Computers can make good copies of handmade designs. But this is not a solution because a scanner will not reproduce tactile textures and nuances of design, it does however provide a good compromise, because it is still able to capture some of the essence of a handmade piece. This is a good compromise, because computers and digital printers allow us to mass produce good quality designs, which can be derived from something that is handmade, and has all the marks of being done so. 

There is enjoyment in the art of handmade, how fun can progress the design world, and develop an industry that can sometimes be considered far too straight forward for the exciting art that is being created. Creating typography from hand shows how the designer works, not just visually, but gives you an insight into how the designer thinks and responds to visual ideas. Hand drawn typography has become popular in modern society as it creates an authenticity and appearance that the design is more directed at the user, creating more of a personal connection.  

While we enjoy the benefits of modern technology in design, we are rediscovering the value of handmade effects and elements in design, advertising and products. The perks brought by the digital world have improved the way designers can create and interact, but rediscovering the value of handmade, going back to this form is helping designers enhance their work and create imagery that pushes the boundaries in graphic design.    

Handmade design creates variety in the digital world, as it generates design with intriguing forms and outcomes. Using handmade techniques forms a range of opportunities, and shows designers different ways of thinking about how to create designs using a range of techniques and acquired skills.   

Compared to digital I think handmade design produces a more personal finish that can communicate better to a larger audience. A handmade composition has texture and depth, which also feels more human. Making things by hand gives you less control. This can make people uncomfortable, but I think it produces the most interesting results. I also believe the imperfections in handmade work become part of the work and add something extra to it making it more visually interest. Not being tied to the capabilities of the software you are using is refreshing and brings with it further inspiration.      

[jamierobertsonfmp-blog]

Digital Cons

Can designs be distinguished anymore?

In relation to the ability for artists show their individual styles in design through the use of programmes like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and After Affects, they are limited. A direct result of the Internet on graphic design has been the creation of a universal style of design throughout the world. When looking at digitally created work on the Internet, it can be extremely hard to see the personal style of the designer. Whilst when we look at architecture there is a direct difference between buildings designed by different architects and buildings that have been made in different countries, like Spain against those made in the UK.

This can due to the constraint or inability to show the application of pressure from a pen or pencil made by an artist or the texture of that material used to design like a brush stroke. There are tools for these things in these programmes however they are nowhere near close to being replicated as the real thing, more so the artist flair that has been used to create them.

The success of the Internet has also changed the way that designers find inspiration for their work. Where before the digital age designers scanned through history books and specific typography or design publications for inspiration, we now for the majority of the time type the theme that we are searching for straight into Google and are instantly given a wide selection of results. But has this also led to an increase in the plagiarism in design? As search engines allow ideas to be easily seen by many, increasing the opportunity for them to be stolen with no concept of ownership or because of the enormous range of designs created and published is there such thing as an original idea anymore?

How can we get our personalities and individual styles of design to be shown through computer programmes? Do we depend on technology too much? Could designers go back to a traditional media and survive? Would today's illustrators be able to make a name for themselves without the digital media?

[jamierobertsonfmp-blog]

Digital Pros

Cambridge Dictionary Definition:

The present time, when most information is in a digital form, especially when compared to the time when computers were not used.

(Digital suggests artificial. Less human and personal. Produced via machinery not a human touch. 21st century mention everything much more virtual.)

Is information better in digital form?

It can be placed where everyone can see readily available, making the sharing of information and knowledge easy. The development of the Internet meant the transition from paper to a digital world revolutionising the way we see and gather information. A very prolific example of this is the sharing of news around the world or global communication and the demand for a transition from the newspaper companies going from newspapers (a physical form of information) to launch news websites like BBC News, the Guardian online and The Telegraph.    

Within regards to graphic design the digital age has changed many things. Not only has technology altered the way that work is created, it has also completely changed the way that we present our work. Today most designers have at least one form of online presence; be it a Facebook page, a Twitter account, a blog where they share their thoughts or even just a portfolio site where their work is showcased, many designers use the internet as their main source of publicity.

"With a traditional paper portfolio, it is rarely possible to accommodate all our work. With a laptop we can take everything" - Adrian Shaughnessy

With the development of moving animation work or interactive multimedia pieces and the fact that designers can share a higher percentage of their work without limitations of size or quality makes using digital technology very appealing.

Technology is also used predominately now in the designing and creation of work in the graphic design field. Since the digital revolution, we have seen a massive change in the way that motion graphics is created. Programs such as 'Adobe After Effects' have increased productivity in the motion industry as it allows designers to create animations in an extremely short amount of time compared to when they were traditionally analogue created. As oppose to designers drawing out images frame by frame or traditional stocks cell animation. 

But does this negate the final piece and make it less personal, not allowing the artist style to show through in the use of digital technology? Are digital techniques reducing the possibility of mistakes to be made in the creation stages and hindering any further creativity to be produced from them?

[zoepatchettunitx]

Adding context...

Before we started to shoot for this project, Antony approached us with an unusual but maybe effective idea. Using the images we attained in the week running up to the deadline, he suggested we make our exhibition a multimedia piece.

By doing this, he wanted to use the analogue images and add digital aspects to it to show the contending between digital and analogue, its practice and the effects it gives. The technology we use now is mainly digital as it is easy and accessible for everyone, but people do not tend to think about what they are photographing, it is a free trigger and it does not matter how many times you get an image ‘wrong’. Digital, essentially, is quickly overtaking analogue photography. 

Analogue photography requires thought, time, money (lots of it) and light that works with the correct ISO film you have. Working around the ISO is a constant, whereas with digital you can change this as light changes. Film photography would be great to use to mimic cinematography as the grain, texture and work process is an exciting way of working with effective results and shows the conflict in technology.

To show this, it was suggested that we burn holes into the analogue images and reveal binary code behind the image. See Antony’s sketch.

This was an idea we took to a tutorial with Peter Woodbridge. Peter loved the idea of using 35mm film to capture our images, and he was impressed with the film Noir image in the studio that we showed him. He suggested that we did not burn into the images as it would ruin the quality but he suggested using binary in other ways like projection, having the binary on a separate plaque next to the image as a caption etc. These were all ideas we could consider but the main priority was getting the images in the bag!